What should I visit on my 3 day 3 night trip to D.C.?

Question

My wife and I have never been there, and it's our honeymoon / her birthday gift. We will be in DC from 8/10 - 8/13. I know the American History museum at the Smithsonian is under renovations. We have reservations at 15 Ria and Kinkheads. Any advice on which monuments to see and times?

Answer 1

There are several walking tours you can take that are exceptional! Also, there is a guided tour of DC at night that you won't want to miss. Depending on where you are staying, most hotels have tour information at the reservation desk and the tour company picks you up at the hotel. If you tour the museums, make sure you plan on spending HOURS at each one. The air and space museum took us half a day and we didn't see everything. The Holocaust museum is one you won't want to miss...very moving.

If you do one of the walking tours, you'll catch all the main places like the National Archives, the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, treasury building, Jefferson Memorial, etc. If you decide to go to the National Archives--which I highly recommend--be absolutely certain you turn the flash off on your camera or the DC police will escort you right out and you won't be allowed back in. There was a man there who insisted on using his flash and was warned twice before they threw him out. Because of the age of the documents, flashes have an adverse affect.

Enjoy the city. It's remarkably clean and the history is right at your fingertips!

Answer 2

Look into a guidebook. Besides the national mall, there are things that are a little away from the mall - - like Fords Theater and National Geographic. It will also give you ideas of what you might want to see and what the hours are.
Don't know where you are staying or if you have a vehicle, but you might enjoy an evening in Old Town Alexandria. This site might help you http://oha.alexandriava.gov/
Arlingtion National Cemetary is nice to visit - - might not be ideal for birthday/honeymoon, though.
Native American Museum was a little bit of a let-down, but their cafeteria is really good and they offer different types of "native" foods - - probably not the best quality, but interesting.
Air & Space is extremely popular. National Archives is good.
I enjoyed the National Aquarium.
Monuments are sometimes open later at night are good for after the museums close up. Time is important. Some museums stay open later than others so plan things out if you can.

Answer 3

The Smithsonian is a collection of museums and the zoo. (14 I think) There is no shortage of things to see and do for free in DC. It will be hot so be prepared. Go the the art museums, Air and Space, Natural History, the zoo and more. All the onuments are open all the time except maybe going up in the Washington Monument. You can walk the mall, go to the Capital, Georgetown, the White House, it is endless. Enjoy

Answer 4

Here's what I usually recommend for three days:

1. See the Monuments/memorials. This is a lot of what you are in DC for - so do it. The best walk (I think) starts at the Washington Monument. Face the Lincoln memorial and walk down to the World War II memorial, and visit it. Then walk down the reflecting pool, or possibly through Constitution Gardens, to the other end. On the right (north) is the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, and on the left is the Korean War Memorial. Then, of course, visit the Lincoln Memorial, and make sure not to miss seeing where Martin Luther King stood when he gave his "I have a Dream" speech. After this, head south toward the Tidal Basin. From the Lincoln memorial you will end up at the FDR memorial, which is really quite fascinating. After visiting FDR, head north (clockwise) around the Tidal Basin, to visit the Jefferson Memorial. This is about 3 hours of walking, but you can see all the most important memorials. Note that these memorials are open from dawn to midnight, some 24 hours, but there are park rangers from about 7 AM to 11 PM. If you are up for it, then you can do it after the sights with shorter hours close.

2. Visit the halls of Government. Your choice - the Capitol Building (not open on Sunday, so do this on Friday or Saturday or Monday). Tickets are distributed free starting at 9 AM, but if you do this Saturday, make sure you are there early. Library of Congress - worth doing, also closed Sunday, make sure you take a tour so you can visit the reading room. Tours are free, walk in, lines are not too long. Supreme Court - only open on weekdays. I've included links to all these.

3. Check out your history - The National Archives are great, also touring Lafayette Square, and the historic house on there, or a walking tour of Georgetown (the oldest portion of the city.) Or a visit to the National Portrait Gallery.

4. Visit the Smithsonian. There are about 15 museum in DC associated with the Smithsonian. My favorites are Air and Space, The National Museum of the American Indian, and my husband's favorite is Natural History. There are also art museums ranging from modern (Hirschorn) to American (American Art/National Portrait Gallery) to Asian (Sackler and Freer Galleries) to craft (Renwick - on Lafayette Square) to African (African Art Museum). Or visit the National Gallery of ARt, not part of the Smithsonian, but a great collection - traditional in the west building and contemproary in the wonderful east building.

4. Get to a neighborhood. I prefer Adams Morgan, and the U Street Corridor, but Georgetown can be fun, and Chinatown/Penn Quarter is nearby. See how Washington really lives.

If you have a military connection - then Arlington Cemetery, or one of the service memorials (Navy memorial on Pennsylvania Avenue, Air Force Memorial out near the Pentagon, and Iwo Jima, the Marine Memorial are three, there are more) are a great choice.

If this is a lot of walking for you, look into one of the tours - there are many tours. But you can do DC very well without spending a cent on attractions.

I almost forgot evening entertainment - the Kennedy Center has a free concert every night at 6 PM. YOu might want to take a tour of this memorial to President Kennedy in advance, or eat on the roof terrace cafe, overlooking the city and the famous Watergate. Or check out 7th street where you can go to Ticketplace and get half price theatre tickets to one of the 85+ professional theatre companies and venues in town.

Check out our podcast on Washington DC tourism for more ideas.

Answer 5

Most of the museums in washington DC are free for admission, you can visit the air & space museum of smithsonian, one of the best collections around.
Also, you can visit the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, the korean & vietnam war memorials. Also, the white house is a good photo stop too.

Answer 6

don't go to mount vernon, especially in august. i did the tour when i was 10 with my school and it was miserable. you're outside almost all day in the hot sunwhile they talk and talk and talk for hours.
one really cool thing that i like to do when i go to DC is go to the National Gallery Sculpture Garden. it is really pretty and quiet and the sculpture is so neat. i believe it is pretty near a cafe too.
The Old Post Office is really cool. you can ride up in a glass elevator to a little tower where you get a gorgeous panoramic view of the city. in the main part, there is a sort of mall with lots of food and souvenir shops.