I am headed to DC with my son on Oct 20th and was wondering what places that would be great to show a 8 year old Bear scout? I was hearing about a mall that you can pretty much walk to all the sites? Do you need to pay for parking or do you know of a good spot to get around the parking fees?
2007-10-10 13:56:55 · 3 answers · asked by Joe or Shell J 3 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Washington, D.C.
there ain't no parking at the Mall. take the subway, there are several stops all along the monuments. Parking at the Subway stations is free on the weekends and holidays, $3.50 for all day otherwise, paid only by the smartcard you can buy in the stations( a card will cost ten dollars and have $5 worth of parking preloaded.)
as for which sites to see: Air and Space Museum, Natural History Museum, all the monuments, Arlington Cemetery
2007-10-11 02:37:02 · answer #1 · answered by Mrsjvb 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Parking in Washington is horrendous. The fees range from about $12 a day to $25 a day - it's hard to find, and it's just terrible. The best parking I know of is at Union Station - It's near the Capitol, and it will probably cost you $18 for the day. Another option is to park at one of the Metro Stops in the DC o r VA suburbs (free on Saturdays) and get a day pass ($6.50 each) on the subway, then take it for your transport around the city.
As far as sites, the National mall is a 2.5 mile long park that runs from the Capitol, past the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. Along its sides are many of the museums of the Smithsonian Institution, the various memorials, and the National Gallery of Art, plus some of the Congressionally assoicated sites like the Botanical GArden. Here are some things I recommend.
1. See where the laws are made in the US - the Capitol. Get to the kiosk between the Capitol and the Botanic Garden by about 8 AM and you will be able to get free timed tickets to see the Capitol. Surely a scout will care about citizenship?
2. Consider other historic government buildings, including the Library of Congress and the National Archives. The supreme court and white house you won't be able to get in, the Supreme Court because they are closed on Weekends, and the White House because you need to plan that months in advance. But you can see these.
3. Walk the Monuments. One 3-5 mile walk takes you from the Washington Monument past the World War II Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Memorial to the Lincoln Memorial, then around the Tidal Basin past the famous cherry trees to the FDR memorial (lots of history and art here) and the Jefferson Memorial.
4. Pick and interest - Air and Space, American Indian, Dinosaurs, Modern Art, whatever, and visit a museum on the Mall. My favorites are listed above, if you include the I.M.Pei designed National Gallery of Art East Building.
5. Have a meal in a real DC neighborhood. Chinatown, at Chinatown/Gallery Place or Ben's Chili Bowl in the U-Street Corridor are great opportunities to see more of DC than the government.
Hope you have a great time. I've included a link to our podcasts, 80 of them on DC tourism. They should help.
2007-10-10 16:30:30 · answer #2 · answered by julie travelcaster 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I don't know about parking but the National Mall in downtown DC is amazing. It's basically an expanse of grass which is surrounded by the Smithsonian museums, the Washington Monument, and Capitol Hill. Another great place is the National Zoo-they have the nice little pandas.
2007-10-10 16:26:52 · answer #3 · answered by Leonard W 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋