Hi all,
I am headed with dh and dks to DC in three weeks. I use to live there when I was kid so I know the basics but would love update recommendations on where to eat, where not to, where to vist and where not to, and neighborhoods to avoid ect.
Any advice I would appreciate. The youngest dk and I are heade ther for the Arthritis Advocacy Summit and so will busy three out of six days but dh and othe dk's will be doing lots of sight seeing.
Thanks ahead of time.
Location: Originally from the Home of the only 6 times Super Bowl Champs!
Posts: 12,099
Im sorry that Im so late with these ideas.
DISCOVER THE NATION'S CAPITOL
For families on a budget, Washington, D.C., is the closest you can get to a free vacation. Most of the city's 70 major sites and attractions are free, and it's easy to get around on the clean, safe Metro subway. What's more, hotel rates drop on weekends, during holidays, and in late July and August when Congress is in recess, making those appealing times for families to visit our nation's greatest monuments and museums.
WHY FAMILIES LOVE IT
It's a terrific place to satisfy a child's curiosity. At the Bureau of Engraving & Printing, kids can watch stacks of cash being made. Admission is free. Call 202-874-3019. Families found the long lines to tour the White House and the Washington Monument were not worth the wait. Admire those structures from the outside, then head for the Lincoln Memorial.
A LOCAL FAVORITE
You can't beat the prices and convenient downtown location of Sholl's Colonial Cafeteria, which has been serving up hearty home-style meals since 1928. Call 301-947-8261.
BEST MUSEUMS
The Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum has a large collection of airplanes, rockets and space modules, including the Wright brothers' flier. The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, the most visited of its kind in the world, has an Insect Zoo, spectacular dinosaur exhibits, and a kids' Discovery Room. Admission to both museums is free. Call 202-357-2700.
TOP OUTDOOR FUN
Rock Creek Park has 1,754 acres of trails and prime picnic spots. Call 202-895-6000.
DON'T LEAVE TOWN WITHOUT
Enjoying nighttime views of the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials, surrounded by the Smithsonian museums.
Location: Originally from the Home of the only 6 times Super Bowl Champs!
Posts: 12,099
National Cherry Blossom Festival - Washington, DC
National Cherry Blossom Festival - Washington, DC will be in bloom this spring with the 92nd Annual National Cherry Blossom Festival, March 27 - April 11.
The 2004 festival marks the 92nd celebration of the original gift of the 3,000 cherry trees from the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington, DC in 1912.
It also marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Amity between the U.S. and Japan in 1854, officially beginning formal relations between the two countries.
Come and enjoy the spirit of the season.
Location: Originally from the Home of the only 6 times Super Bowl Champs!
Posts: 12,099
The dedication of the National World War II Memorial
America Celebrates the Greatest Generation - The dedication of the National World War II Memorial on Memorial Day weekend 2004 will launch an unprecedented region-wide salute to the men and women of the "Greatest Generation". Running through Labor Day weekend, the celebration features more than 140 World War II-themed exhibitions, performances, walking tours, and hotel packages in Washington, DC and the Capital Region all in tribute to the cultural influences of the World War II era.
The celebration begins with the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC)’s official dedication events, May 27-May 30. Scheduled official events include the Dedication Ceremony on Saturday, May 29, a four-day National World War II Reunion on the National Mall, produced in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and an entertainment salute to World War II Veterans. America Celebrates the Greatest Generation expands the tribute beyond the official events and invites visitors from around the world to come to the nation’s capital during the summer to visit the new memorial and take advantage of themed programming.
We will be heading there for a week at some point this summer. Not sure when yet.
DS # 1 was invited to participate in the Junior Young National Leaders Coference. It will be held in Washington, D.C. this summer. We haven't received the final details package yet.
DS will be staying at a hotel with the other participants and won't have time for us but I am still going and staying. DH, DS # 2 & I will stay in a different hotel but I want to be close just in case DS # 1's asthma starts acting up or something like that.......also it will be a good vacation for DS #2. DD will have to stay behind for her nursing school classes.
heckmom - do you have anything to add to what Tami posted. Things maybe you'd recommend since you used to live there???
I went to DC twice with my class when I was in high school but when you are that age, you never really appreciate what is around you....all you think about is being away from your parents...
I would like to go back now and really look around.
Washington DC 
