Recos for a DC trip over Xmas

[Anonymous]

If you don’t stay at the Willard, you can also eat there or do the tea. The lobby is spectacular at Christmastime.

Ignore the people saying it is dead at Xmas. That’s the best time to visit the museums and restaurants!

I agree with those saying to stay near the mall. It is helpful to be close to the museums and monuments. Penn Quarter has a lot of good restaurants to choose from that aren’t too pricey.

[Anonymous]

Do one day south of DC and go to Mount Vernon and Old Town. https://www.southernliving.com/travel/virginia/alexandria-christmas

Then maybe a day of monuments and another day or two of museums. I always love the National Gallery. And for those who have never been to DC, it’s worth hitting up the popular Smithsonian museums like Air and Space, Natural History, and American History, though they are the most crowded. But maybe the crowds won’t be so bad without the school groups.

[Anonymous]

If you go to the white house, the renwick is nearby and pretty quick to visit. I like the art there.

The Holocaust museum is very well done. Obviously a heavy experience; you probably won't want to bop over to another museum or dinner after.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: thank you for all the great ideas! Noted them all and just completed White House your request form.

To answer question earlier, we’re going to DC for Xmas and hoping to be exposed to some holiday atmosphere but we’re not looking for big-time Christmas-theme sights or activities. Been wanting to visit DC and Xmas just happens to be a good time for us. We’re more interested in experiencing the best of Washington DC.

Don’t worry— DC is great for Christmas. You can still see some fun decorations (the Willard is wonderful but also at many other downtown hotels and other sites) and yet it isn’t totally packed like NY.

[Anonymous]

Oh and definitely do a Christmas tea downtown. Get tickets early! Wonderful teas are at the Willard, the Four Seasons, and the Fairmont.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes to all of the above and add a Washington Monument visit (you can reserve on rec.gov app). Not sure how far out, but probably 30 days? I'd check now.

We are hosting family for Christmas from out of town and we are planning on going to a show at the Kennedy Center, getting pizza at Bar Del Monte in Mt Pleasant, going ice skating at the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden ice rink, seeing the trains at the botanical garden, having a big italian meal at Officina on the Wharf, hitting up a Christmas market at City Center or Georgetown, maybe seeing a Christmas Carol at Ford's Theater, and the National Cathedral on Christmas Day (if open to visitors).

I would stay at the new Salamander (not sure of pricing) or the Willard Intercontinental. The Hay-Adams is amazing but maybe not in the price range you need. The Jefferson is great too, or even the Rosewood in Georgetown.

I would agree with above. All great recommendations and the best of DC over the holidays.

Do the Xmas market downturn by Portrait Gallery. Great local vendors for your holiday shopping, live music so check the schedule. We love to spend 1.5-2 hours there in the evening browsing vendors, then getting the yummy mini donuts/hot cocoa, and going to listen to some live music, many of which are holiday theme. One of our holiday traditions in DC besides Botanical gardens and train.

Kennedy center also has some great holiday shows but reserve early since it may sell out. Stop by mellinium stage for free concert, then head upstairs to see then JKF exhibit and the nice views on rooftop at night before going to the show.

[Anonymous]

National Christmas Tree
Holiday display at US Botanic Gardens (including DC landmarks made of plants)
Capitol Christmas Tree
Washington Ballet’s Nutcracker
Zoo Lights
Light display at Bull Run or Brookside Gardens

Get tickets to go up in Washington Monument
Enjoy the Smithsonians when not crowded
Library of Congress
See the monuments at night
Arlington National Cemetery (& graves have wreaths that time of year)

[Anonymous]

It’s further out, but Paul Morello’s A Christmas Carol performance at Olney theatre is excellent and would be enjoyable for teens and adults. It’s in it’s 15th? year. https://playbill.com/production/a-christmas-carol-regional-olney-theatre-center-for-the-arts-2022

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: thank you for all the great ideas! Noted them all and just completed White House your request form.

To answer question earlier, we’re going to DC for Xmas and hoping to be exposed to some holiday atmosphere but we’re not looking for big-time Christmas-theme sights or activities. Been wanting to visit DC and Xmas just happens to be a good time for us. We’re more interested in experiencing the best of Washington DC.

Keep in mind that the more popular Smithsonian museums require timed entry tickets.

[Anonymous]

Udvar Hazey center for teens.

[Anonymous]

PSA: the downtown holiday market is moving to Dupont (which I think is a great location) but will only run till Dec. 15, so OP will probably miss it: https://www.popville.com/2024/10/dc-holiday-market-dupont-circle/

But PPs have great recommendations and a Christmas trip to DC sounds great. Strongly second the rec to go to Alexandria and Mount Vernon one day, since those are so distinct from NY experiences.

[Anonymous]

Smithsonian's will be open (except of Dec 25 I believe) and they are all FREE! Also check out the Rubbell museum, great art. You can also visit Union Market for food (similar to Chelsea Market), visit Eastern Market outdoor market for really nice vendors and street food ish. My favorite DC restaurant is Daru on H street, Michelin star nouveau Indian food, wow amazing! You have to get a res in advance FYI. We are also from nyc and for some reason my tween is obsessed with the Smithsonian postal museum, which is better than I expected but I am just done with going there so many times lol. It's right next to Union Station. Also Union Station usually has a Xmas market. And try ice skating on the Georgetown waterfront. Super DC winter vibes. Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Per PP - yes the national cathedral is open for Xmas service but the National Basilica is way more big and beautiful IMO. They have services in English and Spanish. Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

This is not going to be the best year to visit Mount Vernon: https://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit See Closures at the bottom.

For Washington Monument tickets, I think it's 30 days in advance (but verify). On the day you're trying to get tickets make sure you already have a recreation.gov account and are logged in and sitting on the choose dates page a few minutes before 10:00 a.m. I had the second hand showing on my phone and refreshed my computer browser over and over right before 10:00 a.m. Tickets go extremely fast. If you don't get one, you can try again after 15 (I think?) minutes to get some that others let expire in their cart. If you don't succeed at that, the release some tickets the day before, also at 10:00. Getting group tickets is sometimes easier, so that's in your favor. Or failing all of that, you can stand in the line early in the morning for same-day tickets, but you have to be there like an hour or more early, I've heard. You can get only 6 tickets per person, so you may need more than one person to stand there, depending on how large your group is.

Clara Barton's Missing Soldiers Office museum is near the Portrait Gallery and Fords Theater. It's pretty small, you can just walk in and ask them for a tour on weekends or look around yourself. It's cool because they didn't know what the building was when it was going to be torn down in the 1990s (? if not then, then around then, way after the War) and they found her stuff in the attic and decided to restore it instead. It's not open during the week, unless you have 10 people and want to make a reservation: https://clarabartonmuseum.org/