Fun, Touristy things to do when you're a resident

[Anonymous]

When she was 10 or so, DD was obsessed with the Lincoln assassination, so we went to visit Ford's Theater and museum in the lower level, along with the house across the street where Lincoln died. We also visited the Surrat house in Clinton, Md., where John Wilkes Booth hid out.

If your 13-year-old isn't impressed with this and is a girl, bribe her with a visit to the Forever 21 in the old Woodie's building. It's huge and nearby when you're at Ford's.

The Smithsonian Natural History Museum is also usually a hit, with the dinosaurs and bugs.

On cooler days, especially, the Amazonia exhibit at the zoo, is great. You can see leaping monkeys up close and personal. We often don't go there when we go to the zoo since it's out of the way, but it's a great immersive experience.

[Anonymous]

OP here - WOW!! I totally forgot or plain did not know about all the fun things to do around here

My summer schedule is now full, thanks to you guys!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The hop-on, hop-off bus tours are fun and will get you to stop at places you would normally just drive by. They have discount tickets on Goldstar.

This!!! My daughter and I did the Old Town Trolley one. (Only possible drawback to this tour is that the bus driver is speaking so if they don't have any great stories or know anything out of the ordinary then not so great. I usually get off at next stop and wait for the next trolley with a different driver). It was awesome!! I learned so much and stopped at places I normally don't (like National Cathedral).

[Anonymous]

Two hidden treasures in DC that are a bit off the beaten path but amazing to visit:

The Franciscan Monastery near Catholic University is really neat. I am not at all religious, but it has beautiful flowers and gardens, stunning mosaic art, creepy/magical/intriguing tombs and crypts, and the inside of the church reminds me of a 500 year old church I visited in Brazil.
http://www.myfranciscan.org/

Also, the US National Arboretum is a total treasure and is usually not crowded at all (except for during azalea season) because it is not easily accessible by public transportatiom. Often when visiting, I've marveled that you would have no idea that you were anywhere near a city once inside the grounds. On the weekends, kids can use quarters to get fish food and feed the koi in the water surrounding the main building. Lots of places to lay out a blanket for a picnic, go exploring, traverse a path through the woods, big open fields, the original columns from the US Capitol, fountains and water structures, bonsai trees that are hundreds of years old, etc. It really is a magical place.
http://www.usna.usda.gov/

[Anonymous]

This is AWESOME!
I don't want to hijack, but I have a 2 year old and 6 year old, and will be on Sabbatical for the summer. I'm so excited to do stuff with them. What would you rec? 2 year old still needs a nap so it's a little tricky... Maybe I should start a new thread...

[Anonymous]

11:37 again - just thought of another great place to go, especially for the summer. Yards Park next to nationals stadium has a huge splash pool (about a foot deep), fountains for little ones to jump through, a water fall, nice green space to lay on a blanket, shady boardwalk area with tables and chairs, and there is usually a nice breeze coming off the river.

[Anonymous]

At 13 and 10, your kids are a great age to enjoy the Spy Museum if they haven't been already.

If they like the outdoors, there are some great places to hike around in the National Arboretum (bonus = it's free!) I've taken several hikes there and have never had to go back over areas I've already been.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We went to Lurray Caverns last summer and had a blast. I was a total skeptic, but really enjoyed it. Plus a lot of cute towns on the way down and great spots to grab a bite. At 10 and 13 your kids will likely find Lurray pretty cool.

Would also recommend signing up for a tour of the White House or the Capitol. Did the latter a few months ago with family visiting from out of town and it was really fun and reminded me that I hadn't really taken advantage of a lot of the offerings we've got in DC despite being a resident for 15 years.

I thought WH tours were almost impossible to get! Born and raised here, never been. Whats the process?
Also totally forgot about lurray! DH and I did this pre-kids. It would b cool for them for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two hidden treasures in DC that are a bit off the beaten path but amazing to visit:

The Franciscan Monastery near Catholic University is really neat. I am not at all religious, but it has beautiful flowers and gardens, stunning mosaic art, creepy/magical/intriguing tombs and crypts, and the inside of the church reminds me of a 500 year old church I visited in Brazil.
http://www.myfranciscan.org/

Also, the US National Arboretum is a total treasure and is usually not crowded at all (except for during azalea season) because it is not easily accessible by public transportatiom. Often when visiting, I've marveled that you would have no idea that you were anywhere near a city once inside the grounds. On the weekends, kids can use quarters to get fish food and feed the koi in the water surrounding the main building. Lots of places to lay out a blanket for a picnic, go exploring, traverse a path through the woods, big open fields, the original columns from the US Capitol, fountains and water structures, bonsai trees that are hundreds of years old, etc. It really is a magical place.
http://www.usna.usda.gov/

Ooooooo great ideas!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids loved the Duck tour. I liked the boat trip down to Alexandria and back, but it was a little slow for them.

Is that the one where the bus becomes a boat?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last summer I lieu of summer camp I took my 4 year old to do the following

Duck boats
Boat taxi from old town to national harbor. Went to peeps store and ran around
butteryfly garden on Tuesday at natural history, it is free on Tuesdays
Air and space out in Dulles
Paddle boats
Baltimore aquarium
Baltimore port discovery
Picked blueberries and strawberries
Jammin java Rocknocerous concert
IMAX at air and space
Early movie first thing in morning, like 10am, super cheap and usually not many people
Annapolis, get crabs at canters
Watch plans take off and land at Reagan
Spy museum
Discovery museum
Baseball game, even local high school ones are fun for kids

Awesome suggestions! Also, last summer was "black raspberry summer". We were obsessed with finding places to pick them and had such a blast. We also researched and learned about them. And, oh the mojitos from them.... for the adults of course!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last summer I lieu of summer camp I took my 4 year old to do the following

Duck boats
Boat taxi from old town to national harbor. Went to peeps store and ran around
butteryfly garden on Tuesday at natural history, it is free on Tuesdays
Air and space out in Dulles
Paddle boats
Baltimore aquarium
Baltimore port discovery
Picked blueberries and strawberries
Jammin java Rocknocerous concert
IMAX at air and space
Early movie first thing in morning, like 10am, super cheap and usually not many people
Annapolis, get crabs at canters
Watch plans take off and land at Reagan
Spy museum
Discovery museum
Baseball game, even local high school ones are fun for kids

Awesome suggestions! Also, last summer was "black raspberry summer". We were obsessed with finding places to pick them and had such a blast. We also researched and learned about them. And, oh the mojitos from them.... for the adults of course!

Mind if I copy your awesome itinerary?

[Anonymous]

Don't forget Mt. Vernon. Has a totally new fabulous kids room (my 3 y/o loves it, so to the PP w/ a 2 y/o: yes, do it) and can run outside! as well as see cool animals (piglets!). Inside if rainy or hot, outside otherwise. Places to eat. We have spent the whole day there, me plus kids, no DH, easily.

[Anonymous]

Passport DC is fun for the kids if they're at the stage where they're curious about other countries. Coming up soon!
http://passportdc.org/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We went to Lurray Caverns last summer and had a blast. I was a total skeptic, but really enjoyed it. Plus a lot of cute towns on the way down and great spots to grab a bite. At 10 and 13 your kids will likely find Lurray pretty cool.

Would also recommend signing up for a tour of the White House or the Capitol. Did the latter a few months ago with family visiting from out of town and it was really fun and reminded me that I hadn't really taken advantage of a lot of the offerings we've got in DC despite being a resident for 15 years.

It is spelled "Luray".