Top DC/MD/VA area sites (non DC historic district) for European teen girl

[Anonymous]

Looking for any tried and true tips on special things to do with a visiting European teen-age girl. Her family will arrive two weeks after she does, so we'll do the Monuments, Tour of the Capitol, etc., with them. I'm looking for things that are slightly off the beaten track, quintessentially American and fun for a teen. I'll also have my younger kids with me, who are 6 and 11.

Here's what I'm thinking of...any tips, yeas/nays welcome...I have no experience with teen girls except from my own time as a teen girl!

- Hanging at our neighborhood pool;
- Downtown Bethesda and Tastee Diner;
- Washington Mystics game;
- Baseball (Nationals if I can snag cheap tickets - are the $20/$10 seats worth it?) Or else Frederick Keys or Bethesda Big Train or Orioles;
- Chesapeake Bay and outing to a crab shack nearby;
- National Zoo;
- Outdoor movie /Drive through movie - any suggestions? Perhaps Bengies in Baltimore or National Harbor movies...if we do this may combine with day trip to Accokeek;
- Mount Vernon;
- Richmond, VA with Byrd Theatre, Monument Avenue, Capitol;
- Great Falls?
- Monticello / Charlottesville?
- Luray & Caverns?
- Old Town Alexandria?
- Nordstroms, shopping at Montgomery Mall or Tysons or other...
- Whole Foods, Giant, everyday shopping....

Again, when the rest of her family arrives, we will do the Smithsonian, monuments, Newseum, Capitol Hill tour, etc.

Thanks!!

[Anonymous]

Pool.
Zoo.
Great Falls.
Frederick Keys.
Montgomery Mall.
National Mall.


Forget the rest.

[Anonymous]

spy museum

[Anonymous]

Mount Vernon
Pool
Outdoor movie
Mistic game
Salad and breakfast bar @ Whole Foods
Bike trails

[Anonymous]

A shopping mall, maybe an outlet mall
Spy Museum
Area around the Verizon Center
Five Guys
Kayaking

[Anonymous]

National zoo
Pool
Shopping, eating, movies at RIO Washingtonian
Orioles Camden yards
Kayaking or biking or canoes at great falls... Tow path
Antietam national battlefield
Crabs at cantlers .... Naval academy tour
Sandy point beach
Charter rock fishing at Chesapeake beach or deale

[Anonymous]

Ben's Chili Bowl
National Gallery & sculpture garden cafe

[Anonymous]

Do you have any friends with teenagers? Teens want to be with other teens. A great experience for her would be to hang out with American teens. A good friend of mine had a European teen staying with her and one of my kids took him around with her pack of friends. Starbucks, riding a city bus to an outdoor concert, lunch at Panera, going to a school baseball game, etc. Just regular old DC teenager stuff. Everyone loved the experience, of course they are all friends on Facebook now.

Also, East building of the National Gallery before it closes for renovations. Calder mobiles, Multiverse, Synecdoche, 15 Pair of Hands etc. and then get some gelato at the coffee shop between the two buildings before you go to see Ginevra in the West building.

[Anonymous]

This is OP responding - to 20:01, I will introduce her to kids at my pool and in the neighborhood but I don't know what will develop, obviously. Not sure if I should try to set stuff up...kind of thinking no, so maybe just leave that loose and hopefully the teens at pool and in neighborhood will ask her to do stuff too.

Love the other ideas!

[Anonymous]

This is stupid but when I visit other countries I love just walking around and going shopping and even to the grocery store- it's very interesting to me to see how things are different. I think she might enjoy hanging around downtown Bethesda (sounds like it's near you) where she can walk around a bit.

[Anonymous]

As a mother of a teen girl I wouldn't over plan. Having "down" time and being able to listen to music and do their "own thing" is important to many teens.

One or two special events in the week, and time to just "be" with an American family. Pick one or two things you think your entire family would enjoy (or that need tickets) to plan for and then give her some choices. You need some things planned for sure, but too much will get overwhelming and by the time the family arrives she may really resist continuing with the tourist attractions.

I second the idea of seeing if there is a neighborhood child you could ask to spend an afternoon with your guest-- going out to lunch and/or shopping. I know my daughter would gladly agree to this for one day -- it wouldn't mean they'd be BFFs for the week, just an afternoon.

[Anonymous]

OP again - thanks so much!

[Anonymous]

We had an English teen stay for a week and agree with pp about not overscheduling. She wanted to go shopping, watch TV, go to the pool, go to the grocery store, etc. Liked downtown Bethesda, Georgetown, Capitol Hill. Not so big on historic sights. Hated the hot/humid weather.

[Anonymous]

Take her to Tysons Corner mall - as the parent of teens, and as the frequent host to guests from overseas, that's what blows their hair back believe it or not. I second the Annapolis recommendation (maybe not the Naval Academy - you can walk around that by yourself, and there's not much going on there in the summer). Lunch at a nice little place near City Dock, walk around a bit...it's a nice way to spend an afternoon.

[Anonymous]

GEORGETOWN. Do not overschedule or put in effort on something like this: Outdoor movie /Drive through movie - any suggestions? Perhaps Bengies in Baltimore or National Harbor movies...if we do this may combine with day trip to Accokeek;

A regular theater would suffice.