Ideas for fun things to do with 14 and 12 year old boy visiting for 1 night

[Anonymous]

My best friend is driving through town with her 2 boys, ages 14 and 12. They will be staying with me for one night. Any ideas of fun activities/games I can have for them?

[Anonymous]

Spy Museum?

[Anonymous]

building museum summer installation
renwick exhibit
kayaking on the potomac or tidal basin
monuments tour at night

[Anonymous]

SkyZone.

Our 12 year old visitor loved it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:building museum summer installation
renwick exhibit
kayaking on the potomac or tidal basin
monuments tour at night

This for sure. Drive to Iwo Jima and look at the skyline from the Netherlands Carillon (have never had trouble finding parking) and then drive across TR bridge to Const Ave, go to Capitol, circle back and see Jefferson etc. Get out and walk around when you feel like it. Parking should not be a problem in the evening.


Also: maybe Udvar-Hazy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:building museum summer installation
renwick exhibit
kayaking on the potomac or tidal basin
monuments tour at night

I would axe the Renwick and add the Spy and this is a good list.

[Anonymous]

Bike-the-monuments night tour is really fun, though price-y. You could also go see a Nats game -- even sitting in the cheap seats is fun. Kayaking or SUPping at Fletcher's Boathouse, off of Canal Road.

[Anonymous]

All the ideas above are great, and probably better than this one, but I’d also add water taxi to national harbor (and Ferris wheel, dinner, and shopping there). My kids aren’t preteens yet, so I don’t actually know what’s cool, but I always see lots of preteens there.

[Anonymous]

Monuments tour at night followed by the ferris wheel at National Harbor.
Nats game if they're in town.
Spy museum - and be sure to do the extra spy whodunnit activity - followed by lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl.
Air & Space museum followed by lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All the ideas above are great, and probably better than this one, but I’d also add water taxi to national harbor (and Ferris wheel, dinner, and shopping there). My kids aren’t preteens yet, so I don’t actually know what’s cool, but I always see lots of preteens there.

The ferris wheel is actually kind of boring and overpriced.

We have boys and what I would suggest:

#1 Monuments at night (walking) do the WWII, Lincoln, Korean (come from the Lincoln/soldier side of the monument) & Vietnam, plus the Iwo Jima like PP said.

#2 Drive by the Pentagon and stop at Gravelly Point

#3 Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum (be sure to show them the transformer scene that was filmed there then the airplane)

#4 rocks & dinosaurs at the natural history

#5 Spy museum

[Anonymous]

I think OP is asking for things to do at the house since they're visiting for one night. I get that; not everyone wants to run ragged and go-go-go..she probably wants to hang out with her best friend at home! Also, many (most?) pre-teen boys don't GAF about a spaceship in a museum or a rock. They just want to chill out and play video games and hang out.

Let them order a movie or two (mom might want to weight in on this if the youngest is 12).

Order them pizza and set them up in a basement area or tv room. Have some cut fruit, salad or veggie tray, chips/dip, desserts, and soda/sports drinks. Just ask their mom what they favorites are.

Ask mom what they're into and maybe have a few magazines on the coffee table like Sports Illustrated or Popular Mechanics or whatever they like - send these home with them, along with any of their junk foods you won't eat.

They'll be happy as clams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think OP is asking for things to do at the house since they're visiting for one night. I get that; not everyone wants to run ragged and go-go-go..she probably wants to hang out with her best friend at home! Also, many (most?) pre-teen boys don't GAF about a spaceship in a museum or a rock. They just want to chill out and play video games and hang out.

Let them order a movie or two (mom might want to weight in on this if the youngest is 12).

Order them pizza and set them up in a basement area or tv room. Have some cut fruit, salad or veggie tray, chips/dip, desserts, and soda/sports drinks. Just ask their mom what they favorites are.

Ask mom what they're into and maybe have a few magazines on the coffee table like Sports Illustrated or Popular Mechanics or whatever they like - send these home with them, along with any of their junk foods you won't eat.

They'll be happy as clams.

Good advice. Have lots of snacks and ordering pizza is a good idea. Give them privacy and a movie. Buy some wine for yourself and your friend. They will spend the evening watching the movie, eating and doing whatever they do on their cells. Skip the museums and monuments unless your friend asked to go see things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think OP is asking for things to do at the house since they're visiting for one night. I get that; not everyone wants to run ragged and go-go-go..she probably wants to hang out with her best friend at home! Also, many (most?) pre-teen boys don't GAF about a spaceship in a museum or a rock. They just want to chill out and play video games and hang out.

Let them order a movie or two (mom might want to weight in on this if the youngest is 12).

Order them pizza and set them up in a basement area or tv room. Have some cut fruit, salad or veggie tray, chips/dip, desserts, and soda/sports drinks. Just ask their mom what they favorites are.

Ask mom what they're into and maybe have a few magazines on the coffee table like Sports Illustrated or Popular Mechanics or whatever they like - send these home with them, along with any of their junk foods you won't eat.

They'll be happy as clams.

Um...you have not been around many boys that age.

The last thing they want to do is hang out at the house with mom and her college buddy.

Boys that age like to go.

They LOVE the Air & Space museum by Dulles. Even if they do a buzz through to see the high lights (shuttle, rockets, blackbird and simulators) boys that age really enjoy that museum.

The monuments at night are impressive. All the kids enjoy that and middle school boys will feel really cool being out at night walking around the city.

The suggestions above are good for when they are done doing something fun and are back at the house.

They are a bad idea for the only thing happening for this visit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think OP is asking for things to do at the house since they're visiting for one night. I get that; not everyone wants to run ragged and go-go-go..she probably wants to hang out with her best friend at home! Also, many (most?) pre-teen boys don't GAF about a spaceship in a museum or a rock. They just want to chill out and play video games and hang out.

Let them order a movie or two (mom might want to weight in on this if the youngest is 12).

Order them pizza and set them up in a basement area or tv room. Have some cut fruit, salad or veggie tray, chips/dip, desserts, and soda/sports drinks. Just ask their mom what they favorites are.

Ask mom what they're into and maybe have a few magazines on the coffee table like Sports Illustrated or Popular Mechanics or whatever they like - send these home with them, along with any of their junk foods you won't eat.

They'll be happy as clams.

"Our trip sucked. We went to DC and all we did was sat around mom's friend's house."

[Anonymous]

OP here, these are all great ideas! I'll do a combination of taking them out for a bit, then movies/wifi password/snacks at home while I catch up with my friend. Thanks everyone!