DEL.ICIO.USGeorgians visit nation's capitol
Washington D.C. makes history come alive for Atlanta childrenFor the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/01/08
Washington — Families love D.C., and it's a city to visit with kids over and over again.
Almost every school-age child is studying some aspect of American history — whether it's the founding fathers in the first grade or World War II in the fifth — and visiting the nation's capital brings that history alive. They are thrilled when they connect a real person, place or artifact with something they've learned in class.
 Theresa Giarrusso / Special | ||
| The Jefferson Memorial, framed through the blooming cherry blossoms, just says Washington, D.C. | ||
 Theresa Giarrusso / Special | ||
| The National Museum of Natural History lets kids touch as well as look. | ||
 Theresa Giarrusso / Special | ||
| Fossils of gigantic sea life are featured at the National Museum of Natural History. | ||
 Theresa Giarrusso / Special | ||
| Visitors to Arlington Cemetery view the graves of Pres. John F. Kennedy, his wife Jackie and two of their children. | ||
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Most museums and tourist sites are free. So even if your kids have short attention spans, you're not wasting money.
Plus, many of the Smithsonian exhibits are made just for kids — where else can they meet R2-D2 up close or touch a moon rock?
We took our three kids, ages 7, 5 and 1, to visit Washington during spring break. We ran into two other families from metro Atlanta while we were there: The Neenan family of Forsyth County, Kevin and Sue Ann and their three boys, 11-year-old twins and a 9-year-old, and the Heiser family of Gwinnett County, James and Heather and their two sons, 7 and 5.
Here is a compilation of all of the families' favorite sites and the best tips we all learned along the way:
Mount Vernon
Our kids loved George Washington's estate but not so much his house. If you have impatient kids, forgo the long line to enter the main house and head out back around the right side to view the Potomac. You also can check out the detached kitchen, laundry and a multitude of other buildings without waiting in that line.
The kids loved running the path that takes you through the farm down to the river's edge. Bulls laze at the top of the hill and sheep graze in paddocks by the river. Docents can tell you how the farm operated.
The visitor's center at the front of the estate is the only place with food and a restroom. Admission is $13 for adults, $6 for kids 6-11 and free for kids 5 and under.
Arlington National Cemetery
The cemetery is not within walking distance of the Mall, so you'll need to take the Metro, a tour or drive. There is a parking deck for the cemetery.
Once inside the cemetery, use the trolley service to take you to the main sites, President John F. Kennedy's grave site, Robert F. Kennedy's gravesite, the Tomb of the Unknowns and many others. It's $7.50 for adults and $3.25 per child and well worth it.
The cemetery is spread out and very hilly. The trolley drops you off at each stop, and you can reboard another when you're ready. Strollers are OK to take aboard, as long as you fold them.
Smithsonian museums
Most often you enter the Smithsonian museums from the Mall side. However, sometimes families with strollers get sent to side or back entrances. Those security lines are often shorter. Your bags will be searched going into the museums.
Eating or drinking is not allowed in the museums, but they don't confiscate your sippy cups or snacks.
Do pick up the Smithsonian magazine when you enter your first museum — it has helpful tips and maps. Also look for the "stuff especially for kids" brochures.
Many of the museums have food courts, but they are often packed. We did learn about two sneaky places to eat on the Mall. The Sculpture Garden has a lovely café that was not crowded, and it offers kid meals. The Heiser family reports the National Gallery of Art (West Building) also has a less crowded cafeteria.
National Air and Space Museum
Visiting this museum is a no-brainer for families. Our kids loved the early flight exhibit showing the Wright Brothers' plane, as well as the exhibit on the expanding universe. We didn't do the Imax movies, but I think the kids would have liked them. ($8.50 for adults, $7 for ages 2-12, but you can get discounts the more you see. You can order online ahead of time.)
All three families tried and recommend the flight simulator rides in the far right corner of the museum. It cost $7-$8 depending on which you chose, and all the kids thought it was well worth it. The restrooms on the second level seemed less crowded.
National Museum of American History
Sadly, this museum is closed, and the reopen date keeps getting moved, currently slated for fall 2008.
National Museum of Natural History
My husband didn't want to take time to visit the Natural History museum because "We have dinosaurs at Fernbank," but I am so glad we did. The kids had never seen anything like the gigantic sea life fossils, and they were fascinated with how sea creatures crawled onto land.
Our kids and the Heiser kids loved the gem and mineral exhibits. Signs invited kids to "please touch." It also had large displays on volcanoes and earthquakes.
The Heiser family loved the Butterfly exhibit ($6 per person, Tuesdays free, but always timed tickets needed). The Heiser family advises going to the museum first thing in the morning, because the afternoons were more crowded.
The Sculpture Gardens
I saw this on the map and thought, "We won't be going there," but then we used it as a shortcut and the kids loved it. Giant, colorful sculptures towering over them. The hardest part was keeping my kids from touching. We actually visited twice.
The National Archives
As you may know from the "National Treasure" movie, the National Archives houses the original Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
It is a surprisingly hot ticket to see some old papers. We waited almost two hours outside just to get into the inside line. The guard said in the summer it's well over three hours.
School-age kids have heard of these documents and can appreciate their historical significance. My first-grader thought it was awesome. My preschooler didn't even look.
The Capitol Tour
Though our kids are young, I'm so glad we took them to the Capitol. Even our preschooler was impressed with its grandeur, and the underground tram that transports the senators.
You book the tour through your congressional representatives. Kathie Miller, director of constituent services for Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), booked our Capitol and White House tours and gave us lots of advice for our trip.
Our kids loved getting mail from the senator's office before our trip and felt very important visiting his office. Isakson's intern, Daniel Halper, guided our tour and pointed out specific contributions Georgians made to the Capitol.
A new Capitol visitors' center is under construction and is expected to be finished this fall. Miller says tour procedures may change when it opens, but visitors can call her office to find out what they need to do (202-224-3643).
White House Tour
Two important things to know about visiting the White House:
1. Very few people actually get in (less than 1 percent of those who apply for a tour actually get to take one, according to Isakson's office). Many people don't apply in time, and some fail the required background check.
2. You need to apply at least six months in advance with one of your state's congressional representatives.
With that said, Miller is a miracle worker and got our family and the Neenan family in with about two months' notice. (So it is worth asking, even if you think you're too late.)
It is a self-guided tour, but you can ask questions of the guards in the rooms. The most impressive part of the tour is that these rooms are actually still being used by the president for official functions. The day we visited, the East Room and the State Dining Room were being set up for a Medal of Honor ceremony later that day.
Parents might have to explain why some of the Secret Service guards are so heavily armed.
Even those who get into the actual White House will enjoy seeing the new White House visitors' center, which is near the southeast corner of 15th and E streets. It featured examples of presidential china, Easter eggs, photos of the first families and a movie about the house's history that the kids actually paid attention to.
Monuments, memorials
We had a difficult time getting to some of the monuments because they were such a long walk down the Mall. The Jefferson Memorial has close-by parking, but we found very few spaces by the Lincoln Memorial.
The Heiser family used the Metro to get close and then walked between everything. The Neenan family took a nighttime Old Town Trolley Tour, which mother Sue Ann said was excellent. She said the guides gave them tons of information and waited for them to look around and then they moved on. (Tickets for Trolley Tours can be purchased online. $35 for adults, $18 for 4-12, under 4 free.)
After our trip, I found online that a bus called the Circulator runs the perimeter of the Mall (called Smithsonian National Gallery of Art Loop) on the weekends, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. You can purchase a $3 all-day pass along the route.
If you want to go up inside the Washington Monument, you need to order your timed tickets online well before your trip. (The tickets are free, but it's $1.50 per online order.) When I checked the availability of tickets in early May, they were sold out through the end of June. You can wait in line at the monument for same-day tickets, but you have to get there by 6:30-7 a.m., and you might not get in.
A few parting tips
Families should plan to return to D.C. many times as their children grow. There's too much to do and see to accomplish it all in one trip.
As the kids get older and more mature, they will appreciate different attractions. For example, my first-grader really understood the Declaration of Independence but would have been overwhelmed by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Families can use the Internet — especially the go-Smithsonian site — to plan exactly what sites will interest their kids.
Also use the Web to book your special exhibit tickets, like the cool Imax films, before you leave town, and you won't spend your valuable time waiting in line.
Finally, plan but be flexible. The weather, especially in the spring, can change rapidly.
The Neenan family wanted to ride bikes to Mount Vernon, but it rained most of their visit. So they'll do that the next time they come.
IF YOU GO
Getting there
Driving: Washington is about 640 miles from Atlanta, about a 10-hour drive. Take I-85 north to I-95, and continue into the city.
Flying: Multiple carriers fly to Washington from Atlanta, including Delta, AirTran, Continental. Expect to pay $250 or more, round-trip.
Train: Amtrak travels between Atlanta and Washington. Fare for a family of four (two adults, two children ages 2-15) would be $672, round-trip, for coach seats.
Where to stay
Parents debate whether it's better to stay in town, closer to the attractions, or out farther, where the rooms cost less but you have to take the subway in. The hotel we stayed at on Capitol Hill changed management the week we arrived; some services available when we booked were discontinued that week, such as free breakfast, and we had no in-room refrigerator or microwave. We were within walking distance to most sites, but there were no restaurants nearby. We wouldn't recommend it for families.
The Neenans stayed at the Embassy Suites Dupont Circle and had a fantastic experience. They took the Metro for five minutes to the Mall in the morning. Their hotel offered free breakfast, a big-screen TV and indoor pool, plus they were close to restaurants.
The Heisers stayed at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Old Town Alexandria. They had a slightly longer, but easy, commute by Metro, about 30 minutes, and had many of the same amenities as the Neenans. Mom Heather said Old Town Alexandria had great restaurants and was fun to explore.
Embassy Suites Dupont Circle, 1250 22nd St. N.W. 202-857-3388; www.embassysuites.com.
Residence Inn by Marriott in Old Town Alexandria, 1456 Duke St, Alexandria, Va. 703-548-5474; www.marriott.com.
Where to eat
Old Ebbitt Grill, 675 15th St. N.W. 202-347-4801. Sen. Isakson's staff recommends Washington's oldest bar (established in 1865); American saloon cuisine with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients.
La Tasca, 607 King St., Alexandria, Va. 703-299-9810, www.latasca.com. We loved this tapas restaurant. It had a super-friendly staff and a wonderful tapas menu that even our kids tried (they do have kids' menus).
Chinatown Garden, 618 H. St. N.W. 202-737-8887. Located in Chinatown, the restaurant's food was fine and the wait staff attentive. They didn't seem to mind our messy kids. Lots of nearby restaurants to choose from.
More Alexandria restaurants at visitalexandriava.com/dining; more Georgetown restaurants at www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United
_States_of_America/Washington_DC/Georgetown-759644/Restaurants-Georgetown-BR-1.html
More information
Isakson's staff and Web site are a wealth of information: isakson.senate.gov/visiting.html
Information on White House tours: 24-hour line at
202-456-7041, www.whitehouse.gov/history/tours
Information about the Capitol and new visitor's center: www.aoc.gov/cvc
National Park Service: For monuments and memorial information. www.nps.gov/state/dc
Smithsonian National Museums: General information about the Smithsonian museums. www.si.edu/museums/
To plan your trip to the National Mall: www.gosmithsonian.com
Old Town Trolley Tours: www.trolleytours.com/Washington-DC
Circulator (buses): www.dccirculator.com
Metrorail: www.wmata.com
Other resources
"Fodor's Around Washington, D.C., With Kids" guidebook, 5th Edition, Fodor's, $8.80
"A Kid's Guide to Washington, D.C.," Harcourt Inc., $10.36.
Rent the old "Schoolhouse Rock" DVD. Our kids had fantastic frames of references for the Revolutionary War, inventions, and the Founding Fathers from the "America Rock" DVD.
Giarrusso is the parenting columnist and blogger for the Journal-Constitution. You can join the parenting discussions at www.ajc.com/momania.
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