Where to take kids to get most out of D.C. trip

Security in the nation’s capital is a high priority. Be prepared to show identification, walk through metal detectors, have your bags checked or be asked to leave items outside. Many venues do not permit backpacks or oversized purses. In order not to have belongings confiscated, check the policy at the venue you intend to visit before heading out.

Anyone who’s ever traveled with kids in tow will attest to the fact that it can be expensive. One way to keep the costs down is to head to a destination where most of the activities are free. In Washington, D.C., many major attractions are not only free, they’re educational as well. But before the gang starts moaning about having to learn something, introduce them to the fun side of the nation’s capital.

For starters, they’ll get to see the real buildings and landmarks that pepper their textbooks and show up on TV and in movies. They can explore things they’re interested in, from airplanes and rocket ships to dinosaurs and panda bears. They can ride in a tour bus that turns into a boat or sit at an anchor desk and deliver the news. And that’s just for starters.

More ideas for kid-friendly fun have been assembled into the DC Cool Kids Activity Guide, a compilation of places to go and things to do created by Destination DC, the district’s tourism arm. The printable PDF highlights budget-friendly activities for families to enjoy and is loaded with D.C.-themed puzzles and games to keep the kids occupied while waiting in line to climb the Washington Monument.

Here are some of the options the guide suggests, along with a few more must-see destinations.

Newseum

555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 20001

1-888-639-7386, www.newseum.org

Admission: $22.95 ages 19-64; $18.95 seniors 65 and older; $13.95 ages 7-18; free for younger than 6. Through Labor Day, kids 18 and younger are free with each paid adult or senior ticket.

One of the city’s hottest attractions is the Newseum, which has been at its current site for six years. The multilevel center traces how the news is covered, remembers the biggest stories of the past two centuries and gives guests the chance to play reporter. Fifteen permanent exhibits showcase years of Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs, enormous blocks from the Berlin Wall and historic front pages from papers from around the country. It also has plenty of hands-on activities: be part of an interactive newsroom or, through the end of August, pose for photos at the anchor desk used in the movie “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.”

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

Independence Avenue at Sixth Street SW, 20560

202-633-2214, www.airandspace.si.edu

Admission: free

Any kid who’s ever made a paper airplane will find something fascinating in this museum dedicated to flight, both in and outside the pull of gravity. Check out the Wright Brothers’ 1903 Flyer, Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis and the Apollo 11 command module, Columbia. Pick up a lunar rock and take in a show at the planetarium, Imax theater of the observatory. Learn how things fly and what life is like on the International Space Station.

Some flight attractions are just too huge to squeeze into the centrally located museum. It’s worth the drive to the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport in Virginia to see an Air France Concorde, a Boeing jet and the space shuttle Discovery. A viewing tower overlooking Dulles’ active runways gives visitors a controller’s-eye view of takeoffs and landings — close enough to see the rubber burn off the tires of incoming flights.

National Museum of American History

14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, 20001

202-633-1000, www.americanhistory.si.edu

Admission: free

OK, the kids will have no idea why Julia Child’s home kitchen is fascinating. But they’ll get a kick out of seeing a Conestoga wagon, a piece of Plymouth Rock and Dorothy’s ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz.” The exhibit on “The American Presidency” highlights the tenure of all 44 leaders; the transportation hall is packed with artifacts such as the first car driven across the country and a Southern Railway locomotive. Through Sept. 7, explore a special exhibit that commemorates the August 1963 March on Washington.

National Zoological Park

3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, 20008

202-633-4888, www.nationalzoo.si.edu

Admission: free

The National Zoo offers more than merely the chance to check out some unusual creatures. Plan to be there when the Asian elephants have a training session or when the lemurs are ready for lunch. Visitors can meet and talk with caretakers of the giant pandas, reptiles and cats who reside at the zoo. The Kids’ Farm makes the connection between animals and food sources.

George Washington’s Mount Vernon

3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Alexandria, VA 22121

703-780-2000, www.mountvernon.org

Admission: $17 adults; $16 seniors; $8 ages 6-11; free for 5 and younger

The kids’ guide comes with adventure and spy maps that will have them tracking down interesting artifacts at the first president’s sprawling estate. They’ll learn about some things that may not be in the textbooks, such as Washington’s ownership of the biggest distillery in the country during his day. Visitors can tour the house and outbuildings to learn from costumed guides about the management of an estate in Colonial times. Washington’s tomb is also on the grounds, along with a museum displaying the many treasures of the house. Board a sightseeing boat that cruises up the Potomac and take in the panoramic view of the house. At the entrance to the estate is the Mount Vernon Inn restaurant, where the lunch and dinner menus feature plenty of contemporary options, along with several dishes popular during the late 1700s (try a corn “hoecake” topped with ham, or the Virginia peanut soup).

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 20500

202-456-7041, www.whitehouse.gov

Admission: free

Passes for self-guided tours of the White House can be obtained by contacting your congressional representative at least three weeks prior to your visit. The house is open 7:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays and 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Hours and days are subject to change.

The Capitol

East Capitol Street NE and First Street SE, 20004

202-226-8000, www.visitthecapitol.gov

Admission: free

Tours of the Capitol are offered 8:50 a.m.-3:20 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. The queue forms at the Capitol Visitor Center, or you can make a reservation online. But if you contact your congressional representative in advance, you may be able to take a tour offered by a member of the representative’s staff, a courtesy extended to constituents.

Duck Boat tour

Meet at Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Ave. NE, 20002

1-855-323-8257, www.dcducks.com

Admission: $39 adults; $29 children 12 and younger. Online discounts and coupons are available.

From mid-March through the end of October, the DC Duck Land and Water tours pick up riders at Union Station every hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and drive them around the most popular landmarks and museums along the National Mall. Then the World War II amphibious craft plunges into the Potomac for another view of the city while sailing under the flight path for Reagan National Airport.