Washington DC trip with kids (10 & 12yo)

most recent trip to DC we stayed in Crystal city near Reagan airport and Arlington cemetery, also quick access to mt. Vernon. and the national mall

Biggest recommendation, wear comfortable shoes at all times. we went to all the sites for three days straight on our feet

Definitely take your family to Nellie's on U street. Great food and even greater family fun.

Are you renting a car?

If not check out the metro line. The Franconia-Springfield metro stop is a nice and relatively cheap area to get a hotel/motel. You can be almost anywhere in the city in a sub 30 min train ride (including Reagan Int'l.) If you stay at a hotel near one of the last metro stops you could take the metro from the airport to your hotel and around all the DC areas and never bother with renting a car.

I formerly lived in the Quantico area. DC is a great place for kids to visit

Stayed in Alexandria a short walk to the Metro, was perfect for coming and going.

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Anyone have lodging suggestions, or even lodging area suggestion?

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Outside the city itself. There are plenty of hotels around metro stops on both the Virginia and Maryland sides.

I have a child who lives in Arlington. When we visit we go to the George Washington University Inn. LINK / It's on the orange line which is very convenient.

I would definitely take them to the Spy Museum though I think they are getting ready to move, so you may want to check on that. It's full of fun stuff, and though it's not cheap it has great stuff, like James Bond cars, etc.

Also if they really are in to history Ford's Theatre is great, but you need to check on scheduled tours. I don't know if you can book in advance, but if not get there early, or you'll have to go back later in the day for your tour.

Also, check out the night that the Marine Corp Band is playing at the Iwo Jima Monument at Arlington Cemetery. It's quite impressive, and there are all sorts of dignitaries there in their uniforms. Nice display on precision too.

I'll check with my kid to see if there is anything else that might recommend.

Last time we went (late 90s) we stayed up in the Rockville/Shady Grove area, within walking distance of red line metro. Probably not the most convenient place based on the ride into the center of the city, but it was great for a side trip up to Baltimore.

I am a huge fan of the Smithsonian museums, be sure to go there. Also check out the archives - to actually see the founding documents is a very cool experience.

Just went to DC for the first time a few months ago. Stayed at the Willard in a suite, but I'm a baller. The best mode of transportation is the Big Bus. It's a double decke/open top tour bus, and it will get you everywhere. You buy a pass for a few days, and you can hop on and off at all of the attractions throughout the day. There is a bus stopping at all the stops like every 10 or 15 minutes. There are several different color-coded routes, and each route hits a certain group of attractions. So lets say you want to see two things on opposite ends of the city. You'll take the red bus to see one attraction, and from there hop on the yellow bus that runs a completely different loop. And they also do a night tour that hits the major attractions.
Make sure you select a hotel based on location first and foremost. Google a map that shows the city layout and all the hotel locations, and pick anything close to the National Mall. You'll be surprised how many things are within walking distance, though expect to do a lot of walking. We went thinking we'd use the metro or cabs, but the Big Bus was all we needed. It took us everywhere we wanted to go in an inexpensive and very convenient manner.