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Message
Washington D.C. with kids
Posted on 2/2/26 at 1:18 pm
Posted on 2/2/26 at 1:18 pm
I'm going for work in mid-March. The company has set me up with a hotel. That said, given the timing with Spring Break, my wife and two kids will be meeting me two days later after the conference. They are 4 and 8.
1. Where should we stay (preferably AirBnB as opposed to a hotel - more room to spread out, make a meal / order pizza if staying in one night, etc)? I guess we'd prefer places/neighborhoods that are walkable to sites, shopping, and restaurants?
2. Any places we should avoid staying?
3. What activities and what should we see (with the kids, of course)? What should we not see and/or skip?
4. Any recommendations on places to eat and/or grab drink that are kid friendly? At best, my kids could handle an upscale pub...that, unfortunately, is about it.
5. Is it easy enough getting around via car ... I'm not too sure I want them on the Metrorail.
6. Should I even be looking at extending the trip and brining the kids? Are they too young? Should the government shutdown heavily impact the trip?
1. Where should we stay (preferably AirBnB as opposed to a hotel - more room to spread out, make a meal / order pizza if staying in one night, etc)? I guess we'd prefer places/neighborhoods that are walkable to sites, shopping, and restaurants?
2. Any places we should avoid staying?
3. What activities and what should we see (with the kids, of course)? What should we not see and/or skip?
4. Any recommendations on places to eat and/or grab drink that are kid friendly? At best, my kids could handle an upscale pub...that, unfortunately, is about it.
5. Is it easy enough getting around via car ... I'm not too sure I want them on the Metrorail.
6. Should I even be looking at extending the trip and brining the kids? Are they too young? Should the government shutdown heavily impact the trip?
7
Posted on 2/2/26 at 8:45 pm to GentleJackJones
I got back yesterday with my wife and 12 year old son. It was 8 degrees every damn morning but we made the most out of it. Wouldn’t normally go that time of year but my wife is a contributing author in a book that just got published and it was the book signing in DC. Actually Alexandria. That said my boy loved the Smithsonian’s. We did Natural History, Air and Space, American History and some state fair museum right by the White House just to get out of the cold a bit. We loved the first two. American History was ok. I wouldn’t ever recommend the state fair one. We also went to the National Archives but the interior layout of it made me kind of claustrophobic in a weird way. 
We visited the Lincoln memorial and all that. We probably spent the most money on Ubers even though our hotel was only 4 blocks south of national mall. It was just too cold some days. Wife wants to go back for cherry blossom festival and my son was bummed we couldn’t do Spy Museum. There’s also a nice Children’s museum but my son is a bit too old for it. I’m sure people with more experience will chime in. I think the amount of things to do in walking distance would be fine for your kids especially with nice weather.
We visited the Lincoln memorial and all that. We probably spent the most money on Ubers even though our hotel was only 4 blocks south of national mall. It was just too cold some days. Wife wants to go back for cherry blossom festival and my son was bummed we couldn’t do Spy Museum. There’s also a nice Children’s museum but my son is a bit too old for it. I’m sure people with more experience will chime in. I think the amount of things to do in walking distance would be fine for your kids especially with nice weather. 
Posted on 2/3/26 at 12:14 pm to GentleJackJones
Government shutdown should be over by then so hopefully you'll be good there.
It's been a long time since I've been in the DC area but when we were there last we stayed out in the Rockville MD area and took the red line into the city. If you are looking at an Air BnB you may get more for your money out there, but also understand the hesitation about riding Metro. The DC street grid is fairly easy to navigate, parking on the other hand can be a bit difficult if I remember correctly.
You know your kids better than we do. The 4 year old may be a bit too young to really understand anything y'all are seeing. The 8 year old, really depends on what they like. I was 10 my first time there and big into history.
National Zoo would be a good stop for both kids, and I think they may still have pandas.
It's been a long time since I've been in the DC area but when we were there last we stayed out in the Rockville MD area and took the red line into the city. If you are looking at an Air BnB you may get more for your money out there, but also understand the hesitation about riding Metro. The DC street grid is fairly easy to navigate, parking on the other hand can be a bit difficult if I remember correctly.
You know your kids better than we do. The 4 year old may be a bit too young to really understand anything y'all are seeing. The 8 year old, really depends on what they like. I was 10 my first time there and big into history.
National Zoo would be a good stop for both kids, and I think they may still have pandas.
Posted on 2/3/26 at 12:27 pm to GentleJackJones
Definitely take your kids on the metro. They'll love it. And it's easy to get around and much cleaner than any other metro in the country, imo.
- National Zoo
- Natural History Museum
- Air & Space Museum
- Spy Museum
Lots of great places to eat that are kid friendly.
The thing that trips up a lot of young families is the amount of walking. The National Mall doesn't look that big. And then you walk from the Licoln Memorial to the Natural History Museum and your kid has a meltdown because it's nearly a two-mile walk.
- National Zoo
- Natural History Museum
- Air & Space Museum
- Spy Museum
Lots of great places to eat that are kid friendly.
The thing that trips up a lot of young families is the amount of walking. The National Mall doesn't look that big. And then you walk from the Licoln Memorial to the Natural History Museum and your kid has a meltdown because it's nearly a two-mile walk.
Posted on 2/4/26 at 8:38 am to GentleJackJones
Why the hesitation about the Metro? It is clean, safe, and on time.
Posted on 2/4/26 at 11:43 am to GentleJackJones
My take...
Stay as close to the national mall as you can, even if it means getting a hotel, and choose a spot with easy access to the Metro.
See the monuments and prepare for a lot of walking. The Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol is about 2 miles. It may not seem like it while looking at a map but be prepared to walk. Wear comfortable shoes. As for the museums, I like Natural History and Air & Space. I've heard that the Postal Museum (next to Union Station) is very underrated therefore less crowded. Arlington Cemetery is highly suggested.
The National Spy Museum charges an entry fee, but it's well worth it. Kids love it. And it stays open a little later than most things.
If you want a capitol tour, you need to contact all of your representatives now and try to schedule that. You can do this up to 90 days in advance, so the window has been open for a while now. You can also schedule through the capitol website.
Get a half & half from Bens Chili bowl for a quick meal. Lincolns Waffle House (near Fords Theater) is a good breakfast. The Dublin Hotel (across from Union Station) has a decent restaurant inside and offers a great breakfast. It's open to the public. Gordon Ramsays Fish & Chips is good for a quick meal as well.
You will get nowhere with a car. DO NOT attempt it. Use the Metro. It's clean and safe.
I am looking forward to a return visit during the week of July 4th for America250 festivities!!!!!
Stay as close to the national mall as you can, even if it means getting a hotel, and choose a spot with easy access to the Metro.
See the monuments and prepare for a lot of walking. The Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol is about 2 miles. It may not seem like it while looking at a map but be prepared to walk. Wear comfortable shoes. As for the museums, I like Natural History and Air & Space. I've heard that the Postal Museum (next to Union Station) is very underrated therefore less crowded. Arlington Cemetery is highly suggested.
The National Spy Museum charges an entry fee, but it's well worth it. Kids love it. And it stays open a little later than most things.
If you want a capitol tour, you need to contact all of your representatives now and try to schedule that. You can do this up to 90 days in advance, so the window has been open for a while now. You can also schedule through the capitol website.
Get a half & half from Bens Chili bowl for a quick meal. Lincolns Waffle House (near Fords Theater) is a good breakfast. The Dublin Hotel (across from Union Station) has a decent restaurant inside and offers a great breakfast. It's open to the public. Gordon Ramsays Fish & Chips is good for a quick meal as well.
You will get nowhere with a car. DO NOT attempt it. Use the Metro. It's clean and safe.
I am looking forward to a return visit during the week of July 4th for America250 festivities!!!!!
Posted on 2/4/26 at 3:40 pm to GentleJackJones
Following along as we are going in early April but my kid is older than yours (15). Anyone have any feedback about going during the cherry blossom festival?
Posted on 2/4/26 at 4:07 pm to GentleJackJones
I'm taking my wife and 3 kids later on this year. I went when I was 9 and I really enjoyed it. Changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier is an incredibly vivid memory of mine. The soldiers heel click just stuck with me. Kennedy is buried right next to there from what I recall as well. So yes, all of the monuments are great but the changing of the guard and visiting Mt Vernon are highly recommended, as they were two of my most vivid memories of the trip. Hanging out in George Washington's backyard looking over the Potomac is cool no matter what age you are.
Edited to add that the metro actually connects with the Grand Hyatt so it can be a game changer from what I hear.
Edited to add that the metro actually connects with the Grand Hyatt so it can be a game changer from what I hear.
This post was edited on 2/4/26 at 4:09 pm
Posted on 2/4/26 at 7:43 pm to WhoGeaux
We went last March on my son's weeklong school field trip. I've been all up and down the east coast, but never to DC before. We had 5 classes of fifth graders and at least one parent each, plus teachers and other staff and tour guides. The actual time in DC was about 3.5 days, and we packed a ton in. Drove all day on busses on a Saturday, and first thing Sunday morning was the Smithsonian museums. We started with Air and Space, then Natural History, then took a lunch break in one of the ones with a food court. After that, some of us walked to the Washington Monument, then circled back to the Museum of American History. Kids will love the Air/Space and Natural History. We also went into the Archives, but younger kids probably won't appreciate that much.
That afternoon and evening, we split off into separate bus groups to see several monuments and memorials. Ford's Theater was first, then on to different monuments. Jefferson and Lincoln are fairly close to each other. We also saw some others along the way, but those two were the big ones. The tomb of the unknown soldier we got to see at night.
The next day was an absolute ton of walking. We started at the National Cathedral, then headed over to the MLK memorial. Walked from there to the Korean War memorial, and made our way back up to the WW2 memorial, and then over to the Washington Monument again. We had a Capitol building tour around lunchtime, and Tommy Tuberville came out to meet the kids since he's our Senator from Alabama.
The next day we went to the Arlington cemetery and got to see the changing of the guards. Then we headed out to the Air Force memorial. After that, we left DC and headed to Mount Vernon, Williamsburg, and Jamestown and several other places out in Virginia. It was a great trip, and if there is an option for y'all to get on a tour bus it might be an easier way to see a lot of things in a short amount of time.
That afternoon and evening, we split off into separate bus groups to see several monuments and memorials. Ford's Theater was first, then on to different monuments. Jefferson and Lincoln are fairly close to each other. We also saw some others along the way, but those two were the big ones. The tomb of the unknown soldier we got to see at night.
The next day was an absolute ton of walking. We started at the National Cathedral, then headed over to the MLK memorial. Walked from there to the Korean War memorial, and made our way back up to the WW2 memorial, and then over to the Washington Monument again. We had a Capitol building tour around lunchtime, and Tommy Tuberville came out to meet the kids since he's our Senator from Alabama.
The next day we went to the Arlington cemetery and got to see the changing of the guards. Then we headed out to the Air Force memorial. After that, we left DC and headed to Mount Vernon, Williamsburg, and Jamestown and several other places out in Virginia. It was a great trip, and if there is an option for y'all to get on a tour bus it might be an easier way to see a lot of things in a short amount of time.
Posted on 2/5/26 at 10:53 am to La Squared
I have never been during the cherry blossom festival. I'm sure it's nice. But be prepared for thousands of 8th graders from what I hear, in addition to all the other people who schedule their visits during this two-week period.
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