Washington DC Family Vacation

Well you missed the march that's for sure!

That said- what are the family member ages and interests?

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Any recommendations? Thinking of going in April.

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Great weather potential, but you could get a bit of rain. Either way, the tulips by Arlington should be up (your wife will likely appreciate), and if you are in early April you might catch a cherry blossom or two.

Things to do which are often overlooked:
-Smithsonian museum of flight annex by Dulles
-National Basilica (if Catholic)
-National Portrait Gallery (in Chinatown area)
-If renting a car (you could uber), Mount Vernon is pretty cool and would be worth a day only if the weather is nice
-Look at the Kennedy center schedule now, and if under thirty check their mytix offers frequently (possible to get $19 tickets in the orchestra seating areas; only allowed two but you could cost average to a reasonable level if buying 4)
-Jog around the Mall early in the morning before it gets crowded by tourists
-Ensure you see Korean War Memorial (it gets overlooked, much like the conflict it remembers)
-Marine Corps Museum is 35 minutes south of DC in Quantico
-Look at the Nationals schedule. The park is really cool and tickets can be found for a reasonable price. Metro access to the stadium is easy.
-Your kids may like the postal service museum

I went to D.C. years ago. With so much to see you can't go wrong. However, for me my favorite was the Marine Corps War Memorial. Also something that is not widely known in the civilian world is Marine Barracks at 8th and I. Starting on May 1, every Fri. they have what's called the Evening Parade, featuring the Marine Band, and the Silent Drill Platoon. The Silent Drill Platoon is a must see, if you haven't seen live.

These are the places I wanted to see when I was there last May: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Lincoln Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, US Capitol, White House Marine Corps Memorial and National Archives. Your kids might enjoy the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Like someone else suggested, if the Nats are playing in town, it would be worth it to attend a game. There is so much to see and do in DC. You will be surprised just how small DC is and easy to walk. The Metro is also an easy to get around.

Request white house tour now through your congressman.

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Request white house tours now through your congressman.

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This. We went a couple of years ago. A few months before we left, I happened to be at a function and found myself in a conversation with Steve Scalise. I happened to tell him that we had a trip to D.C. planned in the near future. He introduced us to his assistant who set us up with a White House tour as well as a private tour of the Capitol led by one of the Congressman's pages. I got the impression that the office people like doing things like that. Apply early because everyone has to be strictly vetted for an FBI security clearance and this takes time. After your Capitol tour, be sure to go to the Library of Congress which is accessible by tunnel from inside the Capitol. IMO it is the most beautiful building in Washington, at least on the inside. Ford's Theatre was a few blocks from our hotel. You can walk right up to the box where Lincoln was shot, then go across the street to the Peterson house where he died. I found that interesting.

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private tour of the Capitol led by one of the Congressman's pages. I got the impression that the office people like doing things like that

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Yea I went on one this past summer through Bill Cassidy's office and they were cool as hell