Washington DC trip tips?

[mrspez07]

I’m taking my DS1, who will almost be 11 on a trip of his choosing after the end of 5th grade. It will just be him and I. I’m looking for any tips/tricks for a trip late May early June. No car, he loves space and specifically has requested to see the Smithsonian Air and space museum (which I know is being renovated). Any other hidden gems?
How easy is it to fly into BWI and take the train? I’ve been thru Reagan and Dulles, but whichever have the cheapest flights and are easy to get to the mall area would be great.

I plan to take him to the monuments at night as well.
Looking for recs for hotels/places to stay and any other fun things to do with the kiddo. Thanks

[just]

The Udvar-Hazy Center is amazing, and if he's into the Air and Space on the Mall, he'll love this too.

airandspace.si.edu/udvar-hazy-center

And there are public transport links, but of course it is out of the center - airandspace.si.edu/visit/museum-dc/directions/traveling-between-locations

[wanderingback]

It's easy to take the train from BWI to DC. You can take amtrak or MARC.

If you're going to be there on a weekday, I highly recommend that National Museum of African American History. After 1pm you can get walk up passes.

It's easy to get around on the metro, it's pretty straight forward.
Have fun!

[gardengal]

If you haven’t been, then I think a tour of the capitol building is interesting. Book ahead.

Paddle boating in the tidal basin is fun.

For food near A&S I think the Native Am Museum has the best. And it’s a great museum

[georgeglass]

We love to stay at the Willard, which depending on the date is either insanely expensive or surprisingly cheap.

[wildrice]

BWI is my local airport, and I always feel really lucky about that. It is a small-ish airport so it's easy to get through security and to get around. They also charge the same prices for food/drinks/etc as places do outside the airport, which is a minor detail perhaps but always makes me happy. You can take a train right into the heart of DC and it shouldn't take longer than 40 minutes-ish so it's not that far.

I think the National Museum of African American History is a must see for anyone, and I think your son is old enough to get a lot out of it. I also like the Natural History museum and think it's good for a younger crowd - they reopened the dinosaur exhibit last year and there is a lot to see beyond that, too (exhibits on animals, oceans, evolution, to name a few).

For a "hidden gem" that is maybe not hidden, I think the spy museum is really cool. This is totally dependent on what your kid is into, but if he likes that kind of thing I think he could get a kick out of it. It's not a kids museum but I think depending on his maturity and interests he could enjoy it. It is a paid museum though so if the Smithsonians are of interest, I'd probably just hit those first.

[neonpink]

The rental bikes are a great way to get around the Mall and see the monuments.

[suzyp]

Feb 13, 2020 15:00:07 GMT -5 just said:

The Udvar-Hazy Center is amazing, and if he's into the Air and Space on the Mall, he'll love this too.

airandspace.si.edu/udvar-hazy-center

And there are public transport links, but of course it is out of the center - airandspace.si.edu/visit/museum-dc/directions/traveling-between-locations

if you don't have a car, I would honestly skip this.  I think it's an absolute pain to get out there on public transportation - especially where there are so many museums and things to do in DC proper.

The train from BWI to DC is pretty easy - if I remember correctly, the MARC train is cheaper than Amtrak, but it only runs on weekdays.

[Vespasia]

Feb 22, 2020 17:53:46 GMT -5 suzyp said:

The train from BWI to DC is pretty easy - if I remember correctly, the MARC train is cheaper than Amtrak, but it only runs on weekdays.

The MARC runs 7 days a week now.

[notsopicky]

Feb 14, 2020 7:29:41 GMT -5 gardengal said:

If you haven’t been, then I think a tour of the capitol building is interesting. Book ahead.

Paddle boating in the tidal basin is fun.

For food near A&S I think the Native Am Museum has the best. And it’s a great museum

The food at this museum is the best I've ever had. It was DELICIOUS. We spent $100+ to buy all.the.dishes b/c we couldn't decide. 

[mrspez07]

Thank you all.
We’ve got cheap flights booked for decent direct flights in and out of BWI. We’re coming in on Wed mid-day and leaving mid-day Mon, so a bit longer than originally planned, but airfare kind of determined that.

Keep the great ideas coming, now that we’ve got a full weekend.
Would it be worth going to Baltimore Sunday afternoon to see anything and then stay there before flying out Mon?

[wildrice]

Feb 23, 2020 21:56:31 GMT -5 mrspez07 said:

Thank you all.
We’ve got cheap flights booked for decent direct flights in and out of BWI. We’re coming in on Wed mid-day and leaving mid-day Mon, so a bit longer than originally planned, but airfare kind of determined that.

Keep the great ideas coming, now that we’ve got a full weekend.
Would it be worth going to Baltimore Sunday afternoon to see anything and then stay there before flying out Mon?

We have a fantastic aquarium in the Inner Harbor. Camden Yards is also a really nice baseball stadium, and you might be able to catch a game there on a Sunday afternoon or evening. If he is interested in history, there is also Fort McHenry, which is the birthplace of the Star Spangled Banner and site of a major battle in the war of 1812.

[scorpio72]

Feb 17, 2020 11:58:19 GMT -5 neonpink said:

The rental bikes are a great way to get around the Mall and see the monuments.

My 10 year old is all about the electric scooters when we go downtown.  They're everywhere and easy to use between monuments.  Walking the mall while fun and manageable for adults is hard on little legs.  You won't get nearly as far as you'd like.