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| *Travel Tips>>>Washington, D.C. Travel Tips |
I recently moved to northern VA and my parents are coming to visit for about 3 days...? |
Travel Info They don't come that often (although I would love for them to come more often)...they are coming from CT. We have 3 kids and are looking for something to do in the northern VA area...We have taken them to Arlington National Cemetary already ( they are 60yrs old and love the history of the USA). Georgetown would be nice but too much heat and walking for the kids. Is there anything else that anyone can come up with to WOW my parents into having a great time! I want them to have fun!!.....Any suggestions would be appreciated!! Thanks! Travel Tips Try the Smithsonian's new American Indian Museum. Beautiful newer facility with great exhibits. Then take them to nearby Zaytinya for lunch or dinner. It's inexpensive and definitely a wow place for out of town guests...also kid-friendly. Source(s): www.nmai.si.edu www.zaytinya.com Other Travel Tips Ok, so I've got my mother in town from New Zealand and she has been to the following: Air and Space Museum Natural History Museum Spy Museum Botanical Gardens (next to the Capitol) Tours through the Capitol White House Tour (next time slot is July 18, if you're quick) Dinner in Alexandria is a nice night out National Cathedral National Aquarium (Baltimore - was there in the weekend and it was great!) Battlefields in Manassas & Fredricksburg All the monuments such as WWII etc... Theodore Roosevelt Island is very cool too. Best of luck Hamish In addition to this, check out the Capitol - you need to get there in the morning for tours - but they are very interesting. Kids would like it too, there are some neat things, like acoustic strangeness in one of the rooms - statuary hall with all the statues, and the like. While there you might stop in on the Library of Congress and/or the Archives (but the latter not on a weekend - lines are long and it is crowded to see the Declaration of Independence and Constitution). I think I responded in another thread in terms of stuff in Virginia, but here is something else. While it's a lot of walking, seeing the memorials can be great. I always suggest walking from the Washington Monument to the WWII memorial, through Constitution Gardens, to the Vietnam Veteran's memorial, to the Korean War Memorial, to the Lincoln Memorial, then across to the Tidal Basin for the FDR memorial (this one's interesting for kids) to the Jefferson Memorial. But that is a lot of walking for the kids (about 2 miles). Smithsonian Museums, if you have not been to them, are great. The Air and Space and Natural History are probably the best for kids - with the American Indian close behind (lots of interactive stuff there). But the scultpure Garden of the National Gallery of Art is also great. Some of the art museums are a tad more boring for the kids. The Postal Museum, near Union Station is very kid-friendly, also. Stop at Iwo Jima, the Navy Memorial, and or/the Air Force Memorial if you have anyone in the service - they are great. If walking is an issue - consider Tourmobile - their daylong on and off all day ticket gets you around to all those memorials, plus places like Ford's Theatre and the Capitol Grounds without getting exhausted. For white house tours you need to arrange with your congress person. http://www.washingtontravelcast.com... If you want to avoid some of the crazy crowds in DC when its tourist season you could always try: - the Mount Vernon Plantation. I haven't been there since I was a kid but if they like history this might be interesting. -Old Town Alexandria can also be fun to walk around. There is an old torpedo factory that is now an art center. Also in Old Town is the Masonic Temple (it has free tours except on holidays and you can learn more about the first president). -Historic Occoquan (between Woodbridge and Alexandria) is fun to walk around as well. There really is no way to beat the heat in the summertime there if you want to explore the area so you just gotta bring plenty of water with you everywhere til about September when the humidity subsides. But one thing I know for certain, at some point you need to venture to a Five Guys for a burger. A northern virginia original. Grew up in Alexandria. http://www.funside.com/things_to_do/attr... http://www.occoquan.com/ |
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