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Washington, D.C., USA
Learn more about Washington, D.C., its landmarks. Find out how you may spend your family vacation there: touring and exploring. Check also its family-friendly hotels.
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 Washington, D.C. Features:• Discover the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights at the National Archives • Get to know about flight at the National Air and Space Museum • Enjoy gold shields, feathered regalia, woven baskets, and beaded saddlebags at the National Museum of the American Indian • Learn about bugs, bones, blue whales, and big gems at the National Museum of Natural History • Check out your spy skills at the International Spy Museum • Pass by the memorials and monuments with Bike the Sites The capital city is packed with the totemic markers and monuments of a nation's birth, plus the real-time wheeling-dealing of democracy in action. Read the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights at the National Archives; potentially rub shoulders with politicians and their aides—maybe even the President—by touring the U.S. Capitol or circumnavigating the White House and its grounds (building tours are available by pre-arrangement for groups of ten or more); or stop at the Washington Monument and the Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam, Korean War, and World War II memorials to memorize the people and events that have formed the country. You may see the original 1903 Wright Flyer, spacesuits, lunar vehicles, and a moon rock at the hugely popular (and therefore, often crowded) National Air and Space Museum. You may also observe 150 objects from the National Museum of American History, as well as Dorothy’s ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz, Abraham Lincoln’s top hat, Edison’s lightbulb, Thomas Jefferson’s bible, and the Greensboro lunch counter, but it is closed for renovations until 2008. You may also learn more about bugs, bones, blue whales, and lots more at the National Museum of Natural History, home to the 45.5-carat Hope Diamond as well as a 23.1-carat Burmese ruby. You may find out more about the cultures of indigenous peoples from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego at the National Museum of the American Indian. Various nations tell their stories through objects such as dazzling gold shields, feathered regalia, woven baskets, beaded saddlebags, and pottery in every main gallery. You will see the country's symbol at the Bald Eagle Refuge, and see local A-list celebration Tai Shan, the fur-ball panda cub at the National Zoo. At the International Spy Museum you may get the lowdown on fictional cloak-and-dagger characters like James Bond, glimpse real gadgets and tricks used by Cold War spies, and learn the stories of unlikely heroes like Julia Child, who parlayed fame into occasional fact-finding. Enjoy the spring and summer's great weather and bicycle or glide by the monuments and memorials, White House, and U.S. Capitol with Bike the Sites or on a tour with City Segway (ages 16 and up). Touring in the evening, you will see the city's impressive illuminated structures. You can sail the traffic-free Potomac River on Atlantic Kayak's half-day tours (otherwise, hire a canoe or kayak from Thompson Boat Center near Georgetown and take your own tour). If you are fond of baseball, Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals is one more attraction for you. The Nats will continue to play at the city's RFK Stadium while a new home is being planned down on the D.C. waterfront. A big part of the city's summer beat is music. You may head for the zoo on a summer Thursday and stay for the Sunset Serenade, a free musical performance on Lion/Tiger Hill from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Check out U.S. military bands performing at the U.S. Capitol's west steps at 8 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. Another great way to wind down after a hard day's pavement pounding or gallery hopping is listening to the jazz in the Garden at the National Gallery of Art's outdoor sculpture garden. Despite the weather concerts are held, Fridays from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. late May to mid-September.
Family-Friendly Hotels
Here you may read about family-friendly hotels in Washington, D.C. Consider their amenities and location. |
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