This is an easy trip for any family to take. As with all my recommendations, it’s doable for regular family of 5 with little kids. No extraordinary effort or skill needed for this trip, promise!
Like with anything, activities and events depend on the specific days in which you stay. But, much like our own NYC museums and venues, you can pretty much count on something happening on any particular day. From mommy-and-me classes at museums, to special events at the national monuments. Arriving on a Tuesday and staying through Friday this is what worked for us.
Day One: The National Mall
Older kids could probably handle the entire thing. With younger kids, I suggest starting at the White House (halfway) and then making your way towards to river, catching the World War II Memorial (find your state), Lincoln Memorial (feed the ducks) and have a snack and visit the Lincoln Memorial and see the water. Starting at either the White House or the Capitol Building and then just walking through the mall and visiting sites that may interest your children as you head towards the water, stopping to snack along is a good guide. The sites are beautiful and many of their own unique appeal for children, be it water fountains, greenery, interesting design.
- National Mall: Free
Day Two: National Museum of the American Indian, Capitol Building, US Botanical Garden
Our first full day. We took the train to National Mall area and visited the American Indian Museum’s children’s space, Capitol Building and the US Botanical Gardens. They were all relatively close to each other. We had a picnic at the Capitol Building lawns were Animal Control was trying to reunite baby chicks with their duck momma.
The Native American museum’s children space offered a great opportunity to learn in a way that worked for all our age groups (2, 4, 6). We lucked out at the Botanical Garden! The Corpse Flower literally began to bloom as we were speaking to a museum guide right next to it. Suddenly it just began to stink! Check out this link for the full story.
-American Indian Museum: free
-Botanical Garden: free
Day Three: National Building Museum, Rock Creek Park, Basilica of the National Shrine
We happened to arrive at the Building Museum right at the start of storytime. Storytime turned into free-play time in the same play space. Next, we visited the main event: the Lego Discovery Room where over a dozen Lego models of sites from around the world greet you. Next to this is an enormous European train station model and then free play tables where kids can build. Duplo legos and regular legos and tables of various sizes for all ages are available. There are other interesting exhibits in the museum, too. The House and Home is one. It contains models of houses and their contents, but also thought-provoking pictures and artifacts that define a home. We headed to the building corner, where giant foam blocks invite kids to build to their heart’s content. The museum is free to enter, but the individual exhibit/discovery rooms require admission bracelets, payable at the museum or in advance. Children under 3 are free. You can eat in the main entrance room. That room itself is quite a site and home to many grand balls throughout our country’s history.
Rock Creek Park was our afternoon stop! We drove there and got a chance to visit the museum interior with activities and displays for the kids before our hike. We did a one-mile loop and just as the kids had finished complaining about how we never see any animals on hikes, not 30 yards from us crossed a deer. The trail was a dirt path with some constructed steps for ease. All our kids walked the hike. But it is not stroller-friendly.
We had just enough time to visit the grand Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception before they closed. It’s a massive structure with beautiful design structures.
-National Building Museum: 3 and under free; children and students $7; adults $10
-Rock Creek: Free
-Basilica: Free
Day Four: US National Arboretum, Capitol Building, Botanical Garden, Tidal Basin and The Recreation Pier at the Wharf
A fellow MacKid DC Momma said if you haven’t visited the US National Arboretum, get your life together and go, and we did! 😆 . We headed to the Washington Youth Garden there and piggy-backed off a local school field trip, but these activities are available throughout the day. Kids learned about composting, got to hang with worms, learned about local plants, harvested their own carrots, tasted sorrel right off the plant (Baby CC went to town on these) and ate the carrots they picked. We caught a lucky glimpse of an Eagle sighting along with its Eagle watch entourage (bird watchers) before we enjoyed a walk through one of the many walkable sites: the Morrison Garden and their beautiful azalea collection. These grounds are huge and driveable from point to point, so you can save your energy for a run through their fields and/or a hike through the forest.
Stopped by the back side of the Capitol Building where we stood on the stairs and were really able to admire the architecture. This was a drive-by visit, as we had already checked out. My husband dropped us off and circled a bit, while we checked it out. There’s another beautiful fountain here as well, a bit of an optical illusion, the kids loved it, but we had other fish to fry, so we kept going. A short distance from here was the Botanical Gardens. We went back to get a final glimpse and whiff of the Corpse Flower, which was now in full bloom. As soon as we entered the humongous atrium the smell hit you.
Next, we went pedal boating on the Tidal Basin This was perfect. Although there doesn’t seem to be age restrictions, I’m glad Baby CC sat this one out. There is entirely too much room for error. We divided the hour with my husband. I pedaled first then we switched and I was Baby CC while he was on the boat. I recommend this for ages 4 and up, possibly 3 with good listening ears. The kids didn’t make for great copilots, so all the pedaling was definitely on the adult on the boat. My whole Peloton career led to this very moment, pedaling against the wind from across the basin trying to get back. Prayers were definitely said!
We were all united again over by the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. There a high school band, choir and color guard from New Jersey performed. It was 3:30 pm on a Friday. They sang patriotic and contemporary tunes, it was a perfect! I highly recommend heading over there at this time to catch a school performance.
Finally, we were at the end of our trip at the The Wharf in the newly established South West waterfront. Parking is $45 on the water, or $30 across the street. We used a parking finder app (definitely try this anytime you are trying to park in DC downtown) and paid $20. We had dinner on the boardwalk. There are countless places to choose from: southern, pub vibes, seafood, Latin American, French, fusion, fancy and not, and so much more! In warmer weather there is a sprinkler park. Now there was a fire pit, safely managed by a Pier employee. This was adjacent to a s’mores food truck. Countless ice cream option and desserts.
- Arboretum: free
- Tidal Basin: $30 w/d; $40 w/e
- Pier: free, except for parking
A Note on Accessibility and Strollers
All sites and museums seemed to be either completing or in the process of completing accessible options, such as elevators and ramps. The only place we had an issue with our stroller was the Jefferson Memorial. The elevators were not working, they are in the process of building an accessible ramp to be completed Spring 2025.
Where We Ate
We made a big breakfast everyday morning at our AirBnB. Lunch was had out. We tried a picnic one day by purchasing sandwiches and chips beforehand. We bought cucumbers from our fridge and had apple sauce pouches for dessert. Another day we tried Union Market, a fancy food hall with various food booths, plenty of options for everyone there with inside and outside dining options. We ate at a nearby Southern restaurant the day we went to the Building Museum. We were so pleasantly surprised when they gave us a children menu with $10 options, came with ice cream, milk/juice. We always had dinner at home. Not because we love cooking, but after all the walking, the kids were tired, and we all benefitted from unwinding at home and getting them ready for bed. On the Pier we ate at a restaurant with a lovely view from the second floor, but I can’t recommend it. However, there are so many options that it’s hard to go wrong, we probably just hit a patch of bad luck.
