View Full Version : Washington DC Tourism
Defender968
10-02-2009, 09:31
The wife got invited to be a part of a panel discussion in her field in the next couple of weeks in DC, I'm going to tag along and we're going to make a little vacation out of the trip, (I've been in the area for work a couple of times but I've never had the opportunity to do the tourist thing). I've been doing some research but there is so much to do and see obviously we could spend weeks there and not see it all.
So I'd like to ask if you had 2-3 days in DC what would be the absolutely must sees. The Vietnam memorial, Arlington, and the Korean War Memorial are musts on my list so far, but I’m looking for some help narrowing the field.
Team Sergeant
10-02-2009, 09:34
My favorite,
National Museum of American History
http://americanhistory.si.edu/
I enjoyed the International Spy Museum, it was full of gadgets and great stories.
The Holocaust Museum
http://www.ushmm.org/
Natl' Museum of American Indian
http://www.nmai.si.edu/
If you have the time to contact your senator, you can sometimes get "VIP" tour passes for the White House or the Capitol building.
The wife....
Does the wife enjoy art? If so, find the museum exclusively for women in the arts, art by woman, etc. Im memory services me correctly, it is near the 'Chinatown' section of the city.
You are correct, it would take weeks/months to see everything. I try to hit the smaller venues when I can. Seem to enjoy them more. The big venues only attrack the crowds, especially in the tourist season.
You may be lucky.
Every year, my mother and I travel to DC to visit my father. We try to visit a new museum every time but a few must-see spots on our lists are:
The International Spy Museum
http://spymuseum.org/
Air and Space Museum
http://www.nasm.si.edu/
Museum of Natural History
http://www.mnh.si.edu/
Botanical Gardens
http://www.usbg.gov/
Arlington (Changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers is a MUST see)
Vietnam Memorial
Korean Memorial (when snow is falling at night is a sight to see)
Also, if you have time to make a short drive to get a bite to eat, The Chart House Restaurant in Alexandria is very nice. Link to map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=chart+house+alexandria&fb=1&gl=us&hq=chart+house&hnear=alexandria&cid=0,0,18116419303978887717&ei=qTzGSuGADszY8Aaf5-lC&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1
Have a great time while you and your wife are there. Travel safe.
greenberetTFS
10-02-2009, 12:02
The Holocaust Museum
http://www.ushmm.org/
Natl' Museum of American Indian
http://www.nmai.si.edu/
If you have the time to contact your senator, you can sometimes get "VIP" tour passes for the White House or the Capitol building.
Sten,
What Holocaust? According to Irans fearless leader it never occurred....:rolleyes:
Big Teddy :munchin
Ret10Echo
10-02-2009, 12:28
Arlington and the outdoor, National Mall monuments is a full day if you do it right. (Arlington, Marine Corps Memorial, Vietnam, Korea, FDR, Lincoln, Jefferson, WWII, Navy Memorial)
National Achieves is, IMO, a must see...
I would narrow down to one or maybe two of the Smithsonian buildings or other National Park sites based on your interests.
My list:
American History
Ford's Theater
Air and Space (both in the District and the Dulles site)
White House visitor's center
If your staying down town, here is a start..
Go to the Capital building and walk the Mall counter clockwise. You'll run into 3/4 of the museums. Stop when you run out of time. Remember where to start the next time your in town..
On our first trip we managed to go from the Capital to the Lincoln-Vietnam-Korean memorials in three days. A lot of walking...
A tour of the Capital building can be a day trip. Check with your Congressman or Senator to see if you can stop by their office.. Security dictates long lines.
Off the Mall
The National Zoo - North side of town
The Air Museum - Dulles AP
Arlington - just West of the Mall
Mt Vernon - 20 minutes South
Jefferson Memorial - Just South of
Spy Museum - 6-7 blocks North of the Mall
Google map is your friend,, "Museums in DC"
My $00.0002
Have Fun
What JJ said
If you walk the National Mall you will hit just about every Museum. You picked a good time of year. Most of the Tourist are gone. Museums won't be to crowded, cooler weather. The Hyatt, George Hotel and Washington Square are on Jersey Av. They are all about two blocks over from the National Mall.
The Phoenix Park Hotel is also a very nice place. It has two nice Irish Pubs right next to it. I live right behind them. It also is only a couple of blocks from the Mall.
My kids really, really enjoyed the Nat'l Cathedral.
Another place that they really enjoyed (surprisingly) was Lincoln's summer house. Not something that one would think that two pre-teen boys would like.
They both thought it was very, very interesting. It was the house outside of what was then the limits of D.C. used by other presidents and Lincoln to escape the heat of D.C> in the summer. Lots of personal information about Lincoln. Lots of cool anecdotes from the Civil War period.
Don't think its a primary destination if you have limited time, but is a little known attraction.
They also liked Mt Vernon, BTW>
Defender968
10-08-2009, 19:50
Thanks to all for the great advice, the wife and I had a good time in DC, ended up being there during the AUSA convention, I've got a friend in the org that has been trying to get me to go to that for the past 5 years, I finally made it on chance. I spent the first day at the convention while my wife was at her speaking engagement. We both decided 2-3 days is where we reach our limit of being in a city that big, even as much as we enjoyed DC.
So we ended up going to the American history museum, the Natural history museum, and the spy museum as well as Arlington, and the memorials, very moving I’m glad I finally got to experience them.
Again thanks to all for the advice.