Washington D.C. Trip Itinerary With Kids
We took a road trip with our family of 5 and my parents. There was a travel day on either end with a full week of activities in between. The weather was scorching hot every day we were there so we had to make some changes to our expected itinerary as we needed more time to cool off and rest than we anticipated.
Day 1: Road Trip Day
-McDonald's eaten at Honeycrest Playground, south of Buffalo NY
-Brickyard Creamery for ice cream and picnic lunch
-Dinner at El Sombrero in Greencastle PA
Day 2: Bus Passes, Planet Word Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture
-Bought bus passes easily at local metro stop
-Planet Word Museum
-Book free tickets ahead
-Masks required
-Highlights included a fun interactive game with the word wall, karaoke, guess the common sayings, and many other interactive exhibits
-Lunch was sandwiches in Franklin Park
-National Museum of African American History and Culture.
-"Reckoning" exhibit contained Bisa Butler's quilt of Harriet Tubman's recently found portrait
Day 3: Capitol Building Tour, Hirshorn Museum, Washington Monument
-Capitol Building Visitor Centre
-Free but had to book ahead
-Lunch was at the cafe in the Capitol Building
-Hirshorn Museum
-Was more modern art than a sculpture museum
-Outdoor sculpture garden
-Free, didn't need to book at all
-Shaved ice outside the Washington Monument
-Washington Monument
-Great views 500 stories up
-7USD booking fee
-Parked stroller outside
Day 4: Rest Day
When travelling as a family, we always make sure to plan in some down time for ourselves as the baby will need to catch up on naps and everyone else needs a break too. My mom and I went to Target and Andrew took the boys on a bike ride in the morning. While the boys were having quiet time, Andrew and I borrowed electric scooters and scooted to his company's local office to look around.
Day 5: Internation Spy Museum and Library of Congress
-International Spy Museum
-Interactive exhibits
-Spy missions throughout the museum ending in final assignment and adjudication of your skills
-Cost ~30USD, book ahead
-great for adults and kids (ability to read would make it easier)
-Picnic Lunch adjacent to the Fountain Garden
-Library of Congress
-Free, book ahead easily (not as popular)
-Had an interesting photo exhibit and recreation of Thomas Jefferson's Library
-Gutenberg Bible
Day 6: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
-Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
-Free, can't book ahead
-Busiest indoor place we visited
-Insect Zoo and Gem Display were highlights (Hope Diamond on display)
-Mammals and Ocean sections were great as expected but T (5yo) is especially loving bugs and rocks
Day 7: West End of National Mall
Perhaps because it was so hot or perhaps because it was so busy, but these felt like obligatory stops and photo ops. If possible, try going early in the morning or later in the evening. All are free and require no pre-booking.
-Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
Day 8: National Inventors Hall of Fame and Albert Einstein Memorial
Day 9: Road Trip Day
-McDonald's eaten at Kids Kingdom Park in York, PA
-Picnic lunch at Hodgman Park in Painted Post, NY
-Dinner at Kelseys in St. Catherines, ON
Definitely recommend a trip to Washington DC. It's within one day's drive from Ontario, has SO much to do we couldn't see everything in a week and is actually fairly economical in comparison to other large cities as most of the attractions are free.
Bus Passes: WMTA 7 Day Regional Bus Pass was good for non-express short trips on regular busses as well as for the DC Circulator which has it's own routes but is the main way to get around the National Mall. Price was 14USD per person (incl card fee), kids under 5 are free and seniors could be $6 if you go downtown and verify age, but that honestly didn't seem worth the hassle for us.
Accommodation: We stayed at a great Airbnb northeast of the National Hall, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, full kitchen and dining room. We really enjoyed our stay. Like any large city, there is noise outside overnight as well as people begging etcetera. This wasn't a problem for us (wear earplugs at night if necessary) and we'd happily stay here again.
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