Welcome to D.C. (or at least Virginia)... the metro is attached to the airport or a ride share is easy and not expensive.

Check out this blog to see what's going on in D.C. when you're here...there's always something going on.

• Tickets to purchase in advance: Capitol Tour, Library of Congress, Zoo, Mount Vernon cruise (mansion tour included). Other possible museums or attractions (see bottom for possibilities that I'd recommend)
• Reservations: Old Ebbitt Grill, Ted's Bulletin, Unconventional Diner. I tend not to make reservations when traveling with kids, but perhaps call ahead?
• Tours: Capitol Hill Tour, Memorials by Moonlight
• If you plan to use the metro: download the smarttrip card to your phone or buy a physical card or use your credit card to tap in and out of the turnstyles
• The scooters you need ot be 16 years old with a license to ride, bikes are rentable
• I recommend using rideshare car options, make sure you have the apps downloaded

PRO TIP: I created an amazon list of what to pack, things that have helped us travel with our little traveler. You can find that HERE. 

Walk to the National Mall: Bring a frisbee, the stroller and some snacks. Head to the National Mall and let everyone run around after a day of travel. A big green space with the Capitol on one side of you and the Monument and The Lincoln Memorial on the other. If you're like me, the first thing you want to do is set up at the hotel and orient myself.

A kid friendly restaurant with lots to look at the menu has options and my son always likes to say hello to the walrus. For the big kids, there's an oyster happy hour and a diverse menu. Teddy Roosevelt's taxidermy and Alexander Hamilton's stein collection are here!

Grab a quick breakfast close to the hotel or head to Ted's...they do breakfast all day and handmake their own pop tarts.

You could book a walking tour, if you're nervous, you could book a private tour so it's just you all and the guide can customize the tour for you. This  is a company I recommend.

Start at the Supreme Court, they open early, unless they're in session you can find their schedule here, and bathrooms are hard to come by sometimes. The museum is downstairs and the courtroom you can peek into upstairs. There is a cafeteria and a gift shop downstairs.

Pro Tip: you can't bring snacks or beverages (even water) into the Supreme Court or Capitol Building. If you're pregnant, breast feeding, they make an exception for medical reasons. Plan for that and perhaps plan to make a stop after lunch back at the hotel either for naps or for replenishment of snacks.

Next, head across the street to the Library of Congress (if you've seen National Treasure: Book of Secrets, your kids will recognize the library), the second largest library in the world! You do need tickets , they're FREE. The information desk has a scavenger hunt for animals around the library and the many docents will answer all your questions. Check out Jefferson's library and the Guttenberg bible.

Next stop, is a secret tunnel through to the Capitol Building. Ask the information desk for directions if you can't find the signs. It's a fun adventure and cuts down on security screenings.

Once you're in the Capitol Visitors Center, you could take a FREE tour of the Capitol it's about an hour and 15 minutes or take a look at the museum and the life size casting of the statue on top of the Capitol: Freedom. 

If you want to take a tour, you can book tickets in advance OR if you take a walking tour they'll provide all the tickets OR you can do walk up tickets. There's a sign that says, visitors without tickets (that's you!) tours run every 10 minutes in the spring and summer. andlittle less frequently in the winter.

There's plenty of bathrooms, a gift shop and a cafe. The cafe is super convenient and it has lots of options.

If you're up for more of an adventure for lunch, check out Ben's Chili Bowl:  the original is on U St a bit further away but has loads of history or head to the new location on H St. or walkable is We, the Pizza. It's great pizza made by a Top Chef contestant, Spike.

Diamonds, Dinosaurs, Bugs, Birds...a giant squid, a megalodon, mummies, mammals, The Hope Diamond (it's cursed!). It's always a hit!

There's SO many things here! The hat Lincoln was wearing the night that he was assissinated, a collection of First Ladies' Dresses, Cars and Trains, a helicopter, a Revolutionary War boat, the flag that was flying during the War of 1812 in Baltimore AND a pop culture exhibit with Muppets and Elmo, Captain America's shield and Dorothy's slippers. There is also a Starbucks downstairs.

Time for dinner! Union Market is a food hall with lots of choices, indoor and outdoor seating or find something close to the hotel.

Start at the Connecticut Ave entrance, there's a Starbucks and a little sandwich place called Duke's next to the entrance. You need FREE tickets. They open early, 8:30am. The pandas are elephants are near that entrance. It's a hill so what goes down...you'll have to carry, push or get back to the top of that hill.

If it's lunch time, head to Comet Ping Pong: good pizza, good ping pong. 

On your way back into town, stop by Georgetown. Baked and Wired  cupcakes are the best, there's a water feature you can cool down in on lower K St on the river. There are lots of lunch options. Filomena is some of the best Italian food, the decor is always massive and there's usually someone rolling pasta in the front window.

Georgetown University is there (I think it looks like Hogwarts) and close to the University are the Exorcist steps AND transformers on someone's house (they've been ordered to take them down but they remain on display!). You can walk to the house that John and Jackie lived in before they moved into the White House.

Head back to the hotel if it's naptime or time to regroup.

You could do this before or after dinner, depending on bedtimes and energy level. You can either walk around yourself or take a guided tour. I trust these two companies to have quality guides: Walking Tour 1 or Walking Tour 2 

Pro Tip: If you do it yourself, Start at Einstein: you can climb on that memorial. Walk to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, Lincoln and then Korea. Swing by Dr. King on your way to WWII. If you have time and energy, after Dr. King you could go to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and if you have lots of energy, go to Jefferson.

Note: Washington Monument requires free timed tickets, they sell out in advance pretty quick. It's a nice view and iconic. The Old Post Office Pavillion is run by National Park Service, if you'd like a view, check for hours of operation.

It's dinner time!

There are lots of options for fast casual dining like Shake Shack or Falafel Inc or sit down locations like Mi Vida, Boardwalk Bar and Arcade with lots of games inside or my favorite Hank's Oyster Bar. Locally owned seafood! It's also right next to Ben and Jerry's.

There are swings on the pier and you can watch the boats and planes come in. There's a water feature to play in and if you're there on the weekend, there's probably something fun going on.

Book a cruise to get you to Mount Vernon and back, it's about 90 minutes each way but a super fun way to get there. They sell some snacks on board, I'd recommend bringing your own. There's food at Mount Vernon, but I might try to pack some lunch for the boat ride back.

George Washington called it the most pleasant seat in America...and I get it. It's an outdoor space and such a treat! You'll tour the mansion, say hello to sheep and bulls, hogs, pay your respects to the General and his wife and see the Enslaved Memorial and burial ground. They've recreated some of his farmland (orginally 5 farms) and enslaved living quarters. There's an education center (you can learn about his military career, farming choices, presidency and legacy. you can even see one of his 8 sets of dentures). After the education center is a gift shop (where adults can purchase some of the whiskey that was made with his recipe).

Mount Vernon has done so much to make it interactive for people of all ages. People dressed up walking around, docents everywhere to tell you the history. It's super beautiful at any time of year.

This will be most of the day 8am-3pm

Breakfast all day? And dinner as well? It's delicious and beautiful. It's a hit every time.

Wave hello to the President's Residence and Workspace! You can get close on H Street and 16th St. through Lafayette Square.

Depending on how much time you have left:

• You could walk or take a car to The National Children's Museum . There are lots of fun exhibits a huge slide, this is not a Smithsonian and therefore $$
• You could walk to Ford's Theater there's a museum and education center. They also are an operational theater and you have access to the museum with a theater ticket 
• You could take a car to the African American Museum of History and Culture FREE but you need a ticket . It's a huge museum with a powerful lower level of history and upper level dedicated to black excellence and achievement.
• Depending on the age of your kids, you could go to the Holocaust Museum. The museum is closing for at least 2 years starting in 2027. They will have an exhibit on Auchwitz while the permanent exhibit is closed.
• You could head to the Portrait Gallery a FREE museum that's actually 2 in 1: the American Art Museum and the Portrait Gallery. There's a beautiful atrium in the center and all the President's Portraits are there. It's a beautiful space. We love to pose like the statues.
• You could take a car to the National Building Museum   $$ It's a beautiful building and has interactive exhibits on architechture 
• You could walk to the Air and Space Museum it's FREE but you need tickets 
• You could take a car to Planet Word FREE museum focusing on language. There's kareoke and a place to learn languages, it's small but fun
• The Spy Museum  find out what kind of spy everyone would be and learn about the history of espionage $
• Take a car to Arlington National Cemetery. It's free to enter but lots of hills. This is probably best for kids in their teens, it is a cemetery with more than 400,000 people buried there. 2 presdients, Supreme Court Justices and The Changing of the Guard is always powerful and impactful.
• If you have time...go to a baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer game
• Or head to see some children's theater: Kennedy Center, Imagination Stage...there are lots of family friendly shows

Be sure to look out your window as you wave goodbye to D.C.! Don't forget to be at the airport at least 2 hours before departure.