|
|
|
-
Please help with Washington DC
I am overwhelmed with all there is to do. I want to do it all!! Is there a Smithsonian Museum similar to the one in Night at the Museum? And please help me with touring plans that involve places close together. One last thing...we LOVE Linclon. We MUST see everything Lincoln, no matter how small.
thanks!!
-
Dc
I'm sure all the people in that area will give better suggestions, but here are mine. You can pretty much walk up and down the mall to see all the Smithsonian museums. The Museum of American History is my favorite - probably what you are thinking of. There is also the Air and Space and the Natural History museums which are fun. I like visiting the National Archives (in the same general area) because you can see the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. It might be boring for kids, but it is very cool. On the mall are several war memorials worth seeing (WWII, Korea, Vietnam). And of course Lincoln is at the end opposite the Capitol. Parking is a pain - we always park outside the mall area and ride the Metro. Weekday traffic is a mess. Locals may give better advice on this. Have fun - it's a cool place.
-
Dc
One more thing - they sell these laminated, folding tourist maps that look like cartoon drawings, but actually are really detailed and have lots of information. Get one of those if you can - I always find it very helpful especially for restaurants or obscure sightseeing places.
-
You're in for a good time!!! The area with the majority of the Smithsonians is called the MALL, as was previously mentioned. Please get a map, as was suggested, and you'll be able to see the layout perfectly.
Since you love Lincoln, I recommend checking out Lincoln's Cabin (the presidents summer home) in DC.... it's not near the mall though, you would need transportation, whether your own or cab..... no metro service there.
Definitely check out the Lincoln's Cabin website, as well as the Smithsonian website.
I highly recommend seeing the monuments at night... there are night tours available, (bus tours)...
enjoy
I love Walt Disney World!!!!! :)
A Happy Visitor since 1974!!!
-
Try to get a tour of the Federal Bureau of Printing and Engraving. The highlight of our last visit was watching them print the money.
-
Okay, I saw the Mall area...and now I have just added the history museum...LOL!! Thanks for that info!!
Is it safe to see the monuments at night without the tour? We have 7 to pay for...equals alot of money!! I think it sounds really neat though and want to do it!
And is the Engraving and Printing hard to get tickets for? I notice that they don't allow internet pre-orders.
Anyone go to the spy museum?
Thanks guys!! GREAT info!!
-
i grew up in the dc area and spent many hours walking the mall and going thru the museums...they ususally close at 5:30 so you wont have to worry about going at night..if you are planning to go to the Lincoln or Jefferson Memorials or the Arlington Cememetary, the Tourmobile is the way to go as you can hop on or off at all the different sights....its a Looong walk from the museum side of the mall to the linclon memorial- it looks close until you start walking!....the spy museum is nice but pretty expensive- its not free like the smithsonian...if you are looking for Lincolns "cabin", its in Illinois....what you can see in DC is Lincolns "cottage"..just wanted to point that out as the web sites are different. FYI- Fords Theatre is right around the corner from the Spy Museum and both are only a few blocks from the History Museum...hope this helps !!
Big Mike- father of 8 DS's !
1999- off site
2000-off site
2001-off site
2002-poly/hawaii
2003-poly/hawaii
2004-poly/hawaii
2006-poly/tonga (ambassador suite!)
2007-poly/hawaii
2010- cant wait to go back!!!!!!!!
-
for Ford's theatre, check their web site--as a Lincoln fan you will probably want to schedule a tour time in advance (small convenience fee) making sure to get a tour that includes both the theatre and the museum in the basement.
-
We did the Spy Museum b/c my DD (10 at the time) was really into spy stuff. We found it interesting, but it was so crowded you couldn't get to a number of the more interesting (interactive) displays. There was a lot of reading, not the most kid friendly displays, the gift shop was fun. You could spend more than a week just doing the museums, they are all fantastic, kids faves are Air and Space and American and Natural History. If you have time, you can write to your local state representative and get an amazing tour of the Capitol Building (plan early AM thru lunch) it is worth the time! Arlington is very powerful, and don't forget the National Zoo! The Bureau of Engraving is a don't miss as well. We typically spend a week there and manage to get most things done. Using the Metro from an outer point is the way to go, other than getting to Zoo. Be prepared to walk a ton, it feels like even more than WDW to me and it gets very hot in a hurry because of all of the cement. have a blast!
P.S. I got Metro info prior to going so I could plan our forays into the city, it helped to have a plan going in vs. getting overwhelmed walking into the terminals. If you've never used lightrails/subway systems it can be intimidating.
May'98-WL
Sept'01-POFQ
Oct'03-ASM
Aug'04-CBR & Charley
Dec'05- WL-Joined DVC
June'06- DL's Grand Californian
Nov '06 SSR
Oct '07 SSR with extended family
Oct '08 Disney Wonder/OKW
Nov '09 AKV @ Kidani
Nov '10 Kidani
Nov '11 VWL
May-June 13 Kidani
Feb-March '14 SSR
-
I'm not sure about the specifics but parking is free at certain times. We arrived early on a Sunday morning (free parking) and parked next to the Washington Monument. We worked our way down to the Lincoln Memorial (we were practically the only ones there-it was FANTASTIC) and then back.
Mount Vernon was an awesome side trip (Washington's home on the Potomac). I highly recommend it if you can swing it.
The Smithsonian museums were extremely crowded, however I agree the Air & Space museum was well worth the crowds.
We didn't make it to the Federal Bureau of Printing and Engraving because we didn't plan well enough. I believe you have to be there bright and early.
I too recommend the National Archives.
It's a trip I would repeat in a heartbeat. I hope to do so in a couple of years.
Genna
Always Enjoy the
ž.*š)ž.*š)ž.*šMagicž.*š)ž.*š)ž.*š
"Now approaching, Mickey's Star Traders"
If You Can Read This...
...Thank The Phoenicians!
-
How long are you going for? We have visited 3 different times and stayed for a week each time and still didn't see and do everthing in a week.
I agree, the monuments "look" like they are close together, but once you start walking you find out how far apart they really are. If you are towing a bunch of kids with you I also recommend the "tourmobile". I like this company because you can get on and off as many times as you like in that day. Other companies only give you one loop around the city. We use the tourmobile for our "monument day" and also for our "Arlington Day". Walking DC is no comparision to walking Disney. My legs ach after a long day in DC. No kidding.
I suggest staying at the Le'fant Plaza Hotel (which used to be a Loew's Hotel) because it is a four star hotel but the price isn't bad for DC. It is one block from the mall so you don't need transportation for most of the Smithsonians or the National Achieves.
For kids and adults alike I suggest The Natural History Museum, the American History Museum, the Space & Air Museum. Fords Theater is a must do. IMO a hidden treasure is the "Old Post Office". It's not far from Fords Theater. The bottom floor has a food court, but you can take a free elevator ride up to the top and get a great view of the whole city. It is opened air, but has safety cables (my description). It beats the lines for the Washington Monument. Just my opinion but skip the White House tour. You can walk by the White House and get great pictures instead of spending time on the inside tour.
Rita (aka NJGIRL)
-
Re. driving vs. metro. Here is a pretty exhaustive pro/con that I wrote on here a couple of years ago, which may help.
I have commuted into the city - both driving and on Metro - for 13 years.
http://intercot.com/discussion/showt...54#post1858254
"You used all the glue on purpose!"
-
DC Circulator
Another affordable travel option, is the DC Circulator buses. Their website has info about passes, routes, etc. They come every 10 minutes or so, and should cover pretty much everywhere you'll want to go. Looking forward to having you join us!
Last edited by NJGIRL; 03-19-2011 at 10:31 AM.
Reason: outside links in allowed
Kate
First visit: 1974 (off property)
In between: 6 visits (off property), then:
POR 2002
CS - 2003
AKL - 2005
POR March 2006
POR August 2006
Upcoming: August 2010
-
Since we're on the subject, my family is going to DC in the latter part of May and I have a question about the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. I know that they start handing out tickets for tours at 8 a.m., but at that time of year how early should we be in line to ensure that we get a ticket for one of the first tours of the day?
Beth
INTERCOT Staff--
Theme Parks and Accommodations
Take a look at what INTERCOT's wonderful sponsors have to offer!
-
Not to coin a phrase, but the bottom dollar is I'd put my money on getting there early. Things can change quickly, but spending a quarter of your time making early morning arrangmements can pay off in the end. If you offered a penny for my thoughts I'd stop on a dime and give them, but as I've never done this tour before, they don't necessarily have much currency.
These puns brought to you by:
Friday afternoon at work
"You used all the glue on purpose!"
-
D.c.
Hi All!
I'm going to D.C. this summer, and I need your help. We already have White House tour tickets, but what else is a must see. I will only have like 4 days to see stuff, and will be there with an almost 7 year old (history nut, so excited) and an almost 4 year old.
Thanks!
Meg
40 trips (plus two to Disneyland, and one to Disneyland Paris) and counting!
-
We enjoyed the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. It is always fun to see large piles of money sitting around.
-
There is WAAAY to much to see in the DC Area. So it is going to depend on what you would like to do. The Smithsonian Muesums are great. There are 14 of them, so go online and see which ones you like the most. Personally I love the Natural History Museum and the Air and Space Museum. But there are art museums and specific Cultural museums all right there. Of course there are all the different monuments, they are really nice to go check out. I reccomemnd the Korean and Viet Nam Memorials, they are by Lincoln Monument. Also the WWII memorial is really something to see.
You can go see the original Constitution and the Declaration of Indipendence. Thats a must see for a budding History nut i would think.
Arlington National Cemetary is very close, just across the river. There you can see JFKs grave and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
You can drive down Embassy row and look at all the different embassies, thats kind of neat to do and could be a spur of the moment civic/geography lesson.
The nice thing is that everything in DC is pretty close together so its not that hard to find.
Hope this helps.
1982 MK
1988 MK & Epcot
1989 MK & Epcot
2002 MK, Epcot and Disney MGM Studios
2006 DL
2008 MK, Epcot and DHS (Best trip EVER)
Booked- 5 year wedding aniv at Port Orleans Riverside April 20-22 2012
Planned Chirstmas 2012 offsite
Second Star to the right and straight on till morning.
-
National Zoo is nice and is free. The Smithsonians are great as well. There is a branch of the Smithsonian Air and Space at Dulles Airport - also free and not at all crowded. The Space Shuttle Enterprise is housed there. The various monuments and memorials and Arlington are spectacular.
Kathy șoș
LET'S GO BUCS!
Next trip - June '14
Past trips:
6/13, 4/13, 7/12, 7/11, 1/11, 8/10, 7/09, 3/09, 8/08, 8/07, 12/06, 9/05, 7/03, 7/98, 5/96, 8/93, '70's X 2
-
If you are looking for a great place to eat, try 'We The Pizza'. It is within walking distance from the capitol building and is amazing pizza. If you watch 'Top Chef' at all, it is owned by Spike. Best pizza I have ever had, hands down. Plus, they make their own sodas. It is good, cheap, and fun.
AKA Courtney
"To all that come to this happy place: welcome...Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future.."
Most Recent Trips:
September 2007 - Pop Century
September 2011 - Pop Century
January 2012 - Pop Century
Share This Thread On Social Media:
Share This Thread On Social Media:
Posting Permissions
- You may not post new threads
- You may not post replies
- You may not post attachments
- You may not edit your posts
-
Forum Rules
|
|
Share This Thread On Social Media: