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YouTubeI'm headed to DC for the first time this weekend with my 9 year old son in tow. Any recommendations? We're going to be complete tourists since my son wants to hit all the monuments/museums/White House/etc., but restaurant recommendations or museums that stand out are appreciated!
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Washington DC Recommendations
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Andrew Hall
Dennison Place (The Circles)
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Spy Museum.
The National Building Museum has Lego exhibit right now. Go early to ensure tickets, I am told. http://www.nbm.org/exhibitions-collections/exhibitions/lego-architecture.html
If you want a good way to enjoy a brunch in a little more style and still be kid-friendly, Cafe Atlantico is a great choice. Jose Andres is a great chef and been a judge on Top Chef. Guacamole made tableside never fails to entice and they will do a great job taking care of the whole family.
A.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Neil Jaye
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I can not really recommend many kid friendly places, but I suggest maybe hitting Adams Morgan (early, it's pretty much a nightclub/bar area after 8 or so.) They have some very interesting restaurants unique to DC that may be fun for a kid. It's been a while since I lived there, but there's always the Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock, ESPN Zone and those mega corporate themed restaurants (assuming they are still there). This was sometime ago but there use to be a Rain Forest Cafe in Tyson Corners. That would be sort of interesting to a kid maybe. Keep in mind that some of these places may be gone. The Baltimore Inner Harbor would be great for a kid I think but it's a little bit of a drive.
Hope that helps a little.
.Posted 1 year ago # -
Jergarr27
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Definitely the National Zoo.. It's right off the red line at the Woodley Park/ Adams Morgan stop.. and the best part.. It's free!!! It's kind of weird because one moment you are walking through a busy urban neighborhood full of stores and shops, and all of a sudden, it's the National Zoo.. There's a 7/11 right across the street from the entrance..
Of course the standards like the National Mall.... with the Smithsonian, Pond of Reflection.. etc..
There's not a lot to see for a child in the downtown area of DC, but Dupont Circle is a nice place to walk around and find someplace to eat..
And if you just so happen to encounter a Shoppers grocery store.. you must get some Colossal Donuts!...
I was just there again this past April and look forward to visiting again.
Posted 1 year ago # -
BCNation
Franklin Park
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You've never been to DC before?
Definitely Adams-Morgan (but if you have child-in-tow, definitely early); it's as diverse as a neighborhood as you can find in DC; My junior year of college, I stayed @ the Hilton (which is nearby) for a College Media Conference, and was awed by the diversity of the neighborhood.
Books-a-Million is a great store to go visit. It's at the Dupont Circle on Connecticut Ave. (& M St. I think).
Definitely check out the WWII & Vietnam Memorial @ the National Mall. I went to both memorials both times I was in DC. Here in town, there was a moving replica of the Vietnam Memorial at the Field of Heroes on Memorial Day weekend in Westerville (near the soccer fields on Cleveland Ave. & County Line Rd.) and a moving WWII memorial as well.
I've never been inside the Smithsonian....definitely there. Definitely the White House, Capitol, & Lincoln Memorial.
Try riding the Metro at least once.
Posted 1 year ago # -
tourist19
Merion Village
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Oh, you guys are going to have so much fun! I took my cousin to DC when he was 8 and we had the best time. We only had a day, but we made the most of it. We went to the Air and Space Museum and The Natural History Museum. We walked by the White House and then down to the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. I totally thought the awesome museums would be the big hit, but actually the Lincoln Memorial was his favorite thing. He thought it was soooooo cool. Kids are so weird :-) He also loved riding the Metro, the escalator down into the Metro is really long and I swear I think we could have just ridden up and down all day and he would have been happy.
If you're going to eat at the Smithsonian the Cafe at the Museum of the American Indian is the most interesting. Whatever you do do not eat at the Air and Space Museum (or even go near that place while you're hungry!!). It's HUGE and the food court is all crappy fast food.
Old Town Alexandria is also easy to get to and lovely. We stay at a hotel there when we overnight in DCA and I love walking around and looking at the pretty historical houses. There's a ton of interesting restaurants there too. Have a great time!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Andrew Hall
Dennison Place (The Circles)
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tourist19 wrote
If you're going to eat at the Smithsonian the Cafe at the Museum of the American Indian is the most interesting.Yes! Absolutely. It is the best museum eating around. Where else are you going to get huitalacoche? There are also demos of maple syrup making, salmon smoking, etc.
A.
Posted 1 year ago # -
dashinhilliard
Hilliard, Ohio
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The Smithsonian National Museum of American History is A MUST - allow plenty of time - it takes more than an hour's stroll. I was very moved by the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery - it might not be a good choice for a 9 year old - but some of the paintings and historic photographs were amazing. The Holocaust Museum might be too much for him, but is another very moving museum. Those are my top 3.....I thought the Museum of Natural History was a big bore and a waste of precious time. I guess I don't like rocks and bones.....I've heard good things about the Newseum as well....
Posted 1 year ago # -
DCist
UA
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BCNation wrote >>
Books-a-Million is a great store to go visit. It's at the Dupont Circle on Connecticut Ave. (& M St. I think).Really?? thats a chain and sucks. If youre looking for a unique DC experience with a bookstore, go to Kramers, which is also in Dupont Circle, and has a really cute cafe attached to it.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Nitsud Regnifloh
Valerio Heights
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definitely 2Amys. If you smoke cigars, and like to drink, I would recommend Shelly's Back Room (1331 F Street), and The Mayflower Hotel bar (1127 Connecticut), just sit down like you belong and enjoy. Also for sushi, Sushi Taro (1503 17th Street) is EXCELLENT.
Posted 1 year ago # -
BCNation
Franklin Park
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DCist wrote >>
BCNation wrote >>
Books-a-Million is a great store to go visit. It's at the Dupont Circle on Connecticut Ave. (& M St. I think).Really?? thats a chain and sucks. If youre looking for a unique DC experience with a bookstore, go to Kramers, which is also in Dupont Circle, and has a really cute cafe attached to it.
I forgot about Kramers.
Posted 1 year ago # -
berry
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We are heading to DC this weekend too..there are some great hotel deals in late August.
I also second visiting Alexandria.
Not sure if it is something your son would enjoy, but one year we rented a limo on the cheap for an hour. The driver took us on a tour of the monuments at night. Someone in our group just went up to the driver while he was making a drop at our hotel and they set it up.
Posted 1 year ago # -
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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The African American Civil War museum is small and just off the metro.
http://www.afroamcivilwar.org/Posted 1 year ago # -
AmyJ
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We're going to be staying in Old Town Alexandria, so I'm glad to hear it has its charms as well. I cheesed out and bought the hop-on/hop-off trolley tour pass since I figured it'd be an easy and cheap way to get around to all the monuments/museums, plus the bonus of Carson getting to ride on top of a double-decker bus. I think it makes 19 stops around the city.
He's really into the Chinatown idea. Any recommendation in that area for food/sights?
So far I know we're hitting the following:
- American History Museum
- food at Museum of the American Indian (thanks for the rec!)
- National Building Museum (he'll die over the LEGO exhibit)
- Newseum (it's part of some discount thing I bought)
- National Zoo
- all the monuments, even if it's just a quick driveby on the trolley
- Duck Tour (again, part of a discount thing I bought)
- ChinatownI'm jotting down all the restaurant recs too, so please keep them coming. My kiddo has a pretty adventurous palate, so he's up for all sorts of ethnic eats (Asian foods are his fave including sushi).
Posted 1 year ago #
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