DC Area with Kids - Suggestions?

I lived in DC and then Arlington for two years, and have been there on family vacations as well. It is a great area to visit with kids! First, get yourself a good map of the Metro - it is color coded and very easy to navigate. Then, make a plan of what you would like to see - don't bite off more than you can chew! - pick a couple of museums (the Smithsonian and Air & Space museum were our kids' favorites) or historical sites like the Lincoln Memorial/Capitol/Washington Monument per day. There is alot of walking involved in going from one end of the Mall to the other, which is great in nice weather, but you can't always count on that. As far as eating out, we often ended up at the Old Post Office, which has alot of different restaurant options that are kid-friendly. Also, at the Crystal City metro stop there is an underground shopping area as well as a food court that is very casual and good for a quick bite. And don't forget the zoo! It's one of the best we've been to, and I'm sure your little ones would love it. Hope this helps... have a great time!

DC is perfect for kids - especially on a budget - nearly everything is free! I lived there for a year when I was pregnant with my first, and I was not working (we were there for my husbands job) so I did all the sights by myself and with a newborn :)

My favorites for kids that age would be:
Natural History Museum - GREAT Dinosaur exhibit and other animals too
Air and Space Museum - of course your son will love it

The National Zoo is great for all your kids. The metro will take you pretty close, but you'll have to walk a few blocks once you get off.

Places to eat with kids -
I agree if you can pack snacks (I assume you'll have a stroller?) that will lessen the cost and pain of restaurant eating.

If you are heading to the Zoo - when you get off the metro at Woodley Park, there are restaurants there at are kid friendly. If you walk just south from the stop there is an american place on the opposite side of the street that was never busy, and had burgers/fries, etc. There are also numerous ethnic restaurants at that location. From that station you have to walk up a hill a bit to get to the zoo. There is also a Starbucks and another small restaurant right across from the zoo.

If you take the metro to one stop past the Woodley Park stop (I can't remember the name) there are restaurants there as well. There is also a Cold Stone Creamery ;)

If you get off the redline at Dupont Circle - there is a fantastic greek place there called Zorba's. There greek pizza is super tasty.

http://www.zorbascafe.com/

If you are down on the mall, and have walked toward the monuments there are places to eat that are not hotdog vendors. I often stopped at Potbellys:
Potbelly Sandwich Shop - 17th & Penn
Potbelly Sandwich Shop - 1400 NY Ave

And, in the lowest level of the National Art Museum, there is a link between the old building and the new Modern building with a decent cafe style eatery. It's a pretty place to sit too - with a cool wall fountain and good bathrooms.

Things to think about as you travel with a stroller - there are elevators in most of the metro stops, but check the website to confirm that they are all working. Sometimes they were out of order.

Plan extra time to get from place to place. Sometimes the elevators spit you out in a different location than the main metro exit. Make sure you have good maps, and don't hesitate to ask for help. I found people to be very nice, especially when you have a baby with you.

You can send me a message if you have other questions!
J.

Definitely the National Zoo- it's incredible and it will probably take-up a whole day!

Considering the fact that you are staying in Fairfax, I would suggest that you hit the local grocery store when you arrive and purchase a styrofoam cooler and some breakfast items that your children and you can eat! You should also stock the room with snack items and even consider sandwich "stuff", water bottles, juice, soda etc. Wherever you go, you can likely go back to the hotel for a rest period and something to eat.

The monuments are really cool and your 3 yr old will either love the Lincoln Memorial or be terrified b/c he's so big! Either way, make sure e/o has on comfy shoes and if you have a double stroller, bring it. The lines are pretty long on most days to get into some of the monuments, so you may want to pick-and-choose which to see.

A picnic on the Mall might be fun for an afternoon activity. There is always something going on there and it's really pretty. The Smithsonians are really amazing and I think that your toddlers will enjoy them as well- the website for the Smithsonian isn't working right now (yikes), but the American History and Air & Space have always been very well done. http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/students/at_the_smith...

once you get into dc most all of the sites are free. you can go into all the monuments etc. most of them have a box for donations. If you can swing it I would suggest you get on one of the tour bus things. Its about $30 per adult (no idea of cost for kids we didn't have any with us lol) but it takes you on a tour around the entire city, swings out to arlington etc and the pass is for 2 days. you can get on and off whereever you want. I was there in november for a conference. best thing we did was the tour. got off and went in everwhere. as far as not eating in a place with the kids every meal I would suggest pb and j sandwiches in the bag and some fresh fruit. I never saw an actual grocery store but you could bring that with you. Good luck.

I live here in the DC area but would suggest going to the local grocery store, Wegmans is awesome, and buy the premade PB&J sandwiches, fruit, drinks and snacks that your kids enjoy. (bring a small cooler that fits on the bottom of your stroller) You can also get cearl & milk for breakfast this way you only have to go out for dinner and the kids will be happier getting to snack when they get hungry. We have a timeshare so this ALWAYS works to save money anywhere we go. As far as sites to see ALL the Smithsonians are free- visit http://www.si.edu/ for kid friendly activities. The national Zoo will be fun for the little ones & the Air and Space museum is great too both Metro accessible. Hope this helps and have fun!

What about the National Zoo? It's free to get in.

When I left the DC area 3 years ago they were rennovating the Children's Museum downtown. I know it was going to be a long process, but maybe you can check and see if it is going to be open. Nothing like taking your kids somewhere that they can actually touch everything. Are you going to have a rental car? If so, and the weather is nice, you may want to look at Great Falls, VA. It's a great place outdoor place. Also, look into tripadvisor.com. This is where I get a lot of my ideas when i go to other cities.

Metro has a website complete with printable maps, schedules and a handy trip planer. Air and Space is just wonderful for kids and no one will look at you strange if the kids run around. Every museum at the Mall has an eatery./restraurant/cafe. My daughter and I do " Lunch and a Museum" 2 times a year and we have a blast. Natural Histroy is also good for kid and has kid's stuff to do. Also he National Zoo is free and fun. The Kids Farm there is great for kids.The Botanical Garden is great and free . Have fun !!!!

unfortunately the children's museum won't be open until 2013. but there is plenty to do here in dc. i will just add a couple more ideas to the great ones you've already received. my kids all boys ages 6,4,and 2 all love the natural history museum which they recently added an ocean exhibit to-very cool! the air and space museum is also a favorite. and the american history museum which has a lot of hands on stuff and old vehicles and trains and such. they just remodeled it and it is very neat. also there is a carousel on the mall right behind the smithsonian castle my kids love to ride it:) finally the national gallery of art is a very cool place to walk through and might still have an ice skating rink that you could watch or try:) there is so much to see and do you may have a hard time narrowing it down:) have a safe trip and enjoy!

We used to live in Fairfax for 10 years. You want to get on the metro in Vienna. It is the end of the line so you will not have a problem getting seats together. The metro is the best way to travel in DC. Driving & parking is not fun. All of the museums are free so it is inexpensive unless you eat there. There are Giant grocery stores there but they are not related to ours and don't take the same card. I would bring snacks with you that you can bring in the diaper bag. (Pretzels, raisins, raisinettes, goldfish, etc.& bottled water.) I don't know if they allow the water with all of the security. You may want to call to find out. There is an air and space museum that opened since we moved back here but it was somewhere near Fairfax. It is supposed to be very nice. The Old Ebbott Grill is an awesome restaurant in downtown DC if you want to have a nice dinner.
Have fun, keep a tight hold on your kids when you are in the metro waiting for the trains to come. Kids are fascinated by those rails lighting up and sometimes run up to them when they start blinking.

although this is not tourist attraction there is a place called the Playseum located off of wisconsin ave. it's in the chevy chase area just inside the border of d.c.. you can take the metro to it. All of your kids would enjoy it. It looks like a little whole in the wall....but it goes on forever......it's really cool. i didn't think we were goign to like it but my kids ended up loving it.
It's $5 per person.
i think you can look them up online.