Washington D.C.

What an amazing trip to D.C.!  We have been many times in the past but it has been years since our last trip and this group of nerds could not wait to soak up some good ole history together.

What to see:

Here is my must-see list if it is your first time there:

• White House of course
• Capitol Hill
• Memorials
  • Lincoln Memorial
  • Korean War Veterans Memorial
  • FDR Memorial
  • Jefferson Memorial
  • WWII Memorial
  • Washington Monument (on the way)
• US Holocaust Memorial Museum
• Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum
• National Portrait Gallery
• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
• US National Archives
• Library of Congress
• National Museum of American History

If you are on a tight budget for this trip, your greatest expense will surely be the hotel (they are very pricey near all the tourism).  Most everything else will be very affordable, particularly your daily activities/museum passes/etc.

Check with your hotel to see if they have any coupons/passes.  Also check online for promo codes or deals.  As an example, we saved $30 because my sister was really interested in the Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum and there was a coupon machine (weird I know) in our hotel lobby with BOGO passes for this Museum and others!

You must spend at least 3 full days here to get even a taste of the incredible museums.  If it’s your first and possibly only time to visit for a while, I recommend 5-7 days if possible.

Make adjustments to your itinerary (or to the one I have suggested below) based on the weather.  Keep in mind that the Memorials make for a long walk and it is best to do this during the best weather possible.  I.e. During the sunniest part of the day if you go during cold season or during a cooler time of day as sun is setting during the summer so you aren’t miserable!

Also adjust your itinerary based on your hotel location.

Review of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum:  Incredibly well done museum. Go to the info desk and get passes for the full experience (free) and while you’re waiting for your pass’ designated time to occur, check out the special exhibits. Plan on being overwhelmed. Very powerful.

 

Here is my recommended itinerary if you have 3 days to see as much as possible (and if you’re willing to do a lot of walking as we like to do on “vacation”):

Day 1:

• Quick coffee/breakfast to-go (maybe try Baked & Wired or Ebenezers Coffeehouse)
• Walk over to Capitol Hill (this is a good way to get the lay of the land and see the National Mall and then everything else the rest of the day will be back toward the direction of your hotel)
• tour what you can of the Capitol, Supreme Court, and the Library of Congress (give yourself all morning)
• Late lunch (suggestions: Tune Inn, Tortilla Cafe, or Good Stuff Eatery)
• National Gallery of Art (2+ hours)
• National Archives (2-3 hours depending on your interest in history and the lines)
• relaxed late dinner
• get some rest!

Day 2:

• Breakfast at a local bakery (like Paul off Pennsylvania Ave)
• National Museum of Natural History (3 hours)
• White House
• Lunch break (suggestions:  West Wing Cafe III, Mitsitam Native Foods, Capitol City Brewing Co. or Elephant & Castle)
• National Museum of American History (2 hours)
• Then the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum (give yourself 2 hours)
• Walk to closest metro station and get to the Red line to get off at Dupont Circle
• Have dinner off Dupont (suggestions: Bistrot Du Coin, Annie’s, Mandu, Hank’s Oyster Bar)

Day 3:

• Breakfast (suggesstions: Commissary, Founding Farmers)
• Start your day at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum (give yourself 3 hours; it is an incredible experience)
• Lunch (suggestions: Cafe Mozart & Bar, The Hamilton, Corner Bakery)
• Monument Walk:
  • Start at the Washington Monument, then WWII Memorial
  • Walk down righthand side of the Reflecting Pool to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
  • Next: Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, and Dr MLK Jr Memorial
  • Lastly: Long walks (in comparison) to the FDR Memorial and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial
• Dinner & Dessert (dessert suggestion: Pitango Gelato)

 

If you have a full 7 days, you should definitely travel to one or more of the following:

• Arlington
• Gettysburg
• Jamestown
• Williamsburg
• Shenandoah National Park

Where to Stay:

Highly rated hotels are very pricey here.  As far as hotel location goes, I would recommend you try to either 1) find one as close to the National Mall as possible, 2) close to Dupont Circle or 3) at least on the metro line.

For an affordable but convenient and highly rated stay, here is where I would stay:

1. Hampton Inn Washington DC/White House
2. Carlyle Suites Hotel
3. The Normandy Hotel
4. Dupont Circle Hotel looks just okay for the price but it is in a great location.

If it were my husband and I traveling just the two of us, we would pick a B&B (since that’s always my preference when in a historic district) even if that means being in a less convenient location.  Here are some highly rated B&B’s with much more reasonable prices than the hotels but keep in mind this is because they are not in the heart of the tourist area that you’ll likely be spending majority of your time in.  It shouldn’t matter much where you stay if you’re able to leave the hotel for the full day BUT if you have a child, for instance, that will need to come back home for a nap, then it would be worth spending a bit more to be in a hotel closer to the National Mall.  Akwaaba is close to Dupont and has great reviews and can be less than $200/nt.

Especially fun times to visit DC include 1) 4th of July of course 2) Presidents Day weekend or 3) Cherry Blossom Festival is late March-mid April.

What to eat:

Download the TA CityGuide App’s DC page.  There are some great walking tours and my favorite feature is using the restaurants page to find the “best nearby” for whenever you’re ready for a break. That way you don’t have to plan out every minute of the day nor do you have to starve yourself until you get to your planned destination if you spend more time than expected at a certain museum/memorial.  I typically pick out my “favorites” on the TA app ahead of time based on price and rating so that I can pull up the “Saves” page and see what’s close by and then I go to the restaurants “best nearby” as backup if none of my favorites/saves are close enough.

Bistro du Coin

Adorable genuine atmosphere; great location off dupont. We enjoyed a relaxing delicious traditional French meal complete with pate, a delicious mussels dish, incredible mushroom soup, poor cheese plate, and duck confit. YUM!!! You have to try this place. We will return when we get back to D.C. Wish we had a place like this in my hometown.

Hamilton’s

Good food. Bolgnese dish was good but my salad was alright. Good service. Not overpriced but not super affordable either. Huge hotel and many places to sit. It was strange how they took us allll the way to the back to sit when there was tons of space throughout the restaurant; everyone was very spaced out. Convenient location next to White House

Elephant & Castle

Best affordable spot for lunch around. Great location close to the mall; fair atmosphere both indoor and outdoors. Yummy fish and chips and decent salads/soups.

Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse

Great location/neighborhood. My family members enjoyed their steaks. I got a vegetable and fish dish and it was okay. The service was good and atmosphere is very nice.