Travel guide: Washington D.C. with kids.

On me: Skirt. Denim vest. tee. my favorite travel sandals. backpack. On Ava: Jumpsuit. Similar sandals. On Hannah: Shorts. Similar top. Sandals. Similar backpack.

It’s been just over a week since we got back from our girls trip to Washington D.C. and my head is still spinning.  It is an amazing city!  We loved every second of our time there together (well, at least Hannah and I did, Ava was a little over it the morning before our last day when it was super humid ;-), but either way Washington D.C. with kids is the best.  It is a great option for a family vacation, full of lots of free and inexpensive things to do, and easy to get around.  Today I’m going to share some of our favorites with you, and some things we wish we’d had the time to do.

First of all, D.C. is a great city for walking around.  The streets are pretty and I found very clean, and there is so much to see, it’s fun to just walk and explore on foot.

The Mall is a must see for Washington D.C. with kids.  All the memorials and the monuments are free and there’s that big lawn that runs down the middle which is an amazing spot to just let the kids sit down and rest or run around for a bit.  (We did this several times.). I did find that there weren’t tons of convenient places to eat right around there, but that might also be because I was a little unfamiliar with the area.  If you are from D.C. make sure and leave a comment down below and let me know if there are good options for eating around here.

The metro is a really great way to get around in D.C. and a good option for families because it’s pretty reasonably priced.  If you have a map app on your phone you can easily figure out which train to take to get wherever you need to go just by switching over to the transit option.  It works a little differently than the subway in New York.  You purchase a plastic card and you add money to it (each person needs their own card) and you scan it when you enter the train station and when you exit (so keep it out and handy) and also if you are carrying more than one card, make sure you keep them all straight.  The trains are clean and I didn’t feel that they were super crowded.  You can easily ride into the city, even from Maryland it only takes 20-25 minutes.

We got tickets for the hop on hop off trolley tour one of the days and it was really great.  I recommend getting there first thing in the morning when they start because they are D.O.N.E. by 5pm (like done, don’t miss the last trolley, you will be walking), and even if you’re hustling, you still might not see everything.  The trolley tour is one of the pricier things we did, but it was really good for Ava, and it was fun to get to ride all over the city.  Plus the drivers are also tour guides and they give you tons of great info on the history of the city while you ride.  (I love random factoids and have a weird useless ability to remember them, so I found this wildly entertaining.)  The best part is the Trolley tours takes you over to Arlington and has a tour for inside the cemetery.  My favorite part of the tours.

Arlington is a must do.  I went when I was 5 and still remember it.  It was so much more moving as an adult.  There are so many people in Arlington and yet it is very, very quiet.  I was so impressed by the respect everyone was showing our fallen heroes.  Even now it’s making me emotional as I type this.  The tomb of the unknown soldier and the changing of the guards was life-changing.  It happens every hour on the hour, and renewed my love and respect for our military and country.  Talk to your kids beforehand and remind them  that Arlington is a sacred and reverent place.

Georgetown.  Oh Georgetown!  I am going to write an entire post about Georgetown because it was my favorite neighborhood.  I could live there, I loved it so much.  I’ll come back and share what we did and ate there, next week!  But I will just say, if you like cupcakes, Georgetown is the place to get one.  (Or three.). There are several really good places to grab one.

Founding Farmers.  There were at least a dozen people who told me to eat at Founding Farmers and guys, it did not disappoint!  The food was amazing!  So, so good.  FYI, they don’t really have a kids menu, and the food is a tiny pricey (especially if you’re paying for the whole family), but they do have some kid friendly options, and the food is so delicious.  Hannah got the most amazing grilled cheese and tomato soup (I tried some and immediately was jealous of her meal), Ava ordered a pot pie (life changing crust), and I got a burger which was superb.  It had the best pickles of my life on it.  It’s making me hungry just thinking about it.  Try to make a reservation if you go, the wait was very long even on a weeknight we waited over an hour just for 3 of us.

Tour the Capital Building.  Try to get a tour guide because it’s so good, and it doesn’t take too long.  Also, there is absolutely no food or drink allowed (not even water).  So make sure you don’t have a bag full of snacks for the kids when you go in.  The video before the tour will restore your faith in our Government and give you a bigger perspective on our country.  If you are looking for lunch after touring the Capital building there are not a lot of restaurant options around but we stumbled upon this restaurant called Hamiltons and it was so good.  The food was amazing, and it’s nice and cool inside (perfect escape on a hot humid day.)  The owner was insanely nice, he brought Ava tons of coloring pages and two packs of crayons.  I highly recommend.

I was underwhelmed by the Newseum.  It felt a little dry to me, and Ava was bored out of her mind. We like museums a lot in our family so this was kind of a strike to me.  We really, really wanted to see the holocaust museum, but were told you have to make a reservation well in advance, so we will definitely do that beforehand next time.

The national archives are a must-see.  I loved the rights hall, and of course seeing the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights was so cool for all three of us.  The archives are free just like the other monuments.

We really wanted to make it to the Smithsonian museums but we ran out of time, but I remember these from when I was a kid and they are amazing.  Also free.

We didn’t have plans to go to Mount Vernon, but I went as a kid and still remember how awesome it was.  If our trip had been longer we definitely would have gone.  I think it’s a great option for an afternoon out of the city with the kids.

Tips for packing for D.C.:

Wear very comfortable shoes.  You are going to be on your feet all day every day you’re in the city, so make sure you pack some tried and tested shoes that you can walk all day in.  I highly recommend packing sandals if you are going in the summer, (or at least sneakers that breathe) because holy cow, it’s muggy.  This is the pair I took and I cannot more highly recommend them.  They are amazing shoes and perfect for summer travel.

Pack light breezy fabrics and looser fitting clothing.  Think anything linen, lightweight cotton, silk, etc.  Anything light and breezy is what you want to stick with.  Like I said, it was so hot and humid, the air literally feels thick.  It’ll make an 80 degree day feel much much warmer, so pack pieces that are light and loose.  I wore dresses and skirts or wide-legged lightweight culottes the entire trip.  If I liked to wear shorts, that would be a good option too, but I’m not a big shorts wearer so like I said dresses and skirts.

I recommend using a stylish backpack (especially if you’re a mom traveling with kids).  It’ll keep both your hands free which is really convenient when your crossing streets or just need to stop for a little jumping and twirling. ;-) It also distributes the weight evenly on your shoulders, so you can walk for longer without wanting to chuck your bag in the Potomac.

The same rules apply for packing the kids, good shoes, light weight clothing (I love this brand, perfect travel capsule clothes for kids!), small backpack if they absolutely want to carry something. (I recommend avoiding this with smaller kids, cause they get tired more easy.) But a little fanny pack could be fun for them, and you could tuck in some little treats for when they’re starting to get grouchy.  There is so much to do and see in Washington D.C. with kids it’s probably not necessary, but it always helps.

Okay, so that’s everything I could think of, like I said, if you are from D.C. or have visited, be sure to leave your favorites in the comments, I’d love for this to be a great resource for people visiting Washington D.C. with kids.  Also, next week I will share all my travel tips for doing city trips with kids.  (I’ve be taking my kids to cities for years and have a lot of good secrets to share) And of course, next week I will share more about our day in Georgetown.

Happy Friday!