DC Itinerary help for this weekend

[mytwosons]

We will be arriving in DC around lunch time Saturday and leaving Tuesday in the early afternoon. Staying in Old Town Alexandria. We just found out last night that we didn't get tickets for the White House tour and my boys are very disappointed since they are really into presidents. I'm hoping they will have enough fun things to do on this trip. Our last vacation was Disney, so the bar for fun was set high....

Weather is supposed to be pretty good for Sat and Sun, but rain is predicted for Mon and Tues.

Sat: I thought we could see the cherry blossoms, maybe take a paddle boat out (not sure how much fun that would be), see the monuments and check out Old Town. Would like to take a water tour.

Sun: Mount Vernon. Would love to take the boat from Old Town, but there is only one departure back, and I'm not sure if we'd feel rushed. I just looked and it seems like more options are now listed on their website. We could get the boat at 10:30 from Old Town, arrive at Mount Vernon at noon (I'm guessing; it doesn't say) and leave Mount Vernon at 4. Has anyone done this?

Mon: We have a tour of the capitol after lunch. Spend the rest of the day checking out museums? My sons want to see the air and space, DH wants to see American History. DS1 also wants to see Ford Theater.

Tues: Udvar-Hazy?

Any other things we could see that focus on Presidents? Any suggestions on the itinerary? Will kids (6&8) hate the capitol tour?

We will be driving, so can stop somewhere fun on the way home. Unfortunately, the amusement park that is nearby is only open on the weekends. Any other ideas?

Thanks!

[TwinFoxes]

Bummer about the White House. :(

Saturday: if it's warm, the paddle boats will be fun for the kids. But get there early, taking paddle boats during cherry blossom season is very popular. It's gorgeous. I don't think you'll be able to do everything you have listed on Saturday. Be sure to check out the Jefferson Memorial since you'll be nearby at the tidal basin. (And since your DSs are into presidents). There's also the FDR Memorial, which is cool, and nearby as well. After being around the tidal basin, you might want to head to the Lincoln Memorial, kids like it because it's on the penny. :) But it's also just really impressive. The Vietnam War memorial is there, and so is the Korean War memorial.

Sun: I've never taken a boat to Mt. Vernon. I'm trying to think of what you'd see on that part of the Potomac, and I'm drawing kind of a blank. I like Mt. Vernon, but that's the one I'd be afraid the boys would be bored by. It's very pretty though, and if they're into presidents it'll probably be ok.

Mon: I don't think the Capitol will be boring. They tell you lots of interesting facts, but in a digestible way, it doesn't feel like history class (although I personally liked history.) Ford Theater has a great exhibit on the assassination. Also, across the street is the house where Lincoln died, which people sometimes skip, but I thought was interesting in a gruesome way (bloody pillowcase). But all those museums are a lot to pack into one afternoon. Honestly, you'll probably only get in one or two. Air and Space and American History are big, and packed full of stuff (especially American History). And don't forget the time it will take you to walk, they aren't right next to each other, or the Capitol.

Just to let you know, Udvar-Hazy is pretty far from Old Town, and traffic in NoVa can be a real pain. And parking isn't free. And that's a lot of space for one trip (well, for me, but I'm not an 8 year old boy.) There's not much else out there.

[egoldber]

I agree that you will likely only get to a small part of what you have listed for Saturday and Sunday. if you have not been to the museums on the Mall before, they are BIG. Each one could easily take several hours. Even skimming, it takes 1-2 hours. If you are going to Udvar Hazy, then consider skipping the one on the Mall in favor of Natural History. Your boys will enjoy that one.

To extend your time at Udvar Hazy, look into one of the Imax movies there. I wouldn't skip U-H though. It's where all the "really cool" big aircraft are located. :)

I think that Mt. Vernon is really interesting and your boys will like that, especially if the weather is nice. The grounds are extensive and there are lots of demonstrations. But I would not take the boat. The boat is really, really slow and you'll waste a lot of time getting there. And you are already doing the paddle boats anyway.

[mytwosons]

Thanks for both of your responses. I think DS1 will enjoy seeing the house where Lincoln died. DS1 is really looking forward to Mount Vernon (recently studied George Washington), so I'm hoping this will be a highlight of the trip. It was second after the white house. :) I've never been, so I'm also looking forward to it.

I should probably clarify: I am happy to cross things off our list. We are looking forward to spending time together as a family and doing some fun things. We don't need to do it all. My boys like space, so I think that will be the first museum we hit. If we hit American History, it will probably be a quick in and out to see Fonzie's jacket. But, who knows. We'll just play it by ear. I don't see us lasting more than a couple hours in a single museum, unless they find something that really grabs them. The museums are just too big; I find them overwhelming.

We are planning to do an Imax movie at U-H and maybe at air and space as well, or we'll do a planetarium show.

Beth, do you think we should drive to Mount Vernon or would you suggest taking the metro and bus?

[lowrioh]

On a Sunday, I would drive to Mt Vernon

[egoldber]

I would drive.

[mytwosons]

Thanks!

[mommylamb]

Personally, I way prefer the Capitol tour to the White House tour. The Capitol Visitor Center has a wonderful little museum in it before you actually go into the Capitol building itself. Really love it. There's lots of interactive stuff, which might be more interesting to your kids than the WH would be anyway. And, the Capitol is just a much more impressive building IMO. If you have time while you're there, check out the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. The main reading room is a must IMO. They're right across the street from the Capitol, so very easy to do them all.

If you do Mount Vernon, definitely drive. I like Mount Vernon, but I don't think of it as a great young kid activity.

What about the Spy Museum or the Newseum?

[mytwosons]

Someone else just reminded me of the spy museum. I had forgotten about that and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, both of which DS1 had expressed an interest in. If Mt. Vernon ends up not being a hit (I really think it will be a favorite), we might to try to fit one in. I looked at the wesite for the spy museum, and I think my kids might be a little on the young side.

[alexsmommy]

Just got back...
Day one - Lazy breakfast, then U-H Air and space was a BIG hit with the boys - passed the custard shop several recommended but due to an unexpected late start, I did not want to get stuck in traffic - but would typically have been easy to add in. DS1 was struggling with a cold/asthma so we went back, but if he had been healthy, we could have easily added something else back in DC to the late afternoon.
Day two - I lived in Baltimore at one time and had a realistic picture of what it took to walk the mall. We did Natural History from open until about noon to let it warm up, had lunch, then did Washington Monument to WWII to Vietnam Memorial to Lincoln in about two hours. We took our time. Boys were wiped after that much walking so we stayed in and ordered pizza. They were asleep by 8 (7 to them) - yippee!
Day three - American Hx museum then walked to Jefferson Monument. Our plans shifted around, but had they not, we were going to then cab to Georgetown Cupcakes since DS1 was excited to go there based on the show. My kids really preferred Natural Hx museum to American Hx, but still had a good time. If I had it to do over, I'd start on the top floor and work my way down, doing the kids interactive part last so they weren't looking for more of that the rest of the time.
Next trip I will probably apply for WH tour tickets and try to get treasury tour tickets.