So Much History!!!
One of the places that our family has been wanting to visit for the longest time is Washington DC and since we live in Pennsylvania, we decided to go on a road trip to Washington DC!
Gotta love the expectation vs reality of trips. David had taken some time off, that is why we planned it for this time. We even planned on visiting a friend who lives in Maryland on the way, which meant we would leave on Sunday. That did not happen though, due to a last-minute appointment David could not miss on Monday morning. Soooo….we left right after that.
The drive down to our hotel was over 4 hrs. That is if we went straight there. We made a few stops on the way, one being a late lunch with our friend in Maryland, and to a dive shop to get some dive earplugs for Lily so that she could use the pool at our hotel.
THE PLAN
Our plan for the road trip to Washington D.C. by 2 p.m. at the latest so that we could go out and explore some of the museums, Library of Congress, etc. We didn’t get to our hotel until about 5:30 p.m. so we decided to let the kids play in the pool for now, and then go out and explore some of the memorials in the area afterward because it was so hot.
When we got to the pool, there was a sign saying that the lifeguard was on break and would be back at 6 p.m. Luckily, I noticed a father with his 2 kids walking to the front desk in their bathing suits so we followed. Turns out the pool was out of order until Friday!!! *sigh*
We wound up going down to the wharf for dinner which was pretty nice but still really hot. We used the train to get there, which was an interesting experience. The escalator going down was pretty steep!
Places We Visited
The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
This was the first place that we went to the next day. David and Gabe really enjoyed it. We all did actually, but before we left, David and Gabe were the only ones to try the flight simulator. Lily and I were more than happy not trying it especially when it was spinning!
Practical tip: The Air and Space Museum on the National Mall is completely free — no tickets, no reservations needed. Plan at least 2 hours. The IMAX theater and flight simulators cost extra but are worth it for kids. Arrive early on weekdays to avoid school groups.
Smithsonian Botanical Garden of Washington D.C.
This was a really nice garden and one we went into believe it or not to get out of the heat! 😊Didn’t really take many pictures here. I took one of the flycatchers because it was really neat, and there was someone explaining how the food was digested and what it looked like!
Practical tip: The US Botanic Garden is free and makes a perfect midday escape from the DC heat. It stays open year-round and the tropical greenhouse is especially lush. It sits at the base of Capitol Hill — easy to combine with a walk past the Capitol building.
National Gallery of Art
I really liked this place, but the kids were so done by the first room. I could spend hours happily enjoying the art on display here! I just love looking at all of it and being amazed at the talent of these artists throughout history.
Practical tip: The National Gallery of Art has two buildings connected by an underground walkway — the West Building (classical art) and the East Building (modern art). Both are free. The East Building is great for kids who find traditional galleries slow-going. Allow 1.5–2 hours for both.
Library of Congress
One of the places I absolutely had to go to was the Library of Congress! I have been wanting to go here for years. I loved the architecture both inside and out. We were, unfortunately, unable to see the old books on display. We did get a tour to view the reading room though which was neat….but would have really loved to see the books up close.
Practical tip: The Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building is free and the Great Hall alone is worth the visit — one of the most stunning interiors in the country. To see the Gutenberg Bible and special exhibitions, book a timed pass online before you arrive. The Main Reading Room can be viewed from the visitors’ gallery. This is one stop we’ recommend blocking 1.5 hours for.
Lincoln Memorial
When we go on trips, we try really hard to plan everything out. Our trips since we moved here for some reason or another just haven’t gone as planned. 😊 This stop for example was unplanned initially, but since we did not get to see the White House, we wanted to at least see the Lincoln Memorial.
Lol, you can see the kids were tired. The heat also made it miserable, but it was worth the trip. It was unfortunate for us that we were on the way home after this stop because the Marine band was going to be playing that evening for one of their last shows. Oh well, maybe next time.
Vietnam War Memorial
This was a must-see place for David and me since both of our fathers had served during the Vietnam War. Walking by that memorial and seeing all the names on that wall….very profound moment.
Practical tip: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and World War II Memorial are all within easy walking distance of each other on the National Mall. Budget 45–60 minutes for this entire stretch. Rangers are on-site until 10pm, and the memorials are open 24/7 — they are genuinely beautiful at dusk and at night when fewer crowds are present. If you want to find a specific name on the wall, use the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund name directory at vvmf.org before your visit.
Traveling around Washington D.C.
One of the modes of transportation that was suggested to us by our taxi driver was to use the Hop on Hop off Bus. According to him, you can visit more of the sites faster in a day using this bus which costs only $14/person. The name says it all. You go to a place of interest, and when you are ready to leave for the next place, you simply find this bus and hop on.
Scooter
This was the mode of transportation that we really wanted to use but according to the law, we needed helmets for the kids AND there were not enough scooters around to use anyways. The other thing that prevented us from using this was the fact that each one of us had to have an account. There was no way for David nor I to simply rent 4.
Parking
There is parking available throughout the city, but you will be walking quite a bit because of where everything is.
Planning Your trip
I would highly recommend that you map out where you want to go before getting here. This will make it a faster, easier, and more enjoyable experience. Also, I recommend that you plan at least a few days, because there is just so much to see and do here. The Smithsonian Institute is comprised of 19 world-class museums, galleries, gardens, and a zoo.
If you want to use the scooters, plan ahead and bring helmets if you have kids! I should have looked this stuff up before getting here and taken into consideration how best to travel in this area. Hopefully, this will help you if/when you plan a trip here. 😊
Getting There from Pennsylvania
The drive from Pennsylvania to Washington DC is very manageable. From Philadelphia it is about 2.5 hours; from further west in the state, count on 4 or more hours with stops. Interstate 95 South is the most direct route, though traffic near Baltimore can add significant time on weekdays. We left right after a morning appointment and still arrived by late afternoon, giving us time to check in and head out before dinner.
If you want to skip the driving entirely, Amtrak runs frequent service from Philadelphia and other Pennsylvania cities directly into Union Station, which is walking distance from the Capitol and the National Mall. Megabus and FlixBus offer cheaper options. With a family we preferred having our own car for flexibility, especially since we stopped to visit friends in Maryland on the way down.
Where to Stay
We stayed at a hotel with a pool (which ended up being out of order, but the thought was there). For families, we recommend staying somewhere along the Metro lines rather than fighting downtown DC parking. Many hotels charge 40 to 50 dollars per night for parking, which adds up fast over a multi-day trip. Hotels in Arlington, Virginia or Silver Spring, Maryland are noticeably cheaper than downtown DC and both are a quick Metro ride from the National Mall.
The DC Metro is surprisingly easy to navigate with kids. Day passes keep costs predictable, and the escalators at some of the deeper stations are genuinely impressive — some of the longest in the Western Hemisphere. The kids thought those were an attraction in themselves.
What We Wish We Had Known Before Going
Go in spring or fall if you can. We visited in August and the heat was brutal. The humidity made walking between sites exhausting, especially for the kids. Late September and October offer comfortable temperatures and thinner crowds. If you are stuck with a summer trip like we were, start early, take a long midday break indoors (the Botanic Garden and NGA are perfect for this), and head back out in the late afternoon when the temperature drops.
The Smithsonian is 19 museums, not one building. You cannot see them all in a weekend. Pick three or four based on your family’s interests and give yourself time to actually enjoy them. We could have spent a full day in Air and Space alone if the boys had their way. On the same trip we also rushed through the Natural History Museum in under an hour and regretted it.
Book timed-entry passes in advance. Some of the most popular museums now require free timed passes. The National Museum of African American History and Culture books out weeks ahead. Even for spots that do not require advance passes, checking hours online before you leave your hotel saves a lot of walking to closed doors.
Wear comfortable shoes. The National Mall is roughly two miles from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial. We walked that distance multiple times over two days plus detours through museums. The Hop-on Hop-off bus our taxi driver recommended is genuinely useful for families with younger kids at 14 dollars per person.
How Many Days Do You Need?
More than we had. We crammed a lot into roughly 1.5 days and still felt like we only scratched the surface. Our minimum recommendation for a family with children is three full days: one for major museums, one for the memorials and monuments, and a third for the Library of Congress, Capitol Building tour, and neighborhoods like Georgetown or the Wharf.
A fourth day opens up the National Zoo (free, just a short Metro ride away), Arlington National Cemetery (especially meaningful if you have a family military connection), and Georgetown for shopping and food. Washington DC is one of those rare family destinations where virtually everything free is also genuinely world-class. We left wishing we had stayed longer, which is about the best thing you can say about a trip.
If you are a military family or anyone living in the mid-Atlantic corridor who has not yet made the drive to Washington DC with your kids, put it on the list for this year. Budget two to three days minimum, stay somewhere Metro-accessible, and let the kids set the pace at least one of those days. The monuments tend to do something unexpected to children who have only seen them in textbooks. They make history feel real, earned, and worth caring about — which is about the most you can ask of any family trip.
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