We just got back from a 10-day trip to the Washington DC area with all five kids, ages ranging from 7-17. We got a pretty comprehensive view of the area, seeing over 40 different attractions and monuments. The only thing that we skipped on our plan was the National Zoo because it was sweltering yesterday when we were planning to go.
I asked the kids last night on the way home to individually to rank their top 10 things that they liked on the trip, then tallied what came out on top. Here's what they liked the best in order:
1) Climbing to the summit of Old Rag Mountain (3 oldest kids only)
2) The U.S. Capitol Building tour
3) The Washington DC Temple
4) International Spy Museum
5) The apothecary in old town Alexandria
6) Mount Vernon
7) Smithsonian Natural History Museum
8) Bureau of Printing and Engraving
9) Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
10) Ford's theater (tie)
10) Smithsonian American History Museum (tie)
10) Old Town Trolley Tour (tie)
I also asked them to rank their top three monuments in order, and they liked:
1) World War II memorial
2) Lincoln memorial
3) Jefferson memorial
Other attractions and memorials that were mentioned that were pretty popular were the Holocaust museum (older kids only), going for a run downtown (Hal only), Christ's church in Alexandria, the White House Tour, the National Cathedral, Martin Luther King memorial, and FDR memorial.
We were definitely able to easily fill the 10 days with activities in the DC area. We alternated between days in the city, seeing museums and touring buildings with days outside the city hiking or visiting Mount Vernon, Alexandria, Harper's Ferry, and other day trips. We stayed in National Harbor MD, and drove in every day, but were able to get a hotel with a pool so the kids could cool off in the late afternoon or evening. I think it was one of our more successful trips.
