3-Day Washington, D.C. Family Itinerary

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Thinking about taking a trip to Washington, D.C. with your kids? There are endless amounts of kid-friendly activities that are both historical and more contemporary. A couple of weeks ago, my family of five (two adults, one teen, one tween, and one toddler) made the four-hour drive up to D.C. for a couple of days during our spring break. Here is a three-day Washington, D.C. family itinerary that we used to cover some of the major sites of D.C.

Where We Stayed

We’ve taken the kids to D.C. a couple of times, and each time we have stayed at the Holiday Inn Washington Capitol — National Mall. The hotel is nothing fancy, but it offers the basics that we need. There are two restaurants (where kids up to age 11 can eat free with the purchase of an adult meal) and a Starbucks. There is also a rooftop pool, but we’ve never actually been able to use it due to season. The main draw, though, is the location. Each time we’ve been, we have parked our car in the parking deck and walked to every major attraction that we wanted to see. The hotel is directly across from the National Air and Space Museum, which means that all of the Smithsonian museums are easily available, and one side is directly across from the Museum of the Bible (which was the highlight of our trip). The International Spy Museum, all of the monuments, and the Wharf are all within walking distance, which makes this location hard to beat!

Day 1

Smithsonian Museums

We got to D.C. around lunch and immediately headed to the National Mall to check out some of the Smithsonian museums. Since we hadn’t been to D.C. since the kids were much smaller, we stuck to the National Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of American History. There were so many more museums that I would have loved to explore (Hirshhorn, I’m coming for you next time I’m there!), but we felt like these two had the most exhibits that the kids would love. The Hall of Fossils (known as the dinosaur exhibit in our family) in the National Museum of Natural History was of course our favorite, but we also loved the pop culture exhibit at the National Museum of American History. Dorothy’s ruby red slippers, Mr. Rogers’ sweater, Captain America’s shield, and R2D2 are all on display here.

The Smithsonian museums are a huge (and FREE) attraction in D.C. The Smithsonian houses nineteen museums in D.C. and the national zoo. A list of all Smithsonian museums and links is here. Beyond the exhibits, the Smithsonian offers lots of activities for kids. Here is a list of these activities.

For the most part, you can visit the museums with little planning. However, you need to have a reservation for the National Museum of African American History and Culture (and some of the non-Smithsonian museums, like the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). What we didn’t realize before our trip was just how early you need to book these. The National Museum of African American History and Culture was booked out for over a week during weekdays, with weekends booked for nearly a month. The USHMM was booked out for over a month. While the National Air and Space Museum doesn’t typically need reservations, it was under renovation while we were there, and therefore, only allowing a limited number of people in. If you want to visit these popular attractions, a bit of pre-planning will be needed.

Monuments

We were excited to be in D.C., so we pushed a little farther and made it down to some of the major monuments. (A snack from the food trucks parked outside of the museums helped.) The kids didn’t have the energy to make it to all of them, but we did see the Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial before we were all done for the day.

Day 2

The White House

We had reservations to tour the White House mid-morning, so we got a bit of a late start. Like many things in D.C., this was a free activity. The White House tour was my husband’s number one activity choice, but he left his license at home and wasn’t allowed to enter. I ended up taking the boys by myself, and he took Ellie on a stroller tour of D.C.

You must have a reservation for a White House tour. To do this, you need to contact your state Member of Congress at least 21 days before your visit. They will let you know two weeks before your visit whether or not you have approval. Here is more information.

If you do end up doing the White House tour, there are a couple of things you need to know. First, when they say that they will not let you in the building without your physical license, they are serious. My husband found his license online through the NC DMV, but they would only accept the actual tangible card. Second, if you have a baby, you cannot bring the stroller. There is also no place to leave the stroller. Lastly, you are not allowed to have any bags. You are allowed to take a diaper and wipes, but they can’t be in a bag. Honestly, it was probably a good thing that Adam left his license because walking Ellie to the White House in a carrier without a diaper bag was really going to be a nightmare.

The Museum of the Bible

The Museum of the Bible was INCREDIBLE! All of us agreed that it was our favorite activity on the trip. My husband had been years ago when it was free and said that it was really cool, but I didn’t think that the kids would enjoy it. Wrong! There were lots of kid-friendly activities here.

The Stories of the Bible exhibit was the most amazing museum experience that I have ever had. This is a walk-through exhibit of the stories of the Old Testament that is part movie, part art, and part drama. It is really difficult to explain and pictures aren’t allowed. Just trust me: you should do this the next time you are in D.C. With all of that said, it is not a great exhibit for babies. We really had no idea what this was and took Ellie in with us. She was okay for the most part, but the other guests would have enjoyed their experience more in absolute silence. In addition, there was one part that was in the dark and had loud noises. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but she was definitely scared and trying to hold back tears.

Another really cool exhibit in this museum was The World of Jesus of Nazareth. This is an immersive experience that walks you through a first-century Galilean village and includes actors who will answer your questions about life in that time period.

For the small children in your group, there is a really cute Bible-themed play area with carnival-like games and a play structure. Ellie had a lot of stroller time in D.C., so it was nice to have an area where she could run and play. I took her here while Adam and the boys watched a New Testament movie. (I’m actually sad that I missed that because both Adam and Jackson, my teen, said that it was their favorite part of the museum.)

Admission

Adults — $19.99

Youth (5-17) — $13.99

Children (4 and under) — Free

The Wharf

After the Museum of the Bible, we were ready for dinner, so we took a 15-minute walk to The Wharf. This is Washington, D.C.’s waterfront district. The outdoor vibe feels more like you are at the beach than in the middle of a big city, and there are over 80 restaurants that you can choose from here, many of which have outdoor waterfront seating. My teen’s biggest vacation request was to go to an arcade (he’s not big on history), so we found a kid-friendly bar with video games called Boardwalk Bar and Arcade. While the food wasn’t the best we’ve ever had, it was a fun atmosphere and satisfied our kids’ need for something that wasn’t so historical on our trip.

Day 3

The Supreme Court and the Capitol Building

My husband really wanted to see some government buildings, and since he wasn’t allowed in the White House, we decided to tour the Supreme Court building on our final morning in D.C. I wasn’t very excited to do this, but I ended up enjoying it even more than the White House. The architectural design was truly impressive. Entry, once again, was free, and we didn’t need a reservation.

After leaving the Supreme Court, we headed over to the Capitol, which is right across the street. We did not schedule a tour for the Capitol, so we didn’t go inside, but we got some impressive pictures from outside.

After our morning tours, it was time for us to return home. There were so many activities and areas that we didn’t have time to explore. We also focused so much on sightseeing that we didn’t take the time to try out any of the amazing restaurants that D.C. has to offer. This just means that we will need to make a return trip soon!

If you are planning a trip to D.C. soon, I hope you found this Washington, D.C. family itinerary helpful!