Recently, I read that only 36 percent of Americans can name the three branches of our government (according to a new survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center). Rather than dwelling on being appalled, I decided to plan a trip to our nation’s capital, with the hope that my children never become part of that statistic. We set out to tour the White House and the Capitol and while in Washington, we capitalized on some additional enriching experiences.
Where we stayed:
We stayed at the Mandarin Oriental. An easy way to select a hotel is to choose from a hotel chain that you are comfortable with; we love the Mandarin Oriental in New York City and Miami and now we love their Washington, DC location as well. It is within walking distance of several monuments/tourist attractions. My parents joined us on this trip because they really enjoy DC and wanted to share in the fun with us! They stayed at my aunt’s house in Arlington, VA; we didn’t because my aunt wasn’t actually there and we liked being within walking distance of the National Mall! Yes, the hotel is a bit fancy but they are also kid-friendly. We had a great room on the club level that basically had snacks and drinks available all day! A family of four crammed into one hotel room with a king bed, roll away, and a crib doesn’t leave much room for error so being able to go to the club/lounge at the end of the hall was nice. The logistics of an entire family in one hotel room can be tricky. Some of my friends just suck it up and share the bed with their kids so that there is more room to walk around. This isn’t an option for us because 1. My kids are wild sleepers and 2. We are all way too big! They are also still too little to share a bed with each other. My youngest is almost three but he can still fit in a crib so we went with that option despite the fact that he normally sleeps in a big boy bed and he didn’t mind! In order to help my kids sleep well in a new place, I usually pack a set of their sheets and remake their beds so they have a sense of home.
Where we ate:
The first night we ate at the hotel, overlooking the Washington Monument! The second night, my parents came to stay with our kids and we met up with some of our friends and family that live in the DC area. We ate at Le Diplomate and the food was excellent! Additionally, our party of seven bumped into several people that we knew, including a White House staffer and a fellow Notre Dame graduate that now works in Public Relations. Le Diplomate seems to be a popular choice for young professionals. After dinner we went across the street to Sotto for drinks, dessert and live music! We ate breakfast at our hotel (because it was included). It’s easy to find lunch options around the major attractions; we found a pretty good pizzeria but nothing amazing to report there.
Must see/do:
Touring the White House is a must! If those walls could talk! Public tour requests should be submitted through one’s Member of Congress and then you wait for security clearance (you should reach out several months in advance). Now, I say this tour is a must, but it’s not ideal for children between the ages of one and three and a half. Strollers are not allowed in the White House. My youngest is almost three but he had a hard time understanding that he couldn’t bypass the roped off areas to further explore. Once we hit the “China Room” in our self-guided tour, I decided to carry him!
We also did a tour of the Capitol and visited with a family friend who also happens to be our favorite Senator. My kids enjoyed the tour of the Capitol, especially Exhibition Hall, and strollers are allowed!
After we learned more about the executive and legislative branches of government, we decided to seek out some non-political, but still educational fun! Washington, DC has an endless selection of museums that are both impressive and FREE! On this particular trip, we went to the Natural History Museum (part of the Smithsonian Institution). The Natural History Museum is the largest museum of its kind! My kids love the dinosaurs and Ocean Hall! Most of the Smithsonian Museums are within walking distance of the White House and my kids basically ran there, they were so excited!
On our final morning in Washington, DC, we headed over to Woodley Park to visit the National Zoo, which is also a Smithsonian Institution and free! We arrived at the zoo pretty early, which was great because we beat most of the large groups (field trips, etc.) there and it wasn’t too crowded until we left. The National Zoo has four giant pandas (one is a baby). They have red pandas too! My kids have been to zoos all over the country but they hadn’t had the opportunity to see (and learn about) giant pandas until now.
This was a great trip! I live for the look on my kids’ faces when they learn/experience something new!
Tuck Travel 