Primus Pilus Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 I'm taking the family to Washington D.C. Yes that's right... I want to show them what it's all about before the Stars and Stripes are completely replaced by the Hammer and Sickle. (/end political baiting ) Ok, ok... we'll be in DC for roughly 6 days, depending on some logistics issues (we are camping outside the city and using the metro to get around) and will be leaving to go to Charlottesville VA (home of Monticello - Thomas Jefferson) and some scenery in the Blue Ridge mountains after that. In D.C. we'll be doing the basics... Smithsonian and main monuments/buildings around the mall area, as well as Mt. Vernon and Lincoln's cottage. Obviously, there is a ton of stuff to see and do, and I have to think kid friendly to keep things from turning into a nightmare of disinterest and general crabiness (hence the natural history museum and the air and space museum at the smithsonian as they are both nuts about dinosaurs and space). Any suggestions in either locale (D.C. or Charlottesville or in between) would be greatly appreciated. We wanted to scoot down to Colonial Williamsburg/Jamestown/Yorktown too, but I just think it's too much to try to squeeze in (it's a couple of hours drive to the south from D.C.). I'd also like to investigate Manassas/Bull or any other major battlefield (Antietam, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, The Wilderness, etc.) as they are in the general area, but again I don't want to bore the kids to tears or take a major drive and find that there's really not much to see when there are so many other possibilities for history freaks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maladict Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 (edited) Combine Manassas with a visit to the National Air & Space Annex at nearby Dulles airport, that should satisfy all parties. Edited January 24, 2009 by Maladict Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 I went to D.C. last summer, when the Smithsonian Museum was closed for renovations. It should be open again by now. Take the kids to the Spy Museum. It's not only kid-friendly, but espionage is very American. The Spy Museum has lots of genuine spy paraphernalia on display (although I didn't see any spy shoe phones, damn...). Another fun feature is the bit of spy role-playing that you get to do (if you choose to sign up for that). Everyone takes a code name, and you're put through a sort of spy scenario that involves thinking on your feet and moving your feet quickly through a series of rooms and a mock escape. The decisions that you and your team make affect the outcome of the game. My man and I did the whole Spy Museum thing, and enjoyed it. One thing, though: You must make reservations in advance, if you want to do the Spy Museum's roleplaying thing. It is extremely popular, and always booked to capacity. -- Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 I don't know how "kid friendly" it is, but an hour away in Baltimore is the Walter Arts Museum, which is great for ancient history buffs. Aside from that, I've been to DC a few times as a kid myself, and found the Smithsonian big enough to keep me interested for hours on end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted January 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Thanks everyone... please if anyone has more, keep them coming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caesar novus Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 We wanted to scoot down to Colonial Williamsburg/Jamestown/Yorktown too, but I just think it's too much Could go to Alexandria instead - convenient via metro with an interesting colonial historical area and pleasant ambiance for casual eating or even better for overnight base. Also nice is Georgetown (see the historic canal) and Dupont circle area with it's many embassies that you will soon be surrendering to I briefly lived in Manassas when young, and for some reason didn't resonate at all with the physical battlefield site or the Monticello complex, even though the history interests me. Monticello architecture seemed pokey and bland, and the battlefield site seemed vacant, so you may want to pre-charge your young one with the historical significance beforehand. I did groove on the more palladian-correct Jefferson Memorial where I loved to watch sunrise over the blooming cherry trees before the crowds came. One of my favorite lesser known attractions is http://dc.about.com/od/historichomes/a/Hillwood.htm which is sort of a mini Russian winter palace, which has reopened recently and dropped the need for reservations. A lesser known Smithsonian that might interest a kid more is the little underground one on African Art. Both of these are more bold and flamboyant than you may expect. What used to be the holy grail of all air and space museums in the country has been transformed and moved from Maryland to Dulles. Maybe now it is a slick, conventional museum comparable to the Smithsonian mall one. But the original one was a working restoral warehouse of the most amazing world aircraft thru history, and even let you mess with the planes. I thought it was crazy, but followed their request to rub my hand over the B29 Enola Gay to test effectiveness of different protective coatings. And I was the only one in the tour group who took them up on an offer to climb into a fighter cockpit, even though I was on crutches with a cast. Those were the days, in the holy of holies... I might consider some of the military museums just to the south. There seems to be a new Marine museum there, but most interesting to me might be an Army Museum that has the famous tanks thru history and artillery, etc. Seems to be curated by that really fat interesting guy that is always on the WW2 TV documentaries... i found by googling earlier, as well as possible Naval air museum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 PP mate, come to Australia for your Summer holiday! Only yesterday we registered a 47 degrees Celsius near where i live... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted February 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 PP mate, come to Australia for your Summer holiday! Only yesterday we registered a 47 degrees Celsius near where i live... Unfortunately, it's very difficult to pull a travel trailer across the Pacific Ocean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 You mean that American camp trailers being amphibious is an urban myth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted February 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 You mean that American camp trailers being amphibious is an urban myth? Oh the trailers are fine, provided you don't mind a little water damage... the problem is keeping the people in the tow vehicle from getting crushed from the pressure while driving on the ocean floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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