Good places to take kids in Washington D.C.?
We're taking our 2 kids (2 1/2 years old, 10 months) to the D.C. area for the holidays to visit their grandparents who live in the surrounding area.
What are some good places to take the kids? I know there are a lot of museums on The Mall, but I haven't been there in years, so I'm not sure which ones would be toddler / kid friendly.
In addition, it would be nice to find a "children's museum" where the kids could play and get out some of their energy, since it's likely going to be pretty cold and possibly rainy outside. Are there any places like the Boston Children's Museum or the Children's Discovery Museum is San Jose in the D.C. area?
We're also planning to visit the Baltimore Aquarium, and possibly the National Zoo as well...
3 Answers
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My kids have always loved the Natural History Museum (http://www.mnh.si.edu/). Very kid friendly and if your 2 1/2 year old loves dinosaurs, it's going to be a hit. Also I remember my kids being fascinated with the Metro (since they hadn't spent much time on subways prior to one of our DC visits.
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The Natural History museum has a bug zoo that is pretty cool, plus the stuffed elephant and the blue whale. Air and Space has more rockets and airplanes than you can shake a stick at. I think both of those are fun for young kids. I would actually not recommend the DC zoo - it is very spread out and hilly, and the animals are pretty far away from where you stand. Also, you can't see anything at all from a stroller, because the walls are too high. Our kids didn't like it.
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Your kids will be exhausted and bored if you drag them to the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, and the Smithsonian. But they'll never forget the day, even when they grow up. Trust me on that. And there's also a good zoo around there somewhere. Please let me know if there's still a gyro place called 2 Crazy Greeks in Balto.
