Washington, DC & Arlington

[Cubs79]

Will be going to a funeral in Arlington this September, so I turn to the LR for advice. The funeral is on Thursday, so we will go Wed. - Sun. Traveling with family including my 5 year old.

-what airport should we fly into, Reagan?
-where should we stay knowing that we will be in Arlington most of the day Thursday, but want to see the sights on the other days
-what are some activities in DC that would be fun for a 5 year old? I saw that there is a National Zoo, which is free.

Reagan is closer and an easy train ride or cheap cab ride to downtown. Dulles is about 20 miles out or so. I was there over the July 4th weekend, we stayed at the Donovan Hotel which I got off hotwire for a decent price. Nice boutique type hotel. Little bit of a walk to the white house and museums (maybe 10 minute walk), but also cheap cab ride. As far as what a five year old would like I have no clue, but most of the major museums are close together, just not sure a 5 year old would really understand that much. I didnt go to the zoo, so cant comment on that.

 

[Cubs79]

Will you have access to a car? If so there are much better options than the misery that is DC in the summer. The various Smithsonians are miserably hot as a cost saving measure by the federal gov and the unwashed tourist horde that descends on them will stink to high heaven now. The Smithsonians have a nice collection on par with the best museums in the world BUT they are a miserable experience. The Louvre, Met, Brit, Vatican, Moma, Natural History, Getty etc...my wife and I had a great time in the past couple of years. But when we went to the Smithsonian about a year ago it was awful. And that was without a suffering rugrat making us even more miserable.

Meanwhile about 3 hours from DC is Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown and Busch Gardens (well shaded and on a river for nice breezes and nicer than BGT) and about two hours from there is Kings Dominion which is a very underrated theme park (it's got p%*%poor theming so don't expect Universal Studios and bad food but has a great collection of rides for both children and adults. Two of my top ten roller coasters are there (Volcano and Intimidator) and the second best dark inside coaster (behind US Mummy but well ahead of Space Mountain). The only caveat is that KD is inland and flat so in summer it will be Florida summer level miserable and you might have a better time at BGW which is shaded and cooler plus better themed and relaxed. In cool weather KD is the clear winner, in hot weather is be tempted by BGW. Or do both.

The aquarium in Baltimore plus the amazing crab cakes and pit beef everywhere are well worth the trip. Fredericksburg is a place I loved to visit. It's like the Colonial Williamsburg for the Civil War. Annapolis is a great place for adults but less so for rugrats.

The moral is...that's a great area of the country but DC itself is one of my LEAST favorite areas in the country. There's a reason I went to Williamsburg for law school but then skipped where 60+% of our graduates go.

I was just there like 2 weeks ago, I didnt notice any of the Smithsonians being miserably hot, and had no issues with waiting in lines or anything.

 

[osceola63]

I took my son to the International Spy Museum a few years ago and it was interesting. Not sure how a 5 year old
would like it.

Tons of neat things to do in DC and just having some recognition of key buildings should interest your son.

Very sorry for the loss of your father.

 

[QuaZ2002]

I love DC and have only ever been in the summer. It gets hot but nothing miserable. I'm also not convinced Tribe isn't some kind of bot that was created by UF fans to be the most annoying know-it-all DB ever. But that's just my opinion,

 

[Pokey4]

Thank you.
Yes, this is for my dad, he passed away 2 weeks ago. The current timeline for burial there is 3 weeks to 3 months. He has 3 Purple Hearts and a Silver star (among many other honors) He was a great man

Pokey4, can you give me any tips based on your experience? I'm sorry for your loss.

Sorry it took me so long to get back in the discussion. The best advice I can give you is if you are driving, make a practice run to the cemetery before your scheduled service. The roads are insane. Also, there are several different photographers who will photograph or video the service for you. They're a bit pricey but not too bad if you can split it with some other family members. I do recommend getting a photographer if you can afford it, so you can fully absorb and appreciate the experience while you're there.

As for the service itself, you will be told in advance to assemble either at the administration building or the chapel. There are people posted at the entrance road to help you find your way and there is a cemetery representative assigned to each service who basically will tell you what to do and where to go. He or she stays with the family from start to finish. As you would expect, the whole thing is done with military precision. It all seems to happen quite fast, so be sure to follow the directions of the cemetery representative. The specific nature of the honors depends on the branch of service, but I would think with his service record, your Dad has earned the full honors of his branch.

One other really neat thing is the tradition of the Arlington ladies, who attend every funeral.

It sounds strange to say it, but try to enjoy the experience. It truly is awesome.

 

[gwgwi]

This thread took a big step up when Tribe signed off...just sayin

 

[TexaNole]

If you don't mind paying for a museum, the Newseum is fantastic for both adults and kids.

If you are getting a car, I'd check out the Air & Space facility at Dulles. More big airframes than downtown, plus you can ride up into the old control tower for a pretty cool view of the area.

 

[Lemon Thrower]

We've just returned from taking an 11 year old and a 7 year old (both girls) to DC. A few thoughts for the OP:

• The girls loved the Metro and the multiple escalator rides.

Hope you have fun.

I called this one.

 

[tolkien1]

I don't have kids but do love DC. Reagan is your best option for the airport. For a very young kid, a walk around the National Zoo and the Air and Space museum would be cool. The National Museum of Natural History has enough stuff to entertain even a young kid. The Hayden Planetarium there is awesome and would probably appeal to a kid. Heck, riding on the Metro would be fun at that age. There is something to be said for walking around the monuments even at such a young age. I never rent a car there. Metro and Uber are far less aggravating.

 

[NDallasRuss]

And yes, DC is not equivalent to NYC, LA or even Chicago when it comes to being a great place for tourism.

Wait, DC is nowhere as good as Chicago for tourism? Now I know that you've lost your mind. DC has enough to keep you busy for weeks if you wanted to try and see everything of note. Chicago is the most overrated city on the planet, and is mostly useful if you want to be murdered, or have a big slice of big, thick, greasy, soggy "pizza".

 

[NolesOnTop]

DC can be hot. It was pretty miserable yesterday. September should be okay. By then, it cools down at nights unlike Florida.

Reagan is right in Arlington, so it is more convenient. Dulles would be about a $50 cab ride to get to Arlington/DC. As others have said, look for a hotel that is near the Metro. Crystal City is a good option, although there are hotels in DC that would be fine as well.

With little kids, I would highly recommend getting one of the hop-on/hop-off bus passes. You could also consider a ride of the Duck, which goes by the sights and then goes in the Potomac. The Natural History, American History, and Air and Space Museums are your best bets for little kids. At the Air & Space, you can go to Planetarium or the IMAX. There is also an IMAX at Natural History. The zoo can be fun, but be prepared to walk. It is on a very big hill. The entrance near the Metro is at the top of the hill.

 

[NDallasRuss]

If you are getting a car, I'd check out the Air & Space facility at Dulles. More big airframes than downtown, plus you can ride up into the old control tower for a pretty cool view of the area.

Even if you don't have a car, I believe that there's a shuttle bus that will take you from the downtown Air & Space Museum over to the Udvar Hazy Air & Space Museum (referred to as "the one with the planes") and back.

Also, although they cost money, the Spy Museum and Newseum are really good. The Museum of Crime and Punishment is still pretty new and will benefit the most from being open longer and gaining more "stuff". Right now, there's a lot of exhibits that are mostly just pictures and posterboards - although being able to see the car that Ted Bundy used to abduct his victims was pretty cool.