Washington DC

My husband and I are thinking about taking our 9 year old son to Washington DC this July for a few days. We're not using our timeshare for this trip as we have something else in mind for that later. Just wondering if anyone has any tips on things to do with a kid of that age or could recommend places to stay. We'd like to stay downtown and would like a pool. I've only found a few places that fit that description. One was the Washington Plaza which was a good price but I then started finding a lot of bad reviews on it. The other one's I found were Embassy Suites or the Washington Capital Holiday Inn. Any advice would be appreciated.

Amanda A.

amandaa39 wrote:
My husband and I are thinking about taking our 9 year old son to Washington DC this July for a few days. We're not using our timeshare for this trip as we have something else in mind for that later. Just wondering if anyone has any tips on things to do with a kid of that age or could recommend places to stay. We'd like to stay downtown and would like a pool. I've only found a few places that fit that description. One was the Washington Plaza which was a good price but I then started finding a lot of bad reviews on it. The other one's I found were Embassy Suites or the Washington Capital Holiday Inn. Any advice would be appreciated.

You might be able to stay on the outskirts of DC (i.e. Arlington VA) and take the Metro into the city. Check out the National Zoo, and of course the Smithsonian buildings (my favorites are the Air and Space Museum, the Museum of American History and the National Archives). If you can contact your state senator or representative, you might be able to arrange a tour of the Capitol bldg.

If you want to take a break from sightseeing, the amusment park, King's Dominion, is 70-80 miles south of DC.

Have fun

Mike N.

Last edited by mike1536 on May 04, 2008 02:27 PM

amandaa39 wrote:
My husband and I are thinking about taking our 9 year old son to Washington DC this July for a few days. We're not using our timeshare for this trip as we have something else in mind for that later. Just wondering if anyone has any tips on things to do with a kid of that age or could recommend places to stay. We'd like to stay downtown and would like a pool. I've only found a few places that fit that description. One was the Washington Plaza which was a good price but I then started finding a lot of bad reviews on it. The other one's I found were Embassy Suites or the Washington Capital Holiday Inn. Any advice would be appreciated.

July is hot & humid here, so be prepared. There are a couple of hotels next to the King street metro in Alexandria (Hilton and Embassy Suites). Next to the Pentagon City metro is a Ritz Carleton (Arlington). The Pentagon City metro is two stops away from the Arlington Cemetary and three stops from DC. Both the King Street & Pentagon City metros are near the National Airport metro stop. At the King Street Metro, there is a free trolly that goes down King Street to Old Town.

The Air & Space museum is one of the most popular tourist attractions. There is a new Native American museum on the mall that is supposed to be pretty nice. You will be doing a lot of walking, so be prepared. Going up the Washington Monument is fun - you do need tickets. If you go to the zoo, go as early as you can. Its cooler in the am & generally less crowded.

When you go on the metro - remember to stand to the right on escaltors. It can make locals very angry when tourists stand to the left. The metro system is pretty easy to use & convenient to most places you will want to go.

Elaine B.