Family Vacation with Kids to Washington D.C.
Every time we visit my family in Virginia, we love playing tourist in and around the Washington D.C. - it never gets old.
Here are some places we enjoyed with the kids:
The National Mall
We love walking among the monuments, visiting the museums, admiring the architecture and learning the rich history. To top it off, it's completely free! All the Smithsonian museums have free admission, unlike the museums in San Diego where we live now.
Anyone else grew up calling the monument a pencil? As you can see, I shared that childhood memory with the kids.
The reflection pool. We took the opportunity to tell the kids about Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech given at the Lincoln Memorial in the distance. Equality is so important to us and we loved sharing that turning point in history with them.
While visiting the World War II Memorial, we honored all the people that fought and continue to fight for our country's freedom.
We also visited the Capital.
The National Air and Space Museum
The kids earned a couple more Junior Ranger badges to add to their collection. They were bummed we only had time for a couple because there are so many Junior Ranger programs throughout the National Mall and Monument Parks. It's a great excuse for another visit back to the National Mall.
The National Harbor
With a gorgeous view of the Potomac River, the National Harbor is an all-in-one destination for shopping, dining, attractions and family-friendly events like the Universoul Circus we went to.(photos below)
This show is wildly entertaining. Performers from all over the world gathered to form these amazing circus acts that had us on the edge of our seats the entire time.
The District Wharf
Whether you're a local to Northern VA/DC/MD or just traveling, The District Wharf in DC is a must! We went for the first time during our July 4th vacation over the summer.
As a child, I remembered this area as an old and smelly fishing wharf we'd come to buy seafood. It's far from that now. It's now a beautiful boardwalk lined with shops, restaurants, hotels and entertainment.
There are piers with different attractions like these super fun swings! They easily fit our entire family.
The giant games of Jenga and Scrabble are so much fun. Plus, check out the fun furniture to relax on and enjoy the view.
It looks like they have a constant stream of fun events at the Wharf. This is a photo of the upcoming summer events to encourage you to check it out for yourself. The "glow in the dark kayaking" sounds especially fun!
Last but not least, before leaving we let the kids play and get soaked in the fun splash pad.
A few more places we love visiting in/around Washington D.C. are:
The National Children's Museum
The Udvar-Hazy Center - National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia
Smithsonian Museums - The Natural History is one of our favorites.
I hope this helps you plan a fun trip to Washington D.C. with your family. If you have any questions or comments post them below. Since we're always visiting my family in VA, we're constantly looking for fun place to explore. If you have any places you like but we haven't mentioned, please mention them in the comments so we can check them out!
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