For spring break, we decided to take our kids to Washington D.C. for the first time. We stayed in an Airbnb (another first for us) in Columbia Heights and used the Metro to get around the city. We packed four days with incredible sites, fascinating museums, and plenty of delicious food!
(Note: The itinerary below was our planned itinerary, but we actually swapped Day One and Day Four due to weather concerns.)
Day One
We began with breakfast at The Coupe in Columbia Heights. I had their Coconut French Toast with a vanilla latte and it was heavenly! Then we hopped on the Metro and headed downtown for the day. We included the following sites in our tour:
- The White House
- Washington Monument
- World War II Memorial (This was our favorite!)
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- Lincoln Memorial
- Korean War Memorial
- Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
- Thomas Jefferson Memorial
- Old Post Office Tower at Trump International Hotel
The view from the Old Post Office Tower is amazing, but be aware that it closes at 4:30 pm. The lobby of the hotel is also very impressive! For dinner, we took the Metro from Federal Triangle to U Street and went to Ted’s Bulletin. They have a great kids menu, and the whole family gave Ted’s rave reviews!
Day Two
We ate a quick breakfast at our Airbnb, then took the Metro to the Capitol for a tour we had previously arranged with our senator’s office. We toured the original House Chamber, Senate Chamber, and Supreme Court. We also got to see the Rotunda and the current House Chamber.
We walked a few blocks to the Good Stuff Eatery for a yummy lunch including burgers, fries, salad, and milkshakes. I highly recommend their Milky Way Malt!
We spent the afternoon at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. That place is enormous! We spent a lot of time on the third floor in “The Price of Freedom” exhibit, which chronicles America’s military history from colonial times to the present day. If pop culture is your thing, you’d want to spend more time on the first floor. Start with whatever interests you most, because you may not get through the whole place before closing time! If you love to read about America, be sure to visit the gift shop for a wonderful selection of books.
We walked to Capitol City Brewing Company on H Street for dinner, stopping for a photo op outside Ford’s Theatre on the way. (I feel like I should include a warning: this itinerary includes a lot of walking. Our feet were always tired at the end of the day, so we spent our evenings relaxing at our Airbnb.)
Day Three
Our third day in D.C. started with breakfast at Open City near the Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan Metro stop. Fueled by eggs, bacon, pancakes, and fruit, we walked up Connecticut Avenue to the National Zoo.
We spent a memorable day at the zoo, which included seeing an elephant getting a pedicure, hearing a lion roar (wow!), watching a snake eat a mouse, and staring in disbelief as the orangutans ate their regurgitated food again and again (gross!). We also enjoyed seeing the zoo’s beloved giant pandas!
At dinner time, we were in the mood for Italian, so we went back downtown for a casual dinner at Vapiano, a cafeteria-style restaurant where the chef cooks a fresh meal of your choice right before your eyes.
Day Four
We had breakfast at our Airbnb, then rode the Metro over to Arlington National Cemetery. We watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and wandered through the cemetery and welcome center exhibits. We also went to the Pentagon to see the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial.
We took the Metro to Pentagon City for lunch at Shake Shack, then hopped back on to L’Enfant Plaza for a visit to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. After a couple of hours there, we left the city for the evening to visit family in Maryland. If we had stayed in D.C., we would’ve tried Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe for dinner.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Washington D.C. (The only thing that could’ve made it better would’ve been having spring break a week later when the cherry trees were in full bloom!) We packed as much as we could into four days. The next time we go, we’d like to tour the White House, visit the Spy Museum, and maybe go inside the Washington Monument. We had an amazing time in Washington D.C. and look forward to going back again someday!
Here are a few more pictures . . . just for fun!
