DC for a Day: What do I need to see?

[scott757]

The wife and I are going out of town to DC for a weekend in January. We'll be doing the Museums and sights on Saturday. With only one day...what do we need to see?

[Frankee]

Smithsonian. Without a doubt.

[Amp360]

Air and Space Museum is my fav museum anywhere. Library of Congress up behind the Capital is pretty cool too.

Also, be sure to go yell BOOOOO!!! outside the IRS.

[Amp360]

Spy Museum is cool, but as I said A&S is my absolute fav anywhere - except maybe the Trasportation Museum in Chicago.

The Natural History museum is cool too, the kids like it due to the big dinosaurs and my wife liked the Hope Diamond which was there last time.

Here are my boys at the moon landing exhibit:

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr330/guitarbuilder77/untitled.jpg

[mark norwine]

Lincoln Memorial. Simply awe inspiring.

[The_Whale]

We'll be doing the Museums and sights on Saturday. With only one day.

The Smithsonians are pretty big. I recommend only visiting one of them instead of trying to see more than one. That is, unless you've got specific interests and plan on getting in and out quickly.

[Amp360]

^ I agree. Pick one and really go through then maybe go to another for a walkthrough.

[buddaman71]

Mall/Lincoln (this is a must see)
WWII and Vietnam Memorials
Natural History Museum
Air and Space
Spy Museum

Really, if you lap the Mall area, you will see much of the important memorials.
Wear good shoes.

[mark norwine]

The Vietnam Wall will bring tears to your eyes.

Directly across the street, nestled...hidden, actually....in the foliage, is a very cool statue of Einstein. One of my favorite DC things, for sure.

[EricPeterson]

Best thing is it is all free.


I was just there a few months ago and I walked all over and saw a lot of stuff, high points for me were the Air and Space, Natural history Museum, Korean War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and National Archives.

[Jon Silberman]

Ditto on the National Academy of Science's Einstein Memorial.

Seriously, DON'T be fooled into only visiting museums and monuments. Take in the neighborhoods. I recommend Ethiopian food in Adams Morgan for lunch; dinner, cocktails, and shopping (even if only window shopping) in Georgetown.

The Nation's Capital is much more than buildings and exhibits.

[Amp360]

The one thing I can tell you is all the "pay" museums are usually not worth it. I paid 10 bucks to go to the "National Aquarium" over by the Ronald Reagan building and I have seen better exhibits at PetCo. The Computer Museum also is lame.

One GREAT museum is the Building Museum, when I went they had an exhibit on David Macaulay (who wrote Castle, Cathedral, etc...) the kids really liked it because they had paper and pencils and blocks and stuff.

[scott757]

Ditto on the National Academy of Science's Einstein Memorial.

Seriously, DON'T be fooled into only visiting museums and monuments. Take in the neighborhoods. I recommend Ethiopian food in Adams Morgan for lunch; dinner, cocktails, and shopping (even if only window shopping) in Georgetown.

The Nation's Capital is much more than buildings and exhibits.


I've been through some of the neighborhood before and it's always great. But it's been years since I visited the museums and monuments. So I think this trip is going to be more for them.

[arthur rotfeld]

Go to the White House for a dinner party.

[Shamus]

Go to the White House for a dinner party.

Epic :rimshot

[GAD]

If you're in reasonable shape you can walk the entire mall and see all the major monuments. My wife and I did this a couple of years back on the hottest day of the century.

[GuitarsFromMars]

Go to the White House for a dinner party.

A must do, without an invitation...:crazyguy

[mbargav]

Where are you staying? How much do you like walking?

If you start at the Mall (Smithsonian stop), take in a few museums, walk along the reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial, then take 23rd street past the State Dept & part of the GW campus, hang a left on M street, walk down Georgetown (making stops for lunch/dinner etc), and walk across the Key Bridge, ending at the Rosslyn Metro (in VA), you'll see a lot of DC in one day. Lot of walking, but it'll definitely be a nice day.

Mike

[JamesT]

Consider a tour ride with a talking guide. You can get on and off as you like with someone talking all about the stuff/places. I would choose Old Town Trolleys or maby the DC Ducks one. That way you can walk around the monuments and save tide riding to the Air and Space Museum. I read where it is the #1 museum in USA. You could take the metro from Smithsonian to Adams Morgan and the Metro goes kind of close to Georgetown. Also, the Mall area is really pretty in the early morning before it gets busy. That way you can learn about the "sights" see some museums and visit a couple of areas as Jon mentioned.

[James M]

Drive/wander around the Capitol Hill neighborhood....some really nice old houses.

[The_Whale]

Where are you staying? How much do you like walking?

If you start at the Mall (Smithsonian stop), take in a few museums, walk along the reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial, then take 23rd street past the State Dept & part of the GW campus, hang a left on M street, walk down Georgetown (making stops for lunch/dinner etc), and walk across the Key Bridge, ending at the Rosslyn Metro (in VA), you'll see a lot of DC in one day. Lot of walking, but it'll definitely be a nice day.

Mike


this is what I would do.

maybe start at the top of the mall by the Capitol.

[bigdaddy]

Annapolis!

[RichieD]

Smithsonian. Without a doubt.

Yeah, that oughta cover it. :rotflmao

When I used to live there, anytime we had out-of-town guests who wanted to see one or some of the museums our stops almost always included the Air and Space Museum and/or the Museum of American History.

This collection was always of particular interest to me:
http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/subject_detail.cfm?key=32&colkey=23

This one too:
http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/subject_detail.cfm?key=32&colkey=26

[Tonekat]

There's a really good Asian restaurant you should try, but I can't remember where it is. Ask a cop on the street, they'll know. It's called "Heipig"

[chrisr777]

The museums can't be done in one day unless you only want to see one or two (but I would suggest the Holocaust museum which will just knock you out). Take one of the bus tours which will get you most everywhere on the top of the list including the memorials in the mall with stops for viewing. The Korean War memorial at night is wild. If you go up the Washington Monument, try to take the walking tour down. Very interesting.

[Sandy]

Annapolis!


I second that. :)

[Doodad]

I have lived there twice. One kind of hidden gem, just toward the Capitol from the Air and Space is the National Botanical Garden. Wow. Probably my favorite of the Mall sights after the Natural History Museum.

Do pick though. One day only scratches the surface of any of the museums.

[52ftbuddha]

Holocaust museum, Arlington national cemetary, Korean war memorial. National portrait gallery Fredrick Douglass, Smithsonian would be at the end of a far longer list.

[megatonic]

The Blue Dress.:eek:

[cmatthes]

Tough to see everything in DC - too much to see and do. Lots of good suggestions, but definitely start early and go late!

As far as the "pay" museums, the only one I'd recommend is the Newseum across the river in Arlington. Of course, since pretty much everything else is top quality and FREE, definitely hit the Mall/Smithsonian Museums. As one poster said above though, that's just a tiny fraction of the cool things to see.

[JamesT]

As one poster said above though, that's just a tiny fraction of the cool things to see.

which is why I suggest an old town trolly tour ride....

[Jerrod]

The museums can't be done in one day unless you only want to see one or two (but I would suggest the Holocaust museum which will just knock you out). Take one of the bus tours which will get you most everywhere on the top of the list including the memorials in the mall with stops for viewing. The Korean War memorial at night is wild. If you go up the Washington Monument, try to take the walking tour down. Very interesting.

The Korean War memorial is twice as impactful as the Vietnam War memorial, for my money. Truly amazing. The Lincoln Memorial is impressive because (unlike the Alamo and many other historic locations) it really is THAT BIG.

[whitehall]

Air and Space is cool and you can walk to a few more free ones from there. Spy is cool but maybe not at $20. a head.

[Tonekat]

Unfortunately, the Squished Penny Museum (http://www.squished.com/index2.html) closed in 2007.