Washington DC June 2010

Our family trip for 2010 was to Washington, D.C. 6/4-11/2010.

• Friday - National Museum of Natural History
• Saturday – White House, monuments (Washington Monument, WWII, Lincoln, Jefferson, Viet Nam War, Korean War, and FDR)
• Sunday – Smithsonian Air and Space Museum – we spent the whole day at this museum
• Monday – International Spy Museum, Mount Vernon
• Tuesday – Supreme Court, Capitol, National Museum of American History
• Wednesday – National Archives, Washington Monument, White House Visitor Center, National Botanical Garden
• Thursday – Library of Congress, Museum of Crime and Punishment

After all that, we still missed a number of destinations. Next time:

• Ford's Theater
• White House tour – need more than 2 months notice. I would guess at least 6 months. Done through your congressman's office.
• Bureau of Engraving and Printing – get your tickets early in the morning – not sold online
• The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum that's out by Dulles airport.  There they have an actual SR-71 Blackbird among other larger artifacts.
• Thomas Jefferson's Monticello
• Washington Monument tour – get your tickets early or online

Tips:

We flew into Reagan National airport and used only the subway. We stayed closed to a metro station and the National Mall. Parking is expensive and you end up walking to things anyway. Don't bother with a car. Get a week-long pass for the subway. Much easier. Food was more expensive than most other trips. Some places aren't open on Sunday, so plan accordingly. There are a number of art galleries that we didn't visit.