Family Travel

** Yesterday we enjoyed Part One of the DC Traveler’s guest post about family travel to Washington, DC, and today I’m excited to bring you Part Two…. **

Imagine your kid’s face just inches away from a 14-foot tiger shark, with its massive razor-sharp teeth. Luckily, there’ll be a thin pane of glass between them, but that’s how close you can get to a swimming shark at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

Plus, what kid wouldn’t love the dolphin show? For the younger ones, there’s always “Nemo” and “Dori” in the Caribbean reef fish tanks.

The National Aquarium is about an hour from DC by car or train. It’s best to order your tickets online in advance; the Aquarium staggers visitor entry to manage the crowds, so the wait between purchasing your ticket at the window and actual admission can be a couple of hours on weekends and during busy periods.

National Aquarium in Baltimore
501 East Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21202

If you can’t get your kids to turn off their iPods for anything, check out the Hard Rock Café, just down the street from Ford’s Theatre (the infamous site where President Abraham Lincoln was shot.)

Hard Rock memorabilia includes (perhaps along with the over-priced cheeseburger) a black leather costume worn by Gene Simmons of KISS, a Lenny Kravitz Les Paul guitar, and even the saxophone that the newly elected President, Bill Clinton, played at his Inaugural Ball in 1993.

Hard Rock Café
999 E. Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004

What kid doesn’t like cold, hard cash? The Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, DC offers a 45-minute tour of their money printing facility, where you can watch various denominations of U.S. currency being printed while you stand only feet away from millions and millions of dollars.

Bureau of Engraving and Printing
14th & C Streets, SW
Washington DC 20228

For some GREAT photo ops with smaller kids, just about a mile from the National Mall along the beautiful Potomac River is East Potomac Park. At the end of the park on the peninsula is Hains Point, and there you’ll find the giant sculpture “The Awakening.”

It’s a mostly buried 100-foot tall sculpture of a man who appears to be struggling to free himself, with only his face, a hand, arm, leg and foot exposed above ground. Kids love to play on it while parents take photos. It’s also a great place to let the children run around after a day inside countless museums.

Hains Point – The Awakening
East Potomac Park
About ¾ miles south of 1090 Ohio Dr. SW, at the end of Hains Point
Washington, DC 20001

Besides these fun activities, don’t forget there’s always:
- Riding (or climbing) to the top of the Washington Monument
- Seeing The Declaration of Independence at The National Archives
- Stopping by the Lincoln, Jefferson and FDR Memorials
- Spending time at the National Museum of Natural History
- Visiting the pandas at The National Zoo
- Seeing the falls at Great Falls National Park, our version of Niagara Falls
- Watching the Changing of the Guard at Arlington National Cemetery
- Catch a game, depending on the season. DC is home to the MLB Nationals, the NFL Redskins, the NHL Capitols, the Wizards of the NBA or the MLS DC United. Finding tickets, even the day of the game, can be easier than you think.

If your kids have never ridden on a subway, take the Metro around DC. Make sure to ride in the first car, and grab the front row seats as the train travels underground. Even getting to your destination can be fun!!

** Thanks very much to Jon for his guest posts, and check out The DC Traveler for more ideas if you plan to travel with kids to Washington, DC. **

Technorati tags: travel, family travel, Washington DC, DC, Washington, Washington DC travel, The DC Traveler, DC tourist information, DC sightseeing, Bureau of Engraving and PrintingNational Aquarium in Baltimore, Hard Rock Cafe, DC monuments

*** Today is my daughter’s 15th birthday (yes, my son was also born in September.) In honor of her arrival, I have a great guest post about family travel to the area where she was born: Washington DC.

Please welcome fellow blogger and friend Jon Rochetti of The DC Traveler — he has so many good ideas, we’re going to give you Part One today and Part Two tomorrow. Take it away, Jon! ***

Kids love Washington, DC. There are so many things for them to see and do, and it’s not just being dragged around dusty old museums. Plus, with the summer wave of tourists over and the heat and humidity of summer gone, now is the perfect time for a visit to the nation’s capital.

Here are a few kid-friendly ideas, including a few not-so-common activities:

First, how about taking the kids on a 90-minute tour around DC on a DC DUCK – an original World War II DUKW (”Duck”) amphibious vehicle.

You drive around the National Mall, then cruise the Potomac River, entering the river near Reagan National Airport, just under the takeoff and landing pattern of the airport.

This, the kids will love.

DC Ducks at Union Station Main Entrance
50 Massachusetts Ave., NE, Washington, DC 20018

Next, the city has two great Air and Space museums, one at Independence Avenue on the National Mall and a second, newer and larger one near the Dulles airport. It’s the world’s most extensive collection of aviation history under two roofs; kids get to see everything from the original Wright Brother’s Flyer close up (it no longer hangs from the museum ceiling since it’s now part of a special Wright Brothers exhibit) to the Space Shuttle.

Between the two museums, there’s aviator Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis aircraft, the SR-71 Blackbird (the fastest plane ever built) and a full size Apollo moon landing craft, all guaranteed to get a few ”Way cools!!”

Parents will also love that admission to both museums is FREE.

The National Air and Space Museum on Independence Avenue also houses some of the Treasures of American History collection from the National Museum of American History, which is closed for renovations until the summer of 2008.

More than 150 objects are on view, including the original Kermit the Frog puppet, Alexander Graham Bell’s experimental telephone, R2-D2 and C-3PO from the Star Wars movie Return of the Jedi and Dorothy’s sequined ruby red shoes worn in the classic movie The Wizard of Oz.

There’s even a pair of not-so-fashionable (but definitely NOT oversized, baggy or droopy) Levi Strauss jeans from the 1870s.

National Air and Space Museum
Independence Avenue at 6th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20560 (map it)

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway
Chantilly, Virginia 20151 (map it)

What kid doesn’t love to play hide and seek?

At the International Spy Museum, kids can learn how adults play hide and seek. While this museum is probably not great for very young children, it is a fun, family-friendly place. The museum covers everything about spies… gadgets, bugs, hidden cameras, weapons and vehicles, including James Bond’s 1964 Aston Martin DB5 from the classic Bond film Goldfinger.

Kids (and adults too) can learn about invisible ink, microdots, buttonhole cameras and how Hollywood helped the CIA develop ingenious disguise techniques.

They occasionally offer kid’s programs and workshops, such as creating disguises, codes and ciphers and other themes, so check their website for programs and dates.

International Spy Museum
800 F. Street, NW
Washington, DC, 20004 (map it)

*** You may not particularly want to see the National Naval Medical Center, where my daughter actually arrived, but Jon has tips for good places to eat in Bethesda, the community where the hospital is located.

Stay tuned for Part Two of the DC Traveler’s suggestions. ***

Technorati tags: travel, family travel, Washington DC, DC, Washington, Washington DC travel, The DC Traveler, DC tourist information, DC sightseeing, National Air and Space Museum, DC Ducks, International Spy Museum, DC monuments

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