Washington DC

[Adam Wood]

If you have the time to branch out a little, I think my favorite all time historical place to visit is George Washington's Mt. Vernon home and it isn't too far from DC. That is something everyone should see. Also just south of DC about half an hour is the Marine Corps Museum. That's awesome to visit and right across from the main gates of the Quantico base.

Going north about 2 hrs is the Baltimore Inner Harbor (Chesapeake Bay) where Frances Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner. They have the national flag museum there at the Ft. McHenry, and also the National Aquarium is there....but then the Inner Harbor could be a whole vacation in itself. There is just so much to see and do up in that whole area.

Oh, that's a good one! And, you can get up there on the cheap. $7 each way on the MARC Camden Line out of Union Station. Takes you right to Camden Yards and you're just a block or two away from the Inner Harbor.

Mount Vernon is also a good day trip. The girls would probably enjoy that. There's also Williamsburg, but your kids may be too young to enjoy most of that: the historical stuff they haven't really learned much about yet, and they probably won't be able to ride most of the rides. Probably better to save that one for another trip, but you know your kids and I don't.

A bit morbid for kids but historical ,Hannibal Lector would enjoy it !

National Museum of Health and Medicine .The AMM was established during the American Civil War as a center for the collection of specimens for research in military medicine and surgery.

They have a sliver of bone from President Lincolns head found on the floor in the presidential box at Fords theater !

In 1862, Hammond directed medical officers in the field to collect "specimens of morbid anatomy ... together with projectiles and foreign bodies removed" and to forward them to the newly founded museum for study.

The AMM's first curator, John Brinton, visited mid-Atlantic battlefields and solicited contributions from doctors throughout the Union Army.

During and after the war, AMM staff took pictures of wounded soldiers showing effects of gunshot wounds as well as results of amputations and other surgical procedures. The information collected was compiled into six volumes of The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion, published between 1870 and 1883.

Ummmm....

Slight incongruity there. :p :D

[noonwitch]

The Smithsonian, especially the Air and Space museum. I remember being really impressed with it when I was about 12 and we went there, and saw The Spirit of St. Louis hanging from the ceiling. Somewhere, my mom has pictures of me and my sister traipsing around the Capitol wearing gaucho pants and knee-high boots.

We visited each of the memorials-I like the Jefferson one the best. We also stayed in Alexandria, so we went to Mt. Vernon and also spent a day in Colonial Williamsburg, which is about a 2 hour drive from DC. Williamsburg is probably not cheap (it wasn't in the 70s), but there are a lot of cool things for kids to observe and learn about. I think there's an amusement park there now, too.

[Adam Wood]

The Smithsonian, especially the Air and Space museum. I remember being really impressed with it when I was about 12 and we went there, and saw The Spirit of St. Louis hanging from the ceiling. Somewhere, my mom has pictures of me and my sister traipsing around the Capitol wearing gaucho pants and knee-high boots.

We visited each of the memorials-I like the Jefferson one the best. We also stayed in Alexandria, so we went to Mt. Vernon and also spent a day in Colonial Williamsburg, which is about a 2 hour drive from DC. Williamsburg is probably not cheap (it wasn't in the 70s), but there are a lot of cool things for kids to observe and learn about. I think there's an amusement park there now, too.

That's correct. It's wildly different from when we were kids. When I went there as a kid, it was making candles and spinning yarn and smelling barnyard animals and that was pretty much it.

[Phillygirl]

Williamsburg is expensive, and the kids will be bored out of their minds, unless they're total history geeks. It's set up so that parents think the kids will love it (and I love it) but the kids pretty much drag around, getting hot and bored, and can't wait to go back to the hotel with a pool. Plus, it's a fake town. Think of Disney builds history.

I agree on Mt. Vernon...I loved that place.

[txradioguy]

The Smithsonian, especially the Air and Space museum. I remember being really impressed with it when I was about 12 and we went there, and saw The Spirit of St. Louis hanging from the ceiling. Somewhere, my mom has pictures of me and my sister traipsing around the Capitol wearing gaucho pants and knee-high boots.

We visited each of the memorials-I like the Jefferson one the best. We also stayed in Alexandria, so we went to Mt. Vernon and also spent a day in Colonial Williamsburg, which is about a 2 hour drive from DC. Williamsburg is probably not cheap (it wasn't in the 70s), but there are a lot of cool things for kids to observe and learn about. I think there's an amusement park there now, too.

Busch Gardens. Kids loved it.

[fettpett]

Williamsburg is expensive, and the kids will be bored out of their minds, unless they're total history geeks. It's set up so that parents think the kids will love it (and I love it) but the kids pretty much drag around, getting hot and bored, and can't wait to go back to the hotel with a pool. Plus, it's a fake town. Think of Disney builds history.

I agree on Mt. Vernon...I loved that place.

There is a place like that near where I grew up, Old World Wisconsin. I loved it, went to it a few times when I was a kid.

[eagleexpress]

Busch Gardens. Kids loved it.

How far away is it and how much does it cost?

[eagleexpress]

Where ya coming from? Take Amtrak, if you can. Get a roomette.

We are coming in by plane we are visiting family first in Virginia

[ironhorsedriver]

Air and Space, History, Postal Museum,(next to Union Sta,), they have a nice little exhibit there about the Titanic, All the US and British mail agents where lost.
The Navy Museum at the Navy yard, must see for Military enthusiast. Marine Barracks.
The Holocaust Museum has a children's walk through exhibit.
If you have time, the Air and Space annex at Dulles.
Also, Bull Run, Manassas battlefield in Va. Fort Washington, just across the river in Md. Mt. Vernon, etc.
For entertainment in the evening, there is a nice Dinner Theater in Alexandria. Many times they have nice kid friendly shows, I took my boy there to see Huck Finn, really enjoyable.
By all means go see Union station and the Capitol Rotunda, really neat architecture.

[Kay]

Another really neat thing to do is attend a church service at the National Cathedral.
When my son was stationed up there, it never failed that he got stuck on duty during
Christmas week, so I used to go spend Christmas up there with him. We went to the
Christmas Eve services there, and it was really awesome. Even if you aren't overly
religious, its worth it just to see the architecture of such a historic building.