Washington, D.C.

Monuments & memorials

Lincoln Memorial Washington Monument (go up) Reserve WWII Memorial Vietnam Veterans Memorial Korean War Memorial Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial FDR Memorial Jefferson Memorial

Smithsonian museums

Air & Space Reserve Natural History (dinosaurs) American History (the flag) African American History & Culture Reserve National Zoo (pandas) National Museum of the American Indian National Gallery of Art Smithsonian Castle

History & government

U.S. Capitol tour Reserve Library of Congress National Archives (Declaration & Constitution) White House (from the sidewalk) Supreme Court Arlington Cemetery (Changing of the Guard) Bureau of Engraving (money being printed) Reserve Ford’s Theatre $

On the water & outdoors

Tidal Basin paddle boats $ The Wharf (waterfront) Potomac sightseeing cruise $ Georgetown Waterfront U.S. Botanic Garden Rock Creek Park Nature Center

More kid favorites

Planet Word (hands-on language museum) Reserve International Spy Museum Reserve $ National Building Museum $ Kennedy Center — free 6 PM show Free military-band evening concert

Lunch — on & near the Mall

Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe (by Air & Space) $$$ Natural History museum cafe (dinosaurs) $$ Sculpture Garden Pavilion Cafe (by the fountain) $$ L’Enfant Plaza food court (AC, 20+ counters) $ Food-truck picnic on the Mall lawn $ Union Station food hall (near the Capitol) $ Carmine’s — family-style Italian (Penn Quarter) $$ Eat at America’s Table Cafe (American History) $$ Mars Cafe (inside Air & Space) $$ Clyde’s of Gallery Place (kids’ menu) $$

Dinner — near the hotel & out

Matchbox Pentagon City (wood-fired pizza) $$ Pentagon City mall food court (fast, by the hotel) $ Lebanese Taverna — Pentagon Row $$ Crystal City Sports Pub (TVs, pool, wings) $$ The Portofino — Italian sit-down (Crystal City) $$$ Cantina Bambina — tacos on the Wharf pier $ Kirwan’s on the Wharf (Irish pub, kids’ menu) $$ Chadwicks — Old Town Alexandria waterfront $$ Los Tios Grill — Tex-Mex, Crystal City $ Hank’s Oyster Bar on the Wharf $$ Nick’s Riverside Grill — Georgetown waterfront $$ Founding Farmers Fishers & Bakers (Georgetown) $$ Vola’s Dockside Grill — Old Town $$

Game day & evenings

Nationals baseball vs. the Reds (Fri or Sat night) Reserve $ Jazz in the Garden — Fri, free (line up at 5) Reserve Old Town ghost & graveyard tour (after dark) $

Planes, boats & wheels

Gravelly Point — jets land right over your head Mount Vernon cruise — Washington’s estate by boat $ Water taxi to Old Town Alexandria $ Capital Wheel — giant ferris wheel, National Harbor $ Bikeshare ride along the Mall $ Udvar-Hazy hangar — Space Shuttle & SR-71 (Metro + bus)

Quirky museums

National Postal Museum (mail train, by Union Station) DEA Museum — right next to the hotel Artechouse — walk-in digital art (by the Wharf) $ Museum of Illusions Reserve $ National Geographic Museum $

Parks & splash

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens — August lotus blooms Theodore Roosevelt Island (trail island in the Potomac) Yards Park splash fountain (Navy Yard) Hains Point mini golf — oldest in America $ Ride the carousel on the Mall $

Tastes of DC

Ben’s Chili Bowl half-smoke (U Street) $ Cupcake taste-off — Georgetown Cupcake vs. Baked & Wired $ Union Market food hall $ Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken $ King Street Trolley & waterfront ice cream $ Shake Shack at the Wharf $ Boardwalk Bar & Arcade — eat + Skee-Ball (Wharf) $$