What to do with one day in Wash, DC?

Chiro75

Chiro75

Joined
Feb 4, 1999
Messages
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I'm going to a conference in Washington, DC next week and it looks like I pretty much have all of Thursday to bum around town. I know a lot of it probably has to do with weather, but what is something(s) I should plan to do that day? I was thinking about the Native American museum and/or possibly just walking around the monuments or Georgetown. I haven't been to DC since I was a little kid. Our hotel is the Sheraton Premiere at Tyson's Corner, so it's sort of out in the suburbs looking at a map.

Any advice would be much appreciated! Also dinner ideas for the area the hotel is in would also be great. We'll have a pretty good contingency from the school once everyone flies in, so it'll be pack mentality, but at least Wednesday night I am open to doing what I want to do. Thanks in advance!
 
I wouldn't bother with Georgetown as it has lost much of its charm when it was converted into nothing more than an outdoor shopping mall for upscale mega-chain stores. I'd walk around the National Mall to see the monuments and the Smithsonian museums. All of it's free. You can rent Segway's if you want or buy a 1-day pass on the tourist bus lines that allow you unlimited riding around the Mall and the ability to jump on and off wherever you please.

I haven't been to the Native American museum yet but I hear it's very good. It's also next to the ever-popular Air & Space museum.

White House tours are tough to get unless you show up at the crack of dawn. Getting in to the Washington Monument can also involve waiting in line for a long time - if you want a panoramic view of DC I would go to the Old Post Office Pavillion.
 
If it's a nice day I'd just do some of the monuments capital building and walk along the reflecting pool.

Air and space was kinda boring I thought, all static displays, nothing that actually does or shows you anything.
 
There are trolly tours available of various lengths and to different locations.
You can get off the trolly at various locations then get on the next one to come by. If it is a clear and pleasant evening, the evening tour of the monuments is beautiful....

A tour of Arlington National Cemetery is enlightening...Did you know that the land was the plantation of Robert E. Lee and part of the reason it was made to be Arlington National was to keep Lee from ever reclaiming the property?

The train station is neat and one of the restaurants on the main floor serves real good crab cakes.

The Capital Building is majestic and can be toured.

All the museums can take weeks to go through....

The National Cathedral is inspiringly beautiful.
Washington is a beautiful city. While I haven't been there since 1998, it is an unforgettable place!
 
Arlington and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - Vietnam Memorial - Lincoln Memorial - World War II Memorial - Air & Space Museum - Capitol Building - Holocaust Museum - DUKW Tour.

Lots of other things.
 
Hey, if you're a bit adventuresome and not afraid to go a little off the beaten path, head over to Ben's Chili Bowl for a chili dog lunch. Ben's is located directly across the street from the U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo Metro station on the Green Line. You will be following in the footsteps of several Presidents, as well as other luminaries like Bill Cosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, every professional athlete who ever came to DC, foreign dignitaries, diplomats, mycroftt (ahem), and people from all over the world. It's a real slice of DC history and the area is quite safe. You not only won't regret going there, but I bet you'll be glad for having the bragging rights when you see it featured on TV.
 
If you want to do the Washington Monument you need tickets in advance. You can get them that morning, go here: http://www.nps.gov/archive/wamo/pphtml/fees.html, or get lucky and run into someone with extras. I took my daughter to D.C. last fall and she talked me into one of the open top bus tours. She's clearly already smarter than me. I strongly encourage the hop off, and on bus type tour.
all da best,
rats...
 
Depends on what your interests are:
Smithsonian
Library of Congress
National Air and Space Museum
the list goes on.
Google the phrase
Washington Museum

Then take your pick.
 
The Smithsonian.

I had a few extra hours in DC a few months ago and was pointed to a fairly new exhibit just a few blocks from where I happened to be, The International Spy Museum. www.spymuseum.org I loved it!
 
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