If you're fortunate enough to be travelling to the US east coast for a holiday, do not ignore its capital, Washington DC. It's not the same as New York, but it's every bit as interesting with so much to see and do for families that it's hard to prioritise.
To get you on your way, here are eight of top picks for a family-friendly itinerary from Pam, an Australian mum of three sons, who's lived in the city for the past five years.
1. National Air and Space Museum
This is part of the series of separate museums known as the Smithsonian. All of them are fantastic but this one is a must for kids. When you first walk in, it’s hard to know what to look at first. The kids should look up, so make sure you catch the look of awe on their faces as they crane their necks to take in all of the planes and rockets. It’s just as much fun to find the 1903 Wright Flyer (the first airplane) as is it to examine the Apollo 11 command module, Columbia. Don’t forget to buy the famous astronaut ice cream at the gift shop.
2. National Zoological Park
Don’t want to waste a beautiful DC day inside? Then head to the ultimate kid-pleaser: the Smithsonian National Zoo. The highlights here are the three giant pandas, all of whom are well worth the lines, especially baby Bao Bao. Seeing orangutans travel between their two buildings using the O Line, a series of 15 metre towers and cables, is a close second for top attraction. The seven elephants also enjoy a nice habitat.
3. Newseum
While the Newseum is a relative newcomer to the museum scene (it opened in 2008), the state-of-the-art, 250,000-square-foot space has earned its place on the can’t-miss list.
Because of its serious exhibits, the museum is best for those of school age or older. The Berlin Wall Gallery includes eight sections of the wall itself and a three-storey East German guard tower, as well as exhibits that explain how news and information undermined an oppressive society and helped topple the wall. The News Corporation News History Gallery includes almost 400 historic front pages. Don’t skip the interactive experiences at the HP New Media Gallery. And before leaving, take a few minutes to step out onto the Hank Greenspun Terrace for panoramic views of Pennsylvania Avenue. There’s so much to see at this museum that you could easily spend an entire day here -or even two. It’s a good thing your ticket remains valid the day following your first visit.
4. National Building Museum
If you think those 23-metre thick Corinthian columns inside the museum’s Great Hall look familiar, you're right! Architect Montgomery Meigs used Roman palaces as his inspiration for the Pension Building which now houses the National Building Museum, in the late 1800s.
Kids may get the urge to run around the Great Hall’s airy interior. Instead, channel their energy into the museum’s “Play, Build, Work” exhibit, which encourages both parents and children to create their own structures with foam blocks.
5. National Museum of Natural History
With its fossils, skeletons and taxidermy animals, it would be all too easy for the Natural History museum to feel dated, but it doesn’t, thanks to exhibits like the live Butterfly Pavilion, “The Last American Dinosaurs” and “Beyond Bollywood.” No trip to the museum is complete without paying homage to the Hope Diamond, a legendary 45-carat blue diamond donated by Harry Winston in 1958.
6. The Old Stone House
The Old Stone House in Georgetown is the city’s oldest standing building. Children and adults alike will enjoy exploring this well-preserved Revolutionary War–era home that dates back to 1765. Its three storeys, which are fully outfitted with Colonial furnishings, include a rustic kitchen with a fireplace, a dining room, a dumb waiter and bedrooms. You can venture inside the house Wednesdays through Sundays between noon and 5:00 pm, and you can enjoy the English garden every day during daylight hours.
7. The Carousel on the National Mall
Reward your kids for their good behaviour at the Smithsonian museums with a three-minute ride on this old-timey carousel stationed on the National Mall. Built by the Alan Herschell Co. in the 1940s, the carousel lived in an amusement park in Woodlawn, Maryland, before its arrival to Washington DC.
8. DC Duck Tour
Although DC is a relatively small city, short legs can easily get tired just walking the length of the Mall. This hybrid bus-boat mostly follows a land route - passing by the White House; the Lincoln, Jefferson and Vietnam Veteran memorials; and many other highlights - but also takes a substantial paddle in the Potomac River. The 90-minute tour offers a terrific overview of the city, particularly for those who haven’t visited before.
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