Moving to Washington D.C. for Two Weeks
- Alexis Bennett
- Feb 28, 2023
- 5 min read
Sometimes work takes Brian away for a long period of time. This time it was 8 weeks in Washington D.C.. We had the privilege of spending 2.5 weeks with him, exploring the city with the three kids.
This was the second extended vacation in a matter of four months. The first was Florida for two weeks. Both were experiences we will never forget.
Brian had been in D.C. for 3 weeks before we arrived, so we flew in on our own to meet him. This was the first flight for Reagan, and my first time flying solo with three kids. It took a lot of preparation and carry-on packing, but everyone was entertained the whole flight and the preparation paid off.
Where we Stayed
Over two weeks in a hotel with three kids, can be a bit much, so we opted to rent an apartment in the Residences at City Center. It worked out very well for our family and was in close proximity to many of the museums and also the subway.
Traveling Through Washington D.C.
We walked majority of the trip, however, we did ride the subway quite a few times, as well. The main part of the city was definitely walkable and I was comfortable doing it on my own. Getting the pass for the subway did come in handy quite a few times as kids were cranky or we decided to go a bit further out of the city (Alexandria, Virginia).
Where We Explored
Washington D.C. has an array of things to do. With over 70 museums there is something for everyone and, for a family of five, we loved that most of them are free! While there was no way we were going to see everything that D.C. has to offer, we catered more to our kids interests and ended up seeing more than we expected!
The fact that most of the museums are free makes it nice with a family. Instead of feeling like we had to complete the entire museum in one day, to get our money's worth, we did what we could and then went back to finish up any of the museums we felt needed more time. As a result we had less cranky kids and didn't have to spend any extra on double entrance fees.
This was a great art museum showcasing the work of American artists. For adults it's amazing, but with small kids it was hard to keep them quiet and walking for the entire museum. For my kids, one of the highlights of the Art Museum was the interactive kids area, where they created their own artworks and had fun getting messy.
This was a great museum for the kids. There were so many things to see and interact with throughout the museum. This was one of the museums we ended up taking two days to complete. There is so much to do and see, it's hard to get all of it in with small kids, in one day. It was definitely worth the second day.
This is a great way to get some exercise and explore the area. We spent a day walking and exploring the National Mall. The kids enjoyed the Lincoln Memorial most and reading the Gettysburg Address on the wall was definitely the highlight of the day.
This was a great place to spend the day with young kids. They had a blast exploring, building and enjoying all the interactive exhibits. I loved that most of the museum was hands-on. It was not a large museum, but we spent the whole morning building and playing. I highly recommend this museum if you are traveling to Washington D.C. with kids!
Another must-do if you are in the D.C. area. Our kids had a blast seeing all the animals and the zoo itself was beautiful. It was a great way to spend the day outside enjoying the beautiful weather and interacting with the animals.
This was a favorite for everyone in our family. Between the history, dinosaurs and butterflies, everyone was happy. The museum has exhibits galore and everyone has something they're excited about. In fact, this was a museum, we ended up doing twice; not because we missed things the first time, but because the kids loved it so much!
We absolutely loved our day trip to Alexandria, Virginia. We split into groups and explored the downtown area using this scavenger hunt. After the scavenger hunt, we found a few fun parks to let the kids play. Brian and I enjoyed walking the area seeing the beautiful architecture and the history of the town. The kids had a blast running around using the clues to find the different areas! If you are in the D.C. area, definitely take a day and explore the Alexandria area!
On my to-see list was the National Gallery of Art, which just happens to have an ice-skating rink next door. I will admit, I may have used ice-skating, as a bribe for letting me spend a little time walking with them through the art museum. It worked and we all had a great day.
The Art Museum is gorgeous and had some wonderful pieces of art to see. Even the kids enjoyed seeing some of the artists' works we had studied these past years. Including the works of Monet, Manat, Renoir, Degas, Cassatt, Van Gogh, and Pollock.
Ice skating was a highlight for the kids, even though they had blisters afterward. It was a great location, although it was fall and the trees had started losing their leaves so there were some leaves on the ice making a bit of an obstacle. It was fairly empty allowing the kids to have the rink mostly to themselves. This was a great perk for novice skaters. I imagine this would have been a beautiful place to skate at night with all the lights surrounding the rink.
This was Jackson's choice for the day and it did not disappoint. The museum was interactive and very interesting. We had a great time pretending to be spies, while learning about their history. The interactive exhibits were quite challenging but even the kids enjoyed trying to conquer them. We all agreed we would never make it as spies, but we had a blast learning about the life of a spy.
We had the opportunity to see A Christmas Carol at the Ford Theater, so we took it! It did not disappoint. It was eerie to be in the theater where Lincoln was assassinated. We took some time to walk through the museum and get a quick history lesson before the show began. The show was great, If you have an opportunity to see a show in the Ford Theater definitely take the time to be in the theater. Otherwise, you can enjoy the museum on its own, and that was worth it as well.
This was a great way to spend a nice day. The gardens were beautiful even in winter. We happened to be there while the Christmas trees were on display and they were absolutely stunning. This was a great way to get a bit of nature while it is freezing outside.
Traveling in Washington D.C. with three kids involves a lot of walking, subway rides and tons of fun things to explore. We spent most of the mornings exploring then headed back to the apartment for down time in the afternoon. Because we had 2.5 weeks to explore, I didn't feel like we needed to push too much into one day. We definitely made the most of the weeks and had a ton of great adventures and learning opportunities.
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