Discover the best family adventures in Washington DC! Visiting Washington DC provides an enriching experience full of history, culture, and excitement. Whether you’re interested in politics, art, history, or simply enjoying the atmosphere, DC offers something for everyone. The city’s mix of iconic landmarks, world-class museums, diverse food scene, and cultural events make it a destination worth exploring. Join our travel family as we conquer the capital’s iconic landmarks and museums. Follow along as I explain the best places to visit in Washington DC with kids!
What Makes Washington DC So Special?
In 1790 Congress established a 100-square-mile territory to serve as the permanent seat of the federal government. The territory was later named the District of Columbia. Today, Washington, D.C. is capital city and federal district of the United States. It is located between Maryland and Virginia along the east bank of the Potomac River.
Washington DC is home to important buildings for all branches of government and full of landmarks and memorials. It is lined with museums, historical places and national treasures. Essentially, it is a must-see for everyone!
Visiting Washington DC with Kids in the Summer
We explored Washington DC during the sweltering heat of late-July. It was tolerable, but incredibly hot. We knew it was not the ideal time to visit. But like most people with kids, it worked with school schedules.
We worked with the heat by planning outdoor activities, like visiting the monuments, early in the morning. Then we were free to visit air conditioned museums and buildings during the afternoon. The heat, combined with a ton of walking, left us pretty tired by dinner each day. So we did not plan evening activities. Instead, we used the time to relax.
Visiting Washington DC with Kids - Stop 1:
White House Tour
Our tour of the White House included the East Wing residence and several rooms on the State Floor. Starting in the East Wing we saw the Theater Room, Library, Vermeil Room and China Room.
Then we moved to the State Floor, where we saw the East Room, Green Room, Blue Room, Red Room, and State Dining Room.
There are Secrete Service in every room and each is a walking encyclopedia of history and facts.
The White House tour ended up being a highlight of our trip!
A White House tour is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Of course it is not something you can just walk up and do. So of course we have a post describing everything you need to know! Learn more about Washington DC with kids in our post “What to Expect When Touring the White House”
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #2:
Washington Monument
After passing through security at the Washington Monument, you take the elevator all the way up to the Observation Deck. Here you can take in the amazing views and explore the exhibits.
On the return elevator ride, check out the commemorative stones set into the walls! These represent the various individuals, groups, cities, states, and countries that contributed to its construction.
Visiting the inside of the Washington Monument is another thing you need to secure advanced tickets for. Learn more about it and visiting Washington DC with kids in our post “A Complete Guide to Visiting the Washington Monument”.
You Don't Want to Miss This Tour!
Get Tickets to Go Inside the Washington Monument!
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #3:
Lunch at Nook in the Reagan Building
After the Washington Monument, we headed back to check in to our hotel. Along the way, we stopped for a late lunch at Nook in the Reagan Building. The Reagan Building food court was impressive and an easy place to find things the girls would like to eat.
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #4:
Dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill
After a nap and shower, finished our evening with an early dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill. Old Ebbitt Grill is a historic and iconic restaurant located downtown near the White House. The restaurant has a historical vibe, and the food is amazing! Advanced reservations are recommended and easily made on Open Table.
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #5:
Ford’s Theater
Spider Monkey learned all about President Lincoln, so she was super excited to visit Ford’s Theater. Here we traced the steps of his assassination. We started our tour in the museum with audio guides detailing the events. Much to my surprise, the girls both loved listening to the kid’s version of the audio guide! It described tales from the civil war and the plot to assassinate Lincoln. They even saw the gun used to shoot the fatal bullet.
After the museum, we moved upstairs for a fascinating Ranger Talk in the theater. Then, after the ranger talk, we moved across the street to Petersen House. Petersen House is the boarding house where Lincoln was taken after he was shot and where he eventually died. The girls talked with the ranger and earned the Junior Ranger badge before viewing the various rooms.
The boarding house opens into another museum area the details the aftermath of the assassination.
Visiting Ford’s Theater is another thing you need to secure advanced tickets for. Learn more about it and visiting Washington DC with kids in our post “A Family Guide to Visiting Ford’s Theater”.
You Don't Want to Miss This Tour!
Get Tickets to Ford's Theater & Petersen House
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #6:
Lunch at Asian Nine
After following the Lincoln assassination, we had lunch at Asian Nine. It was conveniently close to Ford’s Theater and decently priced.
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #7:
National Postal Museum
Our next stop was the National Postal Museum. This required a little travel via the metro, but it was highly recommended and well worth the effort. We walked about 2 minutes to the Gallery Place Chinatown Station and took the Red Line metro towards the Glenmont to Union Station. The National Postal Museum is right outside the station.
I had heard great things about this hidden gem, and it did not disappoint! It was not crowded, offered a kids’ scavenger hunt and had was really interactive!
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #8:
US Supreme Court
From the National Postal Museum, we walked about 15 minutes to the US Supreme Court. Along the way, we came across the Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial.
The US Supreme Court is located on First Street NE between East Capitol Street and Maryland Avenue. The Supreme Court offers a self-guided “tour” where you roam around the halls and look at all the exhibits. They do have scheduled lectures, but this was not something the girls would have been interested in.
You enter the building from the Plaza doors located on each side of the main steps. It offered an interactive scavenger hunt for the girls (these are so amazing). We explored the halls took in the exhibits.
You Don't Want to Miss This Tour!
Get a Tour of the US Supreme Court
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #9:
Library of Congress
From the Supreme Court building, we hopped next door for our timed-entry pass to the Library of Congress. And wow!!! It is so beautiful!!! The girls completed a scavenger hunt while we soaked in everything! We explored Jefferson’s library and examined the Gutenberg Bible.
Then we opted to register for a Reading Room card. We followed the big orange arrows to the back room. Here we were photographed and issued our special Library of Congress library cards. From there, we were free to explore the Reading Rooms and the Kids Reading Room. The Library of Congress made Buttercup’s top list of places we visited (she is already asking to go back).
Visiting the Library of Congress is another thing you need to secure advanced tickets for. Learn more about it and visiting Washington DC with kids in our post “Guide to Getting Library of Congress Tickets and Visiting with Kids”.
You Don't Want to Miss This Tour!
Get Tickets to the Library of Congress
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #10:
Dinner at Ted’s Bulletin
Afterwards, we grabbed dinner at Ted’s Bulletin. The food was great and it was reasonably priced. Another option I considered in the area was We the Pizza.
As we were leaving, we bumped into Bernie Sanders. I am admittedly terrible with names and faces, so I was clueless. Dustin recognized him right away and said “hi”. He asked the girls where we were visiting from and snapped a photo with us. Fun, yet random memory from our adventures.
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #11:
National Mall Memorials
We started our day early with a visit to many of the memorials. We visited the Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial, utilizing the DC Circular in between.
We watching the baby ducks in the Reflection Pool before exploring the Korean War Veterans Memorial, DC War memorial and the Roosevelt Memorial.
The US Park Police Horse Stables were on our way, so we made a brief stop there along our walk.
Our last stop was the World War II Memorial.
Learn more about our plan and visiting Washington DC with kids in our post “How to Plan the Perfect Walking Tour of the National Mall”.
You Don't Want to Miss This Tour!
Get a Tour of the National Mall
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #12:
Lunch at Gordon Ramsay's Fish & Chips
For lunch we took an Uber to the Wharf to Gordon Ramsay’s Fish & Chips. The shakes were amazing and the wharf was a fun area to explore!
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #13:
Smithsonian Space and Air Museum
After lunch, we made our way to the Smithsonian Space and Air Museum for our timed entry. While we waited for our timed entry, we enjoyed the telescopes and activities they had set up outside.
Inside, it was so crowded! There was no way to move around without constantly bumping into people. So, this turned out to be my least favorite place of our trip. We love space museums, but the crowds made it not enjoyable. The Wright Brother exhibit was its only saving Grace for me. Otherwise I could not wait to get out of that madness!
You Don't Want to Miss This Tour!
Get a Tour of 3 Smithsonian Museums
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #14:
National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden
After jetting out of the Air and Space Museum, we planned to visit the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. So, we cut through the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden on our way. The weather was looking questionable, so we didn’t spend too long exploring the garden. But the optical illusion house was very entertaining for the girls.
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #15:
Smithsonian Natural History Museum
We loved the Natural History Museum! We stayed until closing, exploring all the exhibits. The girls like the exhibits tracing human history.
I found the gem and mineral exhibits fascinating. I mean … hello, the Hope Diamond was on display!
We even found a part of the meteorite from the Meteor Crater we visited last month.
You Don't Want to Miss This Tour!
Get a Tour of 3 Smithsonian Museums
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #16:
Dinner at Elephant & Castle
We enjoyed dinner at Elephant & Castle during a downpour that we thankfully missed. This was probably one of my favorite meals of the trip! The food was fantastic! After dinner there was an amazing rainbow during our walk back to the hotel.
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #17:
Arlington National Cemetery
We started our day with a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. There is a lot to see and it is pretty spread out, so we took the tram tour.
The first stop was the Kennedy sight and Supreme Court Hill. Here we saw the final resting place of several notable Supreme Court justices and the Kennedy family. The eternal flame is moving and the sheer number of headstones is almost incomprehensible.
Our tour continued to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The concept was a little hard for Spider Monkey to grasp at age 6. But the Changing of the Guard was so moving! During the Changing of the Guard, the military guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is changed. There is an elaborate ceremony which happens every hour on the hour depending on the season.
You Don't Want to Miss This Tour!
Get Tickets for the Hop-On-Hop-Off Tour
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #18:
National Archives
After Arlington, we had time entry passes to the National Archives. The building was very bland compared to all of the others we have seen. Although we talked about the importance of the documents we saw, it was hugely anti-climactic for the girls. So yes, we saw the building blocks upon which America was built, but the girls could have honestly cared less. We did hunt for signatures and typos, but that only got me so far. In retrospect, we should have done a guided tour to make this stop more interesting for the girls.
You Don't Want to Miss This Tour!
Get a Tour of the National Archives
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #19:
National American History Museum
After our brief visit to the National Archives, we moved over to the Smithsonian National American History Museum. Here we checked out the entertainment exhibit and the President’s exhibit. I loved the entertainment exhibit and Spider Monkey enjoyed looking at the First Lady dresses.
You Don't Want to Miss This Tour!
Get a Tour of 3 Smithsonian Museums
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #21:
Smithsonian National Zoo
For the kid’s day, we Buttercup picked a trip to the Smithsonian National Zoo. Top priority for her was the the bird house and bird show. Honestly, the bird show alone was worth the visit!!! We were there early and got seats in the front row. The show lasted over an hour and was so informative and Interactive!! Buttercup was selected as a volunteer early on to demonstrate how a bird builds a nest. Spider Monkey got to hold one of the sticks for the build. Both girls had a blast and Buttercup won’t stop talking about it!
Later in the day, the girls were interacting with the seals. They loved Spider Monkey’s shoes and were chasing the field’s fingers.
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #22:
World War I Memorial and White House Visitor Center
We were up early the next day and made our way towards the White House Visitor Center. We stopped to explore the World War I Memorial along the way. One benefit of being early birds is that we often are the only ones at a location!
We explored the White House Visitor Center. Here we finished the last parts in the girls’ Junior Ranger booklets for the President’s Park and the White House.
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #23:
US Capitol Tour
We made our way to the Longworth House building to track down the right office for our district. Once checked in for our tour, we requested our House and Senate Gallery passes.
We started on our tour with a member of his staff. I requested the tour in advance through the Congressman’s website (along with requesting the White House Tour). The tour was amazing! We used the underground tunnels that connect the buildings to the Capitol and the Library of Congress.
During the tour, we saw pieces from the original building, including bullet holes from the War of 1812. It was just us on the tour, so we got to ask lots of questions and really experience the Capitol. We ended up spending over 5 hours in and around the Capitol!
You Don't Want to Miss This Tour!
Get a Tour of the US Capitol
Visiting Washington DC with Kids – Stop #24:
US Capitol House and Senate Galleries
After the guided tour part, we had lunch in the Longworth House cafeteria. Then we returned to the Capitol to visit each of the Galleries. I highly recommend visiting the Galleries! They were in session while we were there, but neither room was in use.
The Senate Gallery had staff there to answer questions and share interesting facts. One fun fact — there is a “candy desk” near the Republican side. It must always be filled by the Senator that sits there. Usually it is the Republican Senator from Pennsylvania. All the Senators grab a handful of the candy when they come in.
We had planned to visit the Spy Museum, but ended up spending more time in the Capitol than originally planned.
You Don't Want to Miss the House & Senate Galleries!
Get Inside the House or Senate Galleries!
The Family Verdict
It was hot and we covered a ton of miles each day. But the girls got to see the historical places they have been learning about. Overall, there is a majestic quality to Washington DC. We enjoyed the history and spotting famous places we recognized from movies. So while it was not the perfect time of the year to visit, we had a ton of fun!
Make sure to check out our adventures at the White House, Library of Congress, Washington Monument, Ford’s Theater, and the National Mall. Also, check out our nearby adventures in Niagara Falls!
Follow along on our other amazing family travel adventures at www.adventureisinoursouls.com.
Recommended Supplies
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