Wanna Do DC like We Did? Here is my Itinerary
Posted by Joe King | Posted in Travel | Posted on 03-06-2010
0
I’ve been asked for my “DC Itinerary” by a couple of people now. Each wondering how the hell I fit so much in. So I decided to summarize that portion of the trip. (I’ll write up the North Carolina portion later).
Times are approximate and all prices shown are for a family of four. Metro prices are not shown, but I purchased everyone a $15 card and we had about $1.90 left over on each.
Day 1
- 1:00PM – Arrive in DC area (via car, from Boone, NC)
- 2:00PM - Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (Air and Space @ Dulles), $15 (parking)
- 6:00PM – Check in to Hampton Inn, Crystal City
- 7:00PM – Dinner at Cantina Mexicana, $60
(around the block from hotel)
Day 2
- 8:00AM – Free Breakfast at Hotel
- 9:00AM – Metro - Crystal City to Arlington
- 9:30AM - Arlington National Cemetery tour via TourMobile, $26.25
- 11:30AM – Metro - Arlington to Union Station
- 11:45AM – Lunch at Union Station, $30
- 1:30PM - Capitol Tour, Free (via Congressman)
- 2:45PM - Library of Congress tour, Free
(take underground tunnel from the Capitol) - 4:30PM - Smithsonian Air and Space, Free
- 7:30PM – Dinner in Union Station (Johnny Rockets), $45
- 9:00PM - DoubleDecker Night Tour, $50
(they have a $50 family special, that includes up to three kids) - 11:00PM – Metro - Union Station to Crystal City
Day 3
- 8:00AM – Free Breakfast at Hotel
- 8:45AM – Metro Crystal City to Smithsonian
- 9:00AM - Smithsonian American History, Free
- 12:00PM – Lunch at Natural History, $45
- 12:30PM - Smithsonian Natural History, Free
- 4:15PM - National Archives, $6 (ticket fee)
- 6:00PM - Post Office Pavillion Tour, Free (closed when we got there)
- 7:00PM – Metro - Federal Triangle to Crystal City
- 7:30PM – Dinner at Chipotle in Crystal City Shops, $34
Day 4
- 8:00AM – Free Breakfast at Hotel
- 8:45AM – Metro - Crystal City to Arlington
- 9:00AM – Bus – Arlington to 22nd/Constitution
- 9:05AM – Monuments on the Mall (Vietnam, Lincoln, Korean War, WWII, Washington), Free
(carry a water bottle, there are plenty of water fountains to refill at) - 11:30AM - Holocaust Memorial, $4 (ticket fee)
- 1:15PM – Lunch at Pot Belly Sandwich Works, $29
- 2:15PM – Metro - Smithsonian to Federal Triangle
- 3:00PM - Ford’s Theater, $10 (ticketmaster fee)
- 4:30PM - Smithsonian Museum of American Art, free
(not planned, but we had time) - 5:00PM - International Spy Museum, $77
(I was hesitant to add to itinerary due to price, but it was totally worth it) - 7:00PM – Metro - Gallery Pl/Chinatown to Crystal City
- 7:30PM - Dinner at Cantina Mexicana, $60
(So good, we ate there again!)
Day 5
- 9:30AM - Free Breakfast at Hotel
- 11:00AM – Check out, $728
- 12:00PM – Lunch in Springfield, $30
- 1:30PM – Check in to AutoTrain, $422
(includes the price of car) - 4:30PM – Head home…
Tips
- Price at Hampton (and most other DC hotels) double Sun-Thur, plan accordingly
- Pickup SmartTrip cards for the metro at any CVS. $10 includes $5 credit. Add another $10 the first night when there are no lines at the kiosks in the stations. The card costs $5, but think of it as a souvenir for the kids. There is a CVS one block away from the Hampton Inn
- Do not purchase DC bus tours online. They are readily available in Union Station and MUCH cheaper than online.
- Avoid eating in the museums. The prices are outrageous. I knew this but couldn’t avoid it on one day.
- If you can, plan for more time a the Holocaust Memorial than I did. You’ll need it.