Washington DC Family Vacation Recap

From interesting museums geared towards certain parts of time, to impressive museums and official government buildings, Washington D.C. is a staple family vacation destination. Discover the multi day itinerary my family followed visiting Washington D.C. in the spring of 2024.

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This trip to our nation’s capital took place in April 2024 with my family of 2 adults, 2 kids (age 8 and 10) and 2 grandparents. We all traveled south in one car to lessen our parking issues once in the city. Since we were coming from north of the city, we actually hit a Baltimore Orioles game prior to making our way into Washington D.C and also visited Old Town Alexandria VA one evening for dinner. Follow along to see our experiences in the greater Washington D.C. area if you’re considering visiting with your family.

Where We Stayed in Washington D.C.

SpringHill Suites Alexandria – You read that right, we didn’t stay in the city itself but stayed right outside just a 20-30 minutes. I wouldn’t say this is a 5 star hotel but I would stay here again. It worked great for our family with free parking and free continental breakfast. We actually got connecting rooms, one a double and the other a king so it basically became one large suite.

Where We Ate in Washington D.C.

I’ll preface this section by saying that we didn’t do many meals IN the city itself but in the outskirts.

Western Market Food Hall in Washington DC – This is actually a fancy food court on the George Washington University campus. We parked in the lot under and happened upon this unique food destination. There are lots of different food styles inside so it was a great stop for lunch where we got different meals, including Italian deli sandwiches, Meatball parm subs and Jamaican style jerk chicken bowls.

O’Connell’s in Old Town Alexandria – This cute traditional Irish Pub fit right into Alexandria’s eclectic setting. The kids enjoyed fish and chips, while us parents munched on an assortment of entrees, including Corned Beef, Chicken Wraps and Chicken Sandwiches with homemade potato chips. Big Guinness were poured after a long day of touring!

El Paso Mexican Restaurant in Alexandria, VA – This restaurant was VERY close to our hotel and provided us with a delicious meal and drinks! Us adults took advantage of the happy hour margaritas and beer specials, plus yummy Mexican faire.

Grazie Grazie in Washington DC – We enjoyed lunch here as a stop on our hop on/hop off bus tour of the city on day 3. This is in the heart of an up and coming area near The Wharf waterfront area of the city with lots of food options. At Grazie Grazie we enjoyed an assortment of delicious sandwiches and waffle fries.

What We Did in Washington D.C.

Tour of the Capitol Building – The 1 hour tour shows several rooms but not the house gallery where they hold official government business with all the little desks!

While they do recommend making tour reservations in advance, we didn’t but were easily able to walk onto one on a Monday morning around 10am.
Free headsets are provided so you can hear exactly what your particular tour guide is saying as there are many tours going on at once.
There is a security screening and you can’t bring in any food (including unopened packaged snacks) or full water bottles (but you can refill empty ones once inside).

Public Tour of the White House – This is something you have to plan for and get approved to do 21 – 90 days BEFORE your visit! During the White House tour, you’ll visit several rooms, including the famous blue room, library, and their collection of China. You’ll see lots of the paintings, including the large original George Washington one hung in the East Room, but not the tour does not include the oval office. Some other things to note:

This tour requires advanced request to your state member of congress 21-90 days prior to your visit. When submitting your request, you can list the dates you’re traveling to the location and if you get approval, they will assign you a tour day and date. Tours don’t run on Monday.
The day we visited was the day after the Easter Egg Roll and while we did hear there was a power issue with the security check ins (there are 3 you go through during your line in!) so in total our wait before entering ended up being 2 hours! The secret service security guard we talked to said this isn’t typical.
The tour itself is self-guided and lasts about 30 minutes but you can definitely stay longer to look in each room. There are a few signs plaques and secret service agents in each room who will answer your questions.
You can take photos and videos inside.
You CANNOT bring in a purse or bag at all. Basically only your ID and cell phone and, in the case of the day of our attendance, an umbrella. The secret service agents did say there are lockers at the Marriot down the street that you’d need to put your stuff in prior to getting in line.
There are NO public bathrooms you can use on line or inside so make sure you go before you get on!
Would I recommend this tour to someone despite the 2 hour line to get in? Well yes! It’s the White House! I’d say it something I can say we did and check that off as done but the 2 hour wait was a bit much.

National Air and Space Museum – Must visit spot with kids! Like most museums in the city, this one is free, but unlike many of the others, this one requires timed tickets (which are easy to get days ahead of your trip). The theme is, of course, all about airplane and space travel, with several floors full of interactive exhibits for kids. Note: There are plenty of food trucks outside this museum so grab something before you head in so you have plenty of time to explore without any hungry bellies.

National Museum of Natural History – This was a must stop for our family after watching the Night at the Museum movies but I’m sad to say it wasn’t a favorite. We hit it at the end of the day after the White House tour and maybe we were all just tired but all of us adults felt this place needed an upgrade. There’s lots of information inside but it’s pretty dated with LOTS to read and not as much hands on stuff for kids. It was also SUPER crowded!

National Museum of the American Indian – Again, very informative about the history of the native nation and it’s people and what happened through all the treaties. But it’s a little over most kids heads with not much interactive things to help teach them about their plight. I think it would be more impactful for kids slightly older than mine.

Historic Old Town Alexandria, VA – This cute, historic town is right outside the city and is a cute destination for the afternoon/evening for lots of food options and views by the waterfront.

Big Bus Hop On Hop Off Tour – We spent the third day in DC riding around on this great bus tour, which worked out great for our rainy day!

When hopping on, you receive a headset you keep the whole day. In plugging it in, you’ll listen to a pre-recorded audio tour of the areas as you drive around the 17 stops.
Since we were there during cherry blossom season, there was both a “red loop” and a “pink loop” that would bring you to the areas where they typically bloom.
We were there on a rainy day and this tour bus provides free ponchos you can grab when you first hop on.
The top tier front row seats were great for the kids to see everything during our drive.
This service has a free app you can download to see the map route and get estimated times on the next bus at your closest stop.

Baltimore Orioles’ Game – I know this post is all about Washington D.C. but I didn’t want to leave out information about our trip to this very clean and nice stadium we visited at this start of our Maryland/DC trip. (I shared some video clips about this on my instagram reel)

We were able to get affordable tickets for the parents and even a free ticket for my 8 year old as part of the “Kids Cheer Free” program. (Kids 9 and under get in free with an adult ticket)
There are plenty of food options in the stadium, including the famous Boog’s sandwiches (we tried both pork and beef!) but there is also a $4.10 menu at select food vendors, where my kids got a hot dog and pretzel.
Purses aren’t allowed inside but you can bring in a clear stadium bag, per their bag policy.
During the 9^th inning, kids (and their parents) can line up so that kids run the bases after the conclusion of the game! My girls loved running around the full loop!

Where We Parked in Washington D.C.

Our family of 6 carpooled to the city so we could use one car each day to get around. We did drive in each day and park mostly in parking decks which ranges from $21-26 per day.