Planning a Trip to DC

[Schiff for Senate]

I am planning a potential trip to the national capital (it would be my first), but am not entirely sure on where to go / what to see, where to stay, and how long it all might take.

Given this forum's great interest in politics/government, I'd venture that many of you have been to Washington DC in the past.

If so, I would appreciate advice or information on what to see and do there, how long that might take, and which places to reside in during the stay.

Any amount of information, whether only a little bit or a lot, would be appreciated.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

The LOC is always good. So is the Holocaust museum.

[jamestroll]

For museums, I have only been to the Museum of the American Indian and the DC Botanical Gardens. This is in March 2020 right before the closures.

I hope to visit many more museums this summer. Particularly Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture!

I am more into outdoor attractions. I absolutely love jogging in Rock Creek Parking and around the Tidal basin.

Mostly though, I find DC itself over rated but still a great place to visit.

If you are headed outside DC itself, I am very well versed in the natural attractions around DC.

Such as this:

[Conservatopia]

"Trip to DC" is clearly just a cover story for planning another storming of the Capitol.

Mods please ban.

[GregTheGreat657]

Mount Vernon is located just outside of DC (within Fairfax County, VA). The homes of James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe are about 2 hours away. You could also tour the White House, Capital, and SCOTUS now that those have reopened. I went to DC on family vacations twice when I was younger (2015/2016), so please feel free to PM.

[Schiff for Senate]

The LOC is always good. So is the Holocaust museum.

How long would you estimate to spend in each place?
Like should I anticipate spending 2 hours in the Library of Congress or 4 (or neither)?
And should I plan to spend 3 hours in the Holocaust museum, or 5 (or somewhere in between the two)?

[Schiff for Senate]

Mount Vernon is located just outside of DC (within Fairfax County, VA). The homes of James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe are about 2 hours away. You could also tour the White House, Capital, and SCOTUS now that those have reopened. I went to DC on family vacations twice when I was younger (2015/2016), so please feel free to PM.

I doubt I'd be able to go to Madison, Jefferson and Monroe's homes, though going to Mount Vernon seems like a very strong possibility given its proximity to DC.

I do like the idea of seeing the White House and the Capital.

Let's see, though. I think, assuming I decided not to go to see Madison/Jefferson/Monroe's homes, I might be able to fit in the Capital, the White House, SCOTUS and Mt. Vernon in one day. On the other hand, having been there, you probably know how long it takes better. How long does the White House tour take? Two hours, three hours, longer? Would you say it takes one day between them? Or two? Or more? (Hopefully not more than 2 days, as I don't think I'll be able to have the trip be too long, like 4 days at the most, probably more like 3.)

Anyway, with that being there, I've gotten:

1. Library of Congress (thanks to flyingmongoose)
2. Mt. Vernon (thanks to Greg)
3. The Capitol (thanks to Greg)
4. The White House (thanks to Greg)
5. Holocaust Memorial Museum (thanks to flyingmongoose)
6. SCOTUS (thanks to Greg)
7. Smithsonian (thanks to Jimmie)
8. If time permits (I doubt it will): Jefferson/Madison/Monroe (thanks to Greg)
9. Museum of the American Indian (thanks to Jimmie)

Now from there, I need to figure out how long all these things will take, and where to stay...

[Schiff for Senate]

Also, if the trip is to be a short one, which of the above 9 options would you say I prioritize? I would think that I'd start by cancelling Jefferson/Madison/Monroe since it is far away from all the other sites. However, I fear given how long it will take to properly visit each location, I might well be hard-pressed to do even the other eight. I would say the Smithsonian, White House, Mt. Vernon, the Capitol and LOC are musts, and that the two other museums and SCOTUS might be lower-priority. But those who have been there, I'd love to know which places you consider the most important to see and which you would say can be skipped if necessary / are overrated.

[It’s so Joever]

Oh my gosh I have a ton of suggestions since I’ve been exploring the city for a few months now. You’ve heard of all the obvious things so I’ll tell you some other things I’d recommend if you have time which may or may not be true.

For museums there are some extremely underrated ones ToH could consider if you have time:
-Museum of the American Indian: Easily one of the most underrated museums. Never too busy and very interesting place to learn about Native American history and culture. Highly reccomend.
-National Archives Museum. Has the constitution, Declaration of Independence, yknow stuff I hate as a Forumlurkerist, but obviously super cool to see
-Postal Museum is pretty cool from what I’ve heard, I honestly haven’t been but I am planning on going soon.

Among mainstream ones…
American History is cool (f**k the haters they are just jealous) African American is also very cool and the newest, air and space obv if you’re into that stuff

Otherwise I’d suggest you just explore the actual city if you can and have time. DC is a lot more than federal offices and museums, it’s a pretty cool place even beyond, although you’ll need a metro pass.

-Georgetown is always a nice little place to see once. I don’t go there often because it’s not a metro stop and I’m lazy, but def worth seeing. Oh and Georgetown cupcakes aren’t that good.

-Embassy Row. It’s Massachusetts Avenue, you’ll see a ton of embassies, if you are into flags like I am, it’s a nice walk.

-Smithsonian Zoo if you wanna see pandas.

-I’ve heard great things about the National Arboretum, but it’s pretty far out of the way for me so I can’t say anything about it myself

-Adams Morgan is good for night life and food if you are looking for that.

-Capitol Hill, Mount Pleasant, Logan Circle, Shaw, and Columbia Heights all are also all cool neighborhoods that I wouldn’t recommend to someone visiting for a short amount of time, but someone staying for an extended amount of time (like several weeks) may wanna go see.

Restaurant Reccomendations:
-El Rinconcito
-Amsterdam Falafelshop
-Zenebech
-Roaming Rooster
-Levains (for cookies)
-China Boy
-Reren
-Capital Doner
(There are others but these are suggestions if they are nearby)


Other tips:
Visit the national monuments at sunset or night, it’s a different experience. There is nothing quite like having a statue of MLK behind you on a breezy full moon night while facing the river. Or maybe I was just unusually happy that night.

Walk where you can, it’s a pretty nice city to walk unless it’s raining, then again I’m biased and I love walking across cities when I travel, that’s just something I love doing.

If you are on an escalator in the metro STAND ON THE RIGHT, DO NOT STAND ON THE LEFT PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO MOVE

[It’s so Joever]

Also, if the trip is to be a short one, which of the above 9 options would you say I prioritize? I would think that I'd start by cancelling Jefferson/Madison/Monroe since it is far away from all the other sites. However, I fear given how long it will take to properly visit each location, I might well be hard-pressed to do even the other eight. I would say the Smithsonian, White House, Mt. Vernon, the Capitol and LOC are musts, and that the two other museums and SCOTUS might be lower-priority. But those who have been there, I'd love to know which places you consider the most important to see and which you would say can be skipped if necessary / are overrated.

Oh sorry I didn’t see this post before I wrote so ignore most of what I put above, how long is your trip? That will be important to know if you want a good plan

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

I'd say 1-2 hours for the Holocaust Museum. LOC is fascinating, so I'd budget more time for that.

[It’s so Joever]

Also, if the trip is to be a short one, which of the above 9 options would you say I prioritize? I would think that I'd start by cancelling Jefferson/Madison/Monroe since it is far away from all the other sites. However, I fear given how long it will take to properly visit each location, I might well be hard-pressed to do even the other eight. I would say the Smithsonian, White House, Mt. Vernon, the Capitol and LOC are musts, and that the two other museums and SCOTUS might be lower-priority. But those who have been there, I'd love to know which places you consider the most important to see and which you would say can be skipped if necessary / are overrated.

The museums in general are my fav, they are free and really cool but they will take the most time so make your choice ig.
That being said I don’t think you’ll actually spend much time at the monuments themselves, they are cool to look at but you don’t spend much time there itself. This is a bit of a personal choice but if you are triaging things, I’d suggest cutting off the monuments which are out of the way and aren’t the Lincoln or Washington Monument. Mt Vernon is pretty far out relative to everything else fyi. Unless you have a car I wouldn’t do it.

[Schiff for Senate]

It appears that aside from the aforementioned 9, other must-visits are:
10. National Archives Museum
11. National Museum of African American History
12. Embassy Row

Restraunts (all taken thanks to Forumlurker's helpful inputs):
1. El Rinconcito
2. Amsterdam Falafelshop
3. Zenebech
4. Roaming Rooster
5. Levains (for cookies)
6. China Boy
7. Reren
8. Capital Doner
9. Whichever good restraunts show up on Google Maps and are near where I am at mealtimes.

Also, if the trip is to be a short one, which of the above 9 options would you say I prioritize? I would think that I'd start by cancelling Jefferson/Madison/Monroe since it is far away from all the other sites. However, I fear given how long it will take to properly visit each location, I might well be hard-pressed to do even the other eight. I would say the Smithsonian, White House, Mt. Vernon, the Capitol and LOC are musts, and that the two other museums and SCOTUS might be lower-priority. But those who have been there, I'd love to know which places you consider the most important to see and which you would say can be skipped if necessary / are overrated.

Oh sorry I didn’t see this post before I wrote so ignore most of what I put above, how long is your trip? That will be important to know if you want a good plan

I'm not sure if/when it is even happening yet, but it might be. The exact number of days is not yet certain and is what I'm trying to figure out, but it won't be a long enough trip to do all that you said. I would say somewhere from 4-6 days total. I would love it if you could let me know what you'd consider the top things to see and do during the that time (also how long each particular stop might take), because clearly, there is a massive amount to do in DC and not all of it will be possible this time around. Forget whatever I said - you appear to be one of the forum's resident experts on DC, along with the other posters who actually live there, so if possible, just let me know whatever you think can work in 4-6 days, how long each place might take, and what you think is the most important to visit right now and what can be pushed out to later. (Sorry if I'm asking for a lot - but I really value input from someone who has been in DC for so long!)

I'd say 1-2 hours for the Holocaust Museum. LOC is fascinating, so I'd budget more time for that.

Good to know. My biggest concern is not missing out on anything major. I will be able to go to DC as well later on, so this time, the goal is to do whatever is top priority (asking Forumlurker on that), and spending the appropriate amount of time in each place. When I do go to the Holocaust Museum (which might end up getting pushed out to a later trip) and the LOC (which I think might end up happening on this trip, depends paritally on what Forumlurker thinks), I will be sure to spend at least an hour at the Holocaust Museum and as long as necessary in LOC (which, I'd agree, is a big one - it's the biggest library in the world!).

[Mr. Smith]

The War Memorials are quite something too.

The one with Aviation is also quite nice.

Not too much else I can add that hasn't already been said. Though I might get myself up there for Easter.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Lucky duck.

I want to get there one day.

[NewYorkExpress]

When are you going exactly?

I personally recommend a Washington Nationals game, as Nationals Park is one of the best baseball stadiums on the East Coast.

[John Dule]

I have a suggestion: don't go. DC is one of the worst places on Earth. It is an absolute pimple of a city.

[Schiff for Senate]

Lucky duck.

I want to get there one day.

Well, it's far from set in stone currently, but I'm trying to get a rough sketch of what to do there in case I do end up going.

When are you going exactly?

I personally recommend a Washington Nationals game, as Nationals Park is one of the best baseball stadiums on the East Coast.

I do appreciate the advice, but this is a no-go for me because I am politically agnostic and could not last through a baseball game.

I have a suggestion: don't go. DC is one of the worst places on Earth. It is an absolute pimple of a city.

I'm going there (when I do go there) not for the city per se, but for the museums/government buldings/historic artifacts. Washington, DC, as an actual city is nothing too great or worth a vist, I'm sure, but the Capitol/White House/Museums make it worth it. And I've never been there before. Nonetheless, I find amusing how your appraisal of it is a "pimple" of a city.

[Joe Republic]

I describe sightseeing in DC as the four M's:  Monuments, Memorials, Mansions and Museums.  And the best part is that they're pretty much all free.

[politicallefty]

I've only visited DC once, when I was 13, in early 2001. That's was probably a different experience than anyone would have now or has had over the past 20ish years. It was a really great time though. I actually got to sit inside the House of Representatives. I also got to see the now-defunct Newseum. They also had a section of the Berlin Wall nearby for people to see. I was definitely saddened to see that close.

If you have limited time, I'd recommend at least seeing each of the Capitol, White House, and Supreme Court, but not necessarily trying to get inside.

I agree with the above though. Definitely try to see the various war memorials. A lot of them are close to one other and also the monuments. You can see the Washington from afar, but I'd most highly recommend the FDR and Lincoln Memorials. The Japanese cherry blossoms are quite amazing at the right time of year. There's also something about seeing the National Mall and Lincoln Memorial at night that is really something else. I didn't get to see the National Archives, but it's something I'd love to see myself.

The Smithsonian is actually quite a few museums. You definitely need to see some. I remember seeing the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of Natural History (I think the latter is the one with the elephant). I took pictures of the Hope Diamond and the Ruby Slippers.

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Definitely recommend the Museum of Natural History.  It really is an institution of natural sciences and boasts an incredible collection of exhibits. 

[vitoNova]

Cafe St Ex is the best hidden secret in DC. 

[It’s so Joever]

It appears that aside from the aforementioned 9, other must-visits are:
10. National Archives Museum
11. National Museum of African American History
12. Embassy Row

Restraunts (all taken thanks to Forumlurker's helpful inputs):
1. El Rinconcito
2. Amsterdam Falafelshop
3. Zenebech
4. Roaming Rooster
5. Levains (for cookies)
6. China Boy
7. Reren
8. Capital Doner
9. Whichever good restraunts show up on Google Maps and are near where I am at mealtimes.

Also, if the trip is to be a short one, which of the above 9 options would you say I prioritize? I would think that I'd start by cancelling Jefferson/Madison/Monroe since it is far away from all the other sites. However, I fear given how long it will take to properly visit each location, I might well be hard-pressed to do even the other eight. I would say the Smithsonian, White House, Mt. Vernon, the Capitol and LOC are musts, and that the two other museums and SCOTUS might be lower-priority. But those who have been there, I'd love to know which places you consider the most important to see and which you would say can be skipped if necessary / are overrated.

Oh sorry I didn’t see this post before I wrote so ignore most of what I put above, how long is your trip? That will be important to know if you want a good plan

I'm not sure if/when it is even happening yet, but it might be. The exact number of days is not yet certain and is what I'm trying to figure out, but it won't be a long enough trip to do all that you said. I would say somewhere from 4-6 days total. I would love it if you could let me know what you'd consider the top things to see and do during the that time (also how long each particular stop might take), because clearly, there is a massive amount to do in DC and not all of it will be possible this time around. Forget whatever I said - you appear to be one of the forum's resident experts on DC, along with the other posters who actually live there, so if possible, just let me know whatever you think can work in 4-6 days, how long each place might take, and what you think is the most important to visit right now and what can be pushed out to later. (Sorry if I'm asking for a lot - but I really value input from someone who has been in DC for so long!)

I'd say 1-2 hours for the Holocaust Museum. LOC is fascinating, so I'd budget more time for that.

Good to know. My biggest concern is not missing out on anything major. I will be able to go to DC as well later on, so this time, the goal is to do whatever is top priority (asking Forumlurker on that), and spending the appropriate amount of time in each place. When I do go to the Holocaust Museum (which might end up getting pushed out to a later trip) and the LOC (which I think might end up happening on this trip, depends paritally on what Forumlurker thinks), I will be sure to spend at least an hour at the Holocaust Museum and as long as necessary in LOC (which, I'd agree, is a big one - it's the biggest library in the world!).

Okay so for one I’m not really an “expert”, I’ve been here for a few months but there are several atlas posters who have been here longer, so I’d listen to them over me if they disagree with something I say. And don’t apologize about asking for this, I love planning trips and when I was younger I wanted to be a travel agent, you are fulfilling a lost childhood dream


As for time…it honestly really depends. Take a museum: It’s a lot different to guess time for a guy who reads every single sign carefully and looks at every single little detail in every exhibit vs someone who just wants a more general understanding and reads the main parts/a few details he’s more interested in. I can try to average but just keep your own pace in mind, really any attraction takes as long as you want it to.

Here is what I would reccomend for the National Mall Area which is prolly where you’ll spend much of your time, although I would reccomend at least spending one day beyond here unless you are really pressed for time.


Essential:

Capitol/Supreme Court .5 hours (last I check it wasn’t open for yours so you’ll only be getting photos from outside which is why time is so short, still go, it’s on the way and it’s awesome to see anyways, like have you been to DC if you haven’t stor-seen the the capitol?)
White House .5 hours (see capitol)
Washington Monument 15 minutes (unless you wanna go up it, I wouldn’t think it’s really worth it since it’s almost always a long line, but your call)
Lincoln Memorial 15 minutes

Highly Recommended:

Library of Congress 2.5 hours
National Museum of American History 3 Hours
Air and Space Museum 3 Hours
American Museum of Natural History 3 Hours
Jefferson Memorial 15 minutes (walk to it looks long but it’s only about 20 minutes from the Smithsonian metro, I was literally there today and timed it lmao)

Reccomended:

Museum of the American Indian 2.5 Hours
(I could go on for hours about this one, f**k the haters this is a hill I will die on)
Vietnam Vets Memorial 15 minutes
Korean War memorial 15 minutes
WW2 Memorial 15 minutes
MLK Memorial 15 minutes
Holocaust Museum 2 Hours (Yes it’s sad, it’s important to see if you can…but you’ll definitely feel different once you leave)
National Museum of African American History and Culture 2.5 hours (Tbh this is why I say it depends in terms of museums, one time I spent only a couple hours at most here and was fine, then I went back a few months later and somehow spent over three and a half hours and still wasn’t finished, it really depends on person, how much you wanna see, mood, etc)
National Gallery of Art 2.5 Hours

Mid-Priority
National Archives Museum 2 hours
American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery 2 hours
Postal Museum 2 hours
Chinatown Gate (Friendship Archway) 15 minutes
Holodomor Memorial (if visiting Postal Museum) 15 minutes
FDR Memorial 15 minutes (yeah Republicans may have got our airport for now, BUT WE HAVE THE MONUMENT AND WE WILL TAKE B- it’s a nice area to walk)
International Spy Museum 2.5 hours (pretty cool but it costs money which is bulls**t, great for kids)
Fords Theater 0.5 Hours


Decent restaurants in area:
(I tried to make these all within 20 minutes walking one way of the National Mall, there are a bunch of chains as well if you don’t wanna go too far as well. The food trucks you’ll see along the mall are okay as well afaik, they are prolly the closest. It’s just a bad area for food lmao.)

US Department of Agriculture Cafeteria
(People look at me weird when I say this…but shockingly it’s open to the public and honestly probably the best you’ll find on the mall itself, better/cheaper than any museum cafeteria but that’s a low bar lmao)
Matchbox
China Boy (cash only)
Luke’s Lobster
Rasika (if you are loaded with money to waste)
GCDC
Founding Farmers (a lot of people like it idk)
Teaism


General tips:
1. If you wanna maximize time do museums in the day and the monuments in the evening or night. This works especially well for summer. I would dare say the monuments are better in evening and night.
2. Use the back or side doors (back meaning on constitution Avenue instead of on the mall itself) for natural history and American history to avoid as much line
3. Best time for museum lines is a bit after opening, so the people who wait early go through but it’s still early enough that it isn’t as bad
4. I am not counting things you walk like the actual mall itself or scenic areas/smaller monuments you might stop by if you are waking to a big one like say…the Jefferson monument, those are harder to plan, you’ll see them tho if you want. Give yourself time for this
5. Don’t get museum fatigue. I would NOT recommend you do go to all the museums I listed, these are just options with priority. Think about what YOU want to learn about the most, and pace yourself. It’s much better to see only one or two museums but actually appreciate it than rush through a bunch but not really care for. I tried “ranking” but in all honesty it’s so subjective, make a decision based on what you want, not what one guy in DC thinks.
6. For a scale of reference, the entire mall end to end takes about 45 min-1 hour to walk nonstop.
7. This one is obvious but if there is a rainy day, yeah that’s the museum day

[Alben Barkley]

I used to live there.

It is a good city with some of the best free attractions in the nation and world. Definitely go to the Smithsonian. Most all the museums are worth checking out, with special mention to the Natural History Museum, American History Museum, and Air and Space Museum. Holocaust Museum is not Smithsonian but is a must-see. Most of the monuments/memorials are worth checking out as well, especially the Lincoln/Jefferson/FDR/MLK memorials near each other on the Potomac. I used to walk/jog around those early in the morning multiple days a week and it was heaven. Man I miss that more than anything about DC. WW2 and Vietnam memorials are also cool and close by among others. Washington Monument is cool to look at but honestly not worth waiting too long to go up the thing IMO.

Worth stopping at Arlington National Cemetery too if you get the chance. Mt. Vernon is also pretty cool but I would definitely pick Arlington if you can only go to one (Robert E. Lee’s old house is right there too). Ford’s Theater also is a nice place to visit with some interesting tours and a cool little museum in the basement with artifacts from Lincoln’s assassination. Oh and if you are interested in parks and nature, Rock Creek Park is pretty awesome; actually twice the size of Central Park in NYC! The Metro takes you all around the DMV. It’s not perfect but is one of the better public transit systems in the nation.

As far as tours of places like the Capitol… it is OK but not as essential as you might think. Have they even opened it back up again? I know at least pre-1/6 you could likely get tickets to sit in the gallery of the House/Senate through your Congressman fairly easily, but IDK about the situation today as I haven’t been there since then. I used to work on Capitol Hill so maybe I take for granted how great the place is, though I do think it’s a stunning and historic building of course. Just not sure how much hassle you wanna go through to get in if possible. I actually never went to the White House myself, didn’t bother to go through all that. (Although I ALMOST had the chance to go through my work and missed out at the last second; would have met Obama if I did!) Think that has to be planned out well in advance if you wanna do that. Still, just walking around the area of the National Mall and seeing the Capitol building, White House, SCOTUS, etc. even if you don’t go in can be awe-inspiring. You can get a great view of the whole damn thing from the WW2 memorial. I used to go there in the morning and night and take some really awesome photos.

As far as restaurants, nightlife, etc., there’s a lot although even though I was a student (or perhaps because I was a very busy grad student) when I was there, I didn’t thoroughly explore it as much as I would have liked to. It is a world class city with some fine options for this stuff though, and I see nothing objectionable from the recommendations from others in this thread.

Anyway, the whole place is just dripping with history around every corner and is a wet dream for the types of folks who frequent a forum like this! I miss it damn near every day. Just being able to walk around there and run into historic sights and places of immense political significance on every corner, sometimes even stumbling on memorials and such I didn’t even know existed before, was amazing.

[Nutmeg]

Washington, DC, as an actual city is nothing too great or worth a vist, I'm sure

Says the person who's never been here before

What the heck is it about this country that people hate the capital city? In what other country is that the case?