For families Washington DC is a gold mine of places to visit – all of which are FREE.
Where else can kids travel to the moon at the Air and Space Museum, see dinosaur fossils and sparkly jewels, portraits of presidents and first ladies, timeline of American History from tattered Star-Spangled Banner to Star Wars R2D2 robot, Renoir and Leonardi da Vinci paintings at National Gallery of Art, history of slavery in America, discover native peoples of North America, and view Declaration of Independence (very timely).
*National Zoo
*Air and Space Museum and Udvar-Hazy Center
Museum of Natural History
National Gallery of Art
*Museum of African American History and Culture
Museum of American History
Museum of the American Indian
National Archives Museum
*Washington Monument
All these are free, but four need timed entry tickets.
Tip: Museums are great for staying cool in hot summer months!
National Zoo
Great collection of animals from all over the world – North America, Amazon, Africa, Asia, including two giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao from China!
Plus Kids’ Farm, fun for little children.
Free pass required for everyone, reserve in advance.
Air and Space Museum
Air and Space Museum has Apollo lunar modules, spacesuits worn by astronauts on the moon, lunar rocks (one you can touch), rockets, original Wright brothers planes, Spirit of St. Louis, World War II aviation.
Timed entry ticket required.
Udvar-Hazy Center – Air and Space Museum
Second part of the Air and Space Museum, located near Dulles International Airport.
In two large hangars are Space Shuttle Discovery, Enola Gay bomber that dropped atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Blackbird SR-71 reconnaissance plane, Concorde, World War II fighters, Apollo command module, and more.
Read our blog post: Visit Udvar-Hazy Center Air and Space Museum
Museum of Natural History
You could spend the whole day here – whole floor of dinosaur fossils, galleries of meteorites, minerals and sparkling gems, butterfly pavilion, Hall of Human Origins, Egyptian mummies, live Insect Zoo with live insects, Ocean Hall with life-size models.
National Gallery of Art
World-class collection of European paintings, including art works by Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Raphael, da Vinci. Also American artists who painted Native Americans, George Washington’s family, and wilderness landscapes.
Read our blog post: Highlights of National Gallery of Art
Museum of African American History and Culture
Discover rich history of African Americans – papers of freedom from slavery, lifework of Harriet Tubman, plane flown by black pilots in World War II, black fashion (hats are fabulous) and clothing, story of boxing great Muhammad Ali and other great athletes, contemporary paintings by black artists, histories of colonialism and black women.
Don’t miss striking painting of Harriet Tubman: “I Go To Prepare A Place For You”
In Sweet Home Cafe, try bowls of Carolina Rice with beef, and multi-color carrots, fried chicken, baked sweet potato, coleslaw, mac and cheese, etc. a celebration of African American cooking.
Timed entry pass required.
Museum of American History
American history is fun for kids in this museum.
Check out original Star-Spangled Banner, gowns, pearls, fans and furs, parasols and jewelry worn by first ladies, California gold nugget that launched gold rush, full-size American trains, trucks, and cars, galleries about American presidents and democracy, live music performances, R2-D2 and C-3PO robots from Star Wars. Spark!Lab is where kids can try inventing things themselves and build prototypes.
National Portrait Gallery
Pop into the National Portrait Gallery to see paintings of all the United States presidents and first ladies – the Obamas’ portraits are a “must see.” Plus portraits of famous Americans, such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony who fought for rights of women, Benjamin Franklin, Civil War generals, movie stars, sports figures, artists, musicians, and more.
Museum of the American Indian
Discover history of peoples that lived in North America, thousands of year before before Europeans showed up.
Find out about beliefs, daily life, world-view of peoples from Alaska, New Mexico, Canada, Great Plains, California. In the activity center for kids 10, build an iglu, weave baskets, learn about kayaking and snowshoeing, step into a tipi, plus craft activities such make a corn husk doll or beaded necklace.
Plan to have lunch in Mitsitam Cafe, with dishes such as buffalo chili, Indian tacos, bison burgers, fry bread, tamales, cornbread, Mexican hot chocolate.
National Archives Museum
In this museum are founding documents of the United States – Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights.
The Declaration of Independence is relevant today as it was in 1776.
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
Washington Monument
Washington Monument commemorates George Washington, first president of the United States. The obelisk is the tallest building in the city, and it stands out like no other.
Take the elevator to the top of the observation deck. From the top of the monument, kids can look down over Washington DC, a living city below.
Timed entry tickets required.
Reserve timed tickets in advance online.
Or pick up first-come, first serve same day tickets at Washington Monument Lodge, opens at 8:45am.
So many fun things to do, you’ll need a fun place to stay.
Check out Travel for Kids list of best family hotels in Washington DC.