Washington DC will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the basis of my first trip stateside!

Last week, my auntie had a flying visit to the UK from DC on business and it reminded me of all the great times Matt and I have spent in The US Capital. Therefore, just in case you’re planning a visit, i have pulled together this guide to give you some suggestions of things to do whilst you are in town.

You will find this holiday slightly more chilled than my usual vacations. When staying with family, I always try and factor in family time. The below are the activities filled the days with, whilst everyone else was working!

Getting Around - The Metro

The DC Metro is super easy to use and the map is pretty straight forward to navigate. There are, from memory six lines, each represented by a different colour which have various stops around DC and the surrounding areas. We use our families Smart trip cards, which are similar to London’s Oyster cards. Once topped up, you are ready to go! It’s fairly cheap to get around and avoids all the traffic congestion!

Getting Around - Bus Tours

Hop on Hop off bus tours are great for getting an overview of what the city as to offer. In D.C, we used the ‘Big Bus Tour’ company and they offer three separate route loops red, yellow and blue.

Tidal Basin - looking towards Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Each of the loops offers views of different landmarks, such as memorials, monuments and the Pentagon. If you see something you want to look at further, you can leave the bus at the designated stops and jump back on the bus where you left off later in the day. Tickets are usually valid for 24 hours and the number of days it is valid for depends on your ticket type.

You will be provided with a complimentary pair of headphones to listen to the audio commentary as you complete the loops. Simply plug the headphones in and select the appropriate language channel from your seat and that’s it! You may even have someone on the bus giving live tour updates - which offers the opportunity to ask questions. Either way, it’s great to get a brief overview of the history behind each landmark.

Be sure to check the map on the ‘Big Bus Tour’ before your trip. You can usually purchase tickets at the various stops or you can purchase in advance on line. (Usually the more cost effective option.)

The National Mall

The National Mall spans over 1.5 miles in length and houses some of the key monuments, memorials and landmarks located in D.C. If the weather is clear and dry, the area makes for a lovely walk (or run, if you are a fitness fanatic!). There is so much to explore in the Mall area itself; but I’ll talk more about individual elements as we go through.

Museums

DC has a lot to offer to visitors who are interested in different kinds of history. Home to the Smithsonian Institute, there is a wide variety of museums in close proximity to the National Mall covering a wide variety of topics be it Space, Natural History, Animals or art. The great thing about the Smithsonian institute is that the majority of their museums are free to explore; offering a great day out for inquisitive families. There really is something for everyone! Do your research before you go and plan out which museums you want to visit - the likelihood is, if museums are ‘your thing’ then you could easily spend a few days covering off different ones. (Museums are much more Matt’s kind of thing, than mine)

My favourite, is the Air and Space museums of which there are two. One is located in close to the National Mall, the other (Udvar-Hazy) is in close proximity of Washington Dulles Airport. Udvar-Hazy offers the opportunity to see a space shuttle - which is a pretty cool thing to be able to see if you can get back out to the airport area. I found it difficult to comprehend the size of a space shuttle in real life, compared to what you see on the TV, they also, at the time of our visit, had an SR-71 Blackbird on display. Anyone familiar with the Call of Duty gaming series, will be able to appreciate this! (Before your visit, please check the museum website for details of exhibitions).

The White House

An iconic part of any DC trip! I would recommend visiting fairly early as the outside gets fairly crowded with people taking pictures. This is situated just off the main strip of the Mall.

Monuments & Memorials

There are a wide range of monuments and memorials situated around the National mall area which are free to the public and you can easily spend the day (if not a couple of days) exploring and learning about the history surrounding each of them. There are too many to list, but to name just a few…. WW2 Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

Note - The Washington Monument

Usually, you can go up to the top of this monument, however currently they are making some alterations to the elevator and security - so when we visited, it was not possible to go inside. (Check the monument’s website before you visit for the latest information. ) This is on my list to schedule in for a future trip.

The Reflecting Pool, looking towards the Lincoln Memorial

The Zoo

Matt and I love animals, so always try and visit a zoo whenever we are on vacation. The Zoo in DC is part of the Smithsonian Institute and is free to enjoy 364 days a year - it is also large with the unique opportunity to see Panda’s; I was totally overexcited excited about this prospect the first time we went! They also have a large elephant exhibit, great cats, monkeys and as well as smaller animals. Always a great day out for families to enjoy.

Bureau of Engraving and Printing

This is situated just off of the National Mall, but before you reach the tidal basin. The great thing about this place is, you can watch money being printed and it is mind blowing just how much money can be printed in a second! The tour is free, however you do need to plan ahead and secure a ticket. The tickets are on a first come, first serve basis. The ticket booth opens at 8am during the week and closes when all tickets have been distributed for the day. The tour lasts under an hour, but offers an insight in to something you would not normally get to see.

Theatre District

One of my all time favourite things to do, is catch a show at the theatre and thankfully D.C. has a few theatres to choose from! The shows which we have seen are no longer playing in D.C., but there is nearly always plenty going on to check out here.

Six Flags America

Theme Park lovers rejoice! As adrenaline junkies, theme parks are one of our favourite things to do in our space time and rollercoasters are our absolute fav!

Theres a good mix of rides here from all out thrill seeker, to the tamer end of the spectrum!

It is possible to get here on public transport. We took the metro to Largo Town Centre and got an uber, however there are buses which run from the metro station at Largo town Centre to the park.