Visiting Washington DC

Where are you staying?

There are a ton of things to do in DC - there is the International Spy Museum (not free but you can do a Spy Ring game), Smithsonian Air & Space, Natural History..the National Mall - just sit and eat lunch and watch people....the National Mall has vendors and SMALL outdoor food vendors, but none of them cater to vegetarians.

Your white house tour - you need to let them know it's medically necessary. I will assume you already have your tickets.

Things like snacks are usually OKAY as long as they are NOT CONSUMED or OPENED in the facilities...

Almost any thing you want to do is easily accessible via the Metro. I would purchase a $20 metro pass for each member of the family so that you can just GO instead of waiting on a bus or a cab.

It will be VERY hot and HUMID here in July. It's already VERY hot - we've been in the 90's with 80% humidity for the last week - VERY unusual for us.

Dress comfortably. Tennis/walking shoes. hats, sunscreen, etc. your backpack will be searched when you go into the museums - they will most likely tell you that you cannot open the items IN the facility. The Air & Space museum has a McDonald's food court.

You can also do the Capitol Building. Check to see if they will be in session and see if you can sit in on a debate - that's always fun!!! :)

I live in Reston, we are 22 west of DC and my husband takes the bus and metro in EVERY day...in Rosslyn/Arlington (Ft. Meyer Dr) is a metro stop and the Newsuem - a museum for the News Media - which can be interesting as well.

I HIGHLY recommend the Vietnam War Memorial as well as the other memorials on the National Mall. The Tidewater and the Lincoln Memorial are nice too...July is too late for the Cherry Blossoms - which is just WOW!!! Do that in March/April...that is just amazing to see the trees - it's just WOW!!!

Please inbox me and let me know where you are staying...I'll do some more searching for you!

Hi. Welcome to DC!

I too take the Metro daily. It really is the best way to get around most days.

On places to stay. I recommend Old Town Alexandria. There is a lot of fun activities on the waterfront. It is just a few stops from Reagan National, and about a 30-45m metro ride to the sights. Here is the website to help plan: http://www.wmata.com/

There is a daily pass avaliable that is around $9 a person. You are able to get on/off the metro as many times as you want in a day. The only catch is that is not good until after 9:30a. To get around that, people purchase regular paper tickets with enough $ to get them to the first stop of the day, and then use the daily pass after that. The passes are only good for one day.

Also, you don't mention when you are arriving, but Metro has been doing maintenance work the past few months where they shut down two or three stations for a whole weekend. The website above will mention that.

Another big rule on the Metro is no eating, no video. You are allowed to carry food and drinks in your bag, but not eat or drink in the system. i.e., no eatch McD hashbrowns while you ride. No video is allowed while in the system. This is a security issue. If the Metro police see you do either, they will fine you up to $100. They also have random bag check for security issues. This is a random thing, and different stations each day. I haven't been stopped yet, but have seen others stopped.Just some things to keep in mind.

You can take a backpack to most museums. They do bag check at the entrance. For the inhaler, it shouldn't be a problem, except at the White House. For that just make sure you have the box with the prescription info.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/tours-and-events
There is also a dress code, i think.

We visited Washington DC over the kids spring break. We had a blast. I brought a cloth bag..that was open. Not a backpack but open. I had no problems with not bringing it in any buildings. Have fun.
If your looking for a great place to stay. We stayed in National Harbor Maryland. The name of the hotel was ALOFT. It was a very modern hotel. We loved it. Although the indoor pool was very tiny.
This quaint little town reminded me off Main Street at Disney World. Very clean and shiny.

I just wanted to second the suggestion to visit the Vietnam Memorial. ALL of the memorials are awesome and walking the entire mall is a fantastic experience, but because of it being such recent history and many people my age having fathers (and even some mothers) who were there, it REALLY hits home. It's also so incredibly huge that it knocks you back when you realize that every teeny name on that thing is a death. There are so many people leaving memorial items -it's incredibly emotional, but something I think every American should see.

DC is a favorite vacation destination of mine since childhood! I can't wait to take my kids when they're a little older. Have a great time. I think the suggestion to take an open-top tote type bag is a good one. Most places (except the White House) will let you have those because they're like big purses and they're easy to search. They also give the impression that you're not trying to hide anything. Keep the inhaler in the prescription box with the prescription label on it. Go ahead and put your bars in there -it will probably be just fine.

I would call or email the Secret Service or Homeland Security. They probably don't allow any carry-ins because litterly anyone could be a terrorist. Ask if they have lockers, like at the bus depots, to put things in or if you can leave her inhaler with a guard or tour guide. I would get a somewhat large purse to carry with you and use as a purse; you could put a smaller purse inside to help keep it neat, pockets on the outside will help to. Not quite a tote bag but large enough to hold small snacks, small water bottles and her inhaler and your wallet ect. If you are plnning to drive or rent a car I would have a kit in the car with extra water, snacks and a first aid kit

We use those day packs, little drawstring backpacks. They hold a ton and we take them everywhere in DC. I also use a fanny pack sometimes. The Smithsonians will go through it.
I am not sure about the White House tour. Make sure to bring one in it's packaging, sealed. THere may be a place to leave it at the place you check in.

The National Park Service runs many of the places you think of when you think "DC." Check out their website as well... and call ahead with any questions you have.

National Mall & Memorial Parks
http://www.nps.gov/nacc/index.htm

National Mall
http://www.nps.gov/mall/index.htm

District of Columbia
http://www.nps.gov/state/dc/index.htm?program=parks

National Capital Parks - East
http://www.nps.gov/nace/index.htm

Not sure if they let you, but you could get one of those clear plastic backpacks that are used by some mall stores for employees so they cannot steal stuff. Walmart and Amazon have them.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Eastsport-Clear-Backpack/3220623