Amazing Virtual Tours

• National Aquarium: the nation's first free and public aquarium. Use your mouse to scroll around and check out the Virtual 360 Tour

• Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: thousands of objects on display, including the 1903 Wright Flyer and Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 spacesuit. Take a Virtual Tour Here (scroll down about half way through the page to see the tour)

• Ford Theatre: where Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed. See a Virtual Tour of the Theatre Here.

• National Museum of American History: home to more than 1.8 million objects! It has everything from the original Star-Spangled Banner to Abraham Lincoln’s top hat; from the first computer bug to the first artificial heart; from Dizzy Gillespie’s angled trumpet to Dorothy’s ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz” Check out their online exhibitions here

• The White House: View a Virtual 360 Tour of the White House Here. Use your mouse to scroll around! You can also view some of the White House on Google Arts & Culture through Virtual Tours located here.

• National Museum of Natural History: You can view virtual tours of current and past exhibits at this Smithsonian Museum! Check them out here!

• Cherry Blossoms: each spring, the cherry blossoms lining Washington’s DC’s Tidal Basin burst into color in a beautiful display of floral fireworks. But the peak bloom period only lasts a few days and precisely when it happens varies each year. Check out the latest updates on the Cherry Blossoms Here.

• Smithsonian National Zoo: one of the few places in the country where you can see pandas! You can even check them out via live webcam here.

Learn More about Washington DC

• Constitution: Housed in the National Archives, the Constitution of the United States is arguably the most important document in our country. In this worksheet, read a short overview of the history and contents of the document and then take a True and False quiz.

• National Museum of American History Quiz: This lighthearted quiz highlights offbeat objects that can be found in the National Museum of American History.

• Solar System Fact Sheet: Visiting the National Museum of Air and Space? Prepare kids with a solar system quiz and information on the science and history of telescopes.

Fun books to check out at the library:

• Mission Washington, D.C.: A Scavenger Hunt Adventure (For Kids) by Catherine Aragon

• Hey Kids! Let's Visit Washington DC: Fun, Facts and Amazing Discoveries for Kids (Vol. 1) by Teresa Mills

• The Kid's Guide to Washington, DC (Kid's Guides Series) by Eileen Ogintz

Washington DC Travel Tips

• The best weather is Springtime and Fall.  DC is very hot and humid in the Summer and cold in the Winter.

• All of the Smithsonian Museums are FREE!!  There are so many museums to visit, and they are all free to check out.

• DC is very spread out and involves LOTS of walking; be sure to bring a stroller for the smaller munchkins

• There are great boat tours of the city and it’s a beautiful way to see DC.  Another fun way to tour is on The Duck boats; are amphibious vehicles that drive on land and then float on water. They are a fun and relaxing way to explore Washington DC with kids. 

• All of the monuments are lit up at night and so beautiful!  DC quiets down in the evening and kids can run around the parks.

• The Capitol Building does offer tours, but it’s just as much fun to walk around outside the building and check out the visitor center.  The security guards will give kids “official police badges” and there are lots of great free resources to pick up in the visitor center to read later.

• The most family-friendly hotel are the Grand Hyatt Washington, Palomar Washing DC, and Hilton Garden Inn Washington DC Downtown.