Monuments and Memorials--Biking around the monuments with young kids during a busy tourist time (pea

We get into BWI on a Sunday and then drive to Alexandria, Va where we are staying for the week. (Our kids are 10 and 7. We always stay in a Residence Inn type place so we have separate rooms, indoor pool, and kitchen area. The hotels in the District were 2x the price and did not have pools. sigh)
We are counting on taking the Metro into the District. We will use the car for a trip to Mount Vernon and to the Baltimore Aquarium. Here are the ideas I have. This will be the week right after Easter--first week of April. Which is spring break for lots of people plus prime cherry blossom season. So we have to figure in lots of crowds.
For the Monuments: We are planning on renting bikes and riding around since I have seen that it is about 4 miles to do all of them. The Segway tour is out--you have to be 16. I realize we will have to walk the bikes around the Tidal Basin due to the crowds. The kids don't hang out reading signs much. I will make them hang out while see everything on the MLK and FDR monuments since I have never seen them. So I am thinking that this would not take more than 3 hours????? Which would give us the afternoon to see the Museum of Natural History.
The Museum of the American slipknot and lamb of god concert tour Indian. This is really my want to!! I could stay all day, but realize I won't get to!! So maybe morning and lunch there since I hear their cafeteria is great. Then maybe the Spy Museum in the afternoon?
How bad will the lines be to see the house at Mt Vernon? We won't be getting up really early--we are from Mountain Standard time, so 9 am is 7 am for us. Should we get tickets on line prior to going there?
I am not too worried about lunch spots. We can eat at cafeterias and food trucks and do fine. If you have any ideas for family friendly places in Alexandria, that would be great. We won't be staying in the District late enough to have dinner there.
slipknot and lamb of god concert tour BWI has its own Amtrak station with a short bus connector slipknot and lamb of god concert tour from the terminal. You don't have to rent the car until it is needed for the trip out to Mt. Vernon. Washington Union Station is on top of a major Metro Station.
Mt. Vernon -- I'm not sure I'd get tickets online before coming to D.C. because if you choose a date and the weather is crummy, slipknot and lamb of god concert tour you won't want to spend much time there. The tickets to tour the mansion are now timed, so gone are the days where you had to stand in a line forever to get into the mansion. I'd either book tickets once you get here and see what the weather is going to do or "bite the bullet" and get up early so that you can get a decent time for your tour.
Monuments and Memorials--Biking around the monuments with young kids during a busy tourist slipknot and lamb of god concert tour time (peak cherry blossoms) is not something I would recommend. Also, you waste valuable museum time when you visit the memorials during the day. I'd go after the museums have closed (5pm) and spread them out over 2 evenings--one evening for the monuments on the Mall; one evening for the monuments slipknot and lamb of god concert tour around the Tidal Basin. It will still be light at 5pm and by the time you finish, you may see the monuments all lit up--special!
Spy Museum--This place is going to be PACKED that week, which makes it a very "un-fun" place to be. (Voice of experience speaking.) Also, it's not such a great museum slipknot and lamb of god concert tour for young kids (e.g. 7-year-olds) because the exhibits require a lot of reading. I'd skip it. If you feel you really have to go, order tickets slipknot and lamb of god concert tour in advance to avoid the long lines and the chance they will be sold out. (The tickets are timed and only a certain number are sold each day.)
TomFuller--there is no way in this world I am Amtrakking and carrying all the butt loads of luggage required for family travel plus negotiating different trains with 2 kids who are not used to that kind of mass transit, etc. Sometimes, slipknot and lamb of god concert tour you just bite the bullet and pay the money. If it was just DH and me, I would go without a car in a heartbeat. That's how we have always slipknot and lamb of god concert tour done any major city-US or European. But I don't want to lose anybody and when it comes to family vacation, slipknot and lamb of god concert tour I do not pack light. I bring EVERYTHING!! As the mom in Modern Family said--I'm a mom. This isn't a vacation. It's just a business trip.
Longhorn--thanks for the info on Mt Vernon--I definitely think waiting till we get there and getting tix will be better. I really want to be flexible for weather reasons. We will be fine with cooler but being outside in the rain is no fun. And I am assuming it won't be hot or humid--humidity kills us since we are from the desert. I am thinking 60s-70s. Though my SIL said it was 40 there with a light dusting of snow in the last week! I will pack prepared!
Help me a bit more on the monuments--I like the idea of splitting it up into 2 sessions. But we would still want to do it in the morning or the kids will be too tired after a day of museums. By 4;00, they are ready for a hotel pool, early dinner, and some cartoons Of course, maybe with the time difference I can keep them out longer, but I doubt it. So do we get off at one Metro stop for the Mall monuments and then another for the Tidal Basin? Or would we take a cab from a Metro stop to the Tidal Basin? It's hard to judge distance based on the maps. Then can we take a cab from from the Tidal Basin to one of the museums? I am trying not to have to walk a long distance from the monuments to the museums. It just takes longer and wears the kids out. (and has a high probability of creating whining which frazzles mom's nerves!)
So do we get off at one Metro stop for the Mall monuments and then another for the Tidal Basin? Or would we take a cab from a Metro stop to the Tidal Basin? It's hard to judge distance based on the maps.
The Smithsonian Metro station (on the blue line, you'll take it from Alexandria) is the closest to the Mall the Washington Monument, the place you probably want to start your cherry blossom and monument tour. To give you an idea of distances, it's a little over half a mile from the Washington Monument to the Jefferson Memorial and about a mile from the WM to the Lincoln Memorial. There are no metro stations around the Tidal Basin and if the crowds are heavy you'll struggle to get a cab. Walking is really the deal.
One suggestion for you that might be a hit with your kids is to take a pedi cab around part of the Mall and Tidal Basin area. You can catch them in the area or you can book one in advance. I also agree with the idea of doing some or all of the monuments at night with one of tours so you can rides between the monuments.
Smithsonian Postal Museum - It's a great place for kids, 10 and 7 and not as crowded as some of the museums on the mall. It's across the street from Union Station which has a metro and lots of kid friendly lunch choices.
StantonHyde, there really is no way to use Metro between the monuments and the Tidal Basin. And a taxi will be stuck in all the traffic of those silly folks who want to drive by the blooms. The idea of riding bicycles to tour the monuments is good; however, during your visit the crowds around the monuments will be heavy and could dampen the cycling experience.
With "peak" blossom time scheduled during your visit, I would also suggest not even trying to walk your bicycles through slipknot and lamb of god concert tour the crowds. Some paths along the basin are narrow and without guard rails. Crowds are dense, slipknot and lamb of god concert tour with most people looking slipknot and lamb of god concert tour at the flowers instead of where they're going.
If you can get the family up and out early to see the blooms, slipknot and lamb of god concert tour then take your bicycle tour, that can work. We've done it quite a few times with success. The museums all have bike racks, so it's easy enough to secure the bikes should you want to visit a museum.
We cycled around Washington with our 9 yr old for 3 days. It was AMAZING but it was December so the crowds weren't too bad. I loved the rent a bike system you can download an app on your phone to show you were all the racks are. My only issue was that there were no helmets supplied (it's illegal to ride without one here in Australia). Next time we visit I'll take my own.
If you aren't on bikes the distance between monuments is further than it seems ( especially for little legs). I'd do it in two separate stages. Don't leave out Arlington Cemetery. The changing of the guard is awesome.
If you want to see the Spy Museum, you might do that for half of your Zoo day. The Zoo isn't very large so you should not need a full day to take it all in. Then take the Red Line to Gallery slipknot and lamb of god concert tour Place, the station one block from the Spy Museum. Or the Spy museum first thing in the morning, then all afternoon slipknot and lamb of god concert tour at the Zoo.
The cafes at the Natural History slipknot and lamb of god concert tour Museum, the Baltimore Aquarium, and the Museum of the American Indian are all fine. Pretty much on par with most European museum cafes. The on-site dining options at the Zoo, however, are horrendous slipknot and lamb of god concert tour !
Find a sandwich shop, deli, or small grocery slipknot and lamb of god concert tour near your hotel and PACK A PICNIC on zoo day. Otherwise, there are a few family friendly restaurants just outside the zoo on Connecticut Ave. There are no food trucks near the zoo.
The earlier the better for the Zoo!!! In the early morning slipknot and lamb of god concert tour (8am-10am) all the animal youngsters are out and about playing. The zoo is not an all day trip. An ideal trip would be 8am-noon and then have lunch before getting back on the Metro.
Bikes for the Mall - excellent idea!!! slipknot and lamb of god concert tour If you choose Bikeshare, then you have to park the bikes at an official slipknot and lamb of god concert tour Bikeshare station. If you choose another bike rental company, they give you bike locks and you can park the bikes pretty much anywhere (like at the tidal basin). Both are good options but something to think about. Research both and see what works best for you....
The Del Ray Cafe - This place is run by the owners of a long standing high end french restaurant. It's a great opportunity for mom and dad to have something a little nicer but in a casual setting slipknot and lamb of god concert tour with a very suitable kids menu. Definitely book here. Also save room for dessert b/c a block away is the Dairy Godmother, home to real frozen heart stopping custard.
slipknot and lamb of god concert tour Other bike rental companies give you h