We are staying in Chevy Chase and plan to take the metro or Uber to the Mall area when we go so we won't have our car with us. I thought maybe we could hit Arlington on the same day...of course we may do all of the monuments/museums/capitol in two days. I'll look into the bikes. It will be me, my wife, and my 10 year old.

I think the bikes are the way to go. They will have stations to drop off at each location. For a 10 year old that can be a lot of walking.

I highly agree with Arlington. I went as part of my daughter's school trip and had the mindset that a cemetery would be pretty boring but it was actually the highlight of my trip. If i remember correctly it is one of the few places that we visited that actually had plenty of parking so it would be possible to drive there unlike most places along the national mall.

I used to live about 45 minutes away. The thing that always stuck with me the most - the King Tut exhibition that came to DC back in the 1970s.

 

And I have a soft spot for Annapolis. My dad’s home town; and my great-grandfather was mayor a century ago.

A word to the wise. You want to drive as little as possible in DC.

Bike, walk, kayak. All three of those will allow you to see some really cool stuff if you don't care to exercise a little. D.C. is a really cool place and it's best to see outside of a vehicle.

A word to the wise. You want to drive as little as possible in DC.

 

Agree! I made the mistake of getting on the Beltway there on our trip some years ago and felt like I was "in the way" the entire time.

 

Also, be advised, it can get bloody hot and muggy there in the summer. We took in D.C. during my son's dead period one summer, I wouldn't have wanted to do that again. And, when walking and you get a walk signal, get across the street as fast as you can 'cause those folks are rarin' to go when they get a green light even if you are still in the crosswalk.

The year we went to D.C. we stayed in Frederick, Maryland. Drove to a nearby Metro station and took the subway to Washington. I remember being told by some of the folks at the station that we should wait until 9am or after to use the Metro and then get back on before 4pm to get out of D.C. because of the crowds. I also had to make sure to get back to the garage before it closed where I parked our car at the train station outside Frederick.

 

That was my first time ever riding a subway train. What an experience! I remember going to this bank of machines to buy subway tickets not knowing what the heck we were doing, all the while folks are whizzing past us. My wife and I felt like Ma and Pa Kettle, and we were in everyone's way.

 

Last time we went was in 1990. Our son was ten at the time and crazy about history. We drove to Falls Church, VA and immediately took the Metro to the National Mall stop. The look on his face - complete with jaw drop - when we got up the steps was worth the day's drive.

Would we be able to walk to Arlington from the other sites? What I mean is if we planned a day to see things like the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, ect... could we walk over to Arlington or is it too far?

 

There is a major Metro station there at the Mall where you can catch a train to Arlington. I would not walk, too far especially in Summer. Stay somewhere outside of DC and ride the Metro into the Mall Station and from there most stuff is in walking distance from there.

There is a major Metro station there at the Mall where you can catch a train to Arlington. I would not walk, too far especially in Summer. Stay somewhere outside of DC and ride the Metro into the Mall Station and from there most stuff is in walking distance from there.

We are staying in Chevy Chase, MD and planned on either talking the Metro or Uber.