Family Fun in Washington, DC

Mount Vernon and Old Town Alexandria Tour

Seaport

Alexandria's heritage as a seaport is visually experienced with the visits of tall ships throughout the year. Photo by Anna Frame, Courtesy, City of Alexandria

When it comes to having a need for family fun, Washington, DC, may be an unexpected suggestion, but is the perfect place for a family vacation. There are tons of museums, historical hotels, memorials, and parks that are just waiting to be discovered and explored by you and your kids. Washington, DC, is not only fun, it's also a learning experience. In DC, you can feel good about pulling your kids out of school for a vacation. Here's a few suggestions for family fun.

Take a Tour in Washington DC

There's a lot to see and do in Washington, DC, and without really beefing up on some local knowledge before hitting the road, you're likely to miss something that you otherwise would have loved to have seen. So, leave it to the professionals. There are a variety of tours available for Washington, DC, and surrounding area.

DC, Embassy Row, and Arlington Cemetery Tour
Mount Vernon and Old Town Alexandria Tour
Washington DC All Day Combination Tour
All Day Washington, DC Interior Buildings Tour
Bike and Roll - DC
Bike the Sights
Monuments by Moonlight Night Tour
Two Day Grand Tour
Washington After Dark Tour
DC Ducks

Visiting Museums in Washington DC

There are a ton of museums in the DC area, most of which offer free admission, which is never a bad thing when trying to entertain the family.

Fort Ward Museum and Park in Alexandria, VA
Hillwood Museum & Gardens in Washington DC
International Spy Museum in Washington DC
Marian Koshland Science Museum in Washington, DC
National Building Museum in Washington, DC
National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington, DC
National Postal Museum in Washington, DC
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC
Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC

See the Monuments and Memorials in Washington DC

This is always an excellent activity, because it's almost always free.

Washington Monument in Washington, DC
Peace Monument in Washington, DC
Albert Einstein Memorial Statue in Washington, DC
Arlington House and Memorial in Arlington, VA
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, DC
Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC
Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC
Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC
U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial - Iwo Jima Statue in Washington, DC
Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC
Vietnam Women's Memorial in Washington, DC
World War II Memorial in Washington, DC
The Second Division Memorial in Washington, DC
Boy Scouts Memorial in Washington, DC
Freedmen's Memorial in Lincoln Park, MD
James Garfield Memorial in Washington, DC
Ulysses S. Grant Memorial in Washington, DC
Navy Memorial in Washington, DC

Parks in Washington DC

Washington, DC, parks are some of the most fabulous. While there is plenty of room for picnicking, playing games, and other outdoor activities, there is often times a historic building or some other form of the past there.

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park in Potomac, MD
Fort Ward Museum and Park in Alexandria, VA
Great Falls Park in McLean, VA
Harpers Ferry National Historic Park in Washington, DC
Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens in Washington, DC
Oronoco Bay Park in Alexandria, VA
Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC
Turkey Run Park in McLean, VA
Anacostia Park in Washington, DC