anyone know of a good crab house we love steamed crabs . last time we went my husbands cousin took us to this nice place hated the food . we are more take out people than fancy food people .

in DC proper or can you travel?

I'll be traveling to D.C. in August for a few days and then going to NYC with my sisters, awesome info in here! We pretty much know what we want to do in D.C. but could definitely use some more recommendations on restaurants that are family friendly since my little sister is 13. Also any extra info would be helpful

Originally Posted by pollinilove

anyone know of a good crab house we love steamed crabs . last time we went my husbands cousin took us to this nice place hated the food . we are more take out people than fancy food people .

I like Bethesda Crab house....it's actually in Bethesda,MD which is located right outside of DC

For cheap eats, try Ethiopian. There are tons of places all over the District. Seriously just ask a cabbie.

For kid friendly there's Ben's Chilli Bowl. You can also eat in the Cafeteria under the Capitol Building or in the food court inthe basement of Union Station. If you're there on a weekend, try Easter Market with it many food stalls. I hear that the food in the cafe inside the Native American Musuem is good too.

I agree that you should just park your car and then take the Metro around. Parking in DC can be tricky.

If I only had 1 day in DC, I go to the museums during the day and save the monuments for night. It's less crowded and they are open 24 hours a day.

Going with the family to DC this weekend and need some suggestions on places to go to. We are thinking about doing a tour of the monuments at night... but what about during the day? Is Georgetown a good place to go to? What other areas of the city are a "must-see" while we're there? Thanks!

I don't know if the kids would enjoy Georgetown--it's great for shopping and eating. No metro service there, unfortunately. I haven't been to the new Newseum (went to the original one) but I've heard it's a great tour. Any of the Smithsonian, particularly the Air and Space Museum, are popular and free! And the zoo is always fun.

Washington DC is such an awesome place. there are lot of mountains and hills all around the Washington . best place for fun and enjoy.

Places to eat: Ben's Chili Bowl, El Pollo Rico, Luke's Lobster, Matchbox, and Ray's Hell Burger.

Things to do: All of the Smithsonian's are FREE, the National Mall, (all of the monuments) and Georgetown for shopping!

I hope you have a form of transportation because taking the train will take a lot of your time! (Rush hour, delays, etc.)

Originally Posted by toobabyish

Places to eat: Ben's Chili Bowl, El Pollo Rico, Luke's Lobster, Matchbox, and Ray's Hell Burger. Things to do: All of the Smithsonian's are FREE, the National Mall, (all of the monuments) and Georgetown for shopping! I hope you have a form of transportation because taking the train will take a lot of your time! (Rush hour, delays, etc.)

Yes, we will be driving there from NY! Thank you for all of the suggestions!!

spacemakerx,
Where are you staying? That would be beneficial to know.
Transportation is always a challenge since getting from point A to B can take some time.

You may want to take a look at hop on/hop off buses that run through out the day, you can get a 1 or 2 day pass. You can get on in the AM, do a loop, change routes and do another and get an idea of what appeals to you and your crew. You have the option of getting off, enjoying the site and getting back on to get to another. This is a different experience then doing the tour at night, which is so peaceful.

Any of the Smithsonian's are great. There is a relatively new visitors center to The Capitol that is excellent. Getting in for a tour may eat up a lot of your time standing in line.

Both the Newseum and the Spy Museum are fantastic - worth your time. They are both in the Penn Quarter neighborhood where there are plenty of eating/dining options.

Anyone interested in going to Arlington National Cemetery?

As for Georgetown - I would put that LAST on your list of things to do. It USED to be a place filled with unique and unusual. Now, it's just one mall store after another for the most part. I don't know if this appeals to you, but DO NOT go to Georgetown Cupcake in Georgetown. It's HIGHLY OVER RATED and it's ah-mazing to see the lines for this place. COMPLETE time waster. IF you want a cupcake, go to Velvet in Penn Quarter.

You can PM me if you want some more, detailed info.

Enjoy.

Newseum is great! And it is free through September 3 for kids under 18.

I'm going down in a few weeks, have never been. Really Excited!! Is the traffic really that bad?? I'm going to be in VA for a few days but was hoping to spend one day in DC. If I do get to spend one day, where should I do? TIA!

^I'm from Chicago so I'm used to city traffic, and I always think the whole DC area traffic is bad, but maybe there are times when it's not so horrid. Problem is there is virtually no convenient parking along the mall/around the museums. Which is why everyone says take the Metro.

Originally Posted by Mree43

I'm going down in a few weeks, have never been. Really Excited!! Is the traffic really that bad?? I'm going to be in VA for a few days but was hoping to spend one day in DC. If I do get to spend one day, where should I do? TIA!

It's pretty bad, at least during rush hour. Are you going to be there during the week or on a weekend? It's not impossible to park in DC but it depends on the neighborhood, time, etc. There are garages so that helps too :)

What kinds of things are you interested in? Depending on this, I (or someone else) can recommend things/neighborhoods. At the very least, I'd recommend the National Mall - there are lots of things you can hit in this area - Smithsonian museums (free!), monuments, the Capitol. The White House isn't too far either.