Before the real crowds descend, go ahead and visit a Smithsonian museum. We live near Quantico, outside Washington, D.C. Did you know there are 21 Smithsonian Museums? Some, like the Rockwell Museum, near the Corning Museum, are affiliates. (The Rockwell Museum isn’t associated with Norman Rockwell; here is a preview of their collection. Yes, our family will visit nearly any museum, including the Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball Museum. Who knows what we’ll see?) The Natural History museum and the National Air and Space Museum are on the Mall, located between the Washington Monument and the Capitol. The National Zoo is in Rock Creek Park, in D.C.—drive or take the metro. You need free entry passes for the Space Museum and the Zoo. Plan ahead to see the Panda. (Did you know there’s a Giant Panda Cam?)
The easiest place to park is at Union Station. There is parking near the Zoo, which also requires an entry pass with a fee to park. Be advised the Zoo is a long hike from the nearest Metro station. It is very difficult to find street parking in D.C. It is three miles to walk from Union Station to the Lincoln Memorial. The Mall is about two miles from Union Station. If you stay outside of D.C., you may want to take the VRE or Metro.
I took students on a train which left the Martinsburg, WV station at 5:30 am and arrived at about 8:00 am at Union Station. After a quick stop at McDonald’s and the bathrooms, we marched 40 or so teens and chaperones to the Lincoln Memorial. We toured all of the monuments and sometimes hiked around the White House. Why? Several reasons. Tired teens tend to behave. The chaperones and kiddos wanted their money’s worth. Lastly, the Smithsonian museums don’t open until 10:00 am. Everyone was warned in advance that the distance from Union to Lincoln was three miles each way.
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