Day #5 was going to be our most packed day of the entire vacation – Ford’s Theater, Art Gallery, Spy Museum, Night Tour. Kudos to the kids for braving out the 20,000 steps.
We started at the Ford’s Theater. The site of Lincoln’s assassination. It is now a museum and maintained by National Park Services. It was very cool to learn about life of Lincoln and Civil War. Kids were so fascinated that the tour took us almost 1.5 hrs. We also got to see the suite where Lincoln sat and the general seating. Apparently whenever there is a show, the President and the First Family sit in the 1st row with the President sitting in seat #106.
Our next stop was an unscheduled walk – we wanted to see The National Archives…. But the tickets were all sold out. So we walked around a little. FBI HQ Hoover Building. Department of Justice. The National Archives. The National Art Gallery. Zero Milestone. The White House.
2 tips with young kids – go to Dollar Store and buy the cheap $1 rain ponchos; get a hotel close to The National Mall. I had bought ponchos on the west coast and had been carrying them around. They were light and came in handy when we got caught in a summer drizzle. After our walk we went to our hotel, relaxed for 1+ hr and then went for our 2nd half tours.
The 2nd half of the day started with International Spy Museum. While I (as an adult) felt it was ordinary, kids felt it was cool and great. I think being on a spy mission and making tactical decisions interested kids lot more than I thought.
Next was the highlight of the whole DC trip – the night tour of the Memorials. We sat in the bus and toured The Pentagon, The Marine Corps Memorial, Georgetown, Arlington, The White House, etc and finally stopped at the Lincoln Memorial. I would highly recommend this tour for everyone.
As our day came to a close we decided to stop by Punjab Grill – from pictures and reviews looked like a fine dining Indian restaurant right opposite to our hotel. Unfortunately we were there 5 mins before closing, so had to order take out. Kids favorite Butter Chicken and Naans. While we were waiting, the hostess asked if we wanted something to drink :-). So I got a beer while Kids got mocktails with Indian spins. Feedback from kids – this butter chicken is 6 out of 5 stars. Nice!!!
Fun experiences of 2 kids and their dad 