Washington, DC is a great place for historical sight-seeing. So many historical events have taken place here or are commemorated by a monument or memorial. From monuments to museums to historical homes, Washington, DC has something for everyone in the family.
In September of 2025, I led a historical fiction readers retreat in Washington. Check out this post for more details! And don’t miss my Destination Booked post about Washington, DC – walk in the footsteps of your favorite characters!
General Tips
- Transportation: DC is quite large and most of the sites are spread throughout the city. While the National Mall looks very walkable, be forewarned that it is a mile long, which is a LONG distance in the sweltering summer heat.
- Public Transportation: The DC Metro is a convenient way to get around town. It is easy to use and very navigable. However it is currently undergoing lots of maintenance work so be sure to check its website before your trip.
- The DC Circulator bus is a great option to get around the National Mall area.
- Unlike some larger cities, you can drive in DC. However, traffic is horrible and parking is costly.
- Use my favorite trolley tours to get around easily! Kids will love it!
- Your best bet is to group your sites together and walk as much as you can.
- Food: DC has plentiful restaurants and food trucks. It’s known for its high-end restaurants but there are lots of family-friendly options, particularly in the tourist areas. Check out The Washingtonian magazine for ideas. Some of my family’s favorites are:
- Near White House/National Mall/Smithsonian museums: Old Ebbitt Grill, The Hamilton, Founding Fathers, Penn Quarter Sports Tavern, Pavilion Cafe at the National Portrait Gallery garden, Sweet Home Cafe at the African-American Museum, Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe in the American Indian Museum, and Ronald Reagan building food court
- Near the Capitol/Library of Congress: Bullfeathers on the Hill and restaurants/food court in Union Station
- Near Georgetown/Cathedral: Clyde’s of Georgetown, Thomas Sweet (ice cream), 2 Amys pizzeria, and Cactus Cantina
- Lodging: DC has lots of family-friendly options for hotels. Several areas to consider are: Penn Quarter/Gallery Place, George Washington University/Foggy Bottom, The Wharf, and Old Town Alexandria. My favorites that are walking distance from most of the sites are: Marriott Marquis, Hilton Garden Inn Downtown, Kimpton Monaco, and J.W. Marriott.
- Washington has many historic hotels: The Willard Intercontinental (where presidents stay and site of many balls), the Hay-Adams Hotel near the White House, and The Alexandrian in Old Town Alexandria (where Union soldier close to President Lincoln was one of the first to die in the war) are top recommendations!
- Shopping: Washington is full of great stores! My favorite places to shop are in the museum gift shops but here are some other suggestions.
- The best mall in the area is Tysons Corner in Virginia. It’s now on a Metro line! Closer in, Pentagon City is convenient.
- Great shopping districts include City Center and Georgetown.
- There are several independent bookstores: (see here for full list). I love visiting Politics and Prose and Old Town Books.
- Tours: DC is full of great tour companies that can help you see the city. Here are some that look great!
- Trolley tours – my favorite way to get around DC with kids!
- Golf cart tours – I saw these on my last visit and they looked cool!
- A Tour of Her Own – women history themed walking and driving tours
- Road trips: Washington, DC has enough historical sites to keep you busy for well over a week, but if you want to get out of the city, here are a few options.
- Day Trips: Close by sites include those in Northern Virginia (see below). You can also go to Fredericksburg and Baltimore in a day.
- 2-3 Day Trips: Richmond, Gettysburg, Frederick, MD/Antietam Battlefield
- With additional days, you could do part of my Virginia Road Trip and Virginia Presidential Sites Road Trip. Also check out my Virginia Black History post and a Civil War-themed itinerary post. With the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution coming up, don’t miss the DC/Northern Virginia sites in my Favorite American Revolution Historical Sites and Books post.
- Websites to help you plan your trip:
Historical Sites
So many historical sites to see in DC! It would take you a while to see all of these so focus on the ones you really want to see. Sites reviewed on The History Mom are marked with *. Other links are external links to the museum’s own web site.
- National Mall/Smithsonian Museums Area
- Capitol Area
- White House Area
- *The White House
- *The People’s House – a White House visitor experience
- World War I Memorial
- *Hamilton sites: Hamilton Statue at the Treasury Department (15th and ) and site of Eliza’s last home (1325 H Street NW)
- *Octagon House Museum
- *DAR Library and Museum – a great option when the Smithsonian gets too crowded!
- St. John’s Church – the “Church of the Presidents” also has a stained glass dedicated to First Lady Ellen Arthur
- Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream
- Penn Quarter Area
- Northwest DC/Georgetown
- Other areas of DC
- Northern Virginia
- *Lucy Burns Museum
- *Mount Vernon
- *National Air and Space Museum – Udvar-Hazy Center
- *National Museum of the Marine Corps
- *National Museum of the US Army
- Pentagon
- National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial
- Old Town Alexandria
- Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum
- Lee-Fendall House
- Gadsby’s Tavern
- Historic Christ Church Episcopal (George Washington’s church)
- Arlington National Cemetery
- Marine Corps War Memorial
- Manassas National Battlefield Park
- Maryland
- Presidential historical sites/museums
- Arlington National Cemetery (Kennedy and Taft’s grave)
- *President Lincoln’s Cottage
- *Ford’s Theatre
- *National Cathedral (Wilson’s grave)
- Octagon Museum
- St. John’s Church – the “Church of the Presidents” also has a stained glass dedicated to Frist Lady Ellen Arthur
- *The People’s House – a White House visitor experience
- *The White House
- Wilson House Museum
- Monuments:
- First Ladies Historical Sites:
- *Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson Historical Sites
- *Dolley Madison Historical Sites
- *Edith Roosevelt Historical Sites
- *Eleanor Roosevelt Historical Sites
- *Elizabeth Monroe Historical Sites
- *Florence Harding Historical Sites
- *Frances Cleveland Historical Sites
- *Grace Coolidge Historical Sites
- *Harriet Lane Historical Sites
- *Helen Taft Historical Sites
- *Lou Hoover Historical Sites
- *Louisa Catherine Adams Historical Sites
- *Mamie Eisenhower Historical Sites
- *Mary Lincoln Historical Sites
- *Pat Nixon Historical Sites
- *The Wilson Women Historical Sites
Kid-friendly Attractions
Washington, DC has tons of things to do with the family. The problem will be fitting everything in! Some favorites include:
- National Zoo (free timed entry tickets are required)
- International Spy Museum (sells out quickly!)
- Trolley tours
- National Children’s Museum
- Sporting events: DC has several professional sports teams. See who is playing when you’re there!
- National Carousel – on the National Mall near Smithsonian
Five Day Itinerary
Check out this link to my five day itinerary to Washington!
Books to Read
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- Guidebooks:
- Family Guide Washington, DC (DK Eyewitness Travel Guide)
- Frommer’s Washington, D.C. 2024
- A History Lover’s Guide to Washington, D.C.: Designed for Democracy
- 111 Places in Washington, DC That You Must Not Miss
- National Geographic Walking Washington, D.C.
- Historic Washington, DC: A Tour of the District’s Top 50 National Landmarks
- Adult/Young Adult:
- Nonfiction
- Washington: A History of Our National City
- George Washington’s Washington: Visions for the National Capital in the Early American Republic
- A Guide to Civil War Washington, D.C.: The Capital of the Union
- Team of Rivals
- Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckly: The Remarkable Story of the Friendship Between a First Lady and a Former Slave
- Fiction
- Patriot Hearts: A Novel of the Founding Mothers
- Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker
- American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt
- American Daughters
- The President’s Wife
- The First Ladies
- Becoming Madam Secretary (and visit the Labor Department museum about Frances Perkins!)
- The Traitor Beside Her: A WWII Mystery
- The House of Eve
- A Shadow in Moscow
- And They Called It Camelot: A Novel of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
- The List
- American Royals series (alternate history)
- Nonfiction
- Middle Grade:
- Mission Washington, D.C.: A Scavenger Hunt Adventure
- Dolley Madison and the War of 1812: America’s First Lady
- Abe Lincoln at Last! (Magic Tree House Merlin Mission #19)
- White House Clubhouse
- Framed!
- The Worst Class Trip Ever
- The Mystery in Washington D.C. (The Boxcar Children)
- Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures #9: The US Capital Commotion
- The Capital Mysteries
- Washington, DC, History for Kids: The Making of a Capital City, with 21 Activities
- Picture Books:
- Kids’ Travel Guide – Washington, DC: The fun way to discover Washington, DC
- Journey Around Washington D.C. from A to Z
- Awesome Adventures at the Smithsonian: The Official Kids Guide to the Smithsonian Institution
- This is Washington, D.C.: A Children’s Classic
- My Little Golden Book about Washington, DC
- Good Night Washington, DC
This page is continually updated.
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