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National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C.

With kids · Washington, D.C. · United States

Washington, D.C. with kids

Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.

Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team

Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain

Quick answer

Washington is one of the best US cities for families on a budget: dinosaurs, the Hope Diamond, space capsules and pandas are all free. The challenge is distance, so plan one area per day, use museum cafés and the carousel on the Mall as breaks, and avoid midday heat in summer. Top picks: National Museum of Natural History, National Air and Space Museum and Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Families usually base themselves in National Mall and Penn Quarter.

Key facts

Family picks
8
Best area for families
National Mall and Penn Quarter
Rainy-day options
4
Busiest months
April

Best things to do with kids

National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 4.0

Museum · National Mall

1.National Museum of Natural History

Under the rotunda's African bush elephant, the Smithsonian's natural-history museum holds the 45-carat Hope Diamond, the David H. Koch Hall of Fossils with a Tyrannosaurus rex mounted mid-attack, the Sant Ocean Hall with a life-size North Atlantic right whale model. Entry is free.

Go to the Hope Diamond on the second floor first thing; the gem hall gets very crowded by midday.

Time needed
2–3 hours
Cost
Free
  • Kids
  • Free
  • Rainy day
  • Iconic
National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.
Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 4.0

Museum · National Mall

2.National Air and Space Museum

The Smithsonian's flagship aviation museum on the Mall holds the Apollo 11 command module Columbia, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis and galleries tracing flight from early aviation to space exploration. The building has been through a multi-year renovation, with galleries reopening in phases.

Pair it with the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport if you want to see the very large aircraft, including Space Shuttle Discovery.

Time needed
2–3 hours
Cost
Free
Book ahead
Free timed-entry passes have been required since the museum's phased reopening; check the Smithsonian site before you go.
  • Kids
  • Free
  • Rainy day
  • Iconic

Museum · Chantilly, Virginia

3.Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

The Air and Space Museum's vast hangars next to Dulles Airport hold aircraft too big for the Mall, including Space Shuttle Discovery, an SR-71 Blackbird, an Air France Concorde and the Enola Gay. An observation tower looks over the Dulles runways. Entry is free, with a charge for parking.

It is easiest by car or ride-hailing; combine it with a flight in or out of Dulles to save a separate trip.

Time needed
2–3 hours
Cost
Free
  • Kids
  • Free
  • Rainy day
  • History
Smithsonian's National Zoo, Washington, D.C.
Photo: Quadell, CC BY-SA 3.0

Zoo · Woodley Park

4.Smithsonian's National Zoo

The free National Zoo spreads over a wooded valley in Rock Creek Park, with Asian elephants, great apes, big cats, the Amazonia rainforest house and giant pandas, which returned to Washington in 2024. Paths are long and hilly, so plan a route rather than trying to see everything.

Take the Red Line to Cleveland Park, which gives a flatter walk to the main entrance than the climb from Woodley Park.

Time needed
3–4 hours
Cost
Free
  • Kids
  • Free
  • Outdoors
  • Nature
National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C.
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain

Museum · National Mall

5.National Museum of American History

The Smithsonian's museum of American life displays the original Star-Spangled Banner that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814, Dorothy's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, Julia Child's kitchen and a section of the Greensboro lunch counter from the 1960 civil-rights sit-ins.

The Star-Spangled Banner is in a dimly lit chamber at the centre of the second floor; start there, then pick one wing.

Time needed
2–3 hours
Cost
Free
  • History
  • Free
  • Kids
  • Rainy day
Washington Monument, Washington, D.C.
Photo: Greyfiveys, CC BY-SA 4.0

Landmark · National Mall

6.Washington Monument

The 169-metre marble obelisk, finished in 1884, was built in two phases, and a change in the stone's shade about a quarter of the way up shows where work stopped for more than 20 years. A lift takes visitors to an observation level about 152 metres up, with views over the Mall, the White House and across the Potomac to Arlington.

Late-afternoon slots give the best light over the Lincoln Memorial and the river.

Time needed
1 hour
Cost
Free
Book ahead
Entry to the top is by timed ticket booked online, with a small service fee; tickets for spring and summer go quickly.
  • Iconic
  • Views
  • History
  • Kids
National Mall, Washington, D.C.
Photo: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0

Park · National Mall

7.National Mall

The Mall runs about 3 km from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, lined by the Smithsonian museums and the National Gallery, with the Washington Monument at its centre. Walking its length past the World War II Memorial and the Reflecting Pool is the best introduction to the city, and the lawns are where Washington gathers for concerts, festivals and the Fourth of July.

Walking the full length takes longer than it looks; plan one half per day and use the free museums as breaks from the summer heat.

Time needed
Half a day
Cost
Free
  • Iconic
  • Free
  • Outdoors
  • History
  • Kids
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.
Photo: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 3.0

Landmark · National Mall

8.Lincoln Memorial

Daniel Chester French's 5.8-metre seated Lincoln looks out from a Greek Doric temple completed in 1922, with the Gettysburg Address and second inaugural address carved on the walls. An inscription on the steps marks where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his 'I Have a Dream' speech in 1963, overlooking the Reflecting Pool.

Come back after dark, when the memorial is floodlit, crowds are thin and the view down the Reflecting Pool to the Washington Monument is at its best.

Time needed
45 minutes
Cost
Free
  • Iconic
  • Free
  • History
  • After dark
  • Views

Rainy-day ideas

  • National Air and Space Museum — Pair it with the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport if you want to see the very large aircraft, including Space Shuttle Discovery.
  • National Museum of Natural History — Go to the Hope Diamond on the second floor first thing; the gem hall gets very crowded by midday.
  • National Museum of American History — The Star-Spangled Banner is in a dimly lit chamber at the centre of the second floor; start there, then pick one wing.
  • Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center — It is easiest by car or ride-hailing; combine it with a flight in or out of Dulles to save a separate trip.

Where families should stay

$$$ · Best for first-timers, families and culture

National Mall and Penn Quarter

Penn Quarter sits just north of the Mall's eastern half, a few minutes' walk from the National Gallery, the Archives and the Smithsonian museums. It has the National Portrait Gallery, Ford's Theatre, the Capital One Arena and the Chinatown Friendship Archway, plus a large choice of chain and boutique hotels and restaurants along 7th Street. Gallery Place and Metro Center stations put most of the network within one change.

Good
Walk to the Mall museums; Excellent Metro connections; Lots of restaurants and theatres
Watch out
Busy and loud on arena nights; Feels commercial rather than residential
Nearby
National Mall, National Portrait Gallery, Ford's Theatre, Capital One Arena

Family travel tips

  • Up to two children aged 4 and under ride Metro free with each paying adult.
  • Book free timed passes for the Washington Monument and busy museums before you travel, especially in spring.
  • Museum security checks bags; pack light to get small children through quickly.
  • The Smithsonian Carousel on the Mall outside the Arts and Industries Building is an easy reward between museums.
  • In summer, plan outdoor monuments for early morning or evening and spend the hot middle of the day inside museums.

Day trips for families

  • Mount Vernon (About 30–40 minutes by car) — George Washington's riverside estate includes the mansion, his tomb, working outbuildings, a reconstructed distillery and gristmill nearby and gardens overlooking the Potomac.
  • Baltimore (About 40–60 minutes by train) — Maryland's largest city has the National Aquarium on the Inner Harbor, Fort McHenry, whose defence in 1814 inspired the national anthem, the cobbled waterfront of Fells Point and crab houses serving Old Bay-dusted blue crabs.
  • Shenandoah National Park (About 1 hour 30 minutes by car to Front Royal) — Skyline Drive runs along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains through the park, with dozens of overlooks and trailheads for waterfall hikes and sections of the Appalachian Trail.
  • Great Falls Park (About 30 minutes by car) — The Potomac crashes through a series of rocky cascades and the narrow Mather Gorge just outside the city.

When to go with children

The best months overall are April–May and September–October. April is the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.

Questions travellers ask

+Is Washington, D.C. good for kids?

Washington is one of the best US cities for families on a budget: dinosaurs, the Hope Diamond, space capsules and pandas are all free. The challenge is distance, so plan one area per day, use museum cafés and the carousel on the Mall as breaks, and avoid midday heat in summer.

+What can kids do in Washington, D.C.?

National Museum of Natural History, National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Smithsonian's National Zoo and National Museum of American History.

+Where should families stay in Washington, D.C.?

National Mall and Penn Quarter: Museums, theatres and the Capital One Arena between the Mall and Chinatown.