"Do you have any information on traveling to Washington DC with two boys, ages 12 & 14?"- R.

GLOBALBRENDA ANSWER:

Thanks for writing.

DC is one of my favorite cities and ideal for kids. In fact I was just there over Thanksgiving weekend. Here goes:

- Aerospace Museum. This is the most popular museum in the USA. Get there at least 10 mins BEFORE opening time. It becomes incredibly crowded later in the morning. GO DIRECTLY TO THE IMAX THEATRE AS SOON AS YOU ENTER. Then buy tickets for a morning performance. I can HIGHLY recommend the 3D show which was filmed in space by the astronauts. This museum is part of the Smithsonian and therefore free.

- Later in the day I recommend something outside so your boys can run around a bit. You can metro or walk to the Washington Monument (going to the top is optional and involves a long wait, always). Instead visit the Lincoln Memorial and the small museum underneath the memorial . From there walk to....

- The Vietnam Memorial and then the Korean Memorial. The above makes for a very full day. The next day you can visit another Smithsonian Museum,either the Natural History (dinosaurs) or the American History Museum (history of TV, radio, all the first ladies' inaugural gowns). Upon entry go immediately to the Imax theatre and get tickets.

- IF you are in DC Monday thru Friday you can visit the White House or the FBI headquarters, or the Capitol bldg (our government in action!) all fun. The Holocaust Museum is phenomenal and a very moving experience. If this is your first trip to DC, I recommend the other attractions instead as there is so much American History to see first. There is also a new spy museum but the lines are long. Evenings you can visit Georgetown and have some great ethnic , reasonably priced meals. I highly recommend you and your kids order some info from the tourist board -n go to towd.com for the list of tourist boards and then talk it over and decide what to do and then TYPE up an itinearary and plan it out logistically with a DC map. . That way you will get in many attractions and not wander about aimlessly. You will have a wonderful time!

By the way, I recommend ordering my book "The Single Parent Travel Handbook" as it offers complete instructions on how to plan a great family vacation , weekend or longer and how to find bargains. If you order off my Web site you will get a discount and the book will be signed by me, the author. Click here to find out more.

Q2: "Thank you so much for all the info! I've been there several times but they've never been. It was a field trip in 8th grade that got me interested but I guess they don't do that with the schools anymore, so I will instead.

Like you I loved the Aerospace museum and found the Vietnam Memorial to be very moving. Natural History is always great but never been to American History. How about the mint? I enjoyed that and think the kids would love it too.

Never been to Holocaust Museum and plan on seeing it. Not too horrific for the kids? My youngest is 11 and scared by movies & Sept 11 has greatly affected him too.

He would love the spy museum though. . I heard about it but don't know anything. Georgetown I remember eating wonderful ice cream. I also loved the Library of Congress but they would be bored by that. What about the Archives? Always wanted to go, but always ran out of time.

How about a cheap, close place to stay in a motel? With a pool of course. That's their favorite thing about vacations. And I just downloaded some more info on family adventures in Yellowstone. They prefer to go to Alaska, but both are too expensive for me right now."- R.

GLOBAL BRENDA ANSWER: "Thanks for the reply. To answer your questions, Archives is neat and does not take too much time. I did not mention it since my list was so long. Same thing goes for the Mint.

Another place I did not mention was Arlington Cemetery which is lovely in nice weather. You should try to plan your trip for the Changing of the Guard which is a jaw-dropping experience. Your boys would love it but it will take some extra time on the Metro to get out there. Again you need to pick and choose.

Given your kids' ages and the fact that this is their first DC trip, I would not do the Holocaust Museum unless you are Jewish or have family ties to that period of history. It is an exceptional museum but you have to plan your time and your available energy. Two major museums in a day will give you aching feet. It is best to do a major museum and then one of the walkabout ones.

I also did not mention the new outdoor Roosevelt Museum, also good, but I stand by my original suggestions. Get your boys involved in the decision making process. Give them some choices but you should have the final veto vote.

As for motels, try the chains - Holiday Inn, etc. Check out Expedia.com and other Web sites (did a chapter on this in my book). That plus some calls to the chain res systems should give you enough price selections to make a choice. Remember there is also the Metro if you have to be a bit away from the center to save money.

When you are ready for Alaska or Yellowstone, let me know. Have done both with the kids. Alaska is written up in my book. We did a driving trip thru the Interior (not the cruise, too expensive for us).

Good luck!

GlobalBrenda"

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