Planning a trip to Washington DC, MD, DE and NJ

[emily_the_spoiled]

Laurie is on her way out to LA this afternoon, but I will try and help you out with a few things.

The most important thing is to bring comfortable shoes. DC is a town for walking (and Baltimore is to soom extent.

I'll do Baltimore first because it is easier (and smaller). The best thing to see is the Inner Harbour. If you are there on a game day you can always get tickets to the Oriole's (the stadium is great even for us non-baseball people).

Regarding tickets for the Monument... I would definitely advice getting them in advance if you can. Because then you don't have to wait in line as long.

I would also recommend seeing the National Holocaust Museum. One can not say this place is "fun", but it is one of the most moving museums I have ever seen.

The kids might also be interested in the Spy Museum. Unfortunately this one of the few museums in town that is not free but it is very good.

I always find that just walking on the Mall is nice (especially if it is nice outside). The Vietnam, Korean, and Lincoln Memorials are altogether at one end. Then the Congress is at the other end, with many of the Smithsonian Museums in between (or off the Mall a few blocks)

Cheryl

[Edwina's Secretary]

I love Mount Vernon....

[Vermontcat]

Thanks for the information Emily(Cheryl). Laurie mentioned that you live in the DC area too and would have some ideas.
We do plan to do a lot of walking as long as the weather is good. After a full day in the car the kids will be ready to do lots of walking.
A friend of mine also mentioned the Spy Museum but also said that it will cost more money.
We will see how many of the Smithsonian Museums we can see first before we try the Spy Museum.
Edwina's Secretary, I was thinking of going over to see Mount Vernon too but we will see if we can fit it into our schedule after we see some of DC.
Thanks for the help so far, it looks like I will have to wait a week to hear back from Laurie.
In the meantime I picked up Fodor's Guide to DC today so I will be checking that out for more info on the area.

[emily_the_spoiled]

There are something like 13 Smithsonian's so you could spend alot of time just in those museums

Are there specific things that the kids would be interested in?

(There is always shopping...)

[Cessa's Mom]

The Spy Museum is very good! I even crawled through the ductwork. LOL! I also enjoy watching "The Changing of the Guard" at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetary.

[Ginger's Mom]

Ooh, I will have to check out the Spy Museum, sounds like fun. And yes, Mount Vernon is lovely (my neice and nephew only live about 5 miles away from there). Have you decided how you are going down yet? Although the ride on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry is very nice, it really is way out of the way for you. The quickest way through NJ is to just take the turnpike or 295 straight down. Were you planning on seeing any of the historical buildings in Philadelphia? I am not good at suggesting fun things, but if you have any questions. I hope you have good weather and a wonderful trip!

[Vermontcat]

Emily, we are planning on the Air and Space Museum and the Zoo and hopefully the Natural History Museum and maybe the American History Museum too. If we have time on the last morning before we leave town we may head over to Arlington or Mount Vernon.
Do you have any advice on kid-friendly restaurants or good places for lunch or dinner that aren't too pricey?

Ginger's Mom, we are still not sure which route we will take from Baltimore to Atlantic City. It looks like it would be faster to go through Wilmington.
Do you have any advice on a quick route from Atlantic City back to RT 87 in NY state? We will be driving back to Vermont on Saturday the 29th and would rather avoid heavy city traffic if possible. It looks like 206 goes up to 84 then 87. Is that a good route? It looks like the most direct one.