Frommer's Washington, D.C., With Kids

Frommer's Washington, D.C., With Kids

From Frommer's website's section entitled the "Best Free Things to Do" in Washington, DC:

• Peruse the Constitution: Only in Washington and only at the National Archives will you ever be able to read the original documents that so well grounded our nation in liberty. Here, you'll find the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights -- all on display behind glass.
• People-Watch at Dupont Circle: This traffic circle is also a park, an all-weather hangout for mondo-bizarre biker-couriers, chess players, street musicians, and lovers. Sit on a bench and watch the scenes around you.
• Attend a Millennium Stage Performance at the Kennedy Center: Every evening at 6pm, the Kennedy Center presents a free 1-hour concert performed by local, up-and-coming, national, or international musicians. This is a winner. After the performance, head through the glass doors to the terrace for a view of the Potomac River.
• Groove to the Sounds of Live Jazz in the Sculpture Garden: On summer's Friday evenings at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, you can dip your toes in the fountain pool and chill, as live jazz groups serenade you from 5 to 8pm. The jazz is free; the tapas and wine and beer served in the garden's Pavilion Café are not.
• Pick a Museum (Just About), Any Museum: That's the thing about Washington -- because this is the U.S. capital, many of its museums are federal institutions, which means admission is free. The National Gallery of Art, the U.S. Botanic Garden, and the Smithsonian's 16 Washington museums, from National Air and Space to the Freer Gallery, are among the many spectacular free places to visit.

Click here to visit the Frommer's website Washington, D.C. travel section

Fodor's Travel: Washington, DC

Fodor's website offers some of the best travel advice available. Although Fodor's does publish a book on travel to Washington, D.C., their website is a valuable resource to bookmark for destination travel. Best of all, it's absolutely FREE.

One of the features from Fodor's website is the "Great Itineraries" section. For example Fodor's offers some choice places to visit in One Day in Washington:

If you have a day or less (and even a dollar or less!) in D.C., your sightseeing strategy is simple: take the metro to the Smithsonian stop and explore the area around the Mall. You'll be at the undisputed heart of the city -- a beautiful setting in which you'll find America's greatest collection museums, with the city's spectacular monuments and the halls of government a stone's throw away.

As you face the Capitol, to your left are the Museum of Natural History, the National Gallery of Art, and the National Archives. To your right are the Museum of African Art, the Hirshhorn Museum, the National Air and Space Museum, and more. Head the other direction, toward the Washington Monument, and you're also on your way to the World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and more monuments to America's presidents and its past. A lover of American history and culture could spend a thoroughly happy month, much less a day, wandering the Mall and its surroundings.

If you're here first thing in the morning: You can hit monuments and memorials early. They're open 24 hours a day and staffed beginning at 8:00 AM. The outdoor sculpture garden at the Hirshhorn opens at 7:30, and the Smithsonian Institution Building (the "Castle") opens at 8:30. In the Castle you can grab a cup of coffee, watch an 18-minute film about D.C., and see examples of objects from many of the 18 Smithsonian museums.

If you only have few hours in the evening: Experience the beauty of monuments at dusk and after dark. Many people think they're even more striking when the sun goes down. National Park Service rangers staff most monuments until midnight.

Click here for more information from Fodor's.