Find out why our trip to Washington DC, turned out to be the best trip for my 8 year-old’s birthday. In this post I will tell you all about THE TOP 3 places to visit with your children.
Every year for my middle child’s birthday, we let her decide where she would like to go, with some guidance from me.
I usually give her suggestions of a couple of places, and she will decide based on the pictures I show her.
This year she chose Mount Rushmore as her birthday destination, but due to the pandemic, we decided to stay close to home and travel by car.
Since our family canceled our plans because flying was out of the question, we decided to go to the next best thing, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.
Going to Washington, DC, probably would rank as the best thing on the list.
Where to stay?
When we go away, we often try to find a Doubletree Hotel to stay at. We like Double Tree because we know if we stay there, we will have a pool and their famous cookies.
Whenever we check into the hotel, the big guy always says to me,” Make sure you get our cookies!”
It’s sometimes embarrassing to ask for the cookies, and sometimes it makes me feel guilty. That’s why I love the staff that asks us if we would like some fresh, warm chocolate cookies.
Traffic near Lincoln Memorial can get a little hectic, so we chose a Double Tree about a 30-minute drive from the capital.
Where to eat?
There were a couple of great restaurants in the area, but this was a birthday trip for a 7-year-old, so we had to make it great.
What better way to entertain a child than to visit Dave and Buster’s, where they can eat and play?
When to go to the Lincoln Memorial?
Over the years of being a tourist to Washington, DC, I’ve always visited during the peak tourist hours, which included; weekends and holidays. These visits usually happened from mid-afternoon until early evening.
During these time frames, thousands of people visited all of the museums and monuments just as we were.
So you can only imagine how long the lines are anywhere you visit. The parking was just as bad; we had to park blocks away from any place we wanted to see.
Since we took this trip during Covid, we decided to visit the Lincoln Memorial a little later than usual.
This was a fantastic idea.
We got to the Lincoln Memorial at about 9:00 pm. That was great because we could move around the Memorial without feeling like we were crowding other people’s space around us or bumping into them.
Parking
Since we got to the Lincoln Memorial so late, there were plenty of available parking spaces nearby. Other times when we have visited the Memorial in the past, we would have to find a parking garage blocks away and take a taxi back to the visitor sites.
Lincoln Memorial
When my daughter’s teacher asked her what she did for her birthday, my daughter unenthusiastically told her, “We went to see the guy on the back of the penny.”
My daughter’s teacher and I were more excited about the trip than my 7-year-old because she wanted to talk about everything else but Abraham Lincoln.
How tall is Lincoln’s statue?
Lincoln’s statue sits about 19 feet tall. Although I was standing next to the figure, it seemed much taller.
What is engraved on the wall of the Monument?
Inside Lincoln’s Monument you will find two engravings, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address have been carved into the right and left walls of the Lincoln Memorial. Over top of Lincoln’s head, there is another carving written by Royal Cortissoz.
Lincoln Memorial hours?
The Lincoln Memorial is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so you can go anytime you would like to visit.
Do you have to pay to visit the Lincoln Memorial ?
No, visiting the Lincoln Memorial is free.
Can you bring strollers?
The Lincoln Memorial provides access to the Lincoln Statue by ramp or elevator. There are free wheelchair rentals as well.
Visitor Center
I don’t think many people realize there is a visitor center at the Lincoln Memorial. I have been visiting Washington, DC, for years, and it never dawned on me that this Memorial has one. The center is located below the Lincoln Memorial, where you can find history about President Lincoln and the history of the construction of the Memorial.
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
After visiting the Lincoln Memorial, my family decided to stroll around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
It was such a beautiful spring night, so we decided to take advantage of the views around the area. After one full lap around the Reflecting Pool, we noticed there were scooters for rent.
So we downloaded the Lime app to rent an available scooter. There are a couple of different scooters in the area, so ensure you get the correct app.
Let me tell you; the kids had a blast on these scooters. They had so much fun they did not want to get off.
We rode them for about 2 hours.
Where to find Scooters?
You can find the scooters along the walkways of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. There is also a designated spot near the Lincoln Memorial’s left-hand side. (Facing the Washington Monument)
On the right-hand side, there are also scooters near the World War II Memorial. (Facing the Lincoln Memorial)
Nearby Memorials to visit while visiting the Lincoln Monument?
These memorials are within walking distance if you are looking for other monuments to visit during your trip.
- Martin Luther King Jr. Monument
- Washington Monument Grounds
- Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
- World War II Memorial
This Year the Lincoln Memorial will be 100 years old on May 30, 2022
Where is the Lincoln Memorial?
2 Lincoln Memorial Circle
NW Washington, DC 20002
Washington Monument
Another fantastic place to visit while you are in Washington, DC, is the Washington Monument.
Can you go inside the Washington Monument?
Yes, you can.
In 1976 the parks service closed the stairs to the general public because people were breaking off the stone to the Monument as souvenirs.
However, you can reserve tickets to take the elevator up to the top of the Washington Monument.
To reserve tickets, visit www.recreation.gov or call 877-444-6777.
The tickets are free, but there is a nonrefundable service fee of $1.00 per ticket
What’s at the top of the Washington Monument?
At the top of the Washington Monument are windows to look out of to see the magnificent view of Washington, DC. Also, at the top, you will find a visitor center and a small museum.
Washington Monument Fun Facts.
The construction of the Washington Monument started in 1848. The workers had to stop construction on the Monument because the project ran out of money.
Construction on the Monument started again 20 years later, so the bottom half of the Monument is lighter than the top half.
In 2011 an earthquake in Virginia caused damage to the Washington Monument, which took three years to repair the cracks in the Monument.
Smithsonian’s National Zoo
There was no way I was going to leave Washington, DC, without first stopping at the Washington National Zoo.
This has to be one of the best zoos I have visited on the east coast. This zoo is huge. Well, at least I thought it was because I walked around the zoo at seven months pregnant on my first visit in the blazing heat.
You could spend hours just walking around and never get tired of all the exciting exhibits you will find.
Smithsonian’s National Zoo tickets.
The zoo is free.
However, during covid, there was a strict policy to reserve your tickets online to enter the zoo.
Washington National Zoo Hours
The winter hours for the Washington National Zoo are 8:00am – 4:00 pm
Summer hours are 8:00am – 6:00pm
The Washington National Zoo is open every day except for December 25.
If you visit the zoo, be sure you get there early because they stop letting people in an hour before closing time.
Zoo map
Do I have to pay for parking at the zoo?
When I visited the Washington National Zoo website, it looked like a parking fee of $30 if you park in the zoo’s parking lot.
Since we were not going to stay at the zoo for long, my family found a parking space along the street.
Ensure you read off the street parking signs before leaving your car. You do not want to have your vehicle towed.
Washington National Zoo
3001 Connecticut Ave NW,
Washington, DC 20008
As always,
Thank you again for coming along this journey with my family and me. If there’s any place, you feel my family would enjoy visiting, please tell us in the comments below. You can also put any questions in the comments if there are any questions I have not answered about the Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC…
