Everyone has seen the Washington Monument, that large obelisk stretching toward the D.C. sky; but many do not know that you can actually go inside, climbing to the top to see a majestic panorama of the Washington area. Other monuments of interest nearby: the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the fairly new (opened in 2004) World War II Memorial. The Jefferson Memorial has a theater in which they show a biography film about the life of Thomas Jefferson. Another great kid-friendly museum is the National Archives, where the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are on display (also free).
Two of the most popular kid-friendly museum destinations in the Washington area are part of the Smithsonian Institution (a collection of 19 museums, nine research facilities and the national zoo): the National Air and Space Museum (devoted to air and space travel, containing the Wright brothers plane, the Spirit of St. Louis and many rockets sent into space) and the National Museum of Natural History (where the Hope diamond and a full-scale dinosaur are to be seen).
A trip to our nation's capital isn't complete without a trip to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Here you will see priceless American historical artifacts like George Washington's Revolutionary War uniform and Abraham Lincoln's stovepipe hat and copy of the Gettysburg Address, but you'll also find Dorothy's ruby slippers worn in "The Wizard of Oz," Star Wars robots R2D2 and C3PO, and the original Kermit the Frog.
The National Zoo is one of the best places to take children in Washington, D.C. It consists of 2,000 animals of 400 different species, is open year-round and is completely free of charge. When you do go, be sure to take your little ones to the petting zoo, and keep an eye out for the monkey crossing, where chimpanzees regularly cross above the crowds below on a series of high wires.
