Q&A: Best age for visiting D.C.

 

A: I called Destination D.C. and wasn’t surprised to hear spokesperson Carla Barry-Austin tell me that -- with its green spaces, a zoo, and children’s programming at many museums -- “D.C. is a city for all ages.” I’ll give her that, but I say waiting a year or two could benefit both children, but especially your son.

Let’s focus on why parents bring children to D.C.: to inspire, to teach, and to instill some reverence for this country and its history. Inspiration is hard to come by when children are tired, and getting around the National Mall, where most of the monuments and museums are centered, can be daunting for little legs. Its two most distant points, the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol Building, lay two miles from one another. (There are buses you can take from one place to another, including the Circulator.) Plus, visitors get the most out of a museum visit if they have the stamina to read some of the text associated with an exhibit.  Another point to consider: Most children won’t remember as adults much of what happened to them before the age of 5 or 6, so skip vacations you hope stick with them until later.  

When you do go, acknowledge that compromise is part of any family vacation. If two adults are along, consider splitting up from time-to-time. While your daughter reads every last word of the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives, perhaps your son could be checking out the Hope Diamond at the nearby Museum of Natural History.

And just for the record, I think the best ages for D.C. range from the mid-20s to mid-30s. I lived there for a decade starting in my mid-20s, and I was constantly engaged by its offerings. But, hey, that’s beside the point. We’re talking family vacation, not empty nest….yet.