Troop Trip to Washington DC - Where to stay?

[GKlose]

Same experience as HobcawChaos, this last summer (except we didn't go to the White House).

 

By the way, I highly recommend contacting your rep's office -- we did that, and it was such a pleasure to bypass so many lines on our way into the Capitol. Our tour guide, a summer intern, was fantastic during the tour. Bags were left at the rep's office, and they gave us plenty of warning beforehand that would be the case.

 

Another point of information -- I liked the Bureau of Engraving and printing tour, but their website and our rep's website were both wrong! The rep's office does not arrange tours -- one had to get to a kiosk on one side of the B.E.P. early in the morning to get a timed ticket for later entry. Entrance was on the opposite side of the building.

 

The first morning, we got their too late to get a ticket for that day (I believe we arrived about 10:30am). The second day, we arrived earlier (maybe 9am) and got a timed ticket for around 5pm. One nice note -- it was a very hot late June day, and we arrived back at the tour entrance about 4:30pm. The attendant let us into the alcove earlier than normal due to no-shows. He didn't have to, but I think he recognized that we would enjoy have a bench to sit on inside.

 

After visiting both sides of the B.E.P. building multiple times, it was pretty clear that the Holocaust Museum, on the same block, gets lots of traffic too. Plan on waiting in a line there for awhile.

 

I've been to D.C. many times since I was a young kid. I can vouch for other recommendations of the Smithsonian, the Air and Space Museum, including the Udvar-Hazy Center, and everything else. I love the National Archives, but it can be a very long wait to get a very crowded view of "the documents." This last trip, rather than spend big chunks of a day in one place, we did a lot of "hit and run" visiting. Dropped into several museums just for an hour or two, then moved on. Had no issues with "I'm bored, when can we go home?".

 

Guy

 

 

[Eagle732]

Thanks to everyone for the great tips and info. One of the things we would like to do is to visit Arlington and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.