Advice for DC traveler with a 3 year old

[Burzmali]

I've got one (or two) day(s) left in DC with my family and I am looking for some children friendly activities. We have been to the Natural History, American History, and Air and Space museums, the DAR museum (a bust) and most of the monuments on the mall. Any advice from this august body?

[wserra]

The International Spy Museum. It's a hoot.

The National Zoo is cool too. I prefer the Bronx Zoo, but then I'm a Bronx kid.

[Demosthenes]

A 3 year old? National Zoo!

[Burzmali]

That's the plan for a possible Thursday in DC. The weather tomorrow isn't really zoo weather.

[Nikki]

National aquarium in DC

Newseum

Natural Science

Zoo

Zoo

Zoo

[Thule]

If you have wheels, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, which is right next to the USS Constellation, sister ship to "Old Ironsides" the USS Constitution.

I guess you could call it "sister" ship, since materials from the frigate was used in construction of the sloop. But the 1854-Constellation is a different design and different ship from the 1797-Constellation.

[Judge Roy Bean]

I've got one (or two) day(s) left in DC with my family and I am looking for some children friendly activities. We have been to the Natural History, American History, and Air and Space museums, the DAR museum (a bust) and most of the monuments on the mall. Any advice from this august body?

As a multi-grandfather with numerous experiences, I think a child of three is not going to remember much about Washington DC no matter where you take them.

At that age, it's what you spend time doing with them as opposed to where you do it. They can't associate time and place very well. They can remember very simple things, mostly visual experiences that are closely associated with the people around them; fishing, flying kites, riding horses (careful!) and the oldest of mine remembers his first time we went digging for crawfish because he got bit by one.

Until they're a bit older, my suggestion is they'll remember more about you reading to them than they will about some city they've been to.

[Pottapaug1938]

With my father and grandfather being D.C. natives, I went down to D.C. frequently in my youngest years; but until the trip I took when I was 9 1/2 (May 1962), I remember only my trip to the National Zoo (of the sightseeing that we did).

[LaVidaRoja]

A 3 year-old? The Carosel!!

[Imalawman]

I've got one (or two) day(s) left in DC with my family and I am looking for some children friendly activities. We have been to the Natural History, American History, and Air and Space museums, the DAR museum (a bust) and most of the monuments on the mall. Any advice from this august body?

Wait, three year old? Is this the same kid you posted on here as the "cutest little tax deduction" after being born? That's been three years? wow.

[Burzmali]

As a multi-grandfather with numerous experiences, I think a child of three is not going to remember much about Washington DC no matter where you take them.

At that age, it's what you spend time doing with them as opposed to where you do it. They can't associate time and place very well. They can remember very simple things, mostly visual experiences that are closely associated with the people around them; fishing, flying kites, riding horses (careful!) and the oldest of mine remembers his first time we went digging for crawfish because he got bit by one.

Until they're a bit older, my suggestion is they'll remember more about you reading to them than they will about some city they've been to.

Trust me, my daughter would like nothing more than to run around the mall chasing a soccer ball, but the until today the weather hasn't been too good. She's a city girl though and has been to the Museum of Science and Children's Museum enough times to know (or at least assume) that a museum is a place with computers that mommy and daddy will let you "use", things that you will be allowed to climb on, things that will make a lot of noise when played with, and a table with water in it to play with. I think her biggest disappoint so far is that the local museums haven't been up to her standards.

Wait, three year old? Is this the same kid you posted on here as the "cutest little tax deduction" after being born? That's been three years? wow.

Yeah, that's her. Growing like a weed. I'll post some pictures from the zoo.