Washington DC

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Washington, DC

Every year, we ask Travelzoo members what they want to see and do when they travel. Consistently at the top of the list of reasons to travel are: food, culture and new experiences. With that in mind, let us suggest a destination that can satisfy all of these needs—and is easy on the budget—Washington, D.C. Our nation’s capital is a singular city in its own right. Thanks to an overwhelming number of free museums and monuments, it is one of the most family-friendly and budget-friendly places in America. With a plethora of Michelin and James Beard award-winning restaurants, it is a foodie’s paradise. And with an incredible swath of cultural institutions, it’s a destination designed to fill your heart with history and art. D.C. is the kind of place where time flies—so plan for that and make it an even longer weekend. Here is our guide to making the most of a few days in this bustling city.

See Dorothy’s ruby slippers, gowns worn by First Ladies and Muhammad Ali’s boxing gloves at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Ride with the mail in a stagecoach or let your kids design their own stamp at the National Postal Museum. Touch a piece of the moon at the National Air and Space Museum. Older kids might enjoy the evolutionary journey from antiquity to present-day at the National Museum of Asian Art.

It might be hard to tear yourself away from whatever topic you’re immersed in, but thankfully there are museum cafés for just that reason. With its soups, wraps and specialty sandwiches, the Courtyard Café is an easy option for those at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery (which are located next to each other). Take a stroll around the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden before grabbing a seat inside the Pavilion Café with soup, pizza or pasta. Native American chefs cook indigenous cuisines of the Americas (like fried bread, corn totopos and buffalo burgers) at the Mitsitam Native Foods Café at the lower level of the National Museum of the American Indian; “Mitsitam” means “Let’s eat!” in the native language of the Delaware and Piscataway peoples.

Family-friendly

Dining

Whether you’ve traveled to D.C. specifically to follow a band or want to check out what’s on tap, the city has plenty of venues with packed event calendars. The iconic 9:30 Club made its mark as a place to see up-and-coming acts downtown, but world-famous headliners now also grace its stage. Its sister venue, The Anthem, holds a bit more people (6,000) but still retains an intimate feel over at The Wharf. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2024, the Warner Theatre dazzles with its gold leaf ceilings and chandeliers; what started as a vaudeville and silent movie theatre is now host to Broadway productions, comedy, film, dance and music concerts. If you like to chow down on all-American food while watching a live performance, head to Pearl Street Warehouse, where the cozy setting means you’re never very far from the stage.

Arts & culture

Our guide to the perfect long weekend

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It would probably take an entire week to look at the National Gallery of Art’s more than 150,000 sculptures, decorative arts, prints, drawings, photographs and paintings found in its permanent collection. So if you only have an afternoon to spend at this free museum, then be sure to see Ginevra de’ Benci, Leonardo da Vinci’s only permanent painting here in America. Dating back to the 1470s, this oil painting showcases a brunette woman with heavy-lidded eyes turned to look into ours. As with the Mona Lisa, there is a pastoral scene in the background. After catching a glimpse of this rare treat, indulge your taste buds with a stop at the gelato bar downstairs. Acclaimed Naples-born pastry chef and gelato maker Gianluigi Dellaccio serves about 75,000 scoops of his seasonal flavors each year.

Arts & culture

Dining

The 2023 edition of the D.C. Michelin Guide added two more restaurants to its list. Rania, an upscale Indian eatery, offers a four-course prix-fixe menu. Causa bills itself as a “Peruvian tasting odyssey” that explores flavors from the coastline and the Andes mountains. Since the guide’s inception in D.C. seven years ago, the area is now home to 25 Michelin-starred restaurants. The guide also includes recommended restaurants, such as Chang Chang, the first D.C. restaurant from famous Chinese chef, Peter Chang. Start with the minced chicken lettuce cups or for something a bit spicier, the dry fried cumin fish; while those can be filling on their own, make room for the signature Peking duck.

Family-friendly

If you’ve already seen the major monuments by day, gain an awesome new perspective on them with a Monuments by Moonlight Tour, a trolley tour that takes you to some of the city’s most evocatively lit memorials—from Lincoln to Martin Luther King Jr.—while a knowledgeable guide recounts history along the way. If you buy your tickets online, you can save 5%. Another way to see a new side of the city is to plan in advance with your representatives. Request a tour of Congress up to five months (but no later than four weeks) in advance. Reservations aren’t required for a tour of the Capitol, where you’ll visit the Crypt, the Rotunda and National Statuary Hall, but if you want to climb the 300 steps to the top of the Dome, you need to be escorted by a Member of Congress. Request this up to 60 days in advance.

The site of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Ford’s Theatre, is still an active theater with performances; the President’s Box is decorated with an American flag and a portrait of President George Washington, just as it was in 1865. Visitors can head to the museum in the building to see artifacts related to the assassination, in addition to exhibits on Lincoln’s presidency and Civil War milestones. Speaking of past presidents, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' Millennium Stage presents budget-friendly entertainment with its free live performances in the Grand Foyer Wednesdays through Saturdays at 6 p.m. and free weekly film screenings in the Justice Forum. Book tickets in advance online or grab a ticket in-person at the Box Office the day of each performance; it's first-come, first-served for these freebies.

Arts & culture

Dining

If you’ve only been to the eclectic Adams Morgan neighborhood for a bar crawl, then you’re missing out. Head there in the light of day and stroll past the colorful buildings full of record shops, vintage boutiques and ethnic restaurants like Donburi for its rice bowls, Sakuramen Ramen Bar and Mama Ayesha’s long-running Middle Eastern spot. For an upscale dinner, head to Georgetown where you can walk along the cobblestoned streets and admire historic row houses and Federal-style architecture. While the fresh pasta being made in the window may beckon you to stop, reservations are recommended to get into Filomena Restaurante to sample the old world traditional recipes. At 1789 Restaurant, you’ll be served dishes like braised Wagyu short rib and New Bedford scallops in antique-filled dining rooms inside a renovated Federal house; jackets are recommended for men.

Family-friendly

While D.C. is an action-packed city, you can also just take a pause and head into nature for some zen time. Officially authorized in 1890, making it the third national park to be designated by the federal government, Rock Creek Park encompasses 1,754 acres (including the National Zoo). There are over 32 miles of hiking trails and paths here, as well as opportunities to go horseback riding, golfing, boating and play tennis. The giant pandas may have left the zoo, but there are still lots of other animals on view. Be sure to check out the newly renovated Bird House, which reopened last year after a six-year closure. Admission to the zoo is free, but a timed entry for all guests (including infants) must be reserved up to four weeks in advance. The zoo is open every day except Dec. 25.

While you can't check out a book from the Library of Congress, you can check out a reading room, take a guided tour or take the kids to story time. This, the world’s largest library, even has the first book printed in British North America, that being a book of hymns from 1640. Current exhibits include “Not an Ostrich: & Other Images from America’s Library” which, at 428 photographs of both famous and absurd images, offers but a small glimpse of the 14 million photographs in the entire library collection. See historic news from the point of the view of the little guy, that being Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, Herbert L. Block in the Herblock Gallery. Every six months, 10 new cartoons are on view; through March 23, view “Herblock Looks at 1973: Fifty Years Ago in Editorial Cartoons, Part II” for his (still timely) take on inflation and other issues of the day.

Arts & culture

Dining

Locals (and dignitaries) have been making a beeline for Ben’s Chili Bowl in the U Street Corridor for more than six decades. This family-run legend offers a half-smoke dog that many consider the city’s signature dish. Opened since 1958, Ben’s Chili Bowl was an integral part of history during the last century; not only did the owners’ donate food to the 1963 March on Washington (when Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I have a dream” speech), but they stayed open during the 1968 riots when both law enforcement and activists ate there. If you like to be overwhelmed with choices, then head to the NoMa neighborhood and check out Union Market. This gourmet food hall has more than 40 vendors, from pop-up stands to permanent restaurants. Head two blocks down the street to La Cosecha, a Latin American marketplace that has everything from made-to-order Salvadoran pupusas to vegan Bolivian fare.

Family-friendly

With its imposing marble columns and high ceilings, the National Building Museum has often played host to grand presidential balls since it opened in the late 1880s (its day job was as the U.S. Pension Bureau headquarters until the late 1980s). This design and architecture museum is surprisingly kid-friendly, particularly its current exhibit “Brick City” (through spring 2025) in which iconic architecture from around the world is recreated in miniature with LEGO bricks. “Mini Memories” showcases 400 souvenir buildings from 70 countries, some which doubled as coin banks or clocks. While the museum is not part of the Smithsonian, it still offers free admission to active-duty military personnel and their families from Armed Forces Day to Labor Day annually. No admission is needed to walk around the building to see the three-foot-high terra cotta figures adorning four arched doorways, honoring Civil War veterans.

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

The Lincoln Memorial

Day one

Day two

Day three

Day four

The Smithonsian American History Museum

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art

U.S. Capitol Rotunda

Plan your trip

National Gallery of Art

National Air & Space Museum

Ethiopic Restaurant

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

Pavilion Café

Warner Theatre

Adams Morgan neighborhood

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National Building Museum

Ben's Chili Bowl

Library of Congress

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Union Station

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

Library of Congress

Museum of Illusions

National Gallery of Art; Leonardo da Vinci's 'Ginevra de' Benci' (right)

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Rock Creek Park

Bird House at the National Zoo

Cheetah at the National Zoo

Millennium Stage (left); Ford's Theatre (right)

1789 Restaurant in Georgetown | credit: Clyde’s Restaurant Group

Causa | credit: Rey Lopez

The Washington Monument

With 21 museums—17 in D.C. alone—and the National Zoo, the Smithsonian Institution is one of the best examples of your tax dollars at work. The amount of incredible artifacts and information on view for free admission is simply staggering; it’s easy to lose a whole day just in one museum. (The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History alone is larger than 18 football fields.) Do a little research before you go to pick out the ones that appeal most to you and your little ones.

1789 Restaurant in Georgetown | credit: Clyde’s Restaurant Group