Family trip · Washington, DC

A 5-day Washington, DC plan for families (kids ~6 & 9)

Washington rewards a slow hand: the museums are world-class and free, but they're huge, and the Mall is bigger than it looks on a map.

5-day plan10 stopsFamily tripWashington

Planned by Wonder· built from real, checked placesReal places

Make this plan yours What's on now in Washington

Photo: Yeon Choi / Unsplash

The shape of the trip

This plan gives you one real anchor a day, an easy backup, and built-in downtime — so the 6- and 9-year-olds (and you) still have something left by dinner.

How to use this

How to read this: each day has one main thing, an easy backup if the day goes sideways, and an eat/rest note. Most Smithsonian museums and the Mall monuments are free, but several now use free timed-entry passes you reserve online ahead of time — grab those a few days out. Stroller-friendly almost everywhere; expect a lot of walking, so build in the breaks we’ve flagged.

Jump to a day

Day 1 · National Air and Space Museum Day 2 · Smithsonian's National Zoo Day 3 · National Museum of Natural History Day 4 · The Mall monuments, at a kid's pace Day 5 · The Wharf & the waterfront

Day 1Half day

National Air and Space Museum

A note from Wonder

Short attention spans do well here — it’s look-up-and-point spectacle, not read-the-placard. Plan a half-day, not a full one, so it stays fun. On the Mall near L’Enfant Plaza Metro; flat, stroller-friendly approach.

Anchor

National Air and Space Museum

Start with the marquee day while everyone’s fresh. The National Air and Space Museum on the Mall is mid-way through a multi-year renovation, with about half its galleries open right now — new spaces, a renovated planetarium, the 1903 Wright Flyer, and a touchable piece of the Moon. Kids around 6 and 9 are exactly the right age for "real spaceship, right there." Reserve free timed-entry passes in advance, and check the IMAX schedule if you want one big-ticket extra.

National Air and Space Museum

Photo: Luis Linares

Backup

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden

If timed passes are gone or the line’s long, walk five minutes to the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden (free, open-air) — kids can roam between giant sculptures like the Typewriter Eraser and cool their toes at the fountain’s edge.

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden

Photo: National Gallery of Art – Sculpture Garden

Eat & rest

The museum has a café, but it’s busy; for a calmer reset, picnic on the Mall lawn or duck into the National Gallery cafeteria nearby. Keep the afternoon loose — Day 1 jet-lag-or-just-tired energy is real.

Day 2Half to full day

Smithsonian's National Zoo

A note from Wonder

Animals are the universal kid win, and the layout lets you bail early without guilt. Mornings are cooler and the animals are more active. Woodley Park–Zoo/Adams Morgan Metro, then a short uphill walk; stroller-friendly paths but hilly.

Anchor

Smithsonian's National Zoo

The Smithsonian's National Zoo in Woodley Park is free, with giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao on the Asia Trail and a Kids' Farm (cows, alpacas, goats, donkeys) that's perfect for the 6-year-old. Reserve free timed-entry passes ahead. One honest heads-up: the zoo is built on a hill, so go in at the top and let gravity work for you on the way down.

Smithsonian's National Zoo

Photo: Muhammad Ibrahim

Backup

Reptile Discovery Center

If it’s pouring or brutally hot, the indoor animal houses (Great Apes, Small Mammal House, Reptile Discovery Center) keep the day going under cover.

Reptile Discovery Center

Photo: Nicholas Grbec

Eat & rest

Duke’s Counter, right across from the zoo gates in Woodley Park, is a family-friendly gastropub with a kids’ menu and a patio — an easy post-zoo lunch. There are quick-casual spots along Connecticut Avenue too.

Day 3Half day

National Museum of Natural History

A note from Wonder

This is the "wow" museum for 6–9 — dinosaurs, gems, bugs, and things you’re allowed to touch. Budget 2–3 hours and let them lead between the big three (fossils, ocean, bugs). Smithsonian or Federal Triangle Metro; flat Mall approach, stroller-friendly.

Anchor

National Museum of Natural History

Back on the Mall for the National Museum of Natural History (free, no timed pass typically required — check before you go). The David H. Koch Hall of Fossils — Deep Time is the dinosaur hall every kid comes for: a real T. rex posed over a Triceratops, a woolly mammoth, and a hands-on Fossil Basecamp where kids can touch real specimens. Add the giant African elephant in the rotunda, the Ocean Hall, and the live Insect Zoo.

National Museum of Natural History

Photo: Clelia Ceballos

Backup

National Children's Museum

The National Children’s Museum at 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW (closed Tuesdays) is a few blocks away — three-story Dream Machine climber and big slides for when the older one needs to burn energy. (Note: it’s a ticketed museum, unlike the Smithsonians.)

National Children's Museum

Photo: National Children's Museum

Eat & rest

Grab lunch in the museum or walk to the food trucks and quick spots near Federal Triangle. Then take a genuine break — this is a good afternoon to head back to the hotel for downtime before dinner.

Day 4Half day plus the boats

The Mall monuments, at a kid's pace

A note from Wonder

The pedal boats turn "more monuments" into an actual activity kids ask for. Constitution Gardens along the way has shaded benches and a little island — a built-in rest stop when legs get tired. Foggy Bottom or Smithsonian Metro; the Mall is flat and stroller-friendly, but it’s a lot of open ground — bring water, hats, and snacks, and don’t try to see every monument.

Anchor

Lincoln Memorial

Do the monuments the easy way: it’s about two miles from the Capitol end to the Lincoln Memorial, but you don’t have to walk all of it. Aim for the western cluster — the Lincoln Memorial (climb the steps or take the elevator from the basement, where the restrooms are), the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Washington Monument at a distance. Pair the walk with a Tidal Basin pedal boat ride (seasonal, spring through fall) for close-up views of the Jefferson Memorial — the boats hold four and are an easy win for ages 2 and up.

Lincoln Memorial

Photo: Rami Maki

Backup

National Gallery of Art

If the heat’s punishing or the boats are closed, retreat to the air-conditioned National Gallery of Art on the Mall — free, and its kid-friendly galleries plus the Sculpture Garden make a gentle afternoon.

National Gallery of Art

Photo: Satish Shikhare

Eat & rest

Mall food options are thin and pricey; pack a picnic or plan to eat after you exit. The Tidal Basin area and Constitution Gardens are both fine picnic spots.

Day 5Half to full day

The Wharf & the waterfront

A note from Wonder

After museums and monuments, kids need to just run, splash, and not be told to be quiet. The Wharf delivers that with a view, and the ferry ride is its own little adventure. Waterfront Metro, or it’s a short ride from the Mall; flat and stroller-friendly.

Anchor

The Wharf

End on the water. The Wharf along the Potomac has a mile of waterfront with public piers, a seasonal splash pad by the Boathouse, giant swings on the Recreation Pier, and the 7th Street Park green space — low-pressure fun after four big sightseeing days. The historic Municipal Fish Market (America’s oldest continuously operating open-air fish market) is right there for a snack-and-stroll. From spring through fall, the free Wharf Jitney ferries across the channel to East Potomac Park / Hains Point, which has a big fenced playground and open grass to run.

The Wharf

Photo: The Wharf DC

Backup

Georgetown Waterfront Park

Georgetown Waterfront Park is the other great riverfront option — an interactive plaza fountain kids splash in (on mid-spring through fall), grassy lawns, and the C&O Canal path nearby.

Georgetown Waterfront Park

Photo: elwin romein

Eat & rest

The Wharf has a deep bench of casual waterfront restaurants and the Fish Market for crab cakes and fries. This is your easy last-day meal — sit by the water and let the trip wind down.

Rainy-day & heat-of-the-day indoor backups

Washington summers are hot and humid, and afternoon thunderstorms are common — keep these free or low-cost indoor anchors in your back pocket:

National Museum of Natural History — dinosaurs, gems, ocean hall, live insect zoo (free; see Day 3).
National Air and Space Museum — the open galleries plus the IMAX theater (free timed passes; see Day 1).
National Gallery of Art — free, air-conditioned, with genuinely kid-friendly galleries on the Mall.
Planet Word (925 13th St NW, closed Tuesdays) — the world’s first voice-activated museum; the Speaking Willow and the 22-foot talking word wall are a hit with readers around 6–9. General admission is free with a suggested donation.
National Children’s Museum (1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, closed Tuesdays) — three-story climber and STEAM play; ticketed, best for the youngest of the crew.

Where to eat without a meltdown

Skip the Mall for sit-down meals — options are limited and crowded. Aim for these family-tolerant clusters instead:

Woodley Park (near the zoo) — Duke’s Counter (kids’ menu, patio) and a strip of casual spots along Connecticut Avenue.
Eastern Market (Capitol Hill, closed Mondays) — weekend stalls and prepared-food vendors (crepes, mini-doughnuts); Ted’s Bulletin nearby is a longtime kid-friendly favorite.
The Wharf — waterfront casual restaurants plus the Municipal Fish Market for crab cakes, shrimp, and fries to eat on the go.
Georgetown / Georgetown Waterfront — plenty of casual options near the splash fountain and the canal.
A picnic on the Mall lawn or in Constitution Gardens is often the easiest lunch on a museum day — fewer lines, more downtime.

Your trip, your crew

Make this Washington plan yours

Tell WonderKit your dates and who's coming, and we'll rebuild this around your group in about a minute — everyone votes on the plan, and costs split automatically. One subscription, the whole group.

Start planning — free

One of 52 ready-made WonderKit plans across 38 cities

No credit card · ready in about a minute

Keep exploring

Every place on this page is verified — how we check