8 'things' all kids should see in D.C.

Posted on 12:39 PM by
If you ask my daughter what her favorite thing was about Washington, D.C., she'd tell you seeing Abraham Lincoln's hat at the American History Museum. She was absolutely fascinated by this top hat that the former President was wearing when he was assassinated.

During our trip to D.C. I realized that these individual things on display in the museums--Einstein's light bulb, Dorothy's ruby red slippers--helped bring American history alive for my children. When my daughter saw Lincoln's hat, she realized that he was a real person--it humanized him.

And so I came up with this list of 9 things kids should see on a visit to D.C., all of them on display at a Smithsonian museum offering free admission.

1) Julia Child's Kitchen at the American History Museum. All of the ordinary and unusual utensils are on display in this simple, retro-looking kitchen that was once in Julia's home. Kids love watching the cooking shows playing on a TV.

2) Hope Diamond at the Natural History Museum. When you tell your kids that you're going to see the biggest diamond they'll probably be a little disappointed when they see that it's not much bigger than a walnut. But this teaches the lesson that good things can come in small packages.


3) Faith Bradford's Doll House at the American History Museum. You could wait in line for 30 minutes to see Dorothy's ruby red slippers, or you could spend that time studying this five-story doll house with more than a thousand miniatures including a tiny goldfish aquarium and kitchen cupboards with real cut glass.

4) Star Spangled Banner at the American History Museum. It's the flag that U.S. soldiers raised at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry to celebrate a crucial victory over British forces during the War of 1812--and it inspired our national anthem.


5) Bell X-1 at the Air and Space Museum. Piloted by U.S. Air Force Capt. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager, this was the first aircraft to break the sound barrier and kids love anything that goes really, really fast.

6) The Peacock Room
in the Freer Gallery. An opulent London dining room painted by Whistler in 1876–77.


7) Gilbert Stuart's "Lansdowne" painting of George Washington at the National Portrait Gallery. Your children will forever remember who our country's first president was after standing in front of this full-length portrait.

8) Little Dancer Age 14 at the National Gallery of Art. Little girls love this sculpture depicting a ballet student. It's one of Edgar Degas' most famous pieces.

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