Click here for our feature on traveling with children in D.C.
WHEN TO GO
Spring is high season in Washington, especially the beginning of April, when the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival (nationalcherryblossomfestival.org; this year, March 29 through April 13) is held and the Japanese cherry trees around the Tidal Basin erupt in a sea of pink. Summer can be uncomfortably hot and humid, though the crowds still come, taking refuge in air-conditioned museums whenever possible. Reserve hotels early if you visit during a school vacation.
GETTING AROUND
Taxis are plentiful and the best way to travel in the District. Kids love the Metro for its space-age tunnels and ultradeep stations with endless escalators, so it's worth a ride or two. Because it was designed more for commuters than tourists, however, you may at times be left with quite a walk to your destination. If you're staying in Georgetown, which has no Metro stops, cabs are your only option.
WHERE TO STAY
Any of these hotels will roll out the red carpet for young guests, welcoming them with toys, treats and teddy bears. Just let the hotel know in advance that you're coming with children.
Four Seasons Hotel, Washington, D.C. In an ideal Georgetown location, where Pennsylvania Avenue meets M Street, the Four Seasons sits beside rows of art galleries and the city's chicest shops. Our kids couldn't get enough of the whimsical sculptures (representing people looking skyward) by British artist Raymond Mason in the courtyard, or of the mountains of pillows on the mahogany sleigh bed. Another draw is the historic Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which runs behind the hotel and provides the setting for a bucolic walk in an otherwise urban environment. Double rooms from $695, suites from $895. 2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW; 800-819-5053; fourseasons.com .
Mandarin Oriental, Washington, D.C. The Mandarin, just a few blocks from the Mall's southern edge, is the hotel closest to most monuments and museums; it has a sizable indoor pool to boot. The service is top-notch: when there was a problem with our room, a switch was handled swiftly and efficiently. But really, the walls could have tumbled down and we wouldn't have cared; the flat-screen TV above the tub made bath time easier than ever before. Café Mozu, with views of the Jefferson Memorial, was a sunny breakfast setting. Double rooms from $295, suites from $795. 1330 Maryland Ave. SW; 866-526-6567; mandarinoriental.com.
Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown It's the sleekest hotel in town, in the unlikeliest of buildings. A garbage incinerator was reinvented five years ago as the District's second Ritz-Carlton, steps from the intersection of M and Wisconsin, Georgetown's epicenter. There's dark wood throughout, and, fittingly, an industrial motif dominates. The tunnels of red brick connecting the wings practically beg for kids to run through them full tilt. Double rooms from $449, suites from $599. 3100 South St. NW; 800-241-3333; ritzcarlton.com.
For a slightly less luxurious but no less appealing stay, try one of the Kimpton Group's seven D.C. boutique hotels, each with a different theme. The best ones for children are the pop culture–infused Hotel Helix (specialty rooms from $169; 1430 Rhode Island Ave. NW; 800-706-1202; hotelhelix.com), whose Bunk Rooms have private alcoves with TVs above bunk beds; the Hotel Monaco (double rooms from $369, suites from $569; 700 F St. NW; 800-649-1202; monaco-dc.com), in a former post office next to the International Spy Museum; the art-themed Hotel Palomar (double rooms from $269, suites from $600; 2121 P St. NW; 877-866-3070; hotelpalomar-dc.com), off Dupont Circle, for its lovely outdoor pool, a rarity in the District; and the Hotel Rouge (specialty rooms from $169; 1315 16th St. NW; 800-738-1202; rougehotel.com), which teens will adore for its hipper-than-thou vibe (and red-soaked decor, hence the name).
WHERE TO EAT
Café Deluxe Overheard on our way in: "Welcome to Disney World." It may be noisy, but you'll rarely find a meal this good in a place that gives out crayons. After finishing my fall-off-the-bone lamb shank, I devoured what little remained of the kids' macaroni and cheese: cavatappi pasta in a thick Gruyère sauce. The setting (just a block north of the National Cathedral) is Art Deco to the hilt, complete with vintage posters; in warm weather, tables and cane bistro chairs are lined up under umbrellas outside. 3228 Wisconsin Ave. NW; 202-686-2233.
Clyde's of Georgetown Clyde's may be a local chain, but this is the original location (since 1963) and a D.C. landmark in its own right. Ask to sit in the back room—past the long oak bar and the leather banquettes—where giant model airplanes hang overhead to distract children between courses. The food is a cut above standard pub fare. 3236 M St. NW, in the Shops at Georgetown Park; 202-333-9180.
Lauriol Plaza Although you wouldn't know by looking at it or after hearing its name, there's great Mexican food to be found at this factorylike trilevel space near Dupont Circle. (Bill Clinton dined here to much fanfare two years ago.) Quesadillas are a good bet for the little ones; you can try the excellent enchiladas de mariscos, bursting with shrimp and scallops. Arrive on the early side if you'd rather avoid the raucous bar crowd. 1835 18th St. NW; 202-387-0035.
Mitsitam Native Foods Café The finest lunch option on the Mall is inside the three-year-old National Museum of the American Indian, a limestone architectural gem. The cafeteria's five stations offer foods indigenous to the Americas — grilled salmon in the Northwest Coast area, fry bread in Great Plains, rice and beans in Meso America — all with prime views of the striking waterfalls outside. 4th St. and Independence Ave. SW; 202-633-1000.
2Amys Most of the wonderful pizzas here are cooked according to the Italian government's rules for making D.O.C. (denominazione di origine controllata) Neapolitan pizza. The margherita, with only plum tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala and fresh basil, meets these standards; I bucked the rules and ordered one with fried eggplant, smoked mozzarella and pine nuts, which was equally delicious. For adults, the well-rounded wine list and stylish antipasto bar are bonuses. 3715 Macomb St. NW; 202-885-5700.
Zaytinya Despite its celebrity clientele, kids are welcome at this Penn Quarter hot spot; it's that rare restaurant, one with a truly democratic worldview (that's with a small d, which you have to specify in this town). The mezes offered by star chef José Andrés, who trained at Spain's El Bulli, turn out to be the perfect meal for the grazing toddler, especially classics like hummus, which you scoop up with puffy bread, and patates tiganites (French fries). Save room for the sublime Greek yogurt with apricots and crushed pistachios for dessert. 701 9th St. NW; 202-638-0800.
WHAT TO DO
For information on the monuments along the National Mall, which are administered by the National Park Service, visit nps.gov. All the Smithsonian museums are free and open daily except on Christmas Day.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Outside the Hirshhorn, you'll find a serene garden that makes a great detour for children. Works span the history of contemporary sculpture, from Rodin to Calder and beyond. 7th St. and Independence Ave. SW; 202-633-1000; hirshhorn.si.edu.
International Spy Museum The Spy Museum isn't part of the Smithsonian family and thus charges admission ($18 per adult, $15 per child aged five to eleven, kids under five free). Still, the spine-tingling feeling you'll have upon leaving is worth every penny. 800 F St. NW; 866-779-6873; spymuseum.org.
National Air and Space Museum 4th St. and Independence Ave. SW; 202-633-1000; nasm.si.edu.
National Aquarium 14th St. bet. Pennsylvania and Constitution Aves. NW; 202-482-2825; nationalaquarium.com.
National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden This is the closest you'll come to the Tuileries in this most Parisian of American cities. The favorites here were Roy Lichtenstein's optical-illusion House I and Typewriter Eraser, Scale X, by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Signs forbid wading, but covert dipping of feet in the fountain — which doubles as an ice-skating rink in winter — is a popular pastime. Constitution Ave. NW bet. 7th and 9th Sts.; 202-737-4215; nga.gov.
National Museum of Natural History 10th St. and Constitution Ave. NW; 202-633-1000; mnh.si.edu.
Smithsonian Information Center ("the Castle") 1000 Jefferson Dr. NW; 202-633-1000; si.edu.
Smithsonian National Zoological Park (National Zoo) Though the buildings don't open until ten, you can walk the grounds starting at 6 a.m. year-round and see animals when many are at their most active. 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW; 202-633-4800; nationalzoo.si.edu.
United States Botanic Garden Lush gardens are found both inside its conservatory and out. Alex, a rain-forest nut, excitedly led me on the twenty-four-foot-high canopy walk in the glass-enclosed jungle—twice. 100 Maryland Ave. SW (near the Capitol); 202-225-8333; usbg.gov.
Albert Einstein Memorial At the National Academy of Sciences, on the north side of the Mall near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, sits a gigantic figure of Einstein holding sheets of paper with his greatest equations scrawled on them. This sculpture, by Robert Berks, is a magnet for children, who will appreciate, for once, actually being encouraged to climb on the art. Constitution Ave. NW bet. 21st and 22nd Sts.
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