As a married man and a father, one of the most important vacation items I always keep in mind are: what is there out there which is fun and kid-friendly on a vacation tour. My wife and I went tried to answer that very question on our recent vacation which included a Washington DC tour.

Luckily, as a vacationer who has taken trips to our nation’s capitol more than 15 times in my lifetime, I had a good start on what to look for as we were planning our that tour to Washington DC.

Before I get on to my list of Must-See locations for a Washington D.C. tour, I want to mention that the optimum amount of time to spend on a Washington DC vacation or tour is at least 3 days, and I prefer trips lasting 5-7 days to make sure we get to see everything. There is so much to see in Washington DC that even if you stay for 2 weeks you’ll still find reasons to go back for another tour in a year.

However much time you have to spend on a Washington DC tour, here is my list of places you absolutely have to check out on your vacation:

The Smithsonian Museums

You and your family can literally spend days in each of the Smithsonian Museums without seeing all that there is to see in each museum. The Smithsonian consists of 17 museums and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and 2 museums in New York City.

Of the museums in Washington DC, our favorites are The National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, and the National Zoo.

The National Air and Space Museum has a great number of kid friendly activities throughout the museum. Our favorite was the paper airplane contest – The contest consisted of constructing a paper airplane, and then flying is through a loop held by one of the attendants.

The National Museum of American History is a complete study in the culture and history of America and the American people. We really enjoy walking through all of the exhibits and being reminded of how far the American People have come in the arena of transportation through the years.

The National Museum of Natural History is dedicated to understanding the natural world, and our place in it. The animal exhibits are amazing. The dinosaur exhibit is a family favorite of ours. Be sure to see the Hope Diamond on display there.

The National Zoo is a fantastic place to walk and enjoy your family vacation time together. The apes were personal favorites at the National Zoo.

There is no charge to visit any of the Smithsonian Museums. The Museums open at 10:00 AM daily.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing

This tour is absolutely awesome. The tour was about 45 minutes long, and very informative. The tour guides were very open to answering any questions that the visitors might have. The tour is throughout the actual working Bureau. There is actual currency printing going on during the tour. The kids loved it, and the gift shop at the end of the tour was a real treat.

The Bureau is located on 14th & C Sts. SW in Washington DC. If you are visiting in March – August, you will need a free ticket for the tour. The ticket booth, which is located on 15th Street, is open at 8:00 AM – get there early, the tickets are usually gone by 9:00 AM.

Fords Theater

The Fords Theater is a live, working theater in downtown Washington DC as well as a memorial serving as a living tribute to President Lincoln’s love of the performing arts. The Theater is in excellent condition, and the tour allows you to spend as much time as you would like in the theater.

The tour was simple and very interesting, and we were able to take photos inside the theater. The tour guides were very informative and willing to spend as much time with us as we wanted to spend in the theater. This tour is definitely a “must see” on any of your family vacations.

Spy Museum

The Spy Museum has many interactive exhibits making this a fun stop on a kid friendly family vacations itinerary. We added this stop to our list of family vacations fun stops because we were curious about it, and since we are all interested in espionage and spying. The visit turned out to be a great choice. The exhibits included a history of spying, school for spies, an introduction to espionage, the war of spies, and on into the 21st century of spying. There is a great deal of history rolled up in that one museum.

Have fun on your next sightseeing tour of Washington DC!