What to bring?
Stroller?
Yes! There are stairs at many of the memorials but all have wheelchair access or elevators.
Bathrooms
Public Restrooms at many of the memorials & throughout park
Our goal of the day was to hit as many of the main landmarks of DC as possible. Our day would’ve probably looked much differently if COVID restrictions weren’t still in place and indoor tourist areas weren’t closed. Instead, we lathered on the sunscreen and set out for a day FULL of walking! My first tip is to not underestimate how big the National Mall is. With nearly 7 miles of walking, we only covered half of it. It was a beautiful day though & worth not loading in & out of the car all day. The carrier & stroller was definitely a must for this day! Another great tip is to download the app, Park Mobile, to help figure out what parking spaces are available at different times of the day and to pay for time as you go.
We parked in the middle & started with the iconic Washington Monument that can be seen from nearly anywhere in DC. We stopped at it‘s base (the inside was closed) for a quick snack before setting out. We decided to do the western side of the mall, which held most of the monuments. We walked to the WWII Memorial, which had a huge pool that you are invited to stick your feet in, which is always appealing to toddlers! We then headed past the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial. To the left of the big stairway leading up to President Lincoln himself, there are restrooms & elevator access to use with the stroller.
Once we snapped a few pictures and looked out over the Reflecting Pool, we made our way to the Korean War Memorial. Our little girl loved seeing all the “hunters in the jungle,” which gave us a great opportunity to talk to her about soldiers and how they protect us.
We continued on to the MLK Memorial & then to the FDR Memorial. There were great bathrooms at this location and we even found the perfect place for our picnic lunch. Near the restroom, there was a perfect shaded spot that looked over the Tidal Basin that gave a beautiful view of the monuments we had just seen. We pulled out the Barbies & played a few games of hide-and-seek after eating, which allowed our youngest time to stretch out & perfect his crawling skills trying to grab everything on the blanket.
After about an hour break, we set out again towards the Jefferson Memorial. Similar to the Lincoln Memorial, there were restrooms & an elevator available for your stroller. If you keep going along the loop back to the Washington Memorial, you’ll make your way back to your car, which is where we should have stopped & drove to the remaining sites.
Instead, with both kids napping (one in the carrier & one in the stroller), we kept on walking to the White House. We underestimated how long this walk would take considering security didn’t allow us to get a good view until we made it all the way to Lafayette Square. The kids were waking up about this time, so we were able to snap a picture & take a nice snack break in the park. We made the long way back to the car in the hot sun, definitely feeling our feet getting more tired each step. I’d definitely recommend driving to Lafayette Square when visiting the White House!
This was a full day & completed the west half of the National Mall! If you are visiting the Smithsonian Museums, they are located on the other half, along with the Capitol. Since the Smithsonian were still closed due to COVID, we decided to drive to the Capitol for a quick visit and snapshot. The parking was plentiful and right near the location for the best view, so it wasn’t necessary to load up the stroller & carrier this time. There was a cute little duck ramp & plenty of ducks in the water in front on the Capitol, which was a fun treat for the little ones!
By then, we were all tired from a fun, full day! Our biggest tip while traveling after full days where the kids spend a lot of time in the stroller or being held is to spend the next morning at the closest playground! It’s always fun watching our three year old make friends with the locals.
Comments