1. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
https://naturalhistory.si.edu/
My three children are ages 7-14. All three of them loved the museum. We went on the first day of our trip but had to leave after about an hour and half because we had tickets to the Washing Nationals baseball game. The kids wanted to go back the next day so we did. They were enthralled with all the exhibits. The exhibits weren’t necessarily interactive, just a lot of pictures, displays, reading and videos. I was totally amazed at how engaged my kids were with each exhibit. All of my children were enthralled with everything they read and saw. We had just binged watched the 2 Crood movies and so we enjoyed the exhibit featuring the evolution of Homo Sapiens. The museum is huge there were too many exhibits to count; however we particularly enjoyed the exhibits of land mammals, ocean creatures and dinosaurs.
This museum offers an experience for your entire family. When you enter you are given a badge and a spy identity. There are opportunities throughout the museum to use your badge and find clues. My husband and I enjoyed reading about all the spies, spy gear and facts about international espionage. Our children loved seeing all the spy gear and playing with the interactive exhibits. There is decoding, computers to play with and even a bar that kids can hang from with the challenge to hang for 60 seconds.
2.The International Spy Museum
https://www.spymuseum.org/
This museum is not part of the Smithsonian so you do have to pay for entry. They are currently doing timed entry which means you have to buy your tickets in advance. They sell out pretty quickly so I recommend purchasing tickets prior to your trip. The museum hours are 9am-7pm Sunday-Friday. It stays open until 8:00pm on Saturdays.
The rates for entry vary:
Adult (13-64) $26.95
Youth (7-12) $16.95
Child (6 and under) $0.00
Senior (65+) $23.95
Military $23.95
College 09:00 $23.95
3. Smithsonian National Museum of American History
https://americanhistory.si.edu/
This museum is full of an array of exhibits including President Abraham Lincoln’s top hat and President George Washington’s military uniform to the ruby slippers worn in The Wizard of Oz film. This museum was kid friendly with all kinds of interactive exhibits.We felt the most relaxed at this museum because the vibe was extremely kid friendly. The kids could run around and interact with most of the exhibits. My personal favorite exhibit was Girlhood (It’s Complicated).
“Girlhood (It’s complicated) commemorates the anniversary of woman suffrage by exploring the concept of girlhood in the United States, but also how girls changed history in five areas: politics, education, work, health, and fashion. We argue that girlhood has an unexpected and complicated history and that girls, like suffragists, used their voices to make a difference.”