It doesn’t matter how long my family and I have lived in the Washington, D.C. area—we are always discovering something new, exciting and fun to do. D.C. is one of the best cities in the world to travel, especially for families with kids. No other city in the world provides as many world-class activities as D.C. and most of them are free. D.C. is fun to visit any time any time of the year. There’s something for everyone on all budget levels.
I receive a ton of emails and direct messages on social media requesting recommendations on what do and where to stay in D.C. While I find it challenging to just suggest one or two places, The Hilton Hotels Capital AdventurePackage has made traveling in D.C. so much easier to navigate. 59 Hilton hotels in D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland have partnered with nine of the city’s most popular attractions to create the Capital Adventure Package. The Capital Adventure package offers over $200 in savings, including complimentary parking and discounts to local dining, entertainment, sports engagements, sightseeing tours and more. Your ultimate Washington experience is instantly planned once you book your stay at a Hilton.
My family and I recently partnered with Hilton Hotels to experience the Capital Adventure Package and we played tourists in our city while visiting some awe-inspiring places.
Day One
We arrived at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Washington D.C. Convention Center around 4 PM in the afternoon with plenty of time to settle in and take a quick dip in the indoor swimming pool. The Embassy Suites by Hilton features 2-room suites (so parents can have privacy) and offers family friendly amenities such as: complimentary made-to-order breakfast and an evening reception including snacks and cocktails, wet bar, fridge and microwave. The hotel has an amazing location downtown. It’s walking distance from major local attractions like Chinatown and is located in the same neighborhood as CityCenter DC, my favorite shopping haven. The hotel is also very close to Metro.
We decided to enjoy a sunset stroll around the neighborhood right before dinner. We discovered a new restaurant called Capital Burger. The Capital Burger’s main fare features a proprietary blend of beef. To create these luxurious burgers, they worked alongside renowned Pat LaFrieda™ Meat Purveyors. Pat, a third generation butcher,
only uses beef from small, family-owned farms, and with an artisan’s skill blends different cuts. There are also vegetarian options on the menu.
Day Two
We enjoyed a made-to-order breakfast at Finn & Porter, adjacent to the Embassy Suites. After breakfast, we walked to the International Spy Museum. The kids were super excited to see the largest collection of espionage-related artifacts ever placed on public display. We tested our own spy skills by adopting a cover and attempting to break codes. We spent about two hours in the museum and all that spying worked up our appetites. Lucky for us, there’s a Shake Shack right beside The Spy Museum. Since we’d had burgers the night before, the kids and I tried the chicken sandwich while Dave enjoyed another juicy burger for lunch.
On our way back to get our car from the hotel, we popped by the National Portrait Gallery, where the new Obama portraits are on display.
No warm weather vacation would be complete without ice-cream. We hopped in our car and drove a short distance to the Yards Park neighborhood where we treated ourselves to some of the best ice-cream D.C. has to offer at Jubilee (at Navy Yard) before heading to the Nationals Stadium to take in a baseball game. Our family loves baseball and the Nationals are our favorite baseball team. It was Star Wars Day at the ballpark and we had so much fun seeing the presidents dressed up as Star Wars characters before the game began.
Our post game dinner was at RASA, a new generation’s version of Indian style food in an awesomely modern fast casual setting. We loved everything about this restaurant. From the sidewalk leading up to the restaurant, the kids were excited by the two swingasans hanging in the open window. I was mesmerized by the simplicity and beauty of the space. The interior decor energized the senses inspiring We were all transfixed by the delicious smell of the food and couldn’t wait to order. But first, the owner of RASA gave us a brief tour of the menu. He mentioned that most of the food is made from scratch and in-house. It is such a cool, unique concept. And the food is absolutely tasty and a great introduction to kids trying Indian food for the first time. Ella and Logan loved it.
Day 3
We enjoyed another made-to-order breakfast at the Embassy Suites before we took a mid morning dip in the hotel swimming pool. There’s nothing like a good hotel pool to remind the kids that this a real vacation. We headed over to the National Museum of the American Indian where we learned about new perspectives on Native American history, cultures, and contemporary lives. We also took a tour of some of the newer exhibits including the Trail of Tears.
The Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe at the National Museum of the American Indian features indigenous food from the Western Hemisphere. Each menu reflects the food and cooking techniques from the region featured. We each ordered something from a different region and sampled the food family style so we could try a little bit of everything on the menu.
There was time to squeeze in a visit to The United States Botanic Garden, located right across the street from the American Indian Museum. Ella and Logan are really into plants, botany and phytology and the Botanic Garden is one of our favorite places to visit here in D.C.
It was time for the kids to go back home and relax for a while, so I invited a couple friends to go with me on a Segway tour of D.C. For only $60, you get a 2 hour tour of D.C.’s historic buildings, monuments and memorials. It is one of the most exhilarating ways to see the Nation’s Capital. The Segway only takes a few minutes to get used to, but once you get the hang of it—you’ll discover that this tour is so much fun!
There are a ton of great dining options in D.C. and Nando’s Peri-Peri Chicken is one of them. Nando’s is a fast-casual spot that offers chicken that is very carefully seasoned with just the right amount of flavor and is grilled to perfection. It’s very family friendly and offers something for everybody in the family. A nice family dinner was the right way to conclude our amazing Capital Adventure.
To book your Capital Adventure, click HERE.
*This package is available at 59 participating hotels in the DC Metro Area and is available until December 31, 2018. After booking the offer, guests will then receive a link to an online redemption form to book activities in advance in their confirmation/pre-arrival emails as well as a physical coupon book upon check-in at the hotel.
Be sure to follow me on Instagramand visit the Highlights on my profile page to see more clips and photos from our Capital Adventure Staycation.
Thank-you to Hilton Hotels for sponsoring this post!
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