SylviaCaras

My granddaughter, high school junior, and her parents, will be in DC for the first time 12/22 - 12/29. They are using points to stay at the Sheraton Suites near DCA and have lots of things to see and do on their schedule already.

I'm wondering what to suggest for Christmas Day - all they've found so far is a Jazz concert.

And anything those here might suggest that wouldn't be on the usual to-do lists.

Here in California, they all like to hike, camp, scuba dive, are Aquarium members, have solar heat, recycle, all three have iPhones, ... My son and his wife are both IT people. Any of that spark extra ideas?

Sylvia

aces

DC has many outdoor options. Rock Creek Park, in the middle of DC, has a number of hiking trails. The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal towpath starts in Georgetown and goes all the way into Maryland, with lovely views of the Potomac.

A good way to combine indoor and outdoor things on 12/25 is that old standby, Mount Vernon. The estate is open on Christmas Day, all decorated in colonial style. The George Washington Parkway can be driven or biked all the way from DCA to the main gate, and the scenery is magnificent. There's a new state-of-the-art visitor center with many interesting exhibits and good eating options.

If Mount Vernon is already on their list, tell them to save it for Christmas, because that's the one day a year when the Smithsonian is closed! Hope this has been helpful.

SylviaCaras

Thanks, aces, I'll pass along all your suggestions.

Sylvia

crabbing

make sure they know that DC gets really cold (~20 deg F) around hanukwanzmas. and that most (if not all) museums are closed on c-day itself.

GWU ESIA STUDENT

Movies.

If they have a rental car and the weather is good it will probably be a good day for a drive; consider the shores of the Chesapeake in MD or the VA mountains.

boxedlunch

How 'bout catching a matinee and then filling up at your local Chinese food joint. It's been a family tradition for years and you can do it nearly anywhere.

EWR-6785

There will be very few places to eat on Christmas Day in the Va Mountains/Shenandoah Valley. Check ahead. I'd check out DC's Chinatown and other ethnic neighborhoods. I bet the outdoor monuments would be kind of neat on a cold, clear, uncrowded day.

GoingAway

These days, the generic family venues - bowling, movies, etc and even a lot of restaurants are open in the afternoon/evening of the day itself. It'd be the Eve (24th) you should be making sure you have a reservation for somewhere and know of a restaurant, as that is when most places shut early and stay that way.

Rampo

Make a reservation at the Peking Gourmet Inn in Bailey's Crossroads and enjoy a nice, juicy Peking duck.

AlanInDC

If the weather isn't bad, it would be a good day to visit some of the monuments on the Mall. You could also do a walking tour of Georgetown (get a guide book) or Embassy Row. Maybe the tour bus/old town trolley runs on Christmas Day and you could take a city tour.

Sounds like you already figured out the free concert at the Kennedy Center, which is jazz on Dec 25.

GWU ESIA STUDENT

I would be shocked if there is nothing open in the more touristy areas like Luray or the larger towns like Front Royal and Winchester.

SylviaCaras

I'm collecting all the suggestions and we'll let you know what they actually did. So far, visiting Mt Vernon has been enthusiastically received, and other ideas carefully noted.

Thanks,

Sylvia

SylviaCaras

My granddaughter really enjoyed DC. Highlights, they report, "were the Library of Congress building, the National Geographic and Smithsonian Natural History photo exhibits, and shopping in Georgetown. The trip home was very looong—three hour layover in Chicago, flight delayed, and then it was one of those ones where Southwest forgets to mention when you book that it is going somewhere else out of the way (LA) first before it goes to your airport (SJC). All flights except the last leg from LA were completely full."

Most everything was closed on Christmas day including the Sheraton Suites restaurant. So he night before they had stocked up at Trader Joe's, ate in their room and went to a movie (IMax sold out, Atavar crowded).

They flew home on the 29th, WN from IAD to SJC via ??? and didn't experience extra vigilance, found TSA friendliness notable. The flights and almost all the hotel stay were awards - a very nice vacation!

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Sylvia