There are also paddle boats in the tidal basin. Also think of some kind of boat trip on the Potomac River in general.

Thanks for the great outdoor suggestions. My kids hate shopping malls, but several of your boat and other outdoor ideas sound good, so will look into those. Thanks!

One of my favorite things to do in DC in the summer was a free concert or activity at one of the Smithsonian museums - seems there was always a military band concert at the Capital or a movie showing at one of the museums. And for food, I must recommend Market Lunch at Eastern Market. Cash only, long lines on the weekend. Blue buck (blueberry buckwheat) pancakes for breakfast or crab cake for lunch :-)

For me personally, I love to do walking tours and/or food tours in towns I'm visiting for the first time (or, when I don't know a place very well)

The Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage has daily, free shows of world-class talent at 6pm. You are then just steps from fabulous food options and the G'town waterfront scene.

all great comments above - no lack of unique things to do/see in DC at anytime of the year. The Mandarin is a wonderful property and right next to the new Southwest Waterfront....

I lived by Union Station for a couple of years, so friends and I would load up our water bottles with frozen drinks and meander over to the Capitol to listen to whomever was playing. Good times ;-)

https://www.aoc.gov/news/military-ba...concert-series

I used to like taking my visitors to the tours of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing since the US Mint in DC became off limits.

The entrance is at Raoul Wallenberg Place in SW DC. Named after a Swede. Tickets are needed, free or not.

hate to say this, Mint not in D.C. (just the headquarters). Agree that Engraving and Printing is a fun tour. "the buck starts here"

I know you aren't interested in the zoo, but the Omni Shoreham is a beautiful old hotel that I would consider at least near-luxury. Yes, you'd need to taxi / Metro anywhere. But they have a beautiful outdoor pool if you needed a day for some downtime.

From DC so can't easily recommend hotels, but agree with others recommending staying closer to Mall will make things easier for you and waste less time getting around.

Re Air and Space museum, if time allows, be sure to go to the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport. It's in many ways more interesting - just lots of planes. Plus the main one downtown is under renovation.

If you're flying out of Dulles you could leave early for the airport and spend a few hours there first.

I keep wanting to go to Udvar-Hazy, but I almost always fly in and out of National, so the opportunity has never presented itself. Maybe once the Metro gets to IAD and I have the free time.

As far as location goes, I would recommend staying in Dupont Circle - it's a beautiful neighborhood filled with restaurants/shops, is central and well connected by transit (Metro as well as numerous buses) and is quite walkable. The Churchill on Connecticut Ave is a nice hotel where I've stayed in the past, although I don't think they have a pool.

You could also consider staying in Woodley Park by the National Zoo - it's further up Connecticut past Dupont and is a bit quieter, but there's a Metro station right there as well as a decent selection of dining options, and you're an easy walk over to Adams Morgan.

Georgetown is pretty but somewhat isolated (no Metro). I'd avoid staying in the downtown business district, which is pretty soulless and dead at night.

Just wanted to report back. We ended up with a Junior Suite connected to a double room at the Park Hyatt, which we were VERY happy with.
Main selection criteria were: 1) pool, 2) room configuration and availability for 5 of us

And despite someone on FT saying the location wasn't great, we thought it was perfect. Easily walkable to many restaurants, Dupont Circle and the White House / National Mall, as well as a Metro stop. We walked some days and Ubered others. Hotel has a complimentary car service as well, but we didn't try to use it as it only takes 4 passengers and we're a family of 5.

Definitely not a high end luxury hotel, but we were super satisfied with it feeling exclusive and comfortable for the price we paid (around $300/room or less).
@drewguy - thanks for the tip about seeing the Udvar-Hazy Center on the way to the airport. We did just that! Rented a car for our last day (which was helpful to get to a family member's house for dinner), and then drove to the airport, enabling us to take our luggage with us and stop at this museum locale on the way. Worked perfectly!

Omni Shoreham 5 night stay review -- sorry, no pictures
 

I stayed last week at the Omni Shoreham, which is in Woodley Park near the zoo. Never stayed there before. Probably won't again.

By way of background, I usually stay in Crystal City and ride Metro to downtown DC. Usually Archives Station. So Yellow Line is my typical focus. The Omni Shoreman is on the Red Line, so it is not a hotel I would usually consider. But my meetings were being held at the hotel, so for this trip it was the logical choice. But I hated not getting points for a frequent stay program.

The hotel first opened in 1930. It has not aged well. Its elevators are small, slow, and subject to breaking frequently. They would get one elevator fixed only to have another one go out. Meeting rooms were a maze. I never did figure it out. Lots of stairs up and down. I would advise those with mobility issues to steer clear.

My room had wasted space in the main area, but the bathroom was very tiny. But water pressure was fine and it got hot fast. Insufficient power outlets and no USB outlets.

I can't speak to number of tv channels -- I never turned the tv on. I had a choice on Internet of free or paid for extra speed. I tried free out first, and it was fast enough that I did not need to pay to upgrade. But the floor creaked. And my room, on the third floor, overlooked a chiller on the roof that ran all night. So the room was not as quiet as I like.

I assume that the hotel used to have stocked minibars. Because they had the beverage coolers still in the room. But nothing to use them for -- the coolers had prominent signs saying that they would not get cold enough to keep food from spoiling. Nonetheless, when I first arrived at my room, I found leftover food from the previous guest in the cooler. Also, the room did not initially have all of the toiletries. They are a brand called Nest. I have no idea if that is high end or not. I am not a shampoo snob. Anything will work for my very thin hair (and getting thinner every day).

The one part of the hotel that I loved was the gym in the basement. It had far more equipment than most hotel gyms. I was able to do real workouts. Other than that, my impression was the the hotel emphasizes style over substance. Since this hotel claims to be in the near-luxury segment, I would give it 3 stars out of 5.