Frommer's Washington D.C. with Kids (Frommer's With Kids)

Frommer's Washington D.C. with Kids (Frommer's With Kids)

Product Type: Book

Product Price: $16.99

Manufacturer: Frommers

Purchase

Description

LET FROMMER'S SHOW YOU WHERE YOUR KIDS CAN:

PLUS INVALUABLE TRAVEL TIPS:

Over the years, millions of kids have been dragged to Washington to see the grand edifices and historic monuments of our country's capital, and most of those millions have returned home without the desire to ever see a statue, senator, or Supreme anything ever again. But it doesn't have to be like that. Beth Rubin not only knows Washington D.C. backwards and forwards, she knows kids, too, and that makes for a very good guidebook. Well organized, with a variety of useful information on family hotels, restaurants, shopping, and entertainment, this is a full-service guide with a family focus. Aside from such necessities as which hotels offer cribs and rollaway beds, Rubin knows where your children can take simulated orbital flights, dine with U.S. representatives, touch a moon rock, crawl through an African termite mound replica, pet a horseshoe crab, or go swimming, biking, or in-line skating. It'll take the family Washington trip to new heights.

Reviews

Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2009-08-07
Summary: "Good resource for things to do, not for food and accommodation"

I got three guides for our D.C. trip - one was the Frommer's Washington D.C. for Kids [8th edition], Fodor's Washington D.C. and "The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C. Since we have a preschooler, I felt it would be wise to read up on activities to do with kids, and this guide [the 8th edition of this book] fit the bill perfectly.

I was not sold on the restaurant or accomodations recommendations, but the activities recommended and places to see for kids was spot-on. For example, I'm glad that I read about the various kid-friendly activities at the National Museum of the American Indian, as we were thinking of skipping that initially. The National Zoo is highly recommended predictably, but I liked the fact that the book lists attractions of particular interest for kids such as the Pollinarium, Great Outdoor Flight Cage, Amazonia, etc. The book also convinced me to check out the DAR Museum [recommended for ages 4-10] which has the New Hampshire Toy Attic on the 3rd floor displaying 18th and 19th century toys etc! Every attraction has a recommended age for children beside it which is helpful in deciding whether an attraction is suitable for kids or not [of course it's also up to parents' discretion].

All in all, a worthwhile guide for doing stuff with kids whilst in D.C.

Rating: 1 / 5
Date: 2008-06-15
Summary: "Frommer's Flop for Families!!!"

I would strongly recommend you look at other guides to Washington D.C. as Frommer's Washington D.C. with Kids was not helpful and actually was a hindrance. This book gave us misinformation and was completely out of date. I will just share two of our experiences from our first days in D.C. we disregarded the book and relied on our concierge from then on...

The Zoo: Frommer's emphatically advised to get there early (it 'opens' at 6:00) and that you should stop first at the information kiosk to get a map and the daily schedule for feedings etc. They also stated that the Animal Crackers Cafe was open for breakfast. Well, we got there about 8:00 and NOTHING is open until 10:00....not the information kiosk (so we were without maps or schedules and the place is huge), most of the animals were inside the buildings which were closed until 10, none of the cafes were open for anything to eat or drink until 10. What you WILL see before 10 is zoo employees driving trucks and golf carts around setting things up and watering plants. By 10:30 when the elephants were scheduled for their bath my husband announced that he didn't care if the elephants were going to do the cha-cha, he already done enought walking and was ready to leave. Also Frommer's should have noted that the Metro is a pretty long walk to and from the zoo.

The most blatant example of out-of-date information...The National Geographic Museum: Pages 191 and 192 must be from the 1998 guidebook because the permanent displays, interactive exibits, and videos the book describes have been gone (we inquired) for 9 years. No volcanoes videos, no touch and play mammals kiosk, no tornado to 'feel', no flying dinosaur, no orbital flight, no global access video games that "your kids will have to drag you away from", etc. What was displayed while we were there was China and it was good but not at all resemble what we had anticipated based on Frommer's description.

Save yourself $17 and a lot of aggravation and don't buy this guidebook. We are headed to North Carolina and I'll look at Fodors or Michelin.

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2007-09-30
Summary: "Great aid for trip planning to D.C. with kids in a range of ages"

This book was a tremendous asset in planning our family's first ever D.C. trip. This was our first real encounter with big city transportation and I felt really sorry for those families who were lined up at the Metro ticket machines trying to decipher them. Also some really great hints for "cheap eats"(Union Station has something for everyone & won't break the bank),beating the heat, and sight-seeing options when the "big attractions" were impossible to get to. This guide was invaluable in planning our days with children who range in age from 7 -16. Purchased Fodor's Around Washington, D.C. with Kids (Around the City with Kids)which was simple for my children to read and enjoy. Using the Fodor's book in conjunction with this Frommer's my family spent many enjoyable evenings over 4 months planning our trip.

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2006-11-29
Summary: "Excellent book for travelling with young kids"

I found this book to be very helpful and complete. The humor and affection that the author shows for the area and kids in general was very welcome departure from the otherwise stuffy travel guides I'm used to reading. I found her insights about timing visits, local restaurants to check out, and walking tours to be very handy. Reading her guide was like getting advice from a helpful Mom. It's sold me on the Frommer Kids series, and I'm looking forward to using them on my next trip!

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2006-07-04
Summary: "Must have for travel to DC-- even without kids"

I have four editions of this book and I would not consider going to DC without it. It is worth the investment to make sure that you are getting the latest and greatest information. I have NEVER had a problem with the information if the edition is current. A quick flip through the sixth and eighth editions shows how much info has been updated, plus almost every listing provides a web address (in addition to all the other contact information) so you can get more detailed information if you desire.

When we are in DC, this book stays in my backpack at all times. The maps are clear and conscise, and the authors helpful hints have saved us a lot of time. I have all the info from the washington.org and AAA and just about everything that it covered in scores of brochures and booklets is in this book. It truly is the only book you need!