The Griswald's hit the road again!!! On March Break/09 Jane and I packed the kids into the car and we headed south to the US for exploration of Washington, DC, the Smithsonian Museums, National Historic Sites/Monuments and some bonafide Capitol culture. Stops at Gettysburg and NYC on the way back round out the last days of vacation. Planning for the trip began in earnest in the fall of '08 and we researched, using internet information, to develop our own itinerary for the excursion. In support of our decisions, we have become accustomed to using Frommers "Day by Day" guides as a "go to" tool for questions that arise so our Washington Edition was kept close at all times.

A plan was devised to "go like hell", as my grandfather would say, for Washington, DC on the initial days of the break (Late Friday/ Early Saturday) and get the nastiest part of the driving over with right away. Then we would come back in steps and ease the pain of the long trek back (DC is close to 20hrs from home). Once again we outfitted the family Corolla for the trek south to the capitol district with a sound "Midas Mike" check and a trunk load of supplies. The itinerary, in general, consisted of visiting the best museums and attractions DC has to offer. Past experience on our NYC treks was used to identify the best travel routes, take advantage of E-Ticketing and planning around attraction / museum / performance / travel times.

We had great success traveling with the kids in the summer of '08, and they were real troopers both in the car and on the ground. Their age still lends to them being willing participants and accompanying us with full blessing (as long as we provide multiple types of plug-in entertainment and continuous snacks). Bitter reality is telling us that we may only have two or three years before the "youngsters" will balk at such a trip, so we're trying to give them travel legs while they're still willing!!!

Our itinerary consisted of "must see/do" items, selected after scouring the net, scheduled into a realistic time frame in specific geographic areas (to accommodate efficient visiting). I'm a bit (teehee) nerdy about planning so its always an over-booked situation, which gives choice without downtime. The resultant itinerary is a combination of elements which balance the tastes of both the kids and ourselves. We made good use of most transportation options available (especially the Washington Subway system), but spent plenty of time on foot in each of areas visited. We parked the car in DC not touching it again until departure.

In essence, we had a great time in the city and would go back in a heartbeat!!! If you're up for it, follow the daily itinerary for our thoughts and highlights of the trip, with comments on the attractions we visited and our March Break in the US Northeast.