Travel Destinations For Kids
Vacation Ideas

Yet despite the wild natural setting, the river has many sections that are calm and scenic. There are clear deep pools for swimming.

And there are plenty of faster water sections that mildly challenging for families seeking a little more thrill. Day trip opportunities abound. But you can easily map out a week long overnight camping-canoeing vacation.

You will find lots of hiking trails and riverside campgrounds. The best way to plan your vacation on the river is a stop at the Buffalo Outdoor Center in Ponca, Arkansas.

While you are in Ponca, make a visit to the mineral-water baths and folk art craftsmen at Eureka Springs. It’s about an hour away and be sure to ride the steam-powered train there.

We chose the State Plaza Hotel in the George Washington University district. It was within walking distance to many of the monuments and just a couple of blocks from a Metro station.

The first day we were there we visited the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, and the various war memorials. The Vietnam, Korean, and World War II Memorials were extremely stirring.

The second day we went to Ford's Theater and the Petersen House where President Lincoln was taken after he was shot and where he later died. To see those places and to hear about their history was amazing. Later that day we visited the Washington zoo.

The third day we went to the Smithsonian. We visited several of the museums there. There is so much to see in those museums that a person could spend days going through them. There is such a wide variety of exhibits in the museum that everyone can find something to interest them.

We also visited the National Archives late that day and then walked by the White House and got a quick glimpse of it from the outside.

The next day we visited the Capitol. One of our senators, Senator Chambliss, had arranged a tour for us there. The Capitol is breathtaking in its beauty.

That afternoon we went out to Arlington National Cemetery. That was quite an experience. Visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was quite a poignant experience. The changing of the guard there is something to see. It is so touching to realize that here lie three soldiers whose identities are not known and yet their graves are visited by so many countless numbers of people.

There are so many famous people buried at Arlington from war heroes to politicians to astronauts. The graves of John and Jacqueline Kennedy and their infant son were deserted at the particular moment we were there except for our family.

From Arlington National Cemetery there is a point at which we were able to look out and see so much of the city of Washington, and it was indeed an impressive sight.

Washington D.C. is an excellent vacation idea, a beautiful city so rich with history. We all enjoyed visiting it so much and the children got such an education from actually being in places that they had read about so many times. Our nation's capital is one of the best travel destinations for kids and an experience they will never forget.

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