Washington DC is a hub of all kinds of activity, but the face of Washington DC that most of us see most of is that of the capital of the most powerful nation in the world and hence most of us have an impression of Washington DC being a place dedicated to international relations, politics and governmental affairs.

It is all that, but also more. For example, it is home to some of the best children's museums in the country. Let's take a look at some.

The first of course, is the National Museum of Natural History. The museum is a fraction of the Smithsonian Institution and is one of the most famous in the world. The museum has over 125 million specimens of scientific and cultural nature. The different facets of nature and nature's creations are studied at the museum. From a living coral reef exhibit to an insect zoo to a stunning collection of gems and jewels, the museum has much to enthrall children.

The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is another recommended option. The museum holds the distinction of being the busiest and most popular museum in the world. With a number of interactive exhibitions the museum is a hit with people of all ages. IMAX theater films, a flight simulator, a planetarium, films about space and nature, and scores of exhibits, the museum is a great place to take the kids.

"Washington, DC the capital of United States is considered as one of the best places to visit with your family. There are several parks and museums in the city that can be visited with children.

If you are visiting the city for the first time, the street maps of Washington, DC would be helpful. The street maps give you detailed descriptions of the various interesting places, attractions and different places in the city that are important from a visitors point of view.

Street maps of Washington, DC

http://www.worldexecutive.com/locations/north_america/usa/dc/washington/maps.html

Kid's friendly parks in Washington, DC are the best for enjoying vacation with your children. The East Potomac Park is an example of such a park. You can find this park at 'Hains Pt and Ohio Dr Sw' in Washington, DC. This peninsula with a total area of three hundred acres is located between Potomac River and Washington Channel.

This place has popularity among the customers as a vacation spot. It is possible to enjoy a great view of Washington, DC from this park. The features of the park are play ground, mini-golf course, an outdoor pool for public, picnic facilities, recreation center and a tennis court.

east Potomac park at kids play parks

http://www.kidsplayparks.com/Location.aspx?LocationID=53545

Washington, DC also offers a tremendous choice of museums with hands-on activities and programs for kids. Some of the museums include: National Museum of Natural History, National Air and Space Museum, National Museum Of American History.

Washington kids museums information

http://dc.about.com/od/museums/a/Museumsforkids.htm

Kids museums information at Southernliving.com

http://www.southernliving.com/travel/mid-atlantic/washington-dc-mall-museums-attractions-things-to-do-00400000042663/page6.html"

Washington DC has a plethora of museums on offer, hence most tourists often just visit the better known ones and miss out on some of the conventional ones, which are well worth a visit too.

One such museum is the National Postal Museum. The exhibits in this museum are pretty fascinating; as it includes the vehicles, mail boxes and mailbags that were used to carry mail in the olden days. The fascinating history of the US mail is interestingly depicted as well.

National Postal Museum

http://americanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/the-national-postal-museum-washington-dc

The National Museum of Crime and Punishment is another unique museum on this list. With exhibits on the history of investigation, and the numerous ways evidence was gathered, this one is well worth a visit.

National Museum of Crime and Punishment @ Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/museums/national-museum-of-crime-and-punishment,1145625.html

There is no dearth of such unconventional museums. Some of the other not so popular yet interesting and important museums are: National Museum of Woman in the Arts, National Museum of Health and Medicine, Bead Museum and Study Centre etc. If you have time, all of these make an interesting visit.

National Museum of Woman in the Arts

http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/museums/national-museum-of-women-in-the-arts,791879/critic-review.html

National Museum of Health and Medicine

http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/museums/national-museum-of-health-and-medicine,792997.html

Look out for the Washington Dc museums that have current exhibits on display. See if some of these standing exhibits match your interest, and then decide to visit or not. There are also museums that have exhibits for children, so if traveling with children, such museums will be a better choice.

How to find museums in Washington DC at ehow.com

http://www.ehow.com/how_2055038_find-museums-washington-dc.html

Also, to encourage more visitors to visit these not so popular museums, most of then have a free entry. Also a lot of these museums are well connected with public transportation, which saves both money and time!

Complete info on the museums in Washington DC

http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/search/museums/categories_Museums,distance_0.0,location_dc,locations_D.C..html