Sites to See in Washington, D.C., and Beyond During the Shutdown

Appearing in more than 50 major newspapers, Eileen Ogintz's "Taking the Kids" column is a past winner of the national Clarion Award from Women in Communications.

The meeting of a three-year-old, a cat and a goldfish pond started "Taking the Kids." The three-year-old, Eileen Ogintz' son Matt, pushed the hapless kitty into the pond at a Wisconsin cottage her family had rented for the weekend. "I thought the kitty wanted to go swimming," Matt explained. The furious owner insisted they pack up and leave immediately. The embarrassed parents drove home three hours to Chicago in a downpour.

Eileen Ogintz was a national correspondent for the Chicago Tribune then, covering news stories around the country. The travel editor, hearing her tale of woe about the cat and the goldfish pond, encouraged her to write a story about the trials of traveling with children. That story led to others. "We realized there were a lot of people like me, parents who wanted help planning trips now that they had kids." The award-winning syndicated column Taking the Kids grew out of those stories. Ogintz left the Tribune, after 14 years as a reporter, national correspondent and feature writer, to spend more time with her three young children and to launch the column nationally. The Taking the Kids series of travel guides for children, published by HarperCollins West, has followed.

"More people than ever are taking their kids places, whether they're going to Grandma's or a museum, to Disney World or on a business trip," Ogintz said. "Their time and budgets are tight. I give them the help they need to make the most of their family time." "Planning with the kids' interests in mind can make the difference between a great trip and one that's a disaster," she added.

Taking the Kids now appears in more than 50 major newspapers including the Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Boston Globe, Miami Herald, Baltimore Sun, Chicago Sun-Times, Dallas Morning News and Portland Oregonian. The column won a 1994 national Clarion Award from Women in Communications, Inc. and appears on AOL's Family Travel Network and elsewhere on the Web.

Ogintz has traveled with her husband and kids across the country and abroad -- from London to Disney World to Disneyland -- skiing in Colorado to fishing in Minnesota, soaking up history in Washington, D.C. to sightseeing in Las Vegas, New York and Yellowstone National Park.

The fifth book of the Taking the Kids series, A Kid's Guide to Vacation Fun in the Rocky Mountains, was just published, as well as a book for parents, Are We There Yet?? on taking the kids and surviving. She was the recipient of a 1995 and 1996 Parents' Choice honor for the series, which also highlights the Southwest, Southern California, Northern California and the Pacific Northwest.

Ogintz, who holds a master's in journalism from the University of Missouri, is a 20-year veteran of the newspaper business, reporting for The Anniston Star, The Record in Hackensack, N.J., and Des Moines Register as well as the Chicago Tribune, where she created the paper's family-issues beat. Today, she is regular contributor to numerous national publications, and has appeared on such television programs as "48 Hours," "The Today Show," "Good Morning America" and "Oprah." She created a course on the changing American family at Northwestern University and consults on work/family issues.

From their home in Connecticut, Ogintz travels with her husband, an executive in financial services, and their three children, Matt, Reggie and Melanie, who serve -- not always graciously -- as Taking the Kids' special team of experts.

Write to Eileen Ogintz in care of Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053.
Or e-mail Eileen at eileen@takingthekids.com

See recent posts by Eileen Ogintz

Of course, it’s disappointing if you were planning to visit a national park or Washington, D.C., during the government shutdown, which has seen top attractions, including the 19 Smithsonian Museums, the National Zoo, and the National Mall, closed. It’s even more disappointing to all those who rely on the tourism industry in D.C.

“Tourism, as you may know, is the second-largest employer in the District, after the federal government,” says Kate Gibbs, a spokesperson for Destination DC, the official tourism organization for the city. “The truth is, we have no idea what each day will bring, and the situation has the potential to grossly impact the city.”

Those who were planning a fall break to tour the nation’s capital or a national park may be understandably rethinking plans; others may not. I’m taking a group to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, even though the battlefields at Gettysburg National Military Park are mostly closed—this during the time Gettysburg was expecting a huge influx of tourists to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the battle and the upcoming anniversary of President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. The Visitor Center and museum are open (both are funded and operated by a private foundation) and there are still tours we can take, farms we can visit, and even an apple festival we can attend.

The reality is that it would have been too difficult to find another date that works. Another factor: I thought we should support those in Gettysburg whose livelihoods depend on tourism. What’s happening in Washington certainly isn’t the kids’ fault, but they are suffering as a result—as is everyone around the country who depends on tourism near national parks and national historic sites. Even the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France is closed.

I hope you—like me—will opt to continue your planned travels, even if they were to include sites funded by the federal government. Those around the country who depend on tourism need our support. If the national park you were planning to visit is closed, consider a nearby state park where you can still hike, bike, and enjoy glorious foliage.

Instead of touring the Grand Canyon, spend time exploring the fantastic red rocks of Sedona, Arizona, on off-road tours or hiking and biking excursions in parks like Slide Rock State Park and Red Rock State Park. (The U.S. Tour Operators Association is predicting that the communities surrounding the country’s 401 national parks will lose an estimated $30 million a day in combined tourism spending when the parks are shuttered.)

Instead of Mount Rushmore, visit Custer State Park in South Dakota, which proved an especially memorable trip for my kids. Where else can you see roaming buffalo? A herd of 1,500 buffalo lives in Custer State Park, which spans 71,000 acres, making the park one of the largest state parks in the country with plenty of hiking trails and places to horseback ride or take a Jeep safari.

In Washington, D.C., of course, the good news is that there are still plenty of things to see and do, though not all of the attractions are free.

Do you have a budding lawyer in the family? You can still visit the U.S. Supreme Court, which just opened its new term. Here are 10 more kid-tested good bets still operating during the government shutdown:

Take a free tour of a D.C. neighborhood with WalkingTown DC (under the auspices of Cultural Tourism DC).

Learn about covering the news at the Newseum, which is packed with interactive exhibits that explore how news is covered and how it impacts us.

Be a crime solver at The Crime Museum. Check out a crime lab, filming studios for America’s Most Wanted, a simulated shooting range, high-speed police chases, and hundreds of interactive elements and artifacts pertaining to America’s infamous criminals.

See if you have what it takes to be a spy at the International Spy Museum, where you can adopt a cover identity and step into a fictional country on an undercover mission, or see an exhibit on Bond villains.

Travel back to George Washington’s time and visit him at his Mount Vernon home and tour his farm and gardens.

Explore the world at the National Geographic Museum. This museum offers interactive experiences and photography exhibitions featuring the work of National Geographic explorers, photographers, and scientists.

Be inspired by art at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, with 19th- and 20th-century American and European art, contemporary art, photography, and decorative art. (Use their family guide if visiting with younger kids.)

Check out the Family Tool Kit at the National Building Museum and discover what makes a house a home, learn about creating architectural design, and practice with construction tools.

Take in a performance at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

While performances at Ford’s Theatre have been suspended during the shutdown, the “Investigation: Detective McDevitt” walking tour continues. This tour of downtown D.C. is led by an actor portraying Detective James McDevitt, on duty the night of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Join the detective as he revisits the sites and reexamines the clues from the investigation into the crime. The Center for Education and Leadership, which is owned and operated by the Ford’s Theatre Society, will stay open for daytime visits from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Center includes two floors of permanent exhibits about Lincoln’s assassination and his legacy.

So, what are you waiting for?

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