Who knows what kids might enjoy in Washington better than other kids? So I asked my children, Caitlin (16) and Lucy (11), who offer these suggestions:

Caitlin: "I recommend going to see a play at the Folger Theatre [at the Folger Shakespeare Library], which is really cute. The theater is set up as it would have been in the 1500s, and you feel like you're in those times. Both plays that I saw here, She Stoops to Conquer, and Twelfth Night, were hilarious and the acting was really good."

Lucy: "I like to go to the Planetarium [Einstein Planetarium, in the National Air and Space Museum], because I like looking up and seeing the stars and constellations, and a voice tells you what you are seeing, in case you can't tell. My friend Annie says that the simulators [flight simulator machines at the museum] are fun, but she said that they can be a little scary, but I still want to try those, the next time we go.

For more ideas, consult the Friday "Weekend" section of the Washington Post, which lists numerous activities (mostly free) for kids: special museum events, children's theater, storytelling programs, puppet shows, video-game competitions, and so forth. Call the Kennedy Center, the Lisner, and the National Theatre to find out about children's shows. Also the Discovery Theater, within the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building.

That hotel pool may rescue your sanity for an hour or two. The "Organized Tours" and "Outdoor Activities" sections may also be your saving grace when you've either run out of steam or need a jump-start to your day.

Favorite Children's Attractions

Check for special children's events at museum information desks when you enter. As noted within the listings for individual museums, some children's programs are also great fun for adults. I recommend the programs at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Phillips, and the Sackler Gallery in particular. (The gift shops in most of these museums have wonderful toys and children's books.) Call ahead to find out which programs are running. Here's a rundown of the biggest kid-pleasers in town:

Ford's Theatre & Lincoln Museum and The House Where Lincoln Died: Booth's gun and diary, the clothes Lincoln was wearing the night he was assassinated, and other such grisly artifacts. Kids adore the whole business.

International Spy Museum: Both kids and adults enjoy pretending to be spies, testing their powers of observation, and trying to figure out how the Enigma machine works.

Lincoln Memorial: Kids know a lot about Lincoln and enjoy visiting his memorial. A special treat is visiting after dark (the same goes for the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial).

National Air and Space Museum: Spectacular IMAX films (don't miss), planetarium shows, missiles, rockets, a walk-through orbital workshop, and flight simulators.

National Museum of Natural History: A Discovery Room just for youngsters, the butterfly garden, an insect zoo, shrunken heads, and dinosaurs, and the IMAX theater showing 2-D and 3-D films.

National Zoological Park: Pandas! Kids always love a zoo, and this is an especially good one.

Washington Monument: Easy to get them up there, hard to get them down. If only they could use the steps, they'd be in heaven.