Taking the Kids: Visiting Washington, D.C. during the government shutdown

Take a tour whether you want to do a free DC by Foot, DC Ghost Tours, DC Metro Food Tours, Bike and Roll or City Segway Tours.

See where George and Martha Washington lived at Mount Vernon, 13 miles south of Washington, D.C., where besides touring the mansion, you can see the working farm, explore the stories of the enslaved people who lived and worked here and even see Washington's famous dentures. (No, they weren't made of wood.)

Watch the kids go live on camera at the Newseum, the interactive museum devoted to journalism. (Federal employees are admitted free during the shutdown; buy tickets in advance and save.) Don't miss the Ethics Center where interactive kiosks enable you to tackle real-life reporting dilemmas.

See if you can complete your Operation Spy mission at the International Spy Museum. Check out the spycraft tools -- like a hollow coin. Did you know D.C. is the spy capital of the world? Check out the museum's KidSpy programs and special KidSpy Zone!

Learn Daniel's Story at the Remember the Children exhibit at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Walk through his life as it dramatically changed from living in a comfortable home to a cramped ghetto to a concentration camp. Explore Americans' responses to the Holocaust. Kids should be at least eight to visit Daniel's Story and 10 for the rest of the museum, experts say.

See how government works -- and sometimes doesn't -- at the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Capitol. Stop in at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. Some Senate and congressional offices are open. See if you can visit your representative and express your opinion. Supreme Court sessions are also open to the public, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Take in a show. Go to the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center where there is a free performance every day at 6 p.m.; The Kennedy Center also has special Performances for Young Audiences. There's ballet, musical productions, concerts and performances at the Folger Shakespeare Library.

Wander through the headstones at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington D.C., and take a moment to appreciate the sacrifice of all who are buried here, and including their families. See the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the gravesite of President John F. Kennedy and his brothers Edward and Robert. There are also military heroes and explorers here, including John Wesley Powell, who first explored the Grand Canyon and famed Arctic explorer Robert E. Peary, credited with leading the first expedition to the North Pole.

Shop for souvenirs at the historic Union Station with dozens of shops and your pick of food whether you want sushi or barbecue, pizza, a salad, ice cream, seafood or a burger. Check out the ceiling -- sheets of 24-karat gold!

Have a scavenger hunt in the National Cathedralwhere the kids can look for images in the stained glass windows, tiny carvings and gargoyles. There's also a children's chapel with its kid-size chairs and pipe organ. (Check out the huge pipe organ; there are free organ demonstrations certain times of the week.)

Happy exploring!

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow "taking the kids" on www.twitter.com, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments.)