Testing Turtle Park - Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. - Turtle Park

On Thursday morning, I took the kids to breakfast while hubby began his morning with the firm retreat. Shortly after breakfast, we stopped by the room to load up on snacks, diapers, wipes, toys, etc. for the trip to Turtle Park located at 45th & Van Ness, NW, Wash. DC 20016. The kids really did not care that we were in the nation’s capital. All they cared about what when they were going to the park. The night before I did a Google search for the Top 15 things to do with kids in Washington, DC and one of the places that caught my eye was Turtle Park.

The sandbox was a hit for most of the kids at the park

The directions said it was about 15 minutes from our hotel, and it probably was, but because DC is filled with multiple streets criss crossing and going diagonal and every which way, I got turned around several times. The directions took us past all of the Embassy properties which were amazing. Even though we were in America, many, if not all, of them were built using their native architecture. The one that stood out the most to me was the India Ambassador’s home. I wish I had stopped to take photos but I did not think that would have been such a smart move.

We went up and down this ramp at least 100 times! The railing should be enclosed with netting so the little ones don't fall through and hurt themselves. Can you picture me wearing ballet flats going in and out of these tires, running down to the end of the slide in time for my son to come down? Tire-ing!

Outside of making sure my son did not fall through the ramp railing up to the slide while walking on top of the car tires, and stopping my daughter from staring down the little girl who had the sand shovel she wanted, the park was a pleasant experience for all of us. It is situated in a quiet neighborhood lined with beautiful homes. There were shaded and sunny areas as well as plenty of seating. There was plenty of free street parking, and the park was gated making it even safer for kids. There were also plenty of swings/bucket swings as well. On the way back to the hotel, we passed by Georgetown University, and American University.

The grounds were safe enough for the kids to walk around barefoot

We soon left the park after about 1.5 to 2 hours of playing at Turtle Park, we picked up lunch at Five Guys in the shopping center one block from our hotel. The kids had hot dogs and I had a bacon cheeseburger, and then we returned to the hotel for a long nap. I did not care for the french fries seasoned with paprika.

Plenty of toddler sized placed to crawl in and out of

Fortunately, the kids went right to sleep once we returned to the room. I explained to my daughter that we were going to the White House where Mr. Obama works later that evening. I think she was excited about that. I make sure she is able to recognize them whenever they are on TV, in a magazine, or on the radio. Yes, she knows the POTUS voice.

Tomorrow: Touring the White House West Wing