We stayed here because we got a good deal. Hotel is clean, rooms are nice, and staff is friendly/helpful. Nothing special, but did the job for a family trip.
Background:
St Gregory Hotel offers 4-star luxury and boutique lodging accommodations for family, leisure and business close to downtown Washington DC, and convenient to Georgetown, Dupont Circle, Embassy Row.

Another well-located, more 'affordable' Hilton Garden Inn.

Background:
Set among the Washington, DC skyline, Hilton Garden Inn Washington, DC Downtown is a luxury boutique style hotel with spacious rooms and suites, meeting/event facilities, a casual dining restaurant and modern business center steps from the DC Metro.

Very well located hotel in DC to all noted points of interest.
Background info:
The JW Marriott Washington DC is a luxury downtown DC hotel near the White House. The hotel features 737 guest rooms with high speed internet access and 37 inch HDTV. It is also located with easy access to DC monuments and landmarks.

You can visit House of Representatives for a public tour. If you've managed it right, the Congressman might offer to take you and the kids to the floor of the House off-session. Kids under 18 can go on floor during session, very special experience. If you're lucky/contributor, you might request to climb to the top of the Capitol Dome. Congressman needs to escort you so it's a special request for you to make of their time.

Due to security, your Congressman office needs to schedule the visit with the White House. You will need to give personal information for a White House security check. Try to schedule an early visit because the Congressman needs to be in attendance when you check in to the security area. He/she can then let you visit the White House unaccompanied along with other visitors. You enter the downstairs floor that opens to the backyard and then walk upstairs through all the first floor public rooms including East Room and State Dining room. You exit right out the front door of the White House and leave on the front lawn. Incredible!

The Newseum is a phenomenal space and great overview of world news and media production. They have neat interactive exhibits like making your own TV story as a beat reporter. Great mini-films coverage of major historical news stories or themes (eg sports, crime, etc.). We spent over 5-6 hours in the museum thinking we'd only spend 2!

The Newseum — a 250,000-square-foot museum of news on Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington DC — offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. After opening to rave reviews the Newseum has become one of Washington's most popular destinations.

Take a guided tour if you like to visit churches. Beautiful place. Have lunch or dinner in Georgetown just down the hill. Many good restaurants at the corner of M Street and Wisconsin Avenue.

Get the latest information on events, attractions, and create your own experience during your visit to Washington, DC.

I think you schedule the Supreme Court visit through your Congressman's office. They have a limited number of guided tours/day. Very interesting. You can also apply directly to the Supreme Court when in the Court is in session to sit in on a real court hearing. There is a limited number of public visitors allowed during the session so apply if interested as soon as you know your dates.

Visit on a clear night along with the Lincoln Memorial. Much more striking than during the day.

Visit on clear night along with Jefferson Memorial.

Take the mini-train ride tour, don't try to walk this. Check out a changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. Visit the Kennedy clan grave site. You'll hear several 21 gun salutes for fallen servicemen during your visit. You can do this visit on the way to or from Mt. Vernon, George Washington's home.

Excellent history of George Washington in the context of his times. Must see during Washington visit. Beautiful property that still looks very much like his time. You can stop in Alexandria, VA for a lunch on the way back to Washington. I like La Madeleine, the French spot. Good soup and sandwiches.

If you like wax figures, you'll love this place. You can pair this visit with the spy museum across the street. Guys do the spy thing, girls do the wax thing.

Welcome to Madame Tussauds in Washington D.C., USA. Get up close and personal with your favourite celebrity wax figures at the world famous tourist attraction

Great pair with Madame Tussaud's. Kids can learn to become a spy. You see all the historical spy gadgets from attack material to listening devices, etc. Great mini-clips of the most notorious spies.
Worth the visit if the girls want to do the wax museum thing.

Buy tickets in advance so you can confirm a specific reservation time to take the elevator to the very top. Fantastic views all around Washington.

Very new, beautiful museum about American Indian life. Excellent content of all tribes across the country. You can see how they made their living and continue today. The restaurant serves traditional indian foods from various regions of the US. Neat place for lunch, though tad expensive.

I told the kids to bring their backpacks because there is a huge funnel at the end of the visit so you can pack your bag full of TARP cash...needless to say, the printing presses are working overtime right now.

Kids heaven! All kinds of airplanes and space vehicles to delight all ages, including parents..very close to the Indian Museum so a good pair. Indian Museum requires more thinking so do in the morning and have lunch there. Than do the visuals at National Air & Space in the early pm.

If you liked the Air & Space on National Mall, well, this has the BIG stuff like a real Space Shuttle and fighter aircraft. Do this only if you are flying in/out of Dulles. It's attached to the airfield. Not worth special trip from DC though.

Expensive, but worth every ounce of tasty Brazilian rotisserie BBQ. Servers come by with a different skewer of meat right off the grill. Great ambiance, service, and food. Be sure to come with an empty stomach because it's all you can eat. Right off Pennsylvania Avenue near National Archives.