By Kat Spitzer

D.C. too far? Consider a family trip to our state capital.

In the Navy

History buffs young and old will enjoy a tour of the United States Naval Academy, the most famous site in Annapolis. Start at the Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center, where information specialists will welcome you and offer to show you the 13-minute film, “Call to Serve.” Your family can then go on a guided walking tour with a professional guide, checking out historic sites and often catching glimpses of the Navy’s future as you pass by officers-in-training.

By Mike Strzelecki

We all know our city has an abundance of kid-friendly attractions. But sometimes, for variety, a family road trip to our nation's capital might be in order on a fair-weather weekend. Here are a dozen D.C. attractions, some of them a bit off the beaten path, that may just embolden you and your family to brave Capital Beltway traffic this summer.

That’s News to Me

Since relocating from suburban Virginia to downtown D.C. in 2008, the Newseum has become one of the region's top family and class-trip destinations. This interactive memorial to journalism, free speech, and topical events offers seven levels of family fun. Kids will buzz about the movie “I-Witness: A 4-D Time Travel Adventure,” which zooms viewers through journalism history.

By Joyce Heid

In 2009, Millersville mom Jennifer Hunt took her daughter, Jillian, for a well-baby visit. Jillian, who was not even a year old, had no history of ear infections, so her mom was surprised when the pediatrician told her Jillian had fluid in her ears that was unable to drain. He recommended to Hunt that she follow up with a pediatric ENT (ear, nose, and throat).

As part of the evaluation process, the ENT performed an audiology screening, which revealed that the fluid in Jillian’s ears was making it difficult for her to hear.

Good News Bad News

By Jeff Mack, Chronicle, 2012

Ages 2-5

Rabbit and Mouse are going for a picnic, but it starts to rain. Rabbit has an umbrella, but it turns inside out. Every bit of good news is met with bad news in this hilarious book.

By Becki Melchione

When our twins were just 4 months old, my husband and I decided to fly with them from Baltimore to Los Angeles so they could meet their grandparents. I was horrified at the possibility that one (or both) of them would scream for the entire six hours, so I asked friends for advice, consulted parenting websites, and, in the end, seriously considered giving everyone on the plane a small gift bag with a note “from our girls,” a pair of earplugs, and a few pieces of candy.

By Molly Brown Koch

“I don’t know what to do with my 2-year-old, Jimmie. He’s so stubborn I can’t get him to do anything I want him to do, and I can’t get him to stop doing what I don’t want him to do.”

When parents complain to me that their toddler is stubborn, I find myself cheering (silently) for the little kid, because what Jimmie’s mom calls “stubborn,” I call assertive, and to my way of thinking, that kind of behavior is a good thing.

Two-year-olds are not “terrible.” What they are is newly liberated from infancy, and their declaration of independence begins with the word “no.” With proper handling, their “stubbornness” will morph into the positive qualities of tenacity, determination, steadfastness, willpower, and loyalty that we want them to have.

By Lisa Robinson

If someone asks for a ride in my car, and the person is not a relative, I panic.

Why, you ask? Because my car is a mess—a receptacle for all things trash, and more.

I know, now you'll never want to ride with me. But it is not entirely my fault.

By Kit Waskom Pollard

Chew on this day-trip formula, Baltimore moms and dads, and see if it tastes familiar:

“Hungry + tired kids = bad moods—for everyone involved, not just the kids,” says Karen Cirrincione, of Timonium, who has three children, twin 7-year-old girls Maya and Leah and an active 2-year-old boy, Carson. “It's not good for any of us in the family, let alone the poor random people who have to encounter our hungry monsters if we're out and about.”

To stave off meltdown-inducing hunger, Cirrincione plans ahead. “The most important reason I carry a big purse is that it can hold lots of snacks and juice boxes,” she laughs.

Rabbit Days and Dumplings

I can’t remember the last time I have been so instantly enchanted by a CD. Rabbit Days and Dumplings can’t even be properly categorized as a children’s CD, since I could so easily see myself popping it on while I cook, clean, drive, work at my desk, or just relax.