National World War II Memorial
add photos9 Reviews for National World War II Memorial
28
81 family found this helpful
"National World War II Memorial"
The National World War II Memorial was very special and very touching. The memorial honors 16 million individuals that served in World War II. I personally think that everyone should visit the National World War II Memorial. I was especially touched to see Veterans and their family members at the Memorial searching for names on the wall. The National World War II Memorial is very touching. There are so many reasons to visit the National War Memorial, including the Field of Stars and the Freedom Wall. As you know, the memorial is outdoors. If you are planning to attend the memorial, I would highly recommend a nice sunny warm day.
Send a Message 
Send a Compliment
It's helpful
'11
0 families found this helpful
"Impressive memorial, but not much information on its history"
We visited this memorial while it was under construction and again several times after it was completed. This is a moving memorial to those servicemen and women who served in WWII. We appreciated finding our state's location and reading the phenomenal quotes of those who led the troops in WWII. My only desire is that the kiosk for the memorial had more information or park rangers available to provide tours. There was not much in the way of brochures to educate our kids when we visited. A beautiful memorial though.
0 families found this helpful
"History in action...."
My children have been involved at their HS with fundraising for Honor Flight which flies veterans to DC to visit the WWII Memorial. Because of their involvement with the actual service members, they are the types of kids that understand the purpose and deep meaning of this destination that took so long to be planned and built.
My thoughts are a reflection through their eyes and for a Grandma who once had 5 brothers serving at the same time in WWII so my frame of reference is an emotional one. Different families may feel less invested in this memorial.
While at the memorial, the most touching thing to me was seeing many of the old soldiers being pushed around in wheelchairs and sharing time with their families. Knowing how young they were when they fought and how many, many years they waited for the memorial to be built and seeing them go to such lengths to visit it brought tears to my eyes.
It is very possible that younger kids will not understand this memorial as it is not anything interactive. It is exactly a memorial; marble columns rising from the ground in a coliseum format. All of the war memorials should definitely be included into a Washington trip but plan them on a warm, sunny day where at the least, it will feel to the little kids like a day at the park.
Words can't describe how sacred these war memorials are to me so it is hard to express our family's experience very objectively. There is a sense of quiet and reverence at all of the war memorials so don't take your kids on their rowdiest days would probably be my best advice or plan to stay only briefly. It is not an all day destination, not even a half day one, so the good news is you can get in and out if the kiddos get restless.
0 families found this helpful
"Great place"
I loved learning about world war ii when I was about 10 or 11. When I first visited this memorial around age 14 I was amazed. It was very neat and there was a certain reverence there. I am not sure that I would take younger kids there because it wouldn't necessarily hold there attention but as an older youth and as an adult I highly recommend going. It will be worth your time.
0 families found this helpful
"In awe"
I wanted to visit the memorial as a tribute to my family members who are veterans. I wasn't too sure what my daughter would think or even be able to understand about the war and the memorial. We walked around, taking pictures, and discussing which family members had fought in the war and why this memorial was so special. At 7, she knew that is was a special place, but truly did not appreciate or understand the true meaning of it. She did enjoy helping me look for states for pictures. We did enjoy sitting by the water. Many people were sitting on the edge with their feet in the water, though no one was wading in the water. It was a struggle to explain to our daughter, who wanted to put her feet in the water, why that was not being very respectful, so prepare for that conversation beforehand with younger children.
0 families found this helpful
"Stunning"
We found this a beautiful addition to D.C. The two ends represent the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and in between is a column for each state. The kids loved looking at all the states and hunting for ours. It is open and roomy so even with other people milling about we didn't feel "crowded out".
We sat by the water and talked about our family members that served in the war. (PLEASE keep your kids out of the water! It is extremely disrespectful!) A great way to introduce the kids to history.
0 families found this helpful
"another great teaching moment"
I thought the memorial was great. It was large and varied. Although it was hot and the kids were somewhat tired,they too were able to appreciate the significance of the memorial as they lost a great uncle as MIA in Normandy and 2 of their great grandfathers fought on foreign soil. We even had the opportunity to thank an ailing,aging veteran. These were great talking points for our kids and we know in the years to come as we visit again they will be more and more appreciative of these types of sites. The only problems was the signs of disrespect shown by some people due to the fountain and the heat as they waded in the pool.
1 family found this helpful
"A let-down, in my opinion"
I'm somewhat of a student of WWII because my father was a veteran of it, and I found this to be a surprisingly bland monument to such a huge and heroic struggle. The overriding theme is the country's unity in the face of our enemies -- duh. The little bas-relief plaques give a very sanitized impression of the times. It's very artsy, but I thought it insubstantial.
BUT Trekaroo is about kids, and the good things familywise are that it's open-air and apparently indestructible, so as compared to visiting, say, the Smithsonian, there's less concern about active children. Because the pictures are sanitized, they shouldn't be frightening to children, and they can be used as springboards of discussion. But don't count on kids learning much about the war from this site; you won't take much more knowledge home than you bring in.
1 family found this helpful
"Find your state column."
The memorial columns surrounding the water feature of this memorial are shown in order of admission. The memorial was very crowded when we went but all of the visitors were very respectful of the memorial and the people visiting. The memorial is a short walk from the Washington Monument and is in between that and the Lincoln Memorial. This is a must see for any child. It was neat to hear the older kids talking about their grandparents as they wandered around the memorial. It was especially fascinating to see the grandparents telling their grandchildren stories from the war while they walked about. The field of stars puts the number of lives lost during the war into perspective for teens who have studied the war in their history classes.
What's Nearby? Hotels » Activities »
Find Hotels near National World War II Memorial »
Find Activities near National World War II Memorial »
Find Restaurants near National World War II Memorial »
Get the inside scoop from parents who have been there!
