In Three Days

Especially if you're traveling with children ages 11 and under, you might start Day 3 with a lively visit to the National Zoo. Otherwise, consider visiting the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in the morning and then spend the afternoon taking a restorative stroll through some of D.C.'s loveliest quarters. Obtain admission tickets ahead of time for the museum, if possible; if not, you should plan to arrive early to wait in line. Start: Metro on the Red Line, exiting at the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan station to go to the National Zoo; Metro on the Blue Line to the Smithsonian stop, exiting at Independence Avenue and 12th Street SW, to visit the Holocaust Museum.

1 or 2. National Zoological Park or U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

If you (or your children) want to get an early start on the day, the National Zoological Park, an off-the-Mall Smithsonian complex, opens at 6am, year-round. Make your way to the Asia Trail, whose winding path presents close-up sights of sloth bears sucking up termites, giant pandas frolicking in a waterfall, fishing cats caught in the act, and the assorted activities of clouded leopards and Japanese salamanders. Those two giant pandas remain the zoo's top draws, but baby creatures of other species are always being hatched (the zoo's website posts the latest births under "Zoo News"), and these are always cute, too.

Nineteen years after its debut, the U.S. Memorial Holocaust Museum continues to draw an endless stream of visitors, most here to tour its heart-tearing main exhibit. Some people also come here to do research: Open to the public without appointment is a library on the fifth floor, where you can look up information on a name, a town, or any subject to do with the Holocaust. The museum, meanwhile, is expanding its mission to include special exhibits on related events -- firsthand accounts and photographs depicting the persecution and torture of the people of Darfur, Sudan, for instance.

From the Metro's Red Line National Zoo stop, take the Metro south one stop to the Dupont Circle station, exiting to Q Street. From the Metro's Blue Line Smithsonian station, take the Metro to Metro Center and switch to the Red Line, going toward Shady Grove. Hop off at Dupont Circle, exiting to Q Street.

3. Phillips Collection

This beautiful museum-mansion celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2011. Besides the original galleries inside the mansion, the Phillips includes a large wing that was added in 2006 to include a sculpture garden, a new cafe, an auditorium, a gallery devoted to the works of Mark Rothko, and a larger exhibit space for special exhibits. Always keep an eye out for visitors' favorite pieces: Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party; numerous Bonnards; and, on display from time to time, a painting executed by founder Duncan Phillips's wife, Marjorie Phillips: Night Baseball.

4. Take a Break --  Pizzeria Paradiso

Open daily from lunch straight through to 10pm (Sun), 11pm (Mon-Thurs), or midnight (Fri-Sat), this cherished pizzeria expanded in 2009 to satisfy its steady stream of customers, who come for the pies that are several cuts above the average: cooked in an oak-burning oven and topped with your choice of 31 fresh ingredients, from pancetta to eggplant. tel. 202/223-1245.

5. Embassy Row and Dupont Circle

Stop in shops along Connecticut Avenue, and then follow side streets to discover boutiques, little art galleries, and quaint century-old town houses. If you look carefully, you'll start to notice that some of these buildings are actually embassies or historic homes. The most awesome embassies lie on Massachusetts Avenue, west of Dupont Circle. Flags and plaques clearly identify them. Turn onto S Street NW and look for no. 2340 to see where President Woodrow Wilson lived after he left the White House. Right next door is a cool little museum, the Textile Museum. Both the Woodrow Wilson House and the Textile Museum are worth touring if you have time. Embassies are rarely open to the public.

Walk, if you feel up to it, or take a taxi to the Kennedy Center.

6. Kennedy Center

Head to the Kennedy Center for the 6pm nightly free concert in the Grand Foyer (part of the center's Millennium Stage program). At concert's end, proceed through the glass doors to the terrace overlooking Rock Creek Parkway and the Potomac River, and enjoy the view.

Take a taxi or walk the half-mile or so to Georgetown.