Visit DC???

ballofstress1

Hey Ladies...

We're thinking of taking a day or two trip to DC... any advice???

Stay outta the city & take the metro in, or stay at a hotel in the city & pay for parking/get a hotel with parking????

Places to stay/eat/see.....any help is great... we've never been....

bonjourbelle05

I like staying outside and taking the metro in to save money.

Holocaust Museum is a must-see (be prepared it is a very emotional experience).

Def walk around and check out all the monuments, the Smithsonian museums are great cause you can visit ones that interest you (american history, natural history, air and space, etc).

 If you have time a visit to Arlington is good too.

What are your interests?  Also, you might want to post this on the travel board there are ladies over there who will be able to offer more hotel/restaurant recommendations.

RaeAnt

We drove down 95/495 and parked at the start of the green belt.

http://www.wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm

It was rather easy from there. We then got the pass that we could use all day all around Dc and various lines.

Brooke&Ryan

When I was there last time we did a bus tour that takes you around to all the monuments and things and they tell you information as you go. You can get on and off as much as you want. I think it was like $28 for the day and you can get the tickets at the train station (I think that is where we got them). It worked out really well for us because it was freezing that day, so we stayed on the bus for a lot of it.

On that trip we stayed right in the city, and I don't think it was to expensive. I would check around and see what deals you can find. There is also Tysons Corners outside of the city that has a great mall if you wanted to do some shopping.

NorticPrincess

You can also park at one of the metro lots that allows overnight parking and take the metro into a hotel in the city.  Even the ones that say the don't allow it - we've left the car there overnight after staying out too late without problems.

Though for parking at the metro you will need to get a smarttrip card (they are $10 total - with $5 of it loaded on the card to use to start)  You can add additional money to it when needed.   Parking is $4.75 for a weekdays and free on weekends/holidays.  There are a few of the lots that will allow you to use a credit card for parking instead of the smart trip card.

http://www.wmata.com/

 

Good Stuff Eatery has good burgers - that is just a short walk from the capitol and the mall. 

http://www.goodstuffeatery.com/

Ben's Chili Bowl is good, though the area it is in can be interesting at times.

http://www.benschilibowl.com/ordereze/default.aspx

There are a lot of different things in Adams Morgan close to the zoo and in Georgetown.

The Smithsonian museums & zoo are free. Don't miss the air & space out at Dulles airport- I think they still run the bus out, but I"m not 100% sure.  If you have a car with you, you can drive out- parking was $10 or $12, but admission is free.

The National Arboretum is very pretty place to spend some time.

The Spy Museum is fun (though they do have an admission charge).  The Newseum was redone in the last few years. 

http://washington.org/ 

http://washington.org/visiting/browse-dc/attractions/100-free-things-to-do 

If you want to go to the top of the Washington Monument 

http://www.nps.gov/wamo/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm 

 

You can do the tour of the capitol building. http://www.visitthecapitol.gov/Visit/Book a Tour/Page - Book a Tour.html  or try to go early and get the same day passes.

 

  You can also try for a white house tour - though you need to contact your rep prior to going to see if they can get you in at least 30 days prior to your visit.

 

Sometime in May the Embassies will hold open houses - these can be very interesting.  Even if they aren't they are very pretty buildings.

http://washingtonwalks.com/tours/embassy-row.shtml if you want a walking tour.

 Don't waste your time with the "National Aquarium" in the Commerce building.