When is the best time to visit Washington

[Zippy7fo]

spring is the best time...

[Arleycott]

No one seems to have mentioned May! I was looking to visit around then. What can I expect by way of weather, long lines, events etc (2009 that is!)

[diertac]

Hey flyingscotsman. I live in Charlotte as well. I lived in DC for 15 years before moving here. Prior to that I lived in Georgia.

As I like to tell the story, I visited DC on 3 perfect autumn days in September back in 1991. I decided after coming back to move there, that's how perfect it was.

I moved there in February of 1992 and on the way back from dropping my mother off at the airport it started snowing. It didn't stop for three days. I WAS TRICKED!!

Seriously, DC is fantastic in Spring and Fall. Not so much the other times of year. Spring is trickier to get just right. Too early and it's still cold and damp. Too late, no cherry blossoms. Fall's more dependable, I think.

[Pfish]

Spring, Fall, & Holiday time. DC dresses up very nicely for the December Holidays.

Apparently 4 million people think January 20th is the right time to visit, but I think Metro's going to be packed to the gills and it will be a ZOO.

Seriously, if you've ever been on the Mall for the 4th of July you know what that's like, and it's generally only 1/2 a million. Is anyone else starting to think they should get out of town? This must be how people in New Orleans feel right before Mardi Gras.

[juniperbleu]

Originally Posted by Pfish

Apparently 4 million people think January 20th is the right time to visit, but I think Metro's going to be packed to the gills and it will be a ZOO.

Seriously, if you've ever been on the Mall for the 4th of July you know what that's like, and it's generally only 1/2 a million. Is anyone else starting to think they should get out of town? This must be how people in New Orleans feel right before Mardi Gras.

Tell me about it, I'm torn. Part of me wants to take a nice 4- or 5-day weekend vacation somewhere, but at the same time I feel like I "should" be here since it's all historic and all.........stupid lifetime events....

Regarding when to visit, April and May are (generally) beautiful, as is September and October. June isn't too bad, but July and August are generally oppressive. December's nice, purely because of the decorations. Outside of that, I wouldn't really bother with winter. Going to the monuments would be miserable and there's nothing blooming in any gardens (except for the big greenhouse).

[PenguinSix]

The Cherry Blossoms are a really neat sight, and one of those things you should try to see if at all possible.

However, if you don't mind the cold, I've always done most of the touristy things in January and February. There are basically no lines, no competition at the hotels, etc and it's pretty easy to see the sights. I remember one day in January my buddies and I were walking by the Washington monument and the ranger was like 'do you want to go up' and we were like 'where is the line'. She scoffed--'you'll have the whole thing to yourself' which was kind of neat.

[slim04]

I vote for late September. It's the slowest time of the year for hotels, so you get the lowest rates, but the weather is perfect. No crowds, no need for time tickets for anything.

The Cherry Blossoms are nice, but it's peak tourism season. The weather can be spotty and crowds everywhere you go.