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I've only been to Washington D.C. once before in my life, and I was too young to remember it, so basically I've never visited. I've been tossing around a lot of east coast cities to visit next week, my top 3 were New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. I think I've come to D.C. as my top pick, but I want a little more insight on what people would recommend a tourist see or do in the city.
A little background on me and what I'm searching for if it may help. Single male, late 20's, I'll be going solo. Likely driving, coming from the Midwest, I'll have 2-4 days to visit. I'm not looking to stay in a motel 6 but I'd like to keep the whole visit to under $1,500.
I'm very curious in the main tourist sights, The Mall, The Washington Monument, The Smithsonian. Are Whitehouse tours still a thing? I'd be curious to do one of those too.
I also want to see the other parts of D.C. outside of the government. D.C. is a pretty old city compared with most cities in the Midwest, where I'm from. I'd like to see these older sections and get a good feel for how the city runs and lives. What are some of the areas off the beaten path that most mainstream tourists and families don't see? Ideas? Any and all advice is appreciated, thank you!
For hotels: the further out from the city you go, the cheaper they will be. Arlington usually has cheaper and you can walk to Metro. Fairfax County/Montgomery County will have even cheaper and you can drive and park at a metro station or drive in the city (not really advised). Don't forget about hotel parking costs -- it can run upwards of $50 a night in DC, closer to $10 or free in Arlington, and pretty much always free in Fairfax/Montgomery.
White House tours have to be scheduled months in advance through your Congressman. That's because the Secret Service has to do a background check on you and it's a very popular tourist destination. You can easily get a visit at the Capitol Building though -- you can reserve those ahead of time here.
The top museums are probably the Holocaust Museum, Smithsonian Air & Space, and Smithsonian American History. The Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, Vietnam Wall, MLK Memorial, and Ford Theatre (where Lincoln was shot) are all must visits too.
There are ton of historical places to visit in Northern Virginia. There's Old Town Alexandria that has a Lee family home, the Old Gadsby Tavern (water hole George Washington frequented), and a beautiful waterfront. Not far from there is George Washington's home, Mount Vernon. Go a little further south from there is George Mason's home (very important founding father). Even further south -- Occoquan VA is another very pretty historic area to walk around. Go about 20 miles west and you can go to the Manassas National Battlefield where the Civil War broke out and Old Town Manassas is pretty cute too.
I bet that very few people have explored most of these places.
Good link. I think that President Lincoln's Summer Cottage is one of the best kept secrets in Washington. It also happens to be where he initially drafted the Emancipation Proclamation.
For hotels: the further out from the city you go, the cheaper they will be. Arlington usually has cheaper and you can walk to Metro. Fairfax County/Montgomery County will have even cheaper and you can drive and park at a metro station or drive in the city (not really advised). Don't forget about hotel parking costs -- it can run upwards of $50 a night in DC, closer to $10 or free in Arlington, and pretty much always free in Fairfax/Montgomery.
White House tours have to be scheduled months in advance through your Congressman. That's because the Secret Service has to do a background check on you and it's a very popular tourist destination. You can easily get a visit at the Capitol Building though -- you can reserve those ahead of time here.
The top museums are probably the Holocaust Museum, Smithsonian Air & Space, and Smithsonian American History. The Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, Vietnam Wall, MLK Memorial, and Ford Theatre (where Lincoln was shot) are all must visits too.
There are ton of historical places to visit in Northern Virginia. There's Old Town Alexandria that has a Lee family home, the Old Gadsby Tavern (water hole George Washington frequented), and a beautiful waterfront. Not far from there is George Washington's home, Mount Vernon. Go a little further south from there is George Mason's home (very important founding father). Even further south -- Occoquan VA is another very pretty historic area to walk around. Go about 20 miles west and you can go to the Manassas National Battlefield where the Civil War broke out and Old Town Manassas is pretty cute too.
I've only been to Washington D.C. once before in my life, and I was too young to remember it, so basically I've never visited. I've been tossing around a lot of east coast cities to visit next week, my top 3 were New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. I think I've come to D.C. as my top pick, but I want a little more insight on what people would recommend a tourist see or do in the city.
A little background on me and what I'm searching for if it may help. Single male, late 20's, I'll be going solo. Likely driving, coming from the Midwest, I'll have 2-4 days to visit. I'm not looking to stay in a motel 6 but I'd like to keep the whole visit to under $1,500.
I'm very curious in the main tourist sights, The Mall, The Washington Monument, The Smithsonian. Are Whitehouse tours still a thing? I'd be curious to do one of those too.
I also want to see the other parts of D.C. outside of the government. D.C. is a pretty old city compared with most cities in the Midwest, where I'm from. I'd like to see these older sections and get a good feel for how the city runs and lives. What are some of the areas off the beaten path that most mainstream tourists and families don't see? Ideas? Any and all advice is appreciated, thank you!
There are 19 Smithsonian museums all within walking distance, except the National Zoo, albeit quite a bit of walking. All are free. Google Smithsonian and you can find all the museums and the special events that are constantly changing.
On http://www.tripadvisor.com you can bring a list of the top couple hundred sights in D.C. IN ORDER OF POPULARITY, each one with hundreds of reviews/ comments/ rankings from former visitors. It also shows you complete information and links to all hotels in the city, with hundreds of reviews/ comments on each one. Also check lodging in Arlington, VA, which is often close to Metrorail stations. Do not try to drive your car anywhere, during or near weekday rush-hours, as traffic thorughout the metropolitan area is horrendous.
I'll second all the suggestions regarding Arlington hotels. I live in Clarendon, and I'm shocked at how affordable decent hotels are around me for such a popular area. Depending on how much time you want to spend in Arlington, I would look at staying close to the following metro stops:
-Rosslyn (closest to the city, blue-line access, least amount to do without walking into Georgetown)
-Courthouse/Clarendon/Virginia Square/Ballston (slightly further out, but more restaurants/shops/bars/parks within walking distance)
Any of the above stops will give you access to the Orange/Silver lines, which take you through many tourist areas including the Smithsonian. They will also take you through Metro Center and L'Enfant Plaza, where you can easily transfer to any line you need to get to.
Another plus of staying on the Virginia side is that if you want to visit any of the further out attractions mentioned above (Mount Vernon, Old Town, some of the Civil War sites, etc.), it is much more convenient.
I would set aside at least part of a day, if not a full day, to walk around Georgetown and stroll around the Waterfront (preferably when the weather is nice). I think it is a must see for any first-timer to DC.
I definitely second the advice to check out Georgetown maybe on a day 3 or 4. Other suggestions:
-There's a large pedestrian area just north of the white house and south of Lafayette Park. Great place to walk
-National Cathedral
-Iwo Jima monument
-For something a little off the typical tourist trail take a look at Dupont Circle. It's a neat little neighborhood right off the subway line. It's got shops, entertainment, cafes, and young professionals.
Last edited by tailsock; 04-29-2016 at 09:26 PM..
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