DC area

Do the Capitol tour and then head to the Library of Congress. Fantastic architecture. Take one of the hop on hop off bus tours which will give you a quick overview. Also try the capitol night time tour - well worth it. We've been to DC twice and not seen every thing. Stay in Cherry Hill, it's convenient to Metro which is the way to get around DC. Enjoy your stay!

I don't get the issue with traffic. I mean, 90% of the drivers here are also NOT from here....oh, wait, that IS the problem! :)

Seriously, though, I tell most to go ahead and use the Metro, if you like mass transit. I prefer a little extra cost and parking hassle to keep my own vehicle close by. There's parking, you just have to look for it.
I don't mind DC traffic as long as it's not a total grid-lock parking lot, but that rarely happens except for rush hour. Middle of the day you can get around just fine all around the beltway in nearly any vehicle. It is busy, though. Just don't try to be anywhere inside the beltway before 9AM and either head home around 3PM, or find something to occupy you 'till after 6 when traffic lightens up to leave.

Most aren't aware that many Metro stations usually have plenty of parking. From my experience with Metro, the full lots are the farthest out lots the draw people from beyond the end of that line. I work near a metro station and occasionally use the MARC rail line when my private transport gets messed up for a day - both always have parking when I go through.

For attractions, I would say you could easily spend a day seeing the major monuments. Another day each for any of the major museums that interest you.
The new Air and Space Museum - Udvar Hazy Center is a great day trip. It's out away from the city and easy to get in and out of as well as easy parking.
The Marine Corp museum at Quantico is a good one, too.

There are some off the wall places, too, which most people don't know about, like the National Museum of Health and Medicine at Walter Reed Forest Glen annex. Free to visit, parking is easy, but may be a tight squeeze for big-rigs.
http://www.medicalmuseum.mil/index.cfm?p=exhibits.index
That's just about a block away from the National Park Seminary, a group of historic buildings.
The Washington National Cathedral is another point you might not think of. Easy to spend a half day there.

As others have mentioned, you could be there for weeks and not see everything. Make a list of everything you'd LIKE to see, then pick a few per day depending on geography and on your stamina. Try to vary the type of activity, so you don't get "Museum'ed out". Also, don't do too many sad things in one day such as memorials and the Holocaust museum. Keep an eye on museum hours; they close as early as 5:30. The Newseum is worth paying for (and a ticket is good for two days); the Spy museum, not so much unless you're a fan of that stuff and young at heart.

That's a good tip about getting off the Metro at Cleveland Park so you can walk downhill to the Zoo entrance, then when you leave the Zoo turn left when you exit so you can walk downhill to the Woodley Park station. The animals are out and active long before the buildings open; go at 8 AM if you want to see pandas frolicking.

I like the off-the-beaten-path places like the Building Museum and the Folger Shakespeare Library, with its Elizabethan theater.

Keep the great information coming. I'm going towards end of April and have never been in the area. Randu

How many days would you allow to see national mall area & Smithsonian museums?

Depends on what you want to do. You can easily spend most of a day at the Air & Space Museum (see the movies, too). The Museum of American History & Museum of Natural History are also quite popular, too. The National Gallery of Art is a big deal, too, and also right on the Mall. They're all free - and check the Smithsonian website, there are smaller museums that you might like. The Capitol is a better tour than the White House, but you might want do do both. Depending on the weather, the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial & WW II Memorial can be done in a day - if you really like to walk. The FDR, Martin Luther King, and Vietnam Veterans Memorial are also in the Mall area. If you're in DC during Cherry Blossom season, add extra time to tour the Tidal Basin area around the Jefferson Memorial.

The view of DC from Lee House in Arlington Cemetery is memorable, as is the cemetery itself.

The National Zoo (Pandas!) is on the Metro, but not on the Mall (get off at the Cleveland Park Station and return to the Woodley Park - National Zoo Station, that way it's a downhill walk both ways, the Zoo is about halfway between those stations).

The Air Space Museum has a huge annex out by Dulles Airport, too. Haven't been there, but check their website, I think they charge a lot for parking.

Don't try to do too much in one day, and devote as much time as you can.

I would suggest that you go to the Metro web page and order the Smart-Trip card, makes using the Metro a breeze.

Trackrig wrote:
I don't think any of the above posters have mentioned Arlington National Cemetery - it was awesome in the snow

I mentioned Arlington National Cemetery. It's hallowed ground, and a terrific place to visit. I highly recommend the tour offered. The earlier in the morning, the less the crowd.

Jim Shoe wrote:
Two places that I will never drive in again. Boston and Washington, D.C. Both places have an excellent subway system and horrible surface traffic 24/7. One hand on the wheel and one hand on the horn. And the natives can smell a rookie a mile away.

DC traffic is horrible, we hit the Baltimore DC parkway at 3:30 in the morning and it was bumper to bumper running 65, drove south on 95, and saw the traffic headed north was a parking lot 50 miles out in Va.

RVcrazy wrote:
How many days would you allow to see national mall area &Smithsonian museums? How about other must-sees in the area? Would you suggest staying in the Alexandria area separately, or is it reasonable to visit it from just Cherry Hill? We have never been to this area & are intimidated by the traffic situation. Suggestions?

If you are military, I'd highly recommend Fort George Meade camp grounds, best place we ever stayed.

and plan 7-8 days to see the capital, mall, and the smithsonian, fort McHenry, and while you are in the area do the Gettysburg and Antietam battle grounds, and any other you have time for, and remember Williamsburg, and Mount Vernon, Monticello. Each requires a minimum of a day.

One of my best trips there was when it snowed several inches and they shut the freeways down so we took the back roads. I don't think any of the above posters have mentioned Arlington National Cemetery - it was awesome in the snow. And it sure cut down the crowds.

You didn't say what time of year you want to go or if you have kids, but we always try to do major places like Washington, Rushmore, and other national parks in early spring or late fall when the kids are back in school. It cuts down on the traffic, the crowds, and makes parking easier.

Bill