camping at Cherry Hill Campground in Maryland

When we went to DC, we stayed at Greenbelt National Park. Like most, we were in DC most of the day and only at the park to sleep. With the old peoples pass, I think we paid $8 a day, which is why we did not stay at Cherry Hill.

When I said not to see the museums from the hop-on, hop-off bus, I did not say skip the museums! It is much more difficult to see the monuments on foot than itis to see the museums. A day on the hop on bus goes by quickly with the traffic & waiting for the next bus to come along. The bus takes at least two hours early in the morning with NO stops. Our museum stops last 2-4 hours at each. Hence, my recommendation.

Don't waste time on the museums.

I'm going to have to strongly disagree on this one. To begin with, all the Smithsonian Museums & National Gallery of Art are FREE, quite different from the private museums elsewhere. Most of these museums are along the Mall and can be mixed in with visiting the monuments there. Depending on the weather, the air-conditioned comfort of a museum can be a welcome alternative to a hot hike to the next monument. They also have far superior dining & restroom options than the monuments.The Air & Space Museum is usually a hit with all ages - see the movies there, too. The Museum of American History is also a favorite, but there are a lot of options, YMMV.

The National Zoo - not on the Mall, but accessible via METRO - is also worth a trip if weather cooperates. Pro Tip: Get off METRO at the Cleveland Park Station, but return via the Woodley Park/National Zoo Station. The Zoo is is just about equidistant from these two stations, but this way your walk is downhill both ways.

By all means go the orientation meeting about touring DC. It may seem tricky, but with a little planning you'll maximize your fun.

RVcrazy wrote:
There is NO WAY we would try to drive ourselves downtown!!!

We drove and had no issues. Parked in a valet-type parking garage, then hopped on a double decker tour bus

We just left #717 at Cherry Hill in DC. It was a pull through. It was definitely in one of the better spots. The premium sites have a wrought iron table with 4 chair & a BBQ. No padding on the chairs. Our site was not a premium, but still had a picnic table. We never used it. It was close to walk to the office & to the restaurant. They are expanding & putting in additional cabins, so it was noisy after 8am with trucks & construction.

We took the night after dark tour from the campground on Grayline. They pick up and deliver back to the campground. We also took the bus trip to Mt Vernon & Arlington from the campground using Grayline. We recommend taking a one-day tour or hopon bus tour so that you can see the monuments. Don't waste that time on the museums.

To get to the metro, you can take a bus from the campground. You may also drive to the College Park station and pay $5 to park (except weekends are free). We found that the metro to Archives was a good stop to walk to several points of interest. If you transfer lines, you may get off the metro at the Smithsonian castle as well. The office has a brief video explaining about using your trip card for the bus & metro. Buy them at the office so that you don't need to mess with it downtown.

There is NO WAY we would try to drive ourselves downtown!!!

Obviously, you haven't visited Michigan lately. :>)

Or Massachusetts. I can't even drive up my quiet side street without playing Dodge'em!

The Smithsonian is a must. It's VERY large so start with the areas that you are most interested in. Air and Space is our favorite. Stroll the Washington Mall, especially in the good weather, and just listen to all the chit-chat. The National Zoo has seen it's share of bad times but I still think it's worth going to.

Stayed there three times over the last 7 years. Very nice park and helpful staff. The first time we stayed they had us in a spot that would not allow us to use our awning and possibly even the slideout. All it took was a simple comment to the gentlemen escorting us with a golfcart and he radioed back to the office. They were able to move us to another spot that fit our needs.

I don't believe that they "assign" spots until the day that you are scheduled to arrive. I belive they do this because if you decide to stay longer than planned they do not make you move (or at least didn't when we were going there).

I too advise on the information meeting at the office. Also if you do not want to take the bus from the campground you can drive to a station not to far away and catch the train. If you decide to do that, ask at the office as they have swipe cards for the parking lot at the trainstation. All you have to do is return it to them with the same amount on it as when you took it. This is great because it saves you the $5.00 or so for the price of the card. They also have nightly movies for the family, nice pool, etc.

Be sure and do your research and go to the info meeting to get the tips and tricks. Even with 10 days you will not even scratch the surface.

If you want a tour of the Capital/Library of Congress/Supreme Court/Etc, call your Congressperson's office. We did and an intern asked what we wanted to see and when we were going to be there and set it all up. When we toured the Capital we reported to Leader Boehner's office and were met by a college intern who personally guided the four of us througout the building. It sure beat the cattle call style group tours that the public gets.

dverstra wrote:

Desert Captain wrote:
Get ready for the worst roads in America as DC is not just our nations capitol but the Pothole Capitol as well.

:C

Obviously, you haven't visited Michigan lately. :>)

Ah yes, you are correct sir. We got to Michigan a month later and the interstates looked like a bombing range. Got pulled over by the State Troopers as they saw me repeatedly swerving from the right lane into the middle lane and back again (but only when it was empty). When they asked me why (impaired?), Told him I was dodging their freaking potholes!

He laughed and on behalf of the State of Michigan formally apologized for the condition of their roads, wished me well and sent us on our way. Between the winter they had just gone through and the 170,000# steel trucks they allow on the road Michigan and DC really are in a dead heat for the worst road conditions in the nation.

:B

You can get a map of the campground from their website, www.cherryhillpark.com. You would be better served getting a campsite in the 300's, 400's, and 500's as they are closer to the bus stop. After all the walking you will do in Washington, you appreciate not having to walk a mile plus back to your site!

Desert Captain wrote:
Get ready for the worst roads in America as DC is not just our nations capitol but the Pothole Capitol as well.

:C

Obviously, you haven't visited Michigan lately. :>)