Cherry Hill Park, College Park, MD

. . . not sure if the national zoo is open in march . . .

The National Zoo is open year round, is right on the METRO, and like the Smithsonian Museums, it's FREE.

Thanks for the ideas everyone, were definitely doing the metro, not sure if the national zoo is open in march but we might look into it. I had heard the spy museum is very good.

Gary, our thinking for now is we will do 1 stop before DC on the way down and leg it all the way home. Hope do get things booked this week.

Mike

We were there two years ago and had a site in the back section. It was very quite and we had the woods and walking trail behind our site. If you take the metro to the National Zoo, get off the stop before the zoo. It is a few blocks walk but it is flat. When leaving take a left and walk down hill to the metro. Much easier especially if you are tired at the end of the day.

Have fun! X2 on the metro. You can drive to the college park station too, if you don't want to wait for the shuttle bus. Don't forget other meseums too, like the crime and punishment or the spy museum. Also, old town Alexandria is well worth the trip.

Be sure to get a pass for the subway (metro). If I remember correctly, they sell them in the CG office. Pick up a metro map while there. Everyplace you might want to visit has a stop nearby. Do not try to drive in D.C. Its a nightmare 24/7. Best to be under ground. The Metro is clean, well lit and patrolled.
Be sure to visit the Smithsonian Museum. Its made up of several buildings along both sides of the National Mall which is one mile long. Wear comfortable shoes.

Hey Mike, enjoy. We have been talking about going here the last couple years. With things better this year we might go in the fall, we shall see, it would be our longest trip to date with the new trailer. Would probably stop part way for the night.

We stayed there a few years ago. Staff was excellent,bus to Metro very convenient,great place to camp and tour DC. We didn,t move tow vehicle the whole week.Didn,t notice noise from traffic as we were out all day and ready for bed most nights Would stay again for sure.

Thanks everyone for your replies, We had heard about the noise issues but we are just trying to minimize it. I have no problem sleeping but DW is a light sleeper, we can run the A/C fan for the white noise if we have to.

Given the campground location and what it offers, we are willing to sacrifice on some things.

Mike

Cherry Hill Park is a really nice cg very convenient to DC. It's clean, the staff friendly, and they have a water park (if they've finished it). That being said, if you're looking for quiet, it is NOT the place for you. No matter where you are in the cg, you'll hear the highway. There may be some sites that are quieter than others, but you're going to hear the constant drone of highway traffic. We walked around the entire cg and heard it everywhere. The highway noise was the only thing we didn't care for at this cg.

Might be good to specify "quiet, away from highway" when you reserve to avoid confusion.

(Our campsite was at the back across from the pools and clubhouse conference Center (which is rented for social events to local residents) close to the Capitol Beltway (495). Highway noise doesn't bother me, but that's a busy road 24/7.)

X2. The cg sits higher than the highway so the sound travels upward. It's not like white noise, which is steady, but modulates in pitch and intensity, and the trucks are never-ending. And as stated above, the entrance area is not noisy. It is a great cg-we've only done over-nighters there but I highly recommend it.