Hi Folks - we are heading down to Washington in a couple weeks. We've never been there before and we are staying at Cherry Hill. In order to get downtown to see the sites (White House, etc), the transit bus that goes to the camp ground appears to take over an hour to get there. Is there a subway station nearby that is faster/better?Any advice would be appreciated!

The bus runs you straight into the Metro Subway station (for the express busses in the morning and maybe afternoon. Check the schedule. I doubt there is any faster way. Traffic is very bad in the whole area.

And the metro will be suffering intermittent shutdowns for repairs.A faster way downtown could be taxi or limo

Subway less than 20mins away free parking on weekends Cherry Hill for me was best CG nearby, period.

When we stayed there we drove to the metro station, I think it was College Park. It was about 10-15 minutes away. It takes a while to get to the mall area. If you have time, check out Old Town Alexandria as well as the usual sites.

Yes, catch the Green Line at either the Greenbelt or College Park - U of MD stations. You will need to get a re-loadable card for each passenger. Metro eliminated paper cards.Get off at the Archives Station, across from the National Archives and National Gallery of Art (NGA). Also, closest to Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and National Museum of American History. Or at exit L'Enfant Plaza, just a few blocks from the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, Museum of the American Indian, and Hirshhorn Museum.Here is a pocket PDF guide to DC Metro.Feel free to ask any specific questions. I commute to the National Mall by Metro every day, though on the Orange/Silver Lines.

Visiting Washington DC - Cherry Hill Camp ground

Godsey97
Explorer
May 05, 2016
We have to been to DC several times and stayed at Cherry Hill three times. They give you a quick tutorial on they why's and wherefore's about how to get into and out of DC. Pretty painless once you do it once or twice (USING their directions/suggestions). We are headed back this October to run the 10 miler and will be staying at Cherry Hill. They are a first class operation.
camperforlife
Explorer
May 05, 2016
tsetsaf wrote:
The bus ride is 45 minutes and not very safe. We stayed south of the city and drove ourselves... 45 minutes in traffic (I guess not very safe either) Choices

While the bus from Cherry Hill was long and not on time, unsafe is the last thing I would call it. Never did we feel the least bit uncomfortable. Actually my wife commented several times about how safe the bus and the Metro always felt.
NoVa_RT
Explorer
May 05, 2016
Nothing wrong with the non-Cherry Hill options, all nice parks AFAIK, but the Cherry Hill has the best public transportation. From many of the others, you have to drive to METRO and get there early enough to fight the commuters for a parking space. The Virginia parks are all pretty good, and I'd recommend them for anyone visiting who plans on spending most of their time on the Virginia side of the Potomac, but if you're doing the typical Washington, DC monuments, museums & Mall touristy stuff, save yourself a lot of hassle and stay at Cherry Hill.
Lantley
Nomad
May 04, 2016
tsetsaf wrote:
The bus ride is 45 minutes and not very safe. We stayed south of the city and drove ourselves... 45 minutes in traffic (I guess not very safe either) Choices

I live in the area none of those choices compare to Cherry Hill. Some are OK if you are familiar with the area. But as a tourist Cherry Hill is your best bet.
If you live in fear and find the bus unsafe you could drive to the metro from Cherry Hill. Takes about 20 minutes.
tsetsaf
Explorer III
May 04, 2016
The bus ride is 45 minutes and not very safe. We stayed south of the city and drove ourselves... 45 minutes in traffic (I guess not very safe either) Choices
IH_Fan
Explorer
May 01, 2016
Thanks everyone - you have been extremely helpful !!!
camperforlife
Explorer
Apr 27, 2016
We stayed there and used the bus to the College Park metro station. We will go back but when we do I will drive to the College Park station and take the Metro from there. We found that the bus from Cherry Hill to College Park was never on time and made many stops.
4LowNGo
Explorer
Apr 26, 2016
We were also their the first weekend in April. We drove to the nearest metro station and took the metro where we wanted to go. Like someone said it's like 15 minutes away with free weekend parking. The wifey got metro cards ahead of time and they were mailed to the house, but we did have to add money to them along the way. The campground is pretty nice but the sites are small.
1492
Moderator
Apr 26, 2016
RVcrazy wrote:
We also enjoyed our tours of Mt Vernon & Monticello connecting right from the park.

I can second Mt Vernon. One of my favorites. I have an annual pass. Check their website for scheduled events. You may even meet George himself?
Cougarnewbie
Explorer
Apr 26, 2016
We stayed at Cherry Hill last week. They have typed instructions to get to Greenbelt or College Park stations. Greenbelt is one mile up the expressway with it's own exit. Attendants are standing around to help you buy the card. Could not be easier. Clean, safe, efficient way to go down town. But, there are a couple of parks by the Jefferson Memorial that have public parking. Any time I have tried I have been able to park there. Enjoyed D.C. and Cherry Hill.