Washington, DC

[joeyg]

Hey Guys,

Been on the site for a while, but really haven't posted before. I am going on a Spring Break trip with the family to Williamsburg, Va and was thinking of stopping on the way home to see the Air & Space Museum in Washington DC.

So here's my issue, where in DC can i park a Ford Expedition with a 30' trailer attached to it?

Anyone has any ideas on this? I have to believe all parking is going to be tight (for a car).

Thanks,

joe

[LarryJM]

joeyg wrote:
These are great ideas, thanks. I may go to Cherry Hill or park near airport Unfortunately, we have to do the quick walk through as we only have the day.

In that case I would limit my visit to the Annex in Chantilly and call them and see if you have parking for you which I'm fairly confident they will. That way you will eliminate all the extra time in commuting, etc.

For that nite I agree to try for either Lake Fairfax or Bull Run both of which are less than 30min from the Annex and traffic will be manageable.

BTW, I live 5 min from the Annex so I'm familiar with the area.

Larry

[Veebyes]

GREGORYJ wrote:
Greenbelt NP isn't far from Cherry Hill, is very secure and only $16/day.
As mentioned , the Metro subway is a 30 min. walk or 5 minute drive which takes
you to the National Mall in 25 minutes. After that a 5 minute walk to the down town Washington Air and Space Museum. Driving to the other Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport is a 45 minute to 1 hour drive if traffic is moving along OK.

He is coming up from the south.

Get off 95 at ext 152 onto 234 towards Manasses & it will take you about right to the gate to the Dulles Air & Space Museum. One of the Shuttles is there now, the Enola Gay complete, a Concord, just a whole pile of good stuff except Washington traffic.

[GREGORYJ]

Greenbelt NP isn't far from Cherry Hill, is very secure and only $16/day.
As mentioned , the Metro subway is a 30 min. walk or 5 minute drive which takes
you to the National Mall in 25 minutes. After that a 5 minute walk to the down town Washington Air and Space Museum. Driving to the other Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport is a 45 minute to 1 hour drive if traffic is moving along OK.

[Veebyes]

Don't even worry with the Air & Space Museum downtown. The one out at Dulles is much bigger & better. Loads of room in the carpark too. Easy to spend a whole day in that one.

Not far from the CG in Reston either.

[DrewE]

If you do not need hookups, Greenbelt NP is a reasonable option and a lot less costly than Cherry Hill. It is about a half hour walk to the nearest metro station (College Park), or maybe a bit more if you don't walk as quickly as I do. There is a parking garage at that Metro station if you prefer to drive.

Lake Fairfax park in Reston, VA is another public park with camping that is not too far from the Metro. (Their web site has outdated info on that; the Wiehle-Reston East station is the closest within a couple miles as the crow flies, or a bit more if the crow drives.)

[joeyg]

These are great ideas, thanks. I may go to Cherry Hill or park near airport Unfortunately, we have to do the quick walk through as we only have the day.

[Johno02]

Note that there are two sites for the Air and Space Museum. Haven't been there in a while, but the big one our at Chantilly,VA, close to Dulles, has big parking areas and should be no problem. However, the original museum downtown, along with all the rest of the Smithsonian sites, is basically impossible to get to except on foot. Personally, I prefer the big site out at Chantilly. Plan on a FULL day to start seeing it. We spent two full days, one for a fast walkthrough, and the second for a detail view and what we missed the first day. If you can get into Cherry Hill campground, from there the subway will get you downtown.

[ford_truck_guy]

If its a weekend, the Metro has free parking .. Park at the one just south of Cherry Hill Park, and take it into town...
They have BIG lots, with plenty of room

[mdcamping]

Park your Truck & trailer at Cherry Hill Park

Metro bus that leaves from campground will take you the subway terminal.

Clean, maintained campground...loads of amenities but expensive.

Good luck
Mike

[agesilaus]

If I recall right the Air & Space Annex near the airport has a big parking lot. But as for DC itself, we wouldn't even drive our truck into the city. Plus there is a serious crime problem.

[Second_Chance]

I wouldn't dream of taking a towable RV into DC. Parking is at a premium and often very difficult even with a small car. We stay at campgrounds in the surrounding area for a few nights and take the train/subway into DC to do the museums, etc. Most recently, we stayed at Joint Base Andrews (formerly Andrews AFB) and did "the DC thing." There are a couple of Walmart Supercenters in the area, though. You could check with them and see if they allow RV parking. You could then get an Uber or take the bus to the nearest train/subway station.

Rob