DC is of course by far the most convenient. Who told you to avoid
? Any why?

At any rate, Even if your guest are close in- say Alex VA and Bethesda MD - it's still best to be somewhere in the middle. What kind of venue are you considering? Hotel? Restaura t? Other? Do you want somewhere assessible by Metro as well as car?

Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Out of the worst traffic yet close enough to Baltimore and Northern Virginia. Cheaper, too.

bardo1: I was told our older alumnae may not want to drive into the city. A hotel would work best -- we're bringing forty student musicians to perform with us -- but a restaurant with a private room would be okay, too. Metro and car accessibility would be great. Thank you!

I would say somewhere close to the MD/VA line right off the northern side of the Beltway. Look at hotels near Grovenor or Bethesda metro stations in MD or the Dunn Loring or West Falls Church metro stations in VA. Of course the MD people will like the MD locations and the VA people will prefer the VA locations... flip a coin....
Look at stationmasters.com and look at the four stations above on thecSystem Map. Hotels will show as red squares

Will do, and thank you!

Not Metro accessible, but I'd say National Harbor could work.

Harper's Ferry is an interesting idea. But what kind of place are u looking for? Will people be staying overnight or is it just a day or evening event?

No one in their right mind wants to tramp to Harper's Ferry if you live inside the Beltway. You might as well go to the Eastern Shore.

I agree with Bardo that D.C. makes the most sense and it's got the most choices of Metro stations to choose from. However, if you are dead-set against D.C., then I think some better choices for your Northern Virginia Metro stops would be those closer to the Virginia/DC border than Dunn Loring or West Falls Church. (If I were coming from Baltimore, I would not want to have to drive that extra distance.) I'd recommend Rosslyn or Crystal City in Arlington. There are lots of hotels near each of those Metro stops which should be able to accommodate your group.

If the questioner asks not to consider DC for his event, why direct him to have his event in the city. Rather obtuse. As the event seems to center around a get-together of old classmates rather than a sightseeing tour, the venue doesn't seem to require a DC locale. Furthermore, the questioner never claims that he lives in DC.

What about someplace like Landsdowne Resort? http://www.lansdowneresort.com. National Harbor is not a bad idea, either.

I'd look into one of the mansions and estates that rent out for weddings/events, etc. Would be nicer in October to be in a scenic outdoor setting than a hotel. River Farm south of Alexandria right on the river comes to mind, but there are more, like Oatlands, near Leesburg, Belair Mansion in Bowie, etc. You'd have to get caterers, though, may be too pricey when all is said and done.

http://www.ahs.org/river_farm/rental.htm