amandal5999

My boyfriend and I want to plan a trip to washington dc next summer (2014), we want to drive there (we are from st louis) but want to know some more about the trip. Like: how to get around there, how much it should cost, how to get to the museums, places to eat, places that are a must see other than the smithsonian museums. I love history so this is my dream trip, we just need a little more info from anyone that has been there or lives there. We would really appreciate it!

tomfuller

Rather than staying inside the "District", get a hotel north or west near the Metro. http://www.wmata.com/
Arlington or Silver Spring would be good.
Most of the Smithsonian museums are along the National Mall.
The Mall stretches from the Capitol Building west to the Lincoln Memorial.
The Washington Monument MIGHT be open by next summer. It is surrounded by scaffold this summer. It and a few other things was damaged by an earthquake last year.
There is a new branch of the Air & Space Museum out near Dulles airport in Chantilly.
There are several other museums other than Smithsonian you might want to visit including the Spy museum and the Newseum.
Lets hope that you are in DC when the temps are in the low 80's instead of the 90's. The WWII memorial is also worth a visit.

tchoiniere

"The Washington Monument MIGHT be open by next summer. It is surrounded by scaffold this summer. It and a few other things was damaged by an earthquake last year."

2 years ago now..Still say it was caused by me leaving DC the day before with my wallet...

Great recommendations for sure.

I would also include Arlington Cemetery as a must-see. National Zoo is part of the Smithsonian and is worth time. Look at a Nationals baseball game too.

What is your budget for hotels? How many nights are you thinking? 4-5 is a good average visit to see a lot (impossible to see all in 1 trip)

vjpblovesitaly

If you can find a hotel in DC near a Metrorail station, that would be best

nytraveler

Disagree - we always try tostay in the center = near the white house or Dupong circle. Must less trekking to and fro.

Besides all of the monuments on the mall (IMHO the Lincoln Memorial is the most moving sight I have ever seen) and the Smithsonian museums you will want to visit the Capitol (get an invite from your rep for a special tours) and see if the white house is allowing visitors (must be arranged far in advance with full info on identity for security purposes).

Outside the city go to Arlington Cematary and spend a day at Mount Vernon (you know all about George but Martha was also a hoot!)

NewbE

Don't stay in Arlington or Silver Spring. You won't save money on the hotel, and you'll spend more time and money commuting in and out of the city on crowded trains. Stay in the District.

obxgirl

Where to stay: in the city or out, depends on the traveler's budget and when they are traveling. $100 a night is never going to get you a decent place downtown especially if you're parking a car.

How to get around: by foot and by metro & bus

How much should it cost: How much can you spend?

What to see: In addition to what has been mentioned, National Archives & Library of Congress.

nytraveler

Depending on where you go DC has LOTS of hotel deals - esp over weekends and if congress is not in session. We have gotten lots of incredible deals downtown - if you look.

Not sure if driving versus flying makes sense unless you want to stop and tour other areas on the way. I fyuo do decide to bring a car make sure the hotel has parking available (I recall it as being fairly reasonable - at least versus the $40 per night in NYC).

But we have gone several times on the bus when we weren't visiting other areas.

Rich

We like to stay in Alexandria, at the Courtyard right across the street from King St Metro Station. Lets us get to the center of things quickly and easily . . but also lets us enjoy the quite and quaint Old Town Alexandria ( where we seem to end up when we stay with family anyway!)

http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/...TES/index.html

Since you will have a car, if it interests you, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (Udvar-Hazy ) out by Dulles is a great place to spend a day.

http://airandspace.si.edu/visit/udvar-hazy-center/

Rich

. . It's actually a Embassy Suites

longhorn55

Since you are driving, you should probably look for hotels which offer free parking as parking fees, in both in D.C. or the nearby suburbs will likely be $20 - $35 per night.

I know of some "budget" hotels in Arlington where you can park for free and which are near a Metro station so that you can get to D.C. in a short amount of time--10 to 15 minutes. When you get ready to book, look at the following Arlington hotels: Americana Hotel (Crystal City), Holiday Inn Rosslyn @ Key Bridge (Rosslyn), Best Western Iwo Jima (Rosslyn). Note: The names in parentheses are the names of the areas within Arlington as well as the names of the closest Metro stations.

amandal5999

Thank you to all the responded. We would like to stay at least 7 full days, we don't mind the heat being from St louis we are pretty used to it so walking would not be a problem, as for the amount we would like to spend we are not completey sure about that, we are willing to spend what we need to to have a wonderful vacation but are not certain yet what our limit would be. But thank you again, you have definetly given us a start as to where to lo alook to stay, things to do, and how to travel and book things in advanced! Thank you!