Good time for DC visit?
 

My fiance and I plan to visit Washington, DC sometime in 2002. She has never been there, so we will see the standard monuments, Smithsonian, etc. Is there a time of year when the city is relatively less crowded? Also, has Sept. 11 had much impact on tourism in DC? Many thanks.

Scott,<BR>While the obvious answer will probably be Spring/Fall for decent weather and when schools are in for less crowds, we have really enjoyed going to DC over the 4th of July holiday.<BR><BR>We've been lucky with the weather the past few trips. Seeing the fireworks over Cap Mall is still breathtaking.<BR><BR>How 9-11 will effect the fireworks show is too early to say...<BR>Kal

Early October. It's usually still pretty balmy, and you don't have the hordes of tourists. Second choice would be mid-May. Some more tourists than October, but still not peak tourist time. Times to avoid: April, July and August (the latter two for weather reasons more than anything else).<BR><BR>Restaurants and hotels in the area have been hit pretty hard. Don't know if they've started to bounce back or not. Some people on this board have tried to give the impression that DC is an armed camp. That couldn't be further from the truth. I live in Northern Virginia, but was in DC last night, and last weekend, and the only change I saw was one street on Capitol Hill that had been closed off (and that could have been for some senator's Christmas party, for all I know).

DC is brutally hotin the summer. Oct is nice if you wanna wait until the fall. My favorite time is april when the whole city is full of tulips...I've never seen so many tulips as DC in early spring. PS...don't need a car. Subway is fabulous...and the taxis are really cheap too.

8 years ago we were up there on the last weekend of June. We made the mistake of trying to see the National Zoo. It was incredibly hot. The animals were smarter than we were. They were all hidden in the shade looking for relief from the sun. Lesson Learned: Don't do zoos in the heat of the summer!

I heard Peter Greenberg (MSN travel) on the radio a couple of weeks ago and he said it was a great time to visit DC because all of the museums were empty. You can't take the FBI tour, but then who knows if that will ever open up again. There wasn't even a line to get into the Air and Space Museum!

I live in DC and agree that May and Oct are the best months (espec October, that's my favorite). Of course tourism is way down in the winter but you never know about the weather, it can be mild or snowy and cold (eg in Feb). March is usually moderate but dull, as is November. Goes with when kids are around a lot, the tourism, as it's such a popular destination for kids/families. There are school trips around more in the Spring, also, so, it's not just school holidays, but more in the Spring, which is why I think Oct is better (also I like the Fall weather and the trees). Just avoid Cherry Blossom thing in Spring as there are too many tourists then. Summer is bad due to crowds and weather can be awful. As for Sept 11, sure, it affected tourism a lot right in the immediate after-period but I think things are pretty much back to normal now, as least that's my impression. I haven't read posts on armed camp so don't know what that's about; I have some dealings at prominent places (Senate buildings, some others downtown) and things aren't even that armed there, I didn't notice anything special. One thing I have noticed which I really really like is some metro "marshals" (not sure what they're called) have been in some metro cars at times when I've ridden. There is definitely part of Capitol Hill closed off to trucks as I go by there a lot (near Capitol Bldg) and I think they closed off Maryland Ave going towards that, but other than that I don't know of unusual street closings.

Have been there numerous times in July(including 4th of July weekend) & August. If you can deal with the crowds & heat, then it could be fun during 4th of July. We usually go for a couple days & then head for Annapolis or Ocean City for the rest of the vacation. There are alot of trees around Washington DC, but DC itself is alot of cement & when the heat & sun beat down you can really melt from it & get a mean sunburn if not prepared. Maybe on a particularily hot day you could spend some time at Teddy Roosevelt park (island in the Potomac), or inside the many museums which are enviornmentally controled. Save the walking around all the outside monuments for a somewhat cooler day, if there is one.

Scott:<BR><BR>The first week of March is a great time to go. It can reach the low to mid 70s by then and it is before the Cherry Tree time the 1st week of April.

I refuse to step foot on Teddy Roosevelt in the summer--it's mosquito hell.

Scott, when you tire of those standard monuments, permit me to suggest a few off-the-beat places to see. Along 17th street, for example, behind the stockade fence as they gouge the earth for the WWII memorial. Or Independence to see the construction for the American Indian National Museum. Our Botanical Gardne opened December 11th, after a four-year major redo. If you come soon, there's a splendid Henry Moore exhibit at the East Extension (it'll be here until they can locate some hernia-free movers). Someone spoke of a line into Air & Space ... you got the wrong city, pal - unless it's the M. Jordan Imax you mean, or the lines to get those killer cheese burgers. A good time is also just when the cherry trees come into bloom ... you can watch the beavers move in from the Potomac, and hear about the latest NPS plan to relocate the little choppers to happier grounds. Or Thanksgiving, when W saves the next turkey. By god, have we got it or what ... all we need are some tourists, and soon. Welcome to DC. Ciao

In addition to L's suggestion, the Einstein monument is a nice little place to sit for awhile. Shaded, just off the Mall.<BR><BR>Especially a nice place to if the weather is a bit warm. On Constitution and 21st?