Itinerary Help for DC Trip
 

DH and I will be in DC Sept 3 -6. Flying into BWI early Friday and renting a car so we can visit the Marine Cemetery in Quantico. It is closed on weekends and holidays, so we will have to plan that trip for the Friday we arrive. We want to see the Monuments, Arlington Cemetery, the Capitol, Portrait Gallery, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. Considering it is a weekend, any suggestions for the order in which we plan our stops? We are staying at the Quincy.

Here is a map of the National Mall. You can look at it and put things together that are near each other.

http://www.nps.gov/mall/planyourvisit/maps.htm

You can walk from the Arlington Cemetery to the Lincoln Memorial, so you might want to put those together.

I think you have to to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in the a.m. to get tickets. It might not be open on Saturdays and Monday, the 6th. You will have to check that website.

Portrait Gallery is open until 7 pm

You might consider one of the hop-on, hop-off bus tours (we used Tourmobile and were very satisfied with it). The bus will make stops at or near all of these places, and you can get off, sightsee and catch the next bus that comes by.

You need reservations for the Capitol, BTW.

We didn't do the hop-on-hop-off, but I think I read that tickets are valid for 2 consecutive days.

You can choose either 1 or 2 days. We did the 2 days -- I think it was $35, and well worth it. Picked up the tickets, and the bus, at Union Station.

We already have reservations for the Capitol tour. Thanks for all the suggestions thus far.

Your hotel is equally convenient to the Blue/Orange lines (Farragut West) and the Red Line (Farragut North).

The fact that it is a weekend doesn't affect anything you are planning to see. The order suggested below is for efficiency and best use of your limited time.

<b>Saturday</b>:
Get an EARLY start. Walk from your hotel to Vietnam Veterans Memorial, then Lincoln, then Korean, then the WWII, then Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Then walk to Smithsonian Metro Station and take Metro to Gallery Place (transfer trains at Metro Center) for lunch. There are NO good lunch options near Engraving & Printing. There are endless good choices for lunch on 7th St. between I st. and E st. around the Gallery Place Metro stop.

After lunch, the Portrait Gallery is right there (at 8th & G st.)

Perhaps after the Portrait Gallery you do something else and/or Metro Back to your hotel for a rest. Dinner either Metro back to Gallery Place, up to U St., or near your hotel (there are lots of places on 19th St. between your hotel and Dupont circle).

<b>Sunday</b>:
Get an EARLY start.
Take the Blue line train from Farragut West to Arlington Cemetery. This could be the whole morning if you wanted to - it's big. After Arlington Cemetry, get back on a Blue train into DC and get off at the Capitol South Station or (if you have some time) the Eastern Market Station.

Near Eastern Market Station there are many good lunch spots on 8th St. between Penn. Ave. the Marine Barracks to the south. Near the Capitol South station, look on Penn. Ave Between 2nd St. and Eastern Market for good lunch spots.

Then walk to the Library of Congress and the Capitol. Afterward, get back on the Metro at Capitol South and take a blue or orange train to the Smithsonian Station to see museums or to your hotel at Farragut West and rest, make dinner plans or do something else.

http://www.stationmasters.com/System...ystem_map.html
(click on individual stations for area maps)

Just want to say, I have been in DC many many times, but last month was the first time we had ever been to the National Portrait Gallery, and it is sensational!! I spent all my time in the "Presidents" collection -- my husband spent all his time in the "current exhibit" (Norman Rockwell and others). We met in the glassed-in courtyard, which is wonderful itself!

Since you are going to Quantico, I would recommend a visit to the Marine Corps museum there. It's excellent.

Washington DC is a great walking city. If you get a nice afternoon and comfy shoes you can see all the monuments in one beautiful walk. Start at the Washington Monument, stroll along and visit each of the war memorials at your leisure, and end up at the Lincoln Memorial. You can easily see the White House along this route, too. It really does make for a wonderful afternoon walk!

Thank you for all the suggestions. Longhorn55, we WILL visit the Marine Corps Museum. I was mistaken when I thought we were visiting only the Cemetery. My brother's father-in-law, who is still living, was a member of Edson's Raiders. He has only begun talking about his war experiences in the last few years, and we want to honor him by visiting the Marine Corps Museum as well as the Cemetery.

Definitely agree with the Portrait Gallery. It was on our maybe list last year and we ended up spending a lot of time there. It was probably my favorite Smithsonian out of the ones we did.

Is Library of Congress open on weekends? I can't remember.

Agree about Portrait and adjacent American Arts

Well, now I am worried about the Hurrican Earl. I hope it doesn't reach the Eastern Coast of the U.S.