I have some friends visiting from england this fall, and I have no clue where to take them, other than the Smithsonian in Washington DC, and Baltimore & Annapolis in Maryland. THis is really pathetic considering I've lived in MD all my life. Someone please help. WHere can I take them that's fun and inexpensive?

First, you ought to contact your congressperson and request tickets for the congressional tour of the White House. Offices ask that you place your requests at least 3 months in advance. If you can't obtain tickets that way, you can get them the day you want to visit at the White House Visitors Center. Do a search on this forum for Washington, DC, and you will find out all the details about the Visitors Center. Whenever we have had foreign visitors, they always enjoyed the White House as well as the Capitol. Ask your Congressman's office about a tour of the Capitol. If there is time, a staff person may be able to give you a private tour - a perk for constituents. You can also obtain passes to see the House and Senate galleries (passes are not needed if Congress is not in session at the time). The monuments are a must, as well as Arlington. Email me if you want more detailed information. I am also a docent at the Air and Space Museum and can give you more info about that as well.

Rebecca,
Some quick suggestions: The aquarium in Baltimore is incredible (approx. $10 - 15 per person), The Naval Academy (free and amazing!), Mount Vernon ( approx $7 per person).

yes, it is pathetic you know so little about DC. Get a guidebook, by all means. I am just amazed you would admit that.

Take them to the Holocaust Museum. Take them to see Oriole Park. Take them to the FDR Monument ( new). Take them to Georgetown. Take them to old town Alexandria. Take them to Fells Point in Baltimore. Take them to Annapolis. Take them to Sandy Point State Park. Take them to Fort McHenry.

If they're coming in the fall, take them up Skyland Drive. If you've timed it right, you'll get the beautiful fall colors.

Camden Yards is a must.

You've received some great responses. One addition - Great Falls on the Potomac for dramatic, un-English scenery. Our English friends especially liked Mt. Vernon and the Vietnam Memorial.

I agree with Brian and Wendy -- you can't go wrong with the Aquarium and Camden Yards!

Skyline drive, Middleburg, Also go down to Charlottsville and see Thomas Jeffersons Monticello! Excellent!
Korean Memorial at night!,

Everytime we visit DC, we go to Ford's Theater and the house across the street where Lincoln died. Absolutely fascinating. The small museum in the theater is a wonder. It includes the gun he was shot with and the suit he died in. For nature, I recommend Tighman Island and the Blackwater Wildlife refuge on Cheasapeake Bay. Every fall tens of thousands of Snow Geese and Canadian Geese land here... an incredibly beautiful sight. Bald Eagles also nest here.

You mention inexpensive - surely you know that all of the Smithsonian museums are free? We loved the Museum of American History, have been there twice and found it fascinating. And the Mineral Hall in the Museum of Natural History is mind boggling, we were so entranced we had to go back a second day. The Air and Space Museum is pretty neat, too. The Bureau of Printing and Engraving has an interesting tour where you can watch money being printed. Union Station has a great food court, we went there to get great, inexpensive meals that pleased every family member when we were pressed for time (and the station itself is worth seeing, especially if you're into art deco). My family enjoyed watching the House of Representatives from the gallery when they were in session, we watched debate and a vote on a bill. Even my kids were fascinated - we thought we'd stay a few minutes, and ended up watching for almost three hours!

And don't forget at least a drive-by of the monuments AT NIGHT!

We were in Washington D.C. last
week. I don't know about the rest
of the year, but every
attraction in the city is packed
with foreign tourists during August.
A lot of people I knew in Europe had
visited the United States.
So, I am sure your English friends
have a long list of things to see and do. I think you would be better off
to include them in the tour planning,
they probably know a lot more about
the area than most local citizens.

Other places you might consider are a day at MD's Eastern Shore, a dinner cruise on the Potomac, a show at the Kennedy Center, Harper's Ferry (the flood markers are fascinating), Gettysburg, or Antietam. You could also go to Great Falls (MD or VA) and walk along the canal tow path (they also give boat rides).

Hmmm...
St. Michaels and Oxford on the Eastern Shore. B&O Railroad Museum near Camden Yards. Hausner's Restaurant in East Baltimore. Any of a couple dozen crab places. Annapolis has some good guided walking tours. It's very compact and walkable. Good place for a boat excursion on the Bay too.
If they haven't already been there, by all means take a day trip up to NYC. The train is fun, but there are several charter bus companies that are cheap, comfortable, and convenient. They pick up at various spots around the Baltimore Beltway in the early a.m. and get you back in the late evening. Plenty of time for meals, shopping, museum, and/or a matinee of a Broadway show.