Washington D.C-International visitors
 

Hi,<BR> February has winter-school break in Turkey and I am planning on taking 2 of my teenage children to Washington D.C.-their first time-.We have collected enough info. about things to do in the city but what about outside Washington.D.C ? where can I take them?places of interest?we are thinking of spending about 8 days in the area,is that too much?

Tunch,<BR>There are many other places to see in the vicinity of Washington.Here are a few ideas: <BR>You can take the MARC (train) from Union Station and go into Baltimore. The area around Baltimore Harbor might be interesting to teens.<BR>You can take the VRE ( train) to Fredericksburg, VA, a rather quaint town which is near Civil War battlefields.<BR>You can go to Mount Vernon via car or by tour bus.<BR>

Tunch,<BR><BR>What are your interests? <BR><BR>Do your teenagers like shopping? If so, Tyson's Corner Center and Tyson's Galleria in Fairfax County would be a big hit with the kids.<BR><BR>Eight days is not too much time to spend in the DC Metro area but other major cities are close enough by train/plane to visit...New York, Philadelphia, Boston.<BR><BR>You will find fewer visitors in DC in February than in the sping and summer which will make visiting the sights a more pleasant experience.

Thanks xxx and ddd for your replies.<BR>I can not tell by looking at the map,how far are Fredericksburg and Philadelphia from Washington.D.C for a day trip by train? better to take the train than rent a car and drive?<BR>Can we got to Tyson's Corner by Metro?<BR>thanks..

Fredericksburg is about an hour's drive out of DC. Philadelphia is about 2 1/2 - 3 hours drive, and about the same by train. As far as I know (and I've lived in Northern Va. for years) you cannot get to Tysons Corner by Metro. The Pentagon City mall is almost as good, however, and is easily Metro accessible. If you are going to Philly, I would strongly recommend taking the train.

You can get to Tyson Corners &amp; the area by a combination of Metro (subway) and Metrobus. Go to the website http://rideguide.wmata.com for directions, including any transfers, costs, and approximate time.<BR><BR>You can get to Fredericksburg by Amtrak and VRE, the commuter rail. VRE will be significantly less expensive, but the schedules are geared more for commuters traveling TO DC in the a.m., and returning home in the evening. Either MARC or Amtrak can get you to DC as well, and again, MARC costs ~$5 while Amtrak ~$20, but MARC has many more trains in either direction, and two different routes.<BR><BR>You might wish to to to Alexandria, by Metro. Do some of the walking tours, maps avail at the visitor center on King Street.<BR><BR>Again, can take Amtrak (www.amtrak.com) to get to Philadelphia, but you might look to see if you can find any good deals on rental cars, which might be less expensive than rail. I've rented compact cars from BWI for about $22/day.<BR>(there is no X in my REAL eddress)

Other fun spots to visit include--<BR><BR>Annapolis, Md. It is the state capital, fun shops, and a downtown waterfront with many restaurants.<BR><BR>If you drive, go across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and go to St. Michaels. It is a interesting waterfront town with a museum of Chesapeake Bay history, good restaurants, nice shops, and the area is beautiful. Drive around the Eastern Shore.<BR><BR>

topping

No direct Metro to Tysons. It's doable by Metro/Metrobus or Metro/cab to the mall but it's much easier to drive. There are two huge shopping malls separated by a major road that I would not be comfortable crossing on foot. Pentagon City is a good alternative though not as large, but as previously mentioned, directly accessible by Metro.<BR><BR>Do you and your kids have a big interest in US history, particularly the Civil War? If not, there probably isn't a day's worth of activity for you in Fredericksburg. If that is a topic that interests you there is a lot to see in and around Washington DC.<BR><BR>I'd vote for a day trip to Philadelphia or a couple of days in New York. I agree with others that the train is preferable to a car for travel to these cities.

Why not call or e-mail your local embassy here in Washington and ask them for tickets to the White House and the Capitol, so you don't have to wait in line. You may get a private guided tour too.

I went to DC last arch with my 16 yr old daughter. She loved just about everything in the city and you will need 4 or 5 days to do it all.<BR>We jumped on the metro and went to Pentagon City just about everyday to have a quick -cheap- dinner at the food court of the great Pentagon City Mall.<BR>She loved Georgetown and hanging out at the coffee shops with the GWU students.<BR>She also enjoyed Annapolis were we visited the US Naval Academy.<BR>There's so much to see ... your teens will love it!<BR>Have fun!

As far as things to see in the DC area: There is a new Spy Museum which is supposed to be terrific. Don't forget the Georgetown area of DC (no metro access)and remember most, if not all of the museums are FREE and are available by metro. Also, the Holocaust Museum (free but you may want to order tickets in advance. Hope that helps. You may also check the Kennedy Center website to see if they are having any of their free concerts. It's fun just to go there and see the place.

Your kids will not be bored in - let them check it out the internet and each one plans an activity/restaurant each day. I second the notion about going to Baltimore - they have a great aquarium and downtown area - very happening in the evening - they might be a little young for that - be sure to take the water taxi out to Ft. McHenry where the star spangled banner was written.