Prince George's County
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Prince George's County - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. The Capital Wheel
Stunning at sunset, the nearly 200-foot ascent on this giant Ferris wheel affords views of Alexandria's Masonic Temple, the Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol, lasting approximately 15 minutes. Glass-enclosed gondolas are climate-controlled and wheelchair-accessible. Landlubbers can enjoy drinks and Potomac vistas from the Flight Deck bar at the base of the wheel since admission tickets are not required.
141 American Way, National Harbor, Maryland, 20745, USA301-842–8650Sight Details
Rate Includes: $15 -
2. Belair Mansion
Built in the mid-1700s as a country retreat for provincial Maryland governor Samuel Ogle, the Georgian-style Belair Mansion was subsequently owned in the early 1900s by James Woodward. Ogle was instrumental during Colonial times in importing horses that improved the American Thoroughbred. The house displays British and Early American paintings, silver, and furniture. In 1908 Woodward built additions to the house, including the Belair Stable, which began the modern legacy of the Belair Stud, the line responsible for Omaha and his sire Gallant Fox, each of whom won the Triple Crown in the 1930s. One-hour self-guided tours of the mansion and stable emphasize the contributions of the families and their horses to racing history.
12207 Tulip Grove Dr., Bowie, Maryland, 20715, USA301-809–3089Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, donations accepted, Tues.–Sun. noon–4 -
3. Beltsville Agricultural Research Center
Three miles northeast of Greenbelt, the Agricultural Research Service's (ARS) research center in Beltsville has developed everyday innovations such at backyard fly traps, orange juice from concentrate, and seedless grapes. Today BARC's research priorities are climate change, food safety, nutrition and obesity, international food security, and bioenergy. When several offices were attacked by anthrax mailings in 2001, it was scientists at this Beltsville location who helped determine where the anthrax came from. The visitor center is inside a log lodge built in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and tours take at least two hours. Because of their length and technical nature, tours are not recommended for children below middle-school age. There are neither free food samples nor cafeterias on-site, but ARS sponsors a farmers' market down the road from the visitor center on Thursdays. Reservations are essential; call at least three weeks in advance. The visitor center, building 302, is located on Powder Mill Road, about a half mile away from the main building on Baltimore Avenue. It may not show up on a GPS, so call ahead for directions.
10300 Baltimore Ave., Beltsville, Maryland, 20705, USA301-504–9403Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Weekdays 8:30–4 -
4. College Park Aviation Museum
The Wright Brothers once trained military officers to fly at College Park Airport, the world's oldest continuously operating airport, which is now affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. The College Park Aviation Museum is a tribute to the Wright Brothers and early aviation. Children can spin propellers and dress up like aviators. In fall, the museum hosts the Hollywood Flyers film series, showing blockbusters and documentaries about flight. Screenings take place at 1 pm on Saturday, and are free with museum admission. At the Peter Pan program, preschoolers make airplanes and hear stories on the second and fourth Thursday of the month (10:30 to noon). On their Web site, the museum offers podcast audio tours in English, Spanish, and French.
1985 Corporal Frank Scott Dr., College Park, Maryland, 20740, USA301-861–4765-TDDSight Details
Rate Includes: $4, Daily 10–5 -
5. Montpelier Mansion
On 70 acres of parkland, Montpelier Mansion is a masterpiece of Georgian architecture that George Washington used as a guesthouse on the way to and from the Constitutional Convention. It was built and owned by the Snowdens, who earned their wealth through farming and an iron foundry. Interesting features include a 35- by 16-foot reproduction of a hand-painted canvas floor cloth and an offset central hall staircase. Also on the property is an 18th-century summerhouse where ladies took their tea, boxwood gardens, an herb-and-flower garden with plants grown in the 1800s, and a cultural arts center with three galleries and artists' studios.
Rte. 197 and Muirkirk Rd., Laurel, Maryland, 20708, USA301-953–1376Sight Details
Rate Includes: $3, Dec.–Feb., Mon.–Thurs. 11–3 self-guided tours, Sun. tours at 1 and 2; Mar.–Nov., Mon.–Thurs. 11–3 self-guided tours, Sun. noon–3 guided tours on the hr. Art center weekdays 8:30–5, weekends 10–5 -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Oxon Cove Park
This park preserves 20th-century farm life on a site where the Piscataway Native Americans once lived and was also once part of the Underground Railroad. Children can feed chickens, milk cows, and take a wagon ride. There's a fine view of Washington over the Potomac River. Throughout the year, the National Park Service offers programs such as sheep shearing in May, cider making in September, and "Talking Turkey," when kids can learn about and feed domestic and wild turkeys in November.
6411 Oxon Hill Rd., Clinton, Maryland, 20745, USA301-763–1062Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Daily 8–4:30; reservations required for children\'s activities -
7. Patuxent National Wildlife Visitor Center
One of the Department of the Interior's largest science and environmental education centers, the Patuxent National Wildlife Visitor Center, between Laurel and Bowie, showcases interactive exhibits on global environmental issues, migratory bird routes, wildlife habitats, and endangered species. A viewing station overlooks a lake area that beavers, bald eagles, and Canada geese use as a habitat. Weather permitting, you can take a 30-minute tram tour through meadows, forests, and wetlands and then explore the trails on your own. The paved Loop Trail runs ⅓-mi; another 3½ mi of trails crisscross the property.
10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop, Laurel, Maryland, 20708, USA301-497–5763Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, tram ride $3, Daily 9–4:30; tram mid-Mar.–mid-Nov., weekends 11:30, 1, 2, and 3, summer weekdays 11:30; late June–Aug., weekdays 11:30; trails daily sunrise–4:30 -
8. Piscataway Park
On 4,000 acres of land bought to protect the view from Mount Vernon across the river, Piscataway Park attracts history buffs, horticulturists, naturalists, hikers, and families. At National Colonial Farm you can walk through a middle-class 18th-century farm dwelling and tobacco barn, as well as reproductions of a meat house and out-kitchen used by farmers not quite as prosperous as the Washingtons on the other side of the Potomac. Guides point out the farmhouse's most valuable materials: the glass in the windows and the ropes supporting the bed. Old-time animal breeds and heirloom crop varieties are both raised here. Also on hand is an herb garden as well as bluebirds, great blue herons, and bald eagles.
3400 Bryan Point Rd., Accokeek, Maryland, 20607, USA301-283–2113-Accokeek FoundationSight Details
Rate Includes: Park daily dawn–dusk; National Colonial Farm mid-Mar.–mid-Dec., Tues.–Sun. 10–4; tours weekends at 1; mid-Dec.–mid.-Mar., weekends 10–4. -
9. Potomac Riverboat Company
Tour–SightJump aboard a cruise ship from National Harbor's dock for a water tour of Mount Vernon or Alexandria and Georgetown. The trip to Mount Vernon includes admission to the grounds. The company also operates water taxis across the Potomac to the dock in Alexandria, where National Harbor's visitors can find even more shopping and dining options.
Commercial Pier, National Harbor, Maryland, 20745, United States703-684–0580Sight Details
Rate Includes: Taxis and tours $8–$41, Call ahead for hrs. -
10. Six Flags America
Maryland's only amusement park, Six Flags America combines a theme park with Hurricane Harbor, a water park. On the "dry" side, high-speed revelers enjoy eight old-fashioned wood or modern steel coasters. "Batwing" puts riders headfirst, face and belly down, with nothing between them and the ground but a safety strap. Children under 48 inches can coast on a minimodel train, "drive" an 18-wheeler, and earn their wings flying minijets. On the "wet" side, children of all ages beat the heat whizzing down waterslides and swimming in pools. The five-story Crocodile Cal's (named for Cal Ripkin, legendary star of the Baltimore Orioles) Caribbean Beach House dumps 1,000 gallons of water on unsuspecting passersby every few minutes. When your body has been through enough, sit back for the stage and musical entertainments.
View Tours and Activities13710 Central Ave., Largo, Maryland, 20775, USA301-249–1500Sight Details
Rate Includes: $50, kids under 48\" $30, kids 2 and under free; parking $15, Late Apr.–Labor Day, call ahead or check Web site calendar for hrs; Fright Fest, Oct., check hours online -
11. Surratt House Museum
The Surratt House Museum, once a house and tavern, is where John Wilkes Booth sought refuge after assassinating President Lincoln. For her role in the conspiracy, Mary Surratt became the first woman to be executed by the federal government. She was said to have told one of her tenants to get the "shooting irons ready" for Booth as he was fleeing after the assassination. You can trace Booth's escape route on an electronic map at the visitor center. Costumed docents give tours of the house, talk about 19th-century life in Prince George's County, and discuss the Civil War, but they won't get into debates about Surratt's innocence or guilt. The Surratt Society sponsors a 12-hour John Wilkes Booth escape route tour in April and September that covers the 12 days Booth spent on the run in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC.
9118 Brandywine Rd., Clinton, Maryland, 20735, USA301-868–1121Sight Details
Rate Includes: $3, Wed. tours by appointment; Thurs.–Fri. 11–3, weekends noon–4; tours every ½ hr -
12. The Awakening
This sculpture, created by J. Seward Johnson, depicts a 72-foot giant struggling to free himself from the earth and is actually five separate pieces buried in the ground. The statue was originally at Hains Point in Washington but was moved to National Harbor in 2008. Feel free to climb all over the giant; everyone else does.
National Plaza, Maryland, 20745, USASight Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. -
13. University of Maryland at College Park
One of the largest campuses in the country, the University of Maryland at College Park has an enrollment of about 37,000. The College Park campus began as an agricultural college in 1856, and became part of the University of Maryland in 1920. The university's athletic teams (the Terrapins) participate in the highly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference and draw large crowds to Byrd Stadium and the 17,950-seat Comcast Center. In Turner Hall, visitor-center staff provide information about the university and maps for getting around the sprawling campus of 1,200 acres and 270 buildings. At the dairy, ice cream made from campus cows' milk is available by the cone or carton.
U.S. Rte. 1 at Rossborough La., College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA301-314–7777Sight Details
Rate Includes: Turner Hall weekdays 9–5, Sat. 9–3. Dairy Oct.–Sept., weekdays 10–4
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