So I'm heading to D.C. for the first time here Thursday, and I'm wondering if any of the residents or folks who've been there before can give any suggestions on things that have to been that aren't so blatantly obvious.

Obviously I'll check out the memorials, and I plan on spending a large portion of time at the Mall checking out the museums. So those are a given.

One thing I'm really interested in is getting to see some Civil War history, and I'm seeing a Gray Line tour that takes you up to Gettysburg for a nice 10 hour tour. That's something I'd be really interested in, but not sure how much the other people with me will be interested. ;) So anyone been up there? Is it worth a day?

Are there any tours of or around Manassas? That's a lot closer, but not sure what all is there.

So what're the MUST see sites? What are the overrated ones?

Mostly though I'm just looking to be convinced to talk the rest of the people with me on spending a whole day going to Gettysburg, as that's what I really want to do.

The zoo! It's outstanding.

I reccomend visiting with Marion Barry, city councilman. He knows where the best hookers and drugs are.

Gettysburg is absolutely amazing (and enormous). I would highly recommend it. Its not really close to D.C. however, at least three of those ten hours will be spent getting there and back.

If you want to check out something Civil War related locally, head over to Ford's Theater (where Lincoln was assassinated). IIRC, its now a museum run by the Park Service. You can also go across the street and and check out Lincoln's death bed (and pillow!)

Manassas is a cool site, has some nice plaques, etc.. but it is NOTHING like Gettysburg... Gettysburg (imo) is by far the most 'tourist friendly' Civil War site on the East Coast...

If you're a history buff, you may want to consider coming to Colonial Williamsburg. It is not Civil War driven obviously, but as a living history museum it is one of the top sin the country (possibly the best) and it is about 2 1/2-3 hours south of DC.

I always recommend the Old Postal Tower. Its not quite as tall as the Washington Memorial, but its still a great view with almost no wait. I don't know the exact address, but its in all the tourist books.

If you like theatre there is a ton here. Its the second biggest theatre city in the US.

If you are Catholic or just like beautiful churches see the National Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Its at the Catholic University and is one of the most beautiful churches I've seen in the US.

The Korean War memorial is haunting and probably my favorite, but that probably has something to do with my Dad serving there.

Its a great city and there is a ton to see for free. Have fun.

Gettysburg is a full-day stop. Go up the night before, stay overnight, tour the battlefield, stay overnight, then go back. Anything less than that is a waste of time.

Manassas is worth a couple of hours, and is not far from DC.

Williamsburg is cool as well, and is a nice stop all on its own. Jamestown, Yorktown, Williamsburg itself, shopping right there, and Busch Gardens all nice and close together. You could spend 2 or 3 days there all by itself.

Stop by Cams and drop off some peanut butter, its a law.

I don't know where Manassas is, but I heard Bull Run is pretty cool!

Gettysburg is a full-day stop. Go up the night before, stay overnight, tour the battlefield, stay overnight, then go back. Anything less than that is a waste of time.

Manassas is worth a couple of hours, and is not far from DC.

Williamsburg is cool as well, and is a nice stop all on its own. Jamestown, Yorktown, Williamsburg itself, shopping right there, and Busch Gardens all nice and close together. You could spend 2 or 3 days there all by itself.

Did not think to mention the other attractions as Colonial Williamsburg is my personal favorite, but the others are all very good and within 5-10 miles of CW also... If you come to Williamsburg, I can all kinds of recommendations on specifics depending on what you like...

There is also Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania which are not that far away(When compared to Gettysburg)


Can't say I remember Bull Run as much since it has been 15 years or so since I went there, but I saw in National Geographic that it has been over run with people moving out to the suburbs so it may be tough to get to around rush hour.

If you decide to head out to Manassas, I'd recommend stopping at the new National Air & Space Museum in Fairfax.

How long are you going to be there?

Manassas is pretty neat, but nothing like Gettysburg. There are tours. Better yet, take the self-guided audio tour. Just bring water and go early to beat the heat.

You could spend weeks on The Mall. It's pretty amazing and all the Smithsonians are great - not to mention all the memorials. Try the old Post Office Pavilion for lunch some day (get there early). The cafeteria in the Air & Space is excellent, but also gets crowded early. Skip the White House and Washington Monument. Spend a lot of time in Lincoln and Jefferson. I second the zoo and the National Shrine (even if you're not Catholic). The Supreme Court can be pretty cool. Georgetown for night life, of course.

Ride the Metro everywhere. Don't drive in DC.

Also if you want something fun for nightlife that is not as fast-paced as DC you might want to try Old Town Alexendria, VA... nice atmosphere, some good restaurants, and you could visit the Masonic Temple in Old Town(all metro accessible).

What else can I think of in DC... National Cathedral is amazing (again, even if not overtly religious)... might want to go to a Nats game as they're pretty cheap and available and supposed to be a GREAT atmosphere...

I'll think some more as I'm sure there are tons of things I'm not thinking of..

Is there something specific that you are interested? Only historical sites? Good restaurants? Nightlife?

The zoo! It's outstanding.
I don't know about that. We went there about a month ago and it was okay. Not exactly great in my mind, but okay and cheap (just paid for parking). I'd throw in two cents to go to Arlington and observe the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Hits you right in the heart.

I don't know about that. We went there about a month ago and it was okay. Not exactly great in my mind, but okay and cheap (just paid for parking). I'd throw in two cents to go to Arlington and observe the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Hits you right in the heart.


I went like 7 years ago so it's hard to say now. At the time I thought it was awesome considering the cost associated.

Of course I'm not a history buff so things like the zoo entertain me. I'm not really certain how to become a buff.

I've heard great things about the new Spy Museum.

Oh, if you go to the Zoo, bring your own water to carry around in a backpack or something. The food is expensive.

How long are you going to be there?

Manassas is pretty neat, but nothing like Gettysburg. There are tours. Better yet, take the self-guided audio tour. Just bring water and go early to beat the heat.

Ride the Metro everywhere. Don't drive in DC.

I'm going to be out there for 4 full days, so I have a lot to cram in there during that time.

My Aunt works here in Kansas for the state, and gets sent out to D.C. quite often. We'll be staying in D.C. every night, seeing as how I'll get free lodging there. Can't beat that.

Definitely will be taking the metro also, I'd go crazy driving in a city like that.

Thanks for the tips though guys. I think I'm really going to push for a day up in Gettysburg.

I personally plan on spending most of my time at the Mall. I love history and art, so those are the two main things I'm shooting for. Not real interested in nightlife, as I plan to take it pretty easy out there.

Great tips though guys, thanks a bunch. Some good ideas here. I know I'm going to miss out on half the stuff I want to see, just not enough time.

I'm going to be out there for 4 full days, so I have a lot to cram in there during that time.

My Aunt works here in Kansas for the state, and gets sent out to D.C. quite often. We'll be staying in D.C. every night, seeing as how I'll get free lodging there. Can't beat that.

Definitely will be taking the metro also, I'd go crazy driving in a city like that.

Thanks for the tips though guys. I think I'm really going to push for a day up in Gettysburg.

I personally plan on spending most of my time at the Mall. I love history and art, so those are the two main things I'm shooting for. Not real interested in nightlife, as I plan to take it pretty easy out there.

Great tips though guys, thanks a bunch. Some good ideas here. I know I'm going to miss out on half the stuff I want to see, just not enough time.
The Metro is your friend.

If you can squeeze it in, I'd make a stop at Arlington. It's right off the blue line, and not too bad of a hike up the hill to see the good stuff. The Custis-Lee Mansion has some interesting things in its museum.

I went to the National Zoo over the Memorial Day weekend, and was unpleasantly surprised to see that the Panda viewing was really inconvenient. Apparently a new habitat is being constructed so a lot is blocked off. Had to wait in line and squeeze in to this little narrow walkway, and people were not very polite about it. Be ready to throw elbows.

Instead of Gettysburg, why not take a shorter trip to Mount Vernon (home of George Washington)? I'd probably take another trip to fully explore Gettysburg later...IMHO it's too much travel and not enough time to enjoy Gettysburg.

I'm going to be out there for 4 full days, so I have a lot to cram in there during that time.

Well, you won't have time to get past "checking out the museums."

You don't really need to be "interested in nightlife" per se to enjoy Old Town Alexandria. You will need to eat while in town, and its worth a trip down there for the amazing variety of restaurants in a confined area. Plus it is always bustling, even in early evening, and just walking down the main drag/along the dock is entertaining, even if you are not into the bar/club scene that is traditionally thought of as "night life."

I went to the National Zoo over the Memorial Day weekend, and was unpleasantly surprised to see that the Panda viewing was really inconvenient. Apparently a new habitat is being constructed so a lot is blocked off. Had to wait in line and squeeze in to this little narrow walkway, and people were not very polite about it. Be ready to throw elbows.

The zoo has had a lot of issues (at least in the press) lately, with a lot of animals dying. It leaves the impression that there's some mis-management there.

I personally think you could spend 3-4 days just down town and around immediate area (+ Gettysburg as it sounds like that's a must). The spy museum is pretty cool on top of all the 'regular' stuff, and you can check out all the memorials (including the new WWII memorial).

Manassas is a bit of a haul depending on when you're trying to get out there. The new National Air & Space museum out by Dulles I believe is easier to get to (although I dont' come from that direction often) but is a drive as well. It's pretty cool if you like seeing a bunch of different types of aircraft.

Don't forget catching a Nationals game (sorry, no shiny new stadium yet) and if you're a soccer fan you might be able to catch Freddy Adu in town.

oooo! You have to get a hot dog from one of those vendors on the mall.

Yummy.

Also, check Restaurant.com for a ton of deals in the DC area.

You can also rent and ride a Seg-way around town (or at least you could).

City tour (http://www.citysegwaytours.com/washington/).

If you want to go up into the Washington memorial you need to get tickets in advance. When I was there last (about a year ago) you needed to get tickets 48 hours ahead of time.

The new WWII memorial is cool
The holocaust museum is an eye opener and presents a fair look at the facts
The spy museum is very cool if you're into the whole cold war era

If you have some time to visit the Holocaust Memorial in Baltimore, definitely definitely definitely do so.

Well, you won't have time to get past "checking out the museums."

You don't really need to be "interested in nightlife" per se to enjoy Old Town Alexandria. You will need to eat while in town, and its worth a trip down there for the amazing variety of restaurants in a confined area. Plus it is always bustling, even in early evening, and just walking down the main drag/along the dock is entertaining, even if you are not into the bar/club scene that is traditionally thought of as "night life."

Like i said earlier, I really have to echo this.. i'm not a night life person at all and i love old town..

Oh yeah. It's hot as f*cking balls here right now. Hot. humid. Disgusting. Be prepared for that sort of nonesense.

Other than that all the above are good suggested...

Leave a day to "do the mall." Start at the Capitol and work your way down. You can stop into any one of the dozens of FREE museums to get some AC. You pass by the Washington Monument, WW II, and then over to the Lincoln, Korean War, and Vietnam War memorials. All good.

If you can, try and see the FDR memorial. It's very different from the rest and is my personal favorite. It's a bit out of the way however.

Another cool thing that is often missed is "The Awakening" statue out at Hains Point. It's sort of a pain to get to (like the FDR memorial), but as statues go, I reckon it's the coolest around. It's of a massive giant coming out of the ground. The statue is actually a number of different pieces, a leg there, a foot here, a head, arms, etc., which make it appear as if it is actually emerging from the earth. Good stuff.

Spy museum is cool as mentioned above.

Oh yeah, did I mention it was hot as f*cking balls here and humid? No sign of a let down either. No me gusta heat. No me gusta humidity. I am f*cked for the next three to four months.

I've heard great things about the new Spy Museum.
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
I 2nd this motion

You can easily get to all the Smithsonian Museums from the subway or even walking. I would at least try to get to the Natural History Museum and American History Museum which are right besides each other. A couple blocks away is the Air and Space Museum. There a many other but these three have always been my favorites.


Check out www.si.edu for museum details.