one thing with DC Metro... ALWAYS give yourself extra time. the map/system is easy to figure out, but there is always some sort of delay. I would personally drive to RFK, not metro (especially with 5 people). SE and Barra tailgates are both good, depending on what type of atmosphere you like. SE are very organized... think of it as a catered lunch. Barra is more of a pot luck.. you never know what is going to be there, but as long as you show up with some beer and food, you will make instant friends and be able to eat/drink whatever you want. Are you flying in or driving in? That does make a difference. If you are looking to save on a hotel, look into Springfield, VA. There is a metro station (Franconia - Springfield) and the hotels there all run a shuttle back and forth. Also I would like to echo that you can sit wherever you want in the stadium with any ticket. They dont care. If you really want to go all out, the mezzanine section offers the best view and gives you a shelf for your food/drinks. Those tickets cost $50 each tho, and they do check tickets there. If you do go this route, get row 1 or 2. Row 3 is too far back and has a horrible view.
While it maybe tempting budget wise to stay at the end of a Metro line, you are also setting yourself up for delays and frustrations. If you can afford it, stay at a hotel between the Mall and Columbia Heights or Woodley Park. Close to the action and Metro options are plentiful. Delay on one line and an alternative is close by and buses or cabs aren't as costly. Restaurant options are more plentiful and your trip to National Geographic is a side trip in combo with the Zoo. Old Time Trolley tours are also fun. A bit pricey but how often are you in DC?
Thank you everyone for your input. We are driving into town as we plan to head south after a few days in DC. You have sold me on the driving to the game. I like the idea of sitting in the A/C instead of more walking with tired kids. No no 'gray' hotdogs for me, we will find somewhere else to eat before getting to the game. Not sure where we are planning to stay yet, the wife is working on that (Georgetown, North of the Mall or Alexandria are the spots she is looking at). I will pass on your suggestions. A couple more quick questions: Bike tour or Bus tour of the monuments? What do I have to eat before leaving town (what is DC known for)? Weekday traffic leaving town headed south on 95, early morning (before 7am), midday (noon) or evening after 7pm? Which one will cause the lease amount of stress? Paul.
Depends on from whence you are departing. If you're departing from DC proper, noon would probably be for the best. If it's from Alexandria, you're looking at prior to 7am, since most of the traffic will be going the other way. Regardless, expect 95 South nearing Quantico to be a mess. It just is. As for food, I like Chinatown's selections myself, and that's where we go most often, despite many other fine selections of just about every South American variety. Opinions vary.
Unless your kids are already bikers, I would do the Bus Tour, air conditioned travel easy to change the circuit if a particular monument is overcrowded.
Look up "Penn Quarter" for a wide selection of very good restaurants. They are all easily walkable from the Gallery Place stop on the Metro Red Line.
if possible, id take 301 south instead of 95... itll add about 15-20 miles depending on where you are staying, but is a much nice drive and you wont get stuck on the HELL that is 95 south in the summer.
Mmmm, pupusa. The Screaming Eagles pregame tailgate would be a good deal for you. It's all you can eat (hamburgers, sausages, BBQ chicken) and drink (bottled water, soft drinks, beer). Admission is $12 for nonmembers -- what a deal! check out the S.E. website @ screaming-eagles.com/game-day/tailgates/ About all of the "must see" (Jefferson Memorial (*****), FDR Memorial (****), Lincoln Memorial (*****), White House, Capitol Building, Smithsonian Museums, etc.) stuff is located in and around the Mall. Plan in advance and bring your hiking shoes -- you're going to be doing a whole lot of walking. My experience has been that kids like the Air & Space Museum (*****), the Natural History Museum (****), and the American History Museum (****) the best. The kids might find the American Indian Museum (***) to be interesting, but it's fairly new and is just getting off the ground. The Metro underground subway system has very good color-coded maps. I always take Metro to United games (exit at the Stadium/Armory station on the Red Line. The tailgate parties are located in Lot 8 (on the far side of RFK Stadium from the Metro station, unfortunately).
I disagree, if you can handle the heat go on bike, it's a relatively contained area and the mall area is nice to go through. But that really depends on the weather. 95 south to Richmond is a guaranteed punch in the balls. If you have to go on it, on a weekday I'd leave about 10:30 or 11:00 You must get Ethiopian food in DC. I'd recommend Dukem (12th & U Street, NW) or Ethiopic (like 6th & H St, NE). Has the grid been explained yet? I'd also recommend Taylor Gourmet (multiple locations) for subs (but you get in trouble if you don't call them hoagies there).
I concur on I-95 (both my kids have attended Christopher Newport University). Take US 301 to US 17 South if you are headed to the Tidewater area -- much prettier and much less aggravating than being stuck in stop and go traffic on I-95. BTW, there is no good time to head south on I-95. After the last playoff game against Houston last year I headed down I-95 to go to our vacation rental on the Outer Banks. Got stuck in stop and go traffic in Dale City on Sunday evening.
95 is ESPECIALLY BAD now as they are doing construction all day between the rush hours, and dont pick it up until rush hour starts again. If you are heading way down south, take 301 and you can get back on 95 just north of Richmond, but south of all of the traffic. Trust me on this. I commute 70 miles each way every day. for purposes of illustration, here is the route from RFK Stadium to Richmond. Taking 301 adds 7 miles and appears to add 30 minutes, but trust me it will save you A LOT of time and aggrivation. http://goo.gl/maps/RdWjr
normally, I'd debate you, but given the construction, you're probably right. RT 5 to 301 has a ton of lights through Waldorf which is why I generally go 95 (but try and time it 0500 or 1100-1200).
It's worth noting any metro rail fare is an additional $1 if you use a paper fare card instead of the SmarTrip card.
Who would vacation in a swamp during the summer? That's what DC is at the moment. Go somewhere fun. You know, like a beach or a lake.
normally, i would too... but even with the lights, 5/301 has been about 20 minutes faster for me to get from Kings Dominion to Fairfax. and even with leaving at 11 or 12, you will now be SITTING on 95. you would probably be ok at 5, but who the hell wants to wake up at 5 on vacation to drive?
The lights in Waldorf can be avoided. If you take rt 5 SE towards St. Mary's cty & then St. Charles Parkway it leads you back to US 301 south of Waldorf.
actually, if you take the left when you first get into Charles Co. - (there's a liquor store, gas station and pizza place on your left), it will drop you right on St Charles Pkwy. I forget the old neighborhood there.
One additional note to all fine suggestions on this thread and it concerns 95 south. Remember that it is vacation time for everyone and a lot of people take 95 south on the weekends to go to the beach. If you leave after 7:00am on a Saturday, you are guaranteed to be sitting in a backup somewhere. I left at 9:00 to OBX two years ago and it took us 9 hours. Last year I thought I would be smart and leave at 7:30am, well it was not to bad so we decided to stop in the Williamsburg Panera for an hour for breakfast (We made it there in 3 hours and normally it would just be an additional 3 hours from there). Big mistake, we made it to OBX in about 8 hours. Coming back both times we made it home in 5 hours (we left at 7:00am sharp both times because I remembered the nightmare of going down). So, this year we are planning to a 5:00-5:30 start. We shall see.
Living actually a tiny bit closer to Chester than DC, I can tell you that almost everyone from points further north either takes 301 the whole way, or gets up at 3am and drives past DC to get to points south. I95 at any time is a disaster waiting to happen.
If you've never driven in DC before, do yourself a favor and spend some time on Google maps looking over how you think you will drive to RFK (or anywhere else for that matter). Signage in DC is horrible (e.g., the sign for you exit will be after the exit itself, so you;ve already passed it before you see the sign) or non-existent. Lots of one-way streets and such -- it's really difficult and you can end up in EBF quickly if you don't know where you're going. All of that being said, Id drive to RFK and use metro for museums, etc. Have fun!