I took a quick RV trip to Washington DC back in 2013. It was a spur of the moment trip for just a couple of days. I only had time to visit a few places that included the Capital, four Smithsonian Museums, and several war memorials on the Mall. I just barely scratched the surface of what there is to see in Washington.
Washington is loaded with historical sites and I always wanted to go back. So, a couple of weeks ago, I had a window of open time and a stretch of good weather. I decided to drive the RV down and do another visit. Washington is about a 7 hr drive (400 miles) from where I live. I left home at around 6:30 am and got to my destination around 3:00 pm.
Cherry Hill Park
I stayed at Cherry Hill Park RV Resort which is in College Park, MD. It is right on the northern beltway where I-95 meets I-495. The key thing about this campground is that it provides easy access to get into Washington. There’s a DC Metro bus stop onsite. The bus runs every 20 mins and goes right to the Metro College Park Green Line station. To get from the campground to the Archives station near the Mall takes about 45 mins. It costs just about $3 each way to get into Washington using the senior rates (double that for non-seniors).
My Plan
There is so much to see and do in Washington that you need to plan what you want to see. It’s a big place and it takes time to walk or ride to various places and to go thru museums. In 2013, I visited sites that were on or near the eastern end of the Mall. This time I wanted to visit the sites I missed on the western end of the Mall. These included Arlington National Cemetery, the Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial, MLK Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. I also visited the Museum of the Bible.
It was a busy two days with lots of walking, I made a video of most places I visited which you can see below. The video does a good job of showing you what I saw.
There are some things not shown in the video that I visited. I went to the Museum of the Bible. The building is massive and meant to look like the first temple in Jeruselum. I learned more about the Bible from my visit and better appreciate how it is organized.
Museum of the Bible
I also visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum. This is a somber place. I highly recommend both museums.
With this trip, I got to see everything I wanted. The only remaining thing I’d like to see would be to take a White House tour. That takes a few months to plan with your Senator’s office. Perhaps I’ll get to do that in a few more years.
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Your video was right on time. We are traveling to DC in a few weeks and I plan to stay at Cherry Hill and use your suggestions.
Thanks J Dawg
Sam
W View
Thanks so much for sharing your trip to DC. You do such a great job with your blogs. Don’t think I’ll ever make that trip the way you did so watching it second hand was great for me. You look terrific after your ordeal and glad to see you ‘on the road again.’ Stay sate, happy and healthy. ~Charlie
I think every American should visit Washington DC at least once. It’s a wonderful town with history and current events. I visited many of the places you went but didn’t know about the Museum of the Bible. I have been to Dakow in Germany and it was very sobering; haven’t worked up the courage to see The Holocaust Museum yet, but I can see I need a return trip to DC. Getting around on the Metro is great; go to the web site to look into the Senior Pass (if qualified); you might have to get that ahead of time. There’s a LOT of walking so be prepared with good shoes and water. The White House tour is good too if you’re lucky enough to get tickets. I enjoyed The Archives and of course you can spend hours going to the different Smithsonian museums. Many, many places are free!
I agree. D.C. is a wonderful place to visit. Something for everyone. Just pay attention to the time of year; can get pretty hot and humid there. Great to see you are back to posting your always interesting videos.
You only made a pin prick on the surface.
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