Heading to Washington DC

[kwolff7]

We'll be heading to Washington DC in a couple weeks after we pick up our Big Sky in Clyde, Ohio. We have already booked six nights in the Cherry Hill Park campground in College Park Md. Other than all the things to see in Washington DC, are there any other not to miss things we should visit in the area. We have lived out West for years and are not very familiar with the East Coast. We would appreciate any ideas and also rv parks to stay. After visiting the DC area we plan to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway and stop At Gem Mountain somewhere near Ashville, NC. Any help will be appreciated. Karen

[sreigle]

Gettysburg is maybe 80 miles from there. Harpers Ferry is 65 miles. Both are fascinating sites. If you do Gettysburg, don't forget the Eisenhower Farm. Mt. Vernon is awesome. We recently visited Dr. Mudd's home in Maryland. Dr. Mudd, you may recall, is the guy who fixed up John Wilkes Booth after the Lincoln assassination. That house is about 38 miles from your park and is east of Waldorf, MD.

If you have kids with you, a drive over to Assateague Island is something they might enjoy. Remember reading about the wild ponies (Misty of Chincoteague) as a kid? Well, the live on Assateague. We found them much more accessible at the north end of the island. They're in Assateague State Park, near Berlin, MD. It's about 140 miles one way from Cherry Hill so might be too far. Here's a picture from when we were there with our granddaughters. The ponies were everywhere.

[H. John Kohl]

Being a retired Marine I recommend the Tuesday night Evening parade at the Iwo Jima Memorial next to Arlington Cemetery. You can take the Metro from New Carlton. Just remember to get their in time to catch the shuttle (see link). They allow picnic on the grass.
Link to Sunset Parade info
There is also the Evening parade at Marine Barracks but that requires reservations or pot luck chance in the open seating line, first come first serve.
If you have not visited the Arlington Cemetery then you could put both into one trip.
Good luck

[jrgwdenner]

You need more time, Karen! Two or three days at the Smithsonian and you won't believe what there is to see. The Outer Banks in North Carolina are awesome. And south of DC is Williamsburg, VA. Don't want to miss that. There's so much to see in a small area. You'll have to pick and choose or plan to stay for 3 months! Have fun!

[sreigle]

If you're going to get down around the Outer Banks of North Carolina, don't forget Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brothers. That's on my list of places to go.

And if you're headed that way, Between Richmond, VA, and Norfolk there's the Historical Triangle of Yorktown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Colonial Jamestown. Those will take a minimum of three days in themselves.

[David and Jo-Anna]

Karen,

Be sure to let us know when you are here. We live in Alexandria VA, just across the Potomac River from DC. We leave Wednesday in our Big Sky for a two-week trip to the North East Rally in PA and then on to Connecticut to visit grandchildren. When we return we'll be packing up our condo for our move into the Big Sky for our two-year Adventure - leave July 1 for S. Carolina and Georgia for two weeks - then we'll be staying for a month in Lothian Maryland while we await a grandson's birth.

Jo-Anna

[mustang92]

We were at Cherry Hill Park last year for 18 days. I am convinced it it the best RV Park to stay at during a DC visit. A bus comes right to the park and takes you to a subway station. Trust me, it is the only way to travel in DC. You DO NOT want to try to drive (and park) your own vehicle in DC.
We saw aLOT in 18 days. Some musts: The Holocaust Museum; Monuments night tour (we took a Grayline tour, you can book at the RV Park and they pick you up and bring you back there); Air and Space Museum (can take two days or more); American History Museum. Outside of DC, I agree that Gettysburg is a very good sidetrip. By the way, you will probably be eating at some point in DC while touring. I highly recommend the Dept. of Agriculture. A very good variety of food and moderately priced. We ate there a couple of times. Enjoy your trip.

[kwolff7]

Thanks for all the tips. It is nice knowing someone else stayed at Cherry Hill Park. We will take your advice on not driving in Washington. We were planning to stay 6 days but from the sound of things we may need to stay longer. Since we are not in a hurry we can stay more days.

[ARJ]

This!
http://www.mbw.usmc.mil/parade_eveningdefault.asp