DC in December--how cheaply can we go for 2 nights?

[Bibbidi]

Why my DH does this to me, I don't know...but he'd like to take the "long way home" from Ohio to NH by stopping in DC around Dec 20th for 2 nights. He wants to take us to the U.S. Mint, Smithsonian, and Washington Monument. I don't have the first clue about DC travel, so I could use any advice. We will be driving in--where should we stay? Is there a hotel within walking distance to these sites? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[CTdiznymom]

It's been years since I've been myself so I'm not much help. I do know that you can stay outside of DC proper say in Silver Springs and take the Metro in. I do remember it was very easy to take the metro. The weekend rates are cheaper to stay in the heart of DC, but the "attractions" won't be open.

 

[tar heel]

No idea what the Franklin mint is. . .

The Smithsonian (all of them) and the Washington Monument (as well as the others) are certainly open on weekends, though. The nice thing about Washington from a budget perspective is that almost everything is free, too. To go up in the monument, you have to get a timed ticket.

Since Washington is a business, government and convention city, and not much of any of that will be going on Christmas week, you should be able to find some amazing rates within-in walking distance. You could also stay outside a little ways and ride the metro. You WILL pay for parking at the hotel or in a lot nearby if you stay downtown and that won't be cheap.

 

[ssawka]

Why my DH does this to me, I don't know...but he'd like to take the "long way home" from Ohio to NH by stopping in DC around Dec 20th for 2 nights. He wants to take us to the Franklin Mint, Smithsonian, and Washington Monument. I don't have the first clue about DC travel, so I could use any advice. We will be driving in--where should we stay? Is there a hotel within walking distance to these sites? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Are you sure you don't mean the U.S. Mint? The Franklin Mint makes and sells "collectibles". They used to have a museum outside of Philadelphia, but that closed in 2004.

It's been years since I've been myself so I'm not much help. I do know that you can stay outside of DC proper say in Silver Springs and take the Metro in. I do remember it was very easy to take the metro. The weekend rates are cheaper to stay in the heart of DC, but the "attractions" won't be open.

I second this! If you are going to DC during the week you are normally better off staying near a Metro outside the city. This may not be true for Christmas week though.

One place you might consider staying is Old Town Alexandria (in VA). It is a quaint colonial city with much of the architecture still in place. There are quite a few shops and restaurants in Old Town as well. I'm not sure it would be cheaper, but there would be more to do at night.

Another area that would be nice to stay is National Harbor in MD. It is just across the river from Alexandria. It does not have the Metro within walking distance, but they do have a shuttle to a Metro station. Again, may not be the cheapest area, but more to do. For example, the Gaylord National has an ice sculpture village around Christmas time.

I'm not sure what CTdiznymom is referring to by the attractions not being open on the weekend. As far as I know, everything is open everyday, year round. Maybe not the Mint, but definitely the museums and monuments would be open on the weekend. (You did mention coming on Monday though!)

I would also add a trip to the National Christmas Tree one night. It is on the ellipse in front of the White House. They have the National Christmas Tree plus 50+ little Christmas trees around it (one for each state and territory). They also have a train layout, a menorah, and a large yule log. They have choir singers too on certain nights.

 

[csharpwv]

I am in DC for work pretty frequently - so here are a few recommendations -

THINK ABOUT PARKING when you book a hotel - parking in DC can be very expensive at hotels, garages, and flat lots. Parking can easily add $25-$40.00 a night to your total bill.

Hotel and Occupancy Taxes are very high in DC - so be sure to ask about how much that will add to your bill when you book!

Look out for hotels with Bed Bugs! Bed Bugs are rampant in metro areas right now - be sure to check trip reviews - be sure to find the bed bug registry website before booking - AND - before checking in.

Some hotels say "Close to the metro!" as in 8 blocks! There are dozens of hotels that are 1-3 blocks from the metro - THOSE are close to the metro! LOL So be sure to check the map to check the hotel's accuracy in their distance.

Staying outside of DC can be cheaper - but remember that time is money - so the more time you spend on the Metro the less time you'll have to see the sights - so on a short trip you have to think about how you'll spend your time. There is a great clean Comfort Inn at Shady Spring about a mile from the Metro station (with parking garage) and sometimes you can get rates of around $45.00 a night there at times - BUT you are going to spend a little over an hour of your day each day on the Metro.

Here are a few areas to consider: (I am a Hilton Hhonors Member so I say with the Hilton Family of Hotels any time I can)

Alexandria VA (King St. - Old Town) it's an easy Metro ride into downtown
Here are hotels that are in very easy walking distance to the King St. Metro station:
Embassy Suites (Diagonal Rd.) Right across the street from the metro (Self park in garage)
Hilton (King St.) Right next to the station (Self Park In Garage)
Hampton Inn Old Town (King St.) 2-3 Blocks (self park in garage)

Silver Spring:
Homewood Suites/Hampton Inn (they are in the same building) 4-5 blocks from Silver Spring Station - very easy walk.
There is a Hilton across the street from the Homewood/Hampton that has GREAT rates for a Metro area - but DO NOT stay there - it's gross. The hallways are gross and there are creepy crawlies in the hotel.

There area two hotels in the Convention Center area that I would suggest - and those are the Embassy Suites and the Hampton Inn. The Embassy Suites is one of the nicest hotels I've stayed at - and you can avoid paying for valet by parking across the street!

The Convention Center is walking distance from the National Mall - so while you can still take the metro - it's also an option to walk.

If you have any questions - feel free to PM me!

So there are quite a few hotels that fall into the 'reasonable' category - depending on demand.

 

[torinsmom]

If you stay in Arlington, it is cheaper. You can park at the Ballston parking garage, and there is a metro line right underneath it. Only costs $8 per 24 hours at this garage. We actually parked there for the whole 3 days we were in DC and metro'd in. We used Priceline and ended up getting a nice hotel for $80/night over by the zoo. The parking would have been $30/night, so parking at Ballston mall saved us almost $100.

Marsha

 

[Becc1]

Are you sure you don't mean the U.S. Mint? The Franklin Mint makes and sells "collectibles". They used to have a museum outside of Philadelphia, but that closed in 2004.




I second this! If you are going to DC during the week you are normally better off staying near a Metro outside the city. This may not be true for Christmas week though.

One place you might consider staying is Old Town Alexandria (in VA). It is a quaint colonial city with much of the architecture still in place. There are quite a few shops and restaurants in Old Town as well. I'm not sure it would be cheaper, but there would be more to do at night.

Another area that would be nice to stay is National Harbor in MD. It is just across the river from Alexandria. It does not have the Metro within walking distance, but they do have a shuttle to a Metro station. Again, may not be the cheapest area, but more to do. For example, the Gaylord National has an ice sculpture village around Christmas time.

I'm not sure what CTdiznymom is referring to by the attractions not being open on the weekend. As far as I know, everything is open everyday, year round. Maybe not the Mint, but definitely the museums and monuments would be open on the weekend. (You did mention coming on Monday though!)

I would also add a trip to the National Christmas Tree one night. It is on the ellipse in front of the White House. They have the National Christmas Tree plus 50+ little Christmas trees around it (one for each state and territory). They also have a train layout, a menorah, and a large yule log. They have choir singers too on certain nights.

I agree about seeing the National Tree at night, this is something we do every year, you also get a great view of the White House from here. As far as hotels go, I would get something outside of the city within short distance to the metro, but be careful and do a lttle research of the area you'll be staying in because to be quite honest some of the areas right outside of the city are not the best. I grew up about 10 minutes from the city and worked in DC for several years so I know what areas to avoid but alot of tourists do not. The National Harbor is very nice, I think the hotels may be a little pricey but they have nice restaurants over there. Georgetown is also a favorite of ours, lots of shopping, restaurants and access to the metro. If you choose to drive you can get on street parking in front of the museums if you get there early enough, we go at least once a year to the Natural History and American History museums and we always get parking in front. Good luck with your trip!

 

[Bibbidi]

Thank you for all the advice so far. I just have no sense of where anything is in regard to the sights we want to see and what hotels are really nearby. The Hyatt Regency near the Capitol looks like it would be walking distance to many things--the reviews seem good. Anyone stayed there?

 

[wlake]

I've been pricing DC hotels for a couple of months now. I'm looking for April, so this may or may not apply to you, but rates seem to go up about $100 a night during the week! For the week we want to go, staying outside the city was cheaper than staying inside, but it was still awfully expensive in our eyes. The hotels outside the city tended to have more amenities, though. We ended up focusing on Marriotts, as it turns out DH can get his employer's corporate rate even with the family coming. Their websites will tell you exactly how far to the nearest Metro stops and how much parking will cost.

Google has been useful for us, as it labels the attractions and the hotels. Good luck!

 

[torinsmom]

I will say that the 3 days/2 nights we spent in DC, even with Priceline rates was more than 1/2 the cost of a week long trip to Disney(staying offsite and not eating TS). It was nice to go once, but I prefer more bang for my buck.

 

[VAfamily1998]

In regards to taking the metro into the city, how many people will be traveling with you?
We are a family of 6 (2 adults and 4 kids). We live about 45 minutes outside of DC in Northern VA, and go into DC a few times a year to see museums, see the national tree, etc. When we go in on a weekend, we actually drive in and park. We are always able to find a garage open (usually we park beneath the Ronald Regan building) for about $10 to park on weekends (I'm sure it's MUCH different on weekdays!!!) That is MUCH cheaper than metro fare for 6. So depending on how many are in your party, you might want to consider that.

 

[Bibbidi]

I will say that the 3 days/2 nights we spent in DC, even with Priceline rates was more than 1/2 the cost of a week long trip to Disney(staying offsite and not eating TS). It was nice to go once, but I prefer more bang for my buck.

Where did you stay? We are looking at hotels that run between $100-$150/night and they all have good reviews. Also, since the sights we are looking to visit are free, we're hoping that the only other real expense will be food. I'd really like to know what cost you so much so we can be prepared for expenses we may not have considered.

 

[shelemm]

First of all, the very best thing to do is to see the monuments at night. It'll be cold, but WWII, FDR, Korean War Memorial, The Air Force Memorial (Arlington) and Iwo Jima (Arlington) are amazing at night. They are lit up at least until midnight and probably beyond that. This way, it's also easy to get around by car and park nearby so you won't have to spend so much time outdoors.

I highly recommend using Priceline. Check out the following website: www.betterbidding.com

on that website, you can research winning bids for the DC area. Looks like somebody won the Doubletree in Crystal City, Arlington, VA for $65 per night in December. That's a convenient area to stay in and has a Metro stop.

 

[Parkhopper]

If you want to go up in the Washington monument, I would recommend booking tickets early. You can get them at this website: http://www.nps.gov/wamo/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm

If you do not purchase tickets ahead of time (and they don't seem to last long), then you need to get down there first thing in the morning to try to get tickets.

Suzi

 

[torinsmom]

Where did you stay? We are looking at hotels that run between $100-$150/night and they all have good reviews. Also, since the sights we are looking to visit are free, we're hoping that the only other real expense will be food. I'd really like to know what cost you so much so we can be prepared for expenses we may not have considered.

I got a Priceline hotel that was around $100/night with tax. We were actually there 3 days and 3 nights. We left the morning after the 3rd night(didn't want to drive at night) Between parking at the Ballston garage and metro, we spent about $60 for the two of us. We did the Spy museum,which was $25 each, I believe. Food was the biggest expense for us. I think we spent about $100/day on food. Then around $50-$60 on gas there and back. I think we spent between $800-$900. Last years trip to WDW and Universal for 10 days came out to around $2100 staying offsite and getting YES tickets. The WDW part was around $1600.

2 7 day park hopper tickets with YES program--$330

Emerald Island condo---7 nights—$490

food---$500(plus $100 regular grocery budget)

parking---$98.00(7 days parking)

Gas---$180

 

[torinsmom]

If you want to go up in the Washington monument, I would recommend booking tickets early. You can get them at this website: http://www.nps.gov/wamo/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm

If you do not purchase tickets ahead of time (and they don't seem to last long), then you need to get down there first thing in the morning to try to get tickets.

Suzi

Yes, get them early. We tried a month before our trip and they were sold out online. We had to stand in a long line, and take what times were left. It was a neat place though. Our favorite thing on the whole trip was seeing the Presidential helicopter come in. There were three, and after the fact, one of the police on horses confirmed Obama was in one of them.

 

[wlake]

Thanks Torinsmom and Parkhopper! I decided to check your link, and the tickets are already sold out for all of the days we're going to be there all day! I was able to grab some 9:00 ones for the day we're leaving, which will make the morning interesting instead of relaxing, but oh well! Thanks again!

 

[Swimalie]

In regards to taking the metro into the city, how many people will be traveling with you?
We are a family of 6 (2 adults and 4 kids). We live about 45 minutes outside of DC in Northern VA, and go into DC a few times a year to see museums, see the national tree, etc. When we go in on a weekend, we actually drive in and park. We are always able to find a garage open (usually we park beneath the Ronald Regan building) for about $10 to park on weekends (I'm sure it's MUCH different on weekdays!!!) That is MUCH cheaper than metro fare for 6. So depending on how many are in your party, you might want to consider that.

I'll 2nd that. I know we live near you. On weekends and holidays we drive in and park. It is much more convenient than taking Metro, especially with it's problems lately and cheaper, too. The parking garage below the Reagan Building is awesome. It was still $10 to park all day when we went in Sept.

The only days the Smithsonian museums are closed around the time you are coming is Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day. US Mint might be closed on the 24th and 25th.

 

[NotUrsula]

Just FYI, the US Mint isn't in DC; the nearest one that you can visit is in Philadelphia. However, you CAN visit the Bureau of Printing and Engraving in DC (where paper money is printed), and I highly recommend it. You either need to request the free passes well in advance and get them by mail, or you need someone to line up outside their ticket window before 7 am to get them same-day. (One person can get all the tickets for a family. They are free, but the number given out is very limited.)

Personally, I would NOT stay in Nat'l Harbor if you are going to try to take public transit into the District. Way too time-consuming with all the transfers.