Must see in DC in July

[Ohiodislover]

Anyone?

Here is the one I see most often

http://www.tourmobile.com/


There is also a ride the ducks tour. We actually did the one here in Balto when we first moved. A lot of fun It stopped running a few months ago-sad

http://www.dcducks.com/

 

[HOGFAN]

having not read all the posts forgive me:
but the correct answer is:

the inside of any building that has air conditioning!!!

 

[lovemygoofy]

Ok - so y'all say its worth it to do the tours...

is there a compnay you recommend or are they all about the same in what they show you/what they tell you?

So far, I've only seen 1 walking tour, 1 biking tour & 1 night tour but numerous day ones...

Just checking to see what you think?

There are tons of tour buses. There are the double decker buses and the tour mobiles and the trolleys and the ducks. All these start at the same place, Union Station. Depending on how long you are going to be here and if ya'll really want to be walking alot weighs on doing the bus tour. I don't think they are a bad price because it usually includes the next day free or a night tour free or at least it did on the double decker bus tour.

I don't know if your party is going to have mobility issues or little children issues or what but it is quite the hike from the metro stop to the monuments and can be really brutal in the summer. I think the monuments are gorgeous at night and it's not as hot but the night tours are really popular.

My tip is to bring lots of sunscreen. It can get quite warm and humid here and the sun can be unbearable on the Mall with very little shade.

 

[castleview]

The walk to and from Metro to the zoo isn't all that bad IMO. It's about 1/3 of a mile from the Woodley Park/Zoo metro station (a little less if you take the elevator to the surface rather than the escalator). It is less uphill walking (but a little longer) if you use the Cleveland Park Metro station when heading to the zoo.

We did the Woodley Park stop and didn't find it a bad walk at all. It's a cool neighborhood - enjoy it. The only "overwhelming" thing about it to me was the height of that escalator. Definitely stand behind the kids and no, the escalator isn't taking you to heaven.

 

[Geoff_M]

True! but not all the troops will be visiting DC. I know of many troops that will be avoiding it since there are so many coming there at the same time. Lots of troops are doing alternative touring en route. Some destinations I know of are Gettysburg, and out-lying areas of Virginia.
I do think however, the Boy Scout crowds will definately make an impact at that time.

Good tip, Geoff_M~

A vast majority of them will visit DC during that period, not all at once, but you can count on the quadrennial (actually pentennial this time) plague of khaki locusts will descend on DC again during that period... our councils troop will be one of them. A lot of troops will also include Gettysburg and Williamsburg along with DC in their tour plans.

 

[YetanotherMouseFan]

I used to work with international exchange students, and every year we'd take a trip to DC, usu. around Thanksgiving. One thing we did every year was take the Metro to Arlington National Cemetary, and pick up the joint Cemetary/Monuments tour there. (Its a hop-off/hop-on tour trolley thing). It's a full day of touring, beginning with a tour of the cemetary, then Arlington House, then the monuments, including the Jefferson, which is tricky to get to by Metro. The last time we went, it was about $40, and I'm sure it's gone up, but it was a lot of bang for the buck. Another idea for a less expensive lunch is the food court at Union Station, just about a block away from the National Portrait Gallery on the Mall. Plus, Union Station is just cool-we discussed how this was the place a lot of Americans were sent off to war, beginning with the Civil War. Being older, the students also noticed the "nighttime" workers that seem to congregate in the city. It was interesting, to stay the least. Word to the wise-Metro, all the way, baby. We parked at the hotel, did sightseeing in 2 states and the District, and never got the van out again until we left for home.

 

[luvmyfam444]

having not read all the posts forgive me:
but the correct answer is:

the inside of any building that has air conditioning!!!

HA HA HA! That's the beauty of DC vs WDW in July!

 

[luvmyfam444]

Anyone know where to check reviews for the tours I want to make sure we pick one with English speaking, knowledgable guides - Ya know?

 

[DancingBear]

Anyone know where to check reviews for the tours I want to make sure we pick one with English speaking, knowledgable guides - Ya know?

Try TripAdvisor.com. For example, if you Google "tripadvisor old town trolley dc" you can find a link to this page:

http://www.tripadvisor.in/Attractio...on_DC-Washington_DC_District_of_Columbia.html

That search in Google also brings up a Google page with reviews:

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?r...cal_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CA0QqgUwAA

Also you might post an inquiry on the United States boards (tagged for DC) on the fodors.com forums. There is a regular poster there who is a certified tourguide and has worked for several of the tour companies.

 

[DancingBear]

Another idea for a less expensive lunch is the food court at Union Station, just about a block away from the National Portrait Gallery on the Mall. Plus, Union Station is just cool-we discussed how this was the place a lot of Americans were sent off to war, beginning with the Civil War.

Not to be picky, but (1) the National Portrait Gallery is not on the Mall, it's a few blocks North (and there are several reasonable places to eat near there, including in Chinatown), and (2) Union Station is several blocks away from the National Portrait Gallery.

Union Station, though, is a beautiful building, one of the last of the grand train stations built in the U.S., modeled after the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. It is just a couple of blocks North of the Capitol, is adjacent to the U.S. Postal Service Museum, has a parking garage which is reasonable (I think $19 for a day), is a stopping point for both Old Town Trolley and Tourmobile, and does have a food court (and a few other restaurants) with lots of reasonably-priced offerings.

 

[DancingBear]

Ok - so y'all say its worth it to do the tours...

is there a compnay you recommend or are they all about the same in what they show you/what they tell you?

So far, I've only seen 1 walking tour, 1 biking tour & 1 night tour but numerous day ones...

Just checking to see what you think?

As a local I haven't done these in years but, other than the Old Town Trolley hop-on, hop-off tours, the ones I hear the most about are the nighttime monument tours offered by Old Town Trolley (Monuments by Moonlight) and Gray Line (DC After Dark).

 

[TLHB70]

As a local I haven't done these in years but, other than the Old Town Trolley hop-on, hop-off tours, the ones I hear the most about are the nighttime monument tours offered by Old Town Trolley (Monuments by Moonlight) and Gray Line (DC After Dark).

Yes, we always do the Old Town Trolley. It gives us the freedom of hopping on and off. (It does not give ac though....)

 

[DancingBear]

Yes, we always do the Old Town Trolley. It gives us the freedom of hopping on and off. (It does not give ac though....)

FYI, I'm not sure whether the Monuments by Moonlight Tour that Old Town Trolley does is hop-on, hop-off service like their daytime service (when busses run constantly through the loop). I think they stop at some of the monuments so you can get out and walk around for a while but then you have to get back on the same bus by a certain time.

 

[luvmyfam444]

ok I'll check out those sites...I guess I should have asked the question another way - is there a BAD tour company out there? LOL If they are all equal then I'll go for the cheapest!

AHH -Grayline is what I went on

 

[rie'smom]

I know about the monuments & Smithsonian (lived in the area as a kid a couple years & then visited about 17yrs ago) but I know things have changed.

We will be staying at a Marriot nearby - got that booked.

Will be taking the kids 12, 7 & 4

Any tours, things to do - it will be a quickish trip on a budget we'll be there 3 or 4 days.

And if you have any restuarant suggestions - I'm thinking we'll do like when I was a kid & take a backpack with pb&j for picnic lunches on the mall & then we'll catch a meal somewhere for supper once everything is closed for the evening. b'fast is that the hotel for free - YAY!

If you're there for the 4th of July, I highly recommend a dinner reservation at Sequoia restaurant in Georgetown. The food is excellent and you have a wonderful view of the fireworks from the deck.

Another Georgetown restaurant we loved was Filomena-wonderful Italian food!

We took the Metro to Foggy Bottom and walked past the Watergate and the Kennedy Center, so you can see 2 landmarks while walking to the restaurants.

 

[TLHB70]

FYI, I'm not sure whether the Monuments by Moonlight Tour that Old Town Trolley does is hop-on, hop-off service like their daytime service (when busses run constantly through the loop). I think they stop at some of the monuments so you can get out and walk around for a while but then you have to get back on the same bus by a certain time.

We have never done this moonlight tour. We have just done the trolley day tour. I would like to do a moonlight one next time we are there. For one trip we stayed at the Hyatt at Capitol Hill. On that trip we did get out and do some walking at night to see a few things in moonlight. To be honest, though, I did not feel too safe and told DH I wanted to go back to the room.

 

[luvmyfam444]

We have never done this moonlight tour. We have just done the trolley day tour. I would like to do a moonlight one next time we are there. For one trip we stayed at the Hyatt at Capitol Hill. On that trip we did get out and do some walking at night to see a few things in moonlight. To be honest, though, I did not feel too safe and told DH I wanted to go back to the room.

AHH something I hadn't thought about - the safety of being out at night like that - I just assumed the mall area was exempt from the violence

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

Parking???



Seriously, you might try Union Station. It's expensive, but the Metro is right there, and the Capitol, Supreme Court, and Library of Congress are within reasonable walking distance.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

AHH something I hadn't thought about - the safety of being out at night like that - I just assumed the mall area was exempt from the violence

No area anywhere is exempt from violence, but I was just out in the mall area a few hours ago and never felt unsafe. Not that I'd be careless flaunting $ or possessions, not paying attention to my surroundings, etc, but it was fine.

 

[Christine]

No area anywhere is exempt from violence, but I was just out in the mall area a few hours ago and never felt unsafe. Not that I'd be careless flaunting $ or possessions, not paying attention to my surroundings, etc, but it was fine.

I think last year there were some muggings of tourists on the Mall area. Happened around midnight and the local news was sort of warning tourists not to go there very late. Of course, during the Cherry Blossom time when there are wall-to-wall people it's probably okay. Same as July 4th. Any other time, probably not a great idea.