Washington DC area Help

[Pembo]

We are stopping at Tyson's Corner on the way home from vacation (American Girl Place) and visiting friends in Fredericksburg. Where is a good area to look for an inexpensive hotel?

I know, ask the friends, however they don't know any. Everyone who comes to visit stays with them. But we'll be visiting right after the new baby comes and I don't think a family of 5 is what they'll need at that time.

 

[Tinkerboy00]

There are plenty in the Tysons Corner/Falls Church area. Will you have transporation (rental car etc)?

There is a bus system in Falls Church that goes to the mall but its not that great. Plus you can take the Metro from Falls Church into Arlington/Alexandria/DC for siteseeing if you want.

 

[Christine]

I can't think of any names off hand but I go to Tyson's a lot and there are big hotels pretty much clustered around the Tyson's Corner area. They may be pricey but stay as close as you can because the area is VERY congested and you wouldn't want to have to drive around there too much.

I was just there about 2 weeks ago and the American Girl store didn't seem to be open. Has it finally opened?

 

[Pembo]

I can't think of any names off hand but I go to Tyson's a lot and there are big hotels pretty much clustered around the Tyson's Corner area. They may be pricey but stay as close as you can because the area is VERY congested and you wouldn't want to have to drive around there too much.

I was just there about 2 weeks ago and the American Girl store didn't seem to be open. Has it finally opened?

It opens June 18 and we're going in July.

 

[VAfamily1998]

How inexpensive? Do you want to be staying closer to Tyson's, or Fredericksburg? They are about an hour apart (without traffic). How many nights will you be staying? Are you looking to do other stuff in the area (DC, Civil War battlefields, etc?)

 

[Christine]

Pembo,

I should have added that the trip between Fredericksburg and Tyson's can be quite *arduous* in the summer. I live halfway between the two and, let me tell you, I-95 in the summer STINKS and I get out of the house VERY early if I want to hit that mall. Even then, I will still hit a back up, and coming home is horrible if I stay longer than the HOV southbound time limit (this is on a Saturday). If you are going to be staying in the Fredericksburg area and want to visit Tysons, you can go during the week but you will have to wait until the rush hour is completely over and then make sure you're out of there by 2 PM.

Or, you can just not care and sit in the traffic if it's a one-time deal and that sort of thing doesn't irritate you.

The rush hour from Fredericksburg is very early, while the rush hour around the Tyson's area lasts until later. For instance, my son sees a doctor in that area 4 times a year. We used to be able to take the 9:00 appointment but now we do be better with the 10:30 a.m. appointment otherwise we are crawling around that area. We had one last week at 10:30 and, sure enough, the beltway was STILL backed up at 10:15.

Your cheaper hotels are going to be around Fredericksburg and the price will climb as you come closer to Tysons.