Will have two days between meetings in DC, late August. Have been to almost all the Smithsonians, Mall monuments, memorials, etc. in the past.

Have also been a little further out...Mount Vernon, Monticello, Gettysburg, Udvar-Hazy, Baltimore harbor.

So with that time frame, willing to drive a little, not a lot, is there something I haven't seen that I should? Would the Shenandoah Park be worth the drive? Are there any museums, memorials, etc. that I haven't seen that I should? I'm a big Civil War fan, wife much lesser enthralled, but she still enjoys it.

We have not been in the Capitol or White House, or up in the Washington Monument. Don't know if any of those are worth it.

Also would appreciate opinions on night tours of DC, or cruises on the Potomac.

Finally, is there a web site where you can see what idiots have protests planned? Would love to avoid any "antifa" and other bullcrap.

Arlington Cemetery.

And you missed the White Supremacy rally today.

Harper's Ferry, Antietam, and Shenandoah.

National electronics museum, National cryptological museum (nsa), us naval academy museum have stuff I am interested in and for sure not on the normal tourist path. There are lots of places around town you can jump a gate at and see interesting things and people and they will throw in free room and board for the rest. Of your life.

Drive to Annapolis and visit the Naval Academy. It's a pretty cool campus

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Sorry, I forgot Arlington, have been there.

Washington Monument is still closed until they replace the elevator

Congress in session is worth it. Reach out to your representative or one of our Senator's offices and see if you can get tickets, included passes to the gallery. The August recess was cancelled by Mitch McConnel, so the Senate should still be in session.

You are probably too late for the White House. Usually requires a few months out.

USNA is worth the drive and plenty to do in downtown Annapolis to make up an entire day trip. Watch the Midshipmen do formation for lunch, check out Bancroft Hall, and the chapel, including John Paul Jones in the basement. Unless your daughter is in the car, you'll have to walk onto the yard.

DC Navy Yard has the Navy Museum. There is also a destroy at the pier as a museum ship. http://usnavymuseum.org/index.asp

Unless you like looking at random equipment, the cryptomuseum at the NSA is just alright. A few items that make it worth it are the enigma machine (including one you can operate) and the flag flown over the Liberty during the attack on her by the Israelis. They were redoing the roads last time I was there, but when you exit off of 32 and come to the light, turn left. If you go straight to the security checkpoint, you'll be detained and have your calls and emails monitored.

Kind of too far for a day-trip from DC but if you felt like doing an overnight to Roanoke you could check out Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and of course VMI in Lexington where I might know a cadet

VMI Matriculation is on August 18th and "Hell Week" goes for about 8 days after that. The rest of the Corps returns on August 26th. After that you could see what a regular day is like at VMI.

I think Annapolis and Harpers Ferry are both great recommendations. I would also throw out St Michaels on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The only drawback is having to cross the Bay Bridge which can take a while depending on which day of the week you are traveling out there.

The Shenandoah is beautiful but I would try to tie it to another activity unless the leaves are changing. Otherwise you are just driving through rural Virginia.

Museum of the Bible recently opened in DC.

NRA National Museum in Fairfax

Have you done Library of Congress? It is a gem that many people often skip.

Have you found a body floating in the Tidal Basin? I have.

And yes, the Capitol is worth seeing. Just make sure you set the tour up through your Congressional office and not the visitors' center.

V8Aggie said:

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Have you found a body floating in the Tidal Basin? I have.

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I did chase a purse snatcher there. Was on weekend leave from PLC at Quantico, and the guy I was with (a college cross country runner) took off hauling @$$ as we walked by the Jefferson Memorial. I didn't know WTF was going on, but went after my buddy. He came back in a little bit, told me he was chasing the snatcher, but lost him when he cut under the nearby overpass.

The Air and Space Museum was really cool. Didn't go to the one on the mall, but the annex out by Dulles.

The Marine Corps museum on I-95 at Quantico is excellent. Great Falls National Park is a hidden gem around the beltway also.

I'd recommend it but you're too late for the White House.

SbisaVictim95 said:

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The Air and Space Museum was really cool. Didn't go to the one on the mall, but the annex out by Dulles.

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The annex is Udvar-Hazy. And, of course, been to the on on the Mall a lot of times.

Have you been to the Spy museum? That's a fun one.

When I went as a kid, my favorite visit was to the treasury department, watching them print money. I don't know if it would be as appealing as an adult.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/vawine-production/winery_guides/2018/northern-virginia.pdf

Favs are Delaplane, Rappahannock, and Chester Gap.

VA's best grapes are Cab Franc & Viognier

Old town Alexandria, Christ Church (where George Washington and Robert E Lee attended), the Masonic Memorial...

Day trip to Lexington for Lee Chapel, VMI, Stonewall Jackson gravesite.

Also, in DC, Fords Theatre, take in a Nationals game...

You could do tours of the Supreme Court and Library of Congress and then do the Museum of the Bible. Highly recommend a guided tour of the Library of Congress, they point out many things you would otherwise miss. We spent three hours at the Bible museum and easily could have done six.

Marine Corps Silent Drill Team at the Commandants House and 8th & I barracks. Probably the coolest thing I've done in DC.

Air and space museum at Dulles was really cool too.

03ki11erAG said:

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Marine Corps Silent Drill Team at the Commandants House and 8th & I barracks. Probably the coolest thing I've done in DC.

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I didn't commission, but I did go to one session of PLC. One of our field trips was riding cattle cars to 8th and I. They were semi-trailers with benches down the sides and middle. Really safe, I'm sure.

So I have seen the SDT, while wearing the butt-ugly PLC uniform of green pants and kahki shirt with my last name on the back in huge letters.

They were impressive. We candidates, not so much.

There may be a display at the National Museum of the Marine Corps involving a poster on this thread. It was borrowed from the 1st Marine Division HQ to put into the OIF section. I know it's been delivered, but I'm not sure it's displayed yet.

Ford's Theater and the House where Lincoln Died

Near the Spy Museum is a Chinese food place Wok and Roll you could eat at. The food is not spectacular its okay but the building was Mrs. Surratt's boardinghouse, where the Lincoln kidnapping plot was hatched.

Manassas Battlefield you get two, two battlefields in one!!!! Fool the wife that way!

Just got back. Arlington Cemetary, night bus tour of monuments, Naval Academy tour. I did Holocaust Museum on a Sunday and it was literally so crowded we were concerned about our safety and left. The hallways are small with displays on both walls. Poor design.