We will be traveling with adult daughter for a few days in DC.
In the past we have stayed in Old Town, Alexandria. What we like about Alexandria is that when you go back to the hotel, the area is a nice place to be in and of itself, with a downtown to walk around and restaurants. It is a bit of a ride on the metro though.
It looks like Arlington might be a little closer by metro. Is there a section of Arlington that is similar to Alexandria or would be just be on a highway or near a corporate center?
If you think it would be better just to stay directly in DC any recommendations? We plan to visit the supreme court, the holocaust museum, the “other” air and space museum (Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center) not on the mall and possibly the national gallery if there is time.
What we like about staying outside of DC is that we can get a suite type place (Residence Inn, or Extended stay) with a bit more room for the three of us. If we stay in DC it would more than likely be in a single room. So weighing the extra space for the extra time.
NoVA local here. Here are a few neighborhoods you could check for hotels. I hesitate to recommend anything, not knowing your preferences:
Arlington Courthouse area - good location on orange Metro line, has some nice restaurants and is walkable but lots of high rises & is not as quaint or charming as Alexandria.
Crystal City/Pentagon City - also has suite-type hotels near National Airport. High rises & some decent restaurants, but zero charm, especially with ongoing construction at Pentagon City Mall. Has good location & easy accessibility to DC on the blue line.
Clarendon & Ballston - farther out on the orange line. Very fun neighborhoods with lots of young people, bars, restaurants but a bit farther out, about 30 minutes on Metro into DC.
Will you have a car? The “other” Air and Space Museum is pretty far out in VA. I’m not especially familiar with that area, but it may be near Reston, which I think has a Metro stop and has plenty to do (but I wouldn’t describe it as nearly as nice or “quaint” as Alexandria).
If you are willing to go on the orange online(to Balston/Arlington) the silver line runs parallel to Tysons which has hotels, shops, and restaurants. This would be the Northern Virginia area.
H & I took a trip to DC last fall and although we’ve been to DC on many occasions, for the first time, we stayed in the Dupont Circle area. We really loved it because it had such a neighborhood feel–so many cafes, restaurants around (many VERY reasonably priced). And great access to the Metro. I know there’s an Embassy Suites in the general area. We stayed in a Kimpton Hotel. We even were able to walk to the Kennedy Center and attended their once-a-week free show (which we also just learned about!). We took the metro to attractions near the Holocaust Museum. We’ve found our new preferred area in DC to stay in, for sure. Check it out–it’s WAY closer to the attractions you mention and also gives you the feel of what you’re looking for. We wish we’d tried it sooner!
We liked the Hilton Garden Inn at 2201 M Street in DC . It is near the DC sites but also walking distance to Georgetown. Also near the free Circulator bus stop. It still has very good reviews on Tripadvisor and is reasonably priced. But not sure if they have suites. We stayed in a suite place in Ballston that was very nice (I think it was a Residence Inn-would have to look it up) But there is not much going on in Ballston. Kimpton has hotels in Dupont Circle and Chinatown (among other places).
In terms of Arlington, the Clarendon area probably has the most going on. But I would stay somewhere in one of the DC neighborhoods. I love Old Town Alexandria but it might be nice to try something new since you have stayed there before. Have fun!
•Exit Museum at Independence Ave.
•Cross intersection; turn right onto Maryland Ave. and walk one block to the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station.
•Take Metro Silver Line to Wiehle-Reston East station. Fares paid with metrorail passes or SmarTrip cards.
•Transfer to Fairfax Connector Bus No. 983. Bus fares paid with SmarTrip card or cash. Bus drivers do not carry change.
•Exit bus at Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center stop.
The trip takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Clarendon and Ballston are really not much farther than Court House… it’s 1.5 miles (ish) from Court House to Ballston.
and Ballston to DC (foggy bottom) on the metro is like 10 minutes. Clarendon to Smithsonian is 15 minutes.
The places on the orange line are closer than Alexandria. There is tons of restaurants in to go to along the orange line but I agree it is not as “quaint” as Alexandria. Generally the residents in Old Town Alexandria are older than the crowd on the orange line, which tends to be the mid 20s crowd.
I second the DuPont Circle suggestion. We stayed at the Embassy Suites with our family a few years ago, and really liked it. Quick Metro into city, nice area to walk around at night. Suite room for parents with teens, and free happy hour at ES too!
You may also want to consider hotels in MD–Chevy Chase or Bethesda. Both on the Metro, not too far from DC, and the hotels are cheaper than DC but in perfectly nice urban areas with lots of shopping and dining.
Not a DC expert, but have stayed in the Embassy Suites, Friendship Heights. Rooms are all suites, metro is right there (directly under hotel), as are restaurants and shopping. We found it convenient and pleasant; haven’t been for a couple of years.
Another vote for Bethesda. It’s a secondary city in its own right and known for its great variety of restaurants. And there are hotels within walking distance of its Metro stop.
There’s a free shuttle to Udvar Hazy from the main Air and Space Museum on the Mall.\
I agree that staying in DC may be a better situation since you save commute time and can walk to most of the sights from DuPont Circle or other central locations. I’ve stayed at the Embassy Suites near the Convention Center on a staycation and it’s a very nice hotel close to Verizon Center and Penn Quarter.
Lots of good restaurants near the Convention Center/Verizon Center/ Chinatown/Penn Quarter area-like Zaytinya and Rasika. Lots to do within walking distance-National Gallery, the Mall, National Portrait Gallery, Newseum, National Building Museum, International Spy Museum, Ford’s Theater,etc. I also agree that staying somewhere in DC is a good idea.
Thanks for the great suggestions everyone. We will have a car, that is not a problem. I just thought while we were there for getting around DC the metro would be better. I think we plan on driving straight to the Udvar-Hazy Center before we even check in.
Metro can be expensive and sometimes unreliable. It’s been a bad summer for metro riders with some big breakdowns during the rush hours. The system is suffering through a period of issues brought on by poor management and the results of long deferred maintenance.
That is the best idea-to go straight to the Udvar-Hazy Center since you can’t check into hotel until around 3pm anyway. Parking at any of the DC hotels will not be cheap.
My kids live in the DC Metro area and we’ve stayed in many different area hotels over the past several years. A good bet for space, amenities, Metro access, and reasonably-priced parking is the Residence Inn Arlington Courthouse. The Courthouse Metro (orange line) is about a block away, and there are many shops and restaurants in the immediate area.
I don’t recommend the Residence Inn Old Town South at Carlyle. It’s in walking distance of … not much. The parking is more expensive, and you have to drive into a dungeon separated from the outside world by chain-link gates, which don’t always respond as you’d like. In Old Town, I think the better bet is the RI Old Town/Duke Street. The Metro is walkable, though farther away than in Courthouse. The waterfront and shopping district are nearby, as well.