Getting into DC for 9:30 am question

[disney4dan 68]

So our Boy Scout Troop was given an appointment to tour the Capitol Building on a Wednesday at 10:00am, but we need to be at the door for 9:30.

 

We are staying in Gettysburg this trip, and plan to drive to the area of the city and get a parking spot at a metro station, take the train in.

 

Is it a better idea to drive right into the city?  Would we be able to get parking?

 

If not, would probably be looking to park somewhere near Bethesda and take the red line in.

[TurkeyPants...Nicole 92]

Hi there! Just curious if you all will be using a chartered bus or if you are in individual cars? If you have chartered a bus, it would be easier to take the bus in because it can drop off and pickup in specific areas and you don't have to worry about parking at all. If you are taking individual cars, your best bet is the Metro as there is very limited space for public parking at the Capitol.

[disney4dan 68]

Thanks!  Taking in a rental van and a personal vehicle.  That is another thing, the van is a 15 passenger van, so we would need a pretty good sized open lot for that beast.

[TurkeyPants...Nicole 92]

Just an FYI: you are going to have a pretty long morning getting there. I was looking at the MARC train schedules, you could pick up the train in Frederick, MD which is about an hour from Gettysburg, but you will have about a two hour train ride.

[disney4dan 68]

It does look like a long trip. I was thinking of hitting the White Flint metro station and taking the red line to the Judiciary stop, that is a 35 minute ride, followed by a 25 minute walk to the Capitol building.

[TurkeyPants...Nicole 92]

When are you going?

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Just a warning though, you will need to pay full fares for the metro that early.  The "tourist" fares don't start till 9am or something like that.

 

When my son and myself did our museum tours, we did the parking lot, then metro bit.  It worked well. You also might have to go to the "2nd" parking lot on the line, cause the furthest lot out was full of daily commuters when we arrived.

 

Although, I think it is no longer running under that name, we did something called Tourmobile.  It was a 2-day tour on a bus that went in a big circle of all the big museums and monuments, with unlimited on and off.  The first day we started at Union Station and worked our way down to Arlington Cemetary, then metro'd back to our car.  The 2nd day, we started at Arlington Cemetary, and worked our way back to Union station, then metro'd back to our car.

 

We had a really great two days, and saw lots more than we would have managed on foot/metro..

[disney4dan 68]

Thanks! We are going in mid April (17th I think for DC).

Last year we camped in Greenbelt and took the metro from College Park MD. But this year we are going to Gettysburg and heading to DC for one day.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

if you only have two vehicles and are going in for one day, would you be able to drive and park at union station?  of course the traffic would be terrible but it is also bad coming into bethesda.  my home office is in chevy chase and i try not to arrive during rush hour. 

[Flamingogal 0]

Below is a link to the Metro System Planner.  If you leave from the Shady Grove Metro on the Red Line and go to Metro Center, change trains at Metro Center to the Orange Line, it will drop you off right at the Capitol. It will take about an hour.   Yes you would have to change trains, bit its not really complicated.  Travelling from Gettysburg to Shady Grove can be a long ride.  Probably at least 90 minutes depending on traffic.  But travelling to DC from anywhere can be a pain sometimes.  That said, the Metro is the way to go.  You will not find parking in DC for a large van + car.  Good Luck.  Your troop will have a really great day.

 

http://wmata.com/rider_tools/tripplanner/tripplanner.cfm

 

Jeanne

[disney4dan 68]

Thanks guys - will probably try the Red Line to the Orange Line and see how it goes.  Although, staying on the Red Line and walking has some advantages; the kids will have about 20 minutes to half an hour to burn off some steam and not have to be quiet before going on the tour. 

 

I also have to share this story from last year, and I'm sure anyone who has ever been a chaperone on a group tour can appreciate.  Last year during our trip we were all trying to get on the metro during rush hour to head back to College Park. We had already worked out a system that one adult leader would get on the train first, kids next, then the rest of the adults to make sure that there would be adults back at the station if the doors closed before all got on.  One of our dads got on the train, then all the kids, then the doors shut leaving all the remaining adults back at the station.  The look on his face as the train pulled away was priceless, you could literally see all the color draining as he realized he was responsible for more than a dozen kids under the age of 12.  And no cell reception to communicate.  Luckily we had already discussed this and he knew to stay on the train to the planned stop and wait for the rest of us on the next train.  But I know he would have been more at home if he was trying to get them off a mountain than in that situation.