# Massanutten and Washington D.C.



## rachel1998 (Jul 19, 2010)

We are scheduled to go to Massanutten in September. They offer a weekly trip to Washington D.C. for I believe $79 a person. There will be 4 of us. Are we better off doing it ourselves or is this trip worth it? None of us have been to that area before but I understand it is at least a 2 hour drive each way. We do not want to spend the night in D.C. so we figured this was a good thing to do. Have any of you taken this trip?


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## laura1957 (Jul 19, 2010)

We have done it both ways.  Staying in Massanutten and driving to the metro station, and taking the Massanutten tour.  We also live close enough that we have been there on our own - staying at a hotel outside the city, and our kids went on field trips from school for the day which I chaperoned a few times.

We REALLY enjoyed the Massanutten tour for a few reasons. They do the driving, they brought us places we have wanted to see but never got around to (Arlington comes to mind), we didnt have to deal with the metro (which actually is NOT that bad) and most of all -after the long day it was nice to get on the bus and close our eyes!!   The tour bus stopped at Golden Corral on the way back to Mass.

So when it is just the 2 of us, we would definately take the tour again.  We saw more in the one day bus trip than we could possibly have seen on our own.  When we bring kids/grandkids then we drive to the metro.  

You could take the tour in and see a quick view of the city, if you want to go back and spend more time - do the drive in another day.


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## rachel1998 (Jul 19, 2010)

Thank you. The tour it is. It sounds like the way to go.


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## laura1957 (Jul 19, 2010)

Wear VERY comfortable shoes - there is a LOT of walking involved!!


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## rachel1998 (Jul 19, 2010)

Hopfully it won't be too hot at the end of September!!


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## KevJan (Jul 22, 2010)

We did the tour 2 years ago in the month of June and the heat and humidity was terrible. The bus driver was very thoughtful of the need for A/C and as close parking as possible. We usually enjoy exploring at our own pace but this time took the tour and were really glad we did.


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## JLarg (Aug 10, 2010)

Definitely take the tour.  DC traffic is horrible, and with the tour, you are let out at one spot and picked up at another.  They have it down to a science, and you can hit most of the "hot spots" in this one day tour.  I think it would be impossible to see as much doing it yourself.  Then, if you see an area (Smithsonian, for instance) that you want to really spend some time at, you can always go back to just that one area.  Definitely wear good walking shoes as you are going to cover a lot of territory in one day.  My 2 cents...


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## Big Matt (Aug 10, 2010)

IMO,
you should only ever tour DC on a Saturday or Sunday when there is abundant street parking and there isn't the mad rush hour in the morning or evening.  

Just an aside, you won't see much on the tour other than a few highlights.  DC is a trip that could be done in about 7-10 days if you really want to see everything.


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## Cheryl20772 (Aug 10, 2010)

Be very careful if you drive in DC these days.  They have a spider web net of speed and red light cameras all over the city to trap unsuspecting tourists and commuters.  They also lowered the speed limit to 25 from 35 where they put in the speed traps.  You might drive in the city and then 2 weeks later get a letter in the mail from "Police" saying you were doing 36 in a 25 zone and pay them $125.   They have a real money factory going there.


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## itisme (Aug 12, 2010)

*Hop-on-hop-off*

We will be in Massanutten in 2 weeks and going to take a trip to DC. We are going to drive to Union Station, park there and take one of the hop-on-hop-off tours from there. With our big party (8 adults and 8 kids from 2 yrs to 10 years), this is the only practical way. We can do it at our own pace and is cheaper.

Here are some choices for hop-on-hop-off if you like to check out. All have stops and ticket sales @ the Union Station. Parking @ Union Station is $17.

DC Tours: Hop-on-hop-off double Decker Bus Tours (25 stops)
Adult: 		$40		Every 30 min 9AM-5PM
Children 4-15: $18
http://www.dctours.us/?event=offer.detail&offerId=11681

Old Town Trolley Tours: Hop-on-hop-off (19 stops)
Adult: 		$35		Every 30 min 9AM-5:30PM
Children 4-15: $18
http://www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc/

Tour Mobile: Hop-on-hop-off shuttle (19 stops)
Adult:		$27		Every 30 min 9:30AM-4:30PM
Children 3-11:	$13 
http://www.tourmobile.com/

Gray Line: Hop-on-hop-off double Decker Bus Tours (25 stops)
Adult:		$35		Every 30 min 9AM-5PM
Children 4-12:	$18
Family (2+2):	$85	
https://www.graylinedc.com/tours/


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## itisme (Aug 12, 2010)

Big Matt said:


> IMO,
> you should only ever tour DC on a Saturday or Sunday when there is abundant street parking and there isn't the mad rush hour in the morning or evening.
> 
> Just an aside, you won't see much on the tour other than a few highlights.  DC is a trip that could be done in about 7-10 days if you really want to see everything.



We can take the trip to DC on a Wednesday or Friday. Which day is better to drive to DC and take a hop-on-hop-off tour?


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