Ideas for day trip outside Washington

Can you suggest ideas for a day trip outside Washington please? I%26#39;m staying in Crystal City. I%26#39;ve been to the US several times before, but for work purposes and have gone straight to one of the big cities and stayed there. I%26#39;d like to travel outside Washington this time, %26amp; will have just a day available. I%26#39;d like to see a little of the countryside, %26amp; am not aware of the options. I%26#39;ll need to take a tour or public transport as the idea of driving on the ';wrong'; side of the road doesn%26#39;t appeal at all! I%26#39;ll be travelling by myself. What would you recommend, please??

Ideas for day trip outside Washington

I%26#39;m not sure where Crystal City is, but I was just in DC myself and you can take a day trip to Mt. Vernon, George Washington%26#39;s home. It%26#39;s not far out of DC and there are tours that leave from DC and visit the home and grounds. I%26#39;m not sure which tours you should contact about a tour, but its probably easy to find. The home and grounds are pretty extensive and he%26#39;s buried there too so there is plenty to see.

Ideas for day trip outside Washington

Unlike Tasmania, we%26#39;ve got a lot of country over here with a lot of attractions! :-) How far are you willing to drive, and what are your interests?

I%26#39;d say your major day tours from Washington are:

Gettysburg (Pennsylvania)

Mount Vernon (Virginia)

Williamsburg (Virginia)

Monticello/Charlottesville (Virginia)

All of these are covered by this company (but only through certain dates, so it depends when you%26#39;re coming)

http://www.allwashingtondctours.com/

Look at the Activities section on the left and click on ';Bus/Motorcoach';

I don%26#39;t know anything about the company, but you may also want to post on the Virginia forum and see if anyone has taken one of their tours. Or do a search in the DC forum on ';day trips'; and see if you come up with some other recommendations.

Have fun!

Looks like he/she isn%26#39;t driving at all, Dr. Wong...';GoToUSA';, that kind of limits your options for seeing much countryside, as public transport doesn%26#39;t really get you around much here other than between the major cities.

The Mount Vernon idea is a good one and you don%26#39;t need an organized tour there, you can get there on a sombination of bus and subway.

What time of year is your visit?

Yes, a lot does depend on what time of year you will be visiting but check out Gray Line%26#39;s website since they offer tours that go outside of the city:

http://www.graylinedc.com/

Hi All, thanks for your ideas. I%26#39;m a 55 year-old woman, and would prefer to see a little of how Americans live outside the big cities rather than just visit historic sites. I%26#39;ll be in Washington DC shortly: from Tues 26th to Saturday 30th Sept, and wil have a spare day either at the start or the end of this period. A tour might be the best bet, as then I get the often excellent commentary, plus I can observe my fellow passengers, which is interesting in itself! And drwong really needs to check out Tassie; there is a great deal to see and do here, plus our ';other island'; a little to the North over Bass Strait has enough space for a lifetime of exploration:) Come on down to the antipodes and check it out, drwong:). Thanks folks.

Hi GoTo - I%26#39;m well acquainted with Van Diemen%26#39;s Land - my comment was tongue in cheek - asking what to do in DC for a day is like asking what should one do with one free day in Tassie! It%26#39;s far too broad of a request - one can fly into the third-world airport at Launceston or take the slow ferry to Devonport (the SeaCat was much more exciting, in my humble opinion). If you%26#39;re into nature, you can hunt for an echidna or photograph a kookobura; if you%26#39;re into family heritage, you can check out your ancestor%26#39;s lodgings at Port Arthur (where as a guest of Her Majesty - you got free board and three square meals a day!). History fans can tour Battery Point (the Armstrong guns at Kangaroo Bluff are far more interesting), and for those into geology, there%26#39;s the Tessellated Pavement. And everyone should quaff a pint (or a yard) at the old Cascade!

If you want to get outside Washington and see real countryside, I%26#39;d recommend GrayLine%26#39;s Gettysburg or Williamsburg tour. Both are to popular historic destinations, and both trips provide meals (General Pickett%26#39;s all-you-can-eat buffet at Gettysburg is truly something to behold. Just don%26#39;t overindulge, or you%26#39;ll sleep through the remainder of the tour!). But note that because of the long distance (they%26#39;re all-day trips), they%26#39;re not given every day, so your choice of tour might be limited by your schedule availability. Hope you enjoy your stay, and have fun! :-)

For drwong; Wow, you%26#39;re impressive; I%26#39;m convinced you know Tasmania! Thanks for narrowing down the suggestions to two. I%26#39;ll do some reading on these and find ot which day they%26#39;re available. Many thanks to you.