Washington DC Campgrounds

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Pugapooh said:
The other consideration was access to Metro and it looks like Cherry Hill is the winner there.  Avoid driving into and around D.C. If you can.  Traffic is horrible and everybody is "me first". 
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We live in Delaware and visit D.C. occasionally. Sometimes we stay at one of the military installations either in the FamCamp or lodging. I drive into D.C. each time we go. I usually make a reservation at a parking garage near where we are going. Parking is relatively inexpensive for a fairly  large city. I don't find driving in D.C. any more difficult than Philadelphia or Chicago. Now London, that's a different animal altogether.
 
Avoid driving into and around D.C. If you can.  Traffic is horrible and everybody is "me first". 
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Traffic wise DC is like any other large metropolitan area, terrible twice a day and bad the rest of the time. People trying to get to and from work and construction to repair roads and build new roads to help alleviate traffic. It's better than when I first arrived there. As for the drivers they are no worse than any other large city. Especially for the Metro DC area. The population is so diverse with drivers not just from all over this country, but from all over the world living and working in the area. And they all bring their bad/good driving habits with them.

A word of caution though, on the Virginia side of the beltway (I-495) they built HOV lanes which is a boon for those that qualify for HOV, but not so much for the rest of us. When I lived there the cost to use the HOV lanes during rush hour if you didn't have the correct number of occupants in your car could be as high as $15 or more. It varies through out the day according to the density of traffic.

As to the Metro system (subway) buy a plastic fare card which you can reuse. If you buy the paper fare card each time you use the metro system it will cost each person an extra $1 per trip. Both fare cards can reloaded as needed. If you're a senior you can get a special fare card which will save you money on trips,
 
Gene,

I ran a search on the rudest cities in the US and DC only made number 5.  But, I did not have much to compare it to.
 
Maybe I'm just too sensitive to drivers around here.  Plus,I don't get out much. The aggressiveness just leaves me bewildered-we all wind up at the same stop light. 
 
halfwright said:
Gene,

I ran a search on the rudest cities in the US and DC only made number 5.  But, I did not have much to compare it to.
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I ran the same search and came up with several different polls and each one was radically different. The one thing they all had in common is they were all very large cities. Small cities won't get many votes since not many people live there. One poll had Orlando in 10th place. Baloney. Orlando is a wonderful town and certainly not rude. Southern hospitality is very real down here.
 
Cherry Hill is the winner once more. The city busses come into the park and take you to the Metro. They even have seminars on using the metro system. I went all the way out to Arlington National Cemetery on the Metro.  :))
We have stayed there 4 times.
Bill
 
If you qualify, Fort Mead has a very nice campground although it is a bit of a drive to a metro station.
 
johnaye said:
If you qualify, Fort Mead has a very nice campground although it is a bit of a drive to a metro station.
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We stayed at Ft Mead when we took the grandkids to 6 Flags. Very nice FamCamp. $50 a night FH.
 
If you think $70 a night is bad just don't go to Jackson Hole.  $100 a night to stay at the Virginian Lodge RV Park.
 
If you can boondock, Greenbelt Park is great! I stayed there for a week in July last year.

You can run your generator during daylight hours to top off your batteries or use the microwave. There are water spigots at several places around the campground, and a dump station that is easy to get to. The showers passed inspection by my picky niece, so they should be alright.

You can hear traffic at night. But it's mainly background noise. Metro is a short drive away with $5 parking. The Green Line takes you right to the D.C. Mall with all the Smithsonian buildings withing easy walking distance.

If you want to visit the Pentagon or the White House, start the process now. Get on line and find out about the security requirements for the visit.
 
I guess I am just cheap, but I will not pay $70 to park when I can pay $10 a mile away. I have 600 watts of solar panels and batteries, so we do not miss electric hookups. We can run off the tanks for ten days to two weeks--more if we are gone during the day. But, the world would be so boring if we were all the same
 
I have stayed at Greenbelt and had no problems, however the locals will tell you that it has had it's share of crime.  My daughter and SIL will not let me stay there any more.  About 20 miles north on I 270 is the Montgomery Cty Park that is reasonably priced, traffic in can be a slow process and in order to see the Mall, you have to get there quite early or wait to get into some attractions.  Haven't stayed at Cherry Hill, but it is about the best option for travel into the city.  Don't try to drive into DC, find the Metro and take it in.
 
Little Bennet park is the one in Montgomery County.  I have never stayed there but the traffic on 270 is very heavy.  Parking at the Shady Grove Metro fills up.

When are you planning to visit?
 
Hadn't heard about crime at Greenbelt. Certainly wasn't any when I was there. But then it was the week of the Rolling Thunder Rally, with all those Harley riders camping there. Nice and peaceful.
 
There was no crime there when we hosted. There is a police station right at the entrance. We called them once about an abandoned car in the four months we were there.
 
Oldgator73 said:
We stayed at Ft Mead when we took the grandkids to 6 Flags. Very nice FamCamp. $50 a night FH.
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The FamCamp at Andrews AFB is an option.. 5 minutes from the Metro. FH, Quiet, clean and secure ?
 
BIG JOE said:
The FamCamp at Andrews AFB is an option.. 5 minutes from the Metro. FH, Quiet, clean and secure ?
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Andrews FamCamp is under renovation and the screwed up the contract so it's iffy if you can get in. It is much cheaper than Ft Mead though.
 
I think one thing that?s gets lost in these type of conversations is that RVing is also a lifestyle choice. While I too do not want to pay more to stay at a particular campground, I believe there is value in living in my own house so to speak and not just a room that has been shared by others.
 
rider1520 said:
I think one thing that?s gets lost in these type of conversations is that RVing is also a lifestyle choice. While I too do not want to pay more to stay at a particular campground, I believe there is value in living in my own house so to speak and not just a room that has been shared by others.
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Some times it is good to save money. Some times all the added aggravation trying to live on the cheap is not worth the little money saved. :))
Bill
 
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