The Capital Region

Best time to visit the Capital Region

The best time to visit the US Capital Region depends on your priorities:

Spring (April-May): This is a popular time to visit, with mild temperatures and beautiful cherry blossoms in bloom. Crowds can be moderate, but it's a great time for outdoor activities and festivals.

Autumn (September-November): Enjoy crisp autumn air, fewer crowds, and stunning fall foliage. This is a great time for hiking and exploring the region's natural beauty.

Winter (December-February): Experience the holiday season in the capital, with festive decorations, Christmas markets, and special events. Crowds are typically low, and you might find some great deals on accommodation.

Summer (June-August): While it can be hot and humid, summer offers a vibrant atmosphere with outdoor concerts, festivals, and plenty of activities for families. Be prepared for larger crowds, especially during school holidays.

Ultimately, the best time to visit the US Capital Region is a matter of personal preference. Consider your priorities and choose the season that best suits your interests and travel style.

Highlights of the Capital Region

Right in the region’s epicentre lie the magnificent memorials and hip, historic neighbourhoods of Washington, DC where history is being written on a daily basis. Everywhere you look you can feel the power in the seat of America’s government, marked by the striking architecture of its monuments and museums. A visit to one or more of the famous Smithsonian Museums ranks highly on any list of “must dos”, and if you’re still in need of an added incentive to visit the world’s largest museum complex, there’s free entry into every single one of them. Once you’re done with sightseeing, you can sample the work of some of the country’s most celebrated chefs in highly revered restaurants serving cuisine from around the globe.

In neighbouring Virginia and Maryland, significant US historic landmarks and cultural attractions join forces with stunning natural beauty, from warm sandy beaches and lakes to national parks and majestic mountains. Along the many scenic drives, you’ll get to discover a treasured collection of quaint towns and the majestic Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains, where echoes of colonial life and Civil War heritage coexist with artful contemporary culture.

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Highlights of the Capital Region

Just an hour north of DC, Baltimore’s buzzing Inner Harbour is the city’s focal point and location for top attractions such as the National Aquarium and the American Visionary Art Museum. A short water taxi ride takes you to Fells Point, the historic cobbled neighbourhood that’s a legacy to Baltimore’s British nautical roots. In Virginia’s capital city, Richmond, more than 400 years of history live on through its magnificent architecture, monument-lined cobblestone streets and world-class museums. History and colonial charm feel very much at ease with the distinctive indulgences of the modern era – from trendy restaurants and upmarket shopping to first rate art and stirring attractions.

The Capital Region stares at its reflection in the famed Chesapeake Bay, America’s largest estuary, spanning 200 miles from the Susquehanna River to the Atlantic Ocean. It offers a stunning diversity of experiences, from sandy beaches to swimming, boating, water sports and authentic waterside villages. The area is known for some of the best blue crabs, oysters and clams you’ll find anywhere in the country. Further east, the Atlantic Ocean resorts of Virginia Beach and Ocean City offer all the trappings of fun in the sun just four hours drive from Washington, DC.

Things to do on your the Capital Region holiday

Williamsburg
As Virginia’s capital during the 18th century, Williamsburg was the centre of the British colony. Today it’s home to the largest living history museum in the country and you can have a lot of fun as you interact with guides in colonial dress and discover how the original townspeople worked, learned and played. Horse-drawn carriages parade up and down the streets providing a fascinating insight into America’s colonial period. If time allows, you can also pay a visit to Historic Jamestown, the original site of the first permanent English settlement in America and to Busch Gardens Williamsburg – the ultimate family theme park, with more than 50 thrilling rides and attractions and great stage shows.

Scenic Byways
While many of the byways travel deep into the region, others are clustered around big cities. The George Washington Memorial Parkway is the grand gateway and greenway to the nation’s capital. A memorial to the country’s first president, the 25-mile parkway passes monuments and memorials, wildlife preserves and historic homes. Explore the waterways of Maryland along the Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway, celebrating the rich marine life of the area, both on land and at sea. Or drive through the famed Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia along the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive. Part of the Shenandoah National Park, the 105-mile-long Skyline Drive travels along the ridgeline of the mountains, conjuring up endless opportunities to view several of the most scenic vistas in the entire eastern US. Skyline Drive ends at the boundaries of the park and from here you get to continue the mountain journey along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

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Things to do on your the Capital Region holiday

Annapolis
Annapolis, home of the US Naval Academy, stands proudly where the Severn River meets the mighty Chesapeake Bay. The city has more 18th-century buildings still in use than any other American city. The capital of Maryland, it’s also ‘America’s Sailing Capital’, with boating and fishing on the Chesapeake Bay. The town’s welcoming red-brick streets offer art galleries, maritime antiques, and designer clothing, while the 18th-century Middleton Tavern serves up delectable Maryland crab cakes. If you find yourself in need of a little exercise after feasting on a few of these delicacies, this is one of the most walkable cities in the country and it’s consistently named one of the top ten places in America to live.

Virginia Beach
Just 4-hours south of Washington DC, this is the perfect place to unwind after exploring the Capital Region. Offering wide pristine sandy beaches, the sparkling ocean, a mild climate, and an old-fashioned three-mile boardwalk where lively street performers entertain you day and night. There are water sports galore with surfing, kayaking, paddleboarding and fishing and a chance to spot dolphins which swim nearby and can be seen year-round but more so during the summer months.

Wine
With about 300 wineries, it’s easy to sip your way around Virginia’s many fine wineries many of which are set near the pretty coastline or countryside. Family run Verita’s Vineyard and Winery is nestled at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and offers a wide choice of tasty white, red, and sparkling wine. More than 20 wine trails wind through Virginia’s picturesque small towns, scenic mountains, and beautiful countryside and in Maryland, wine trails meander from hills and valleys to the Eastern Shore.

Top tips for visiting the Capital Region

• Free attractions in DC
  You’ll find DC is a very affordable city when it comes to planning your itinerary. In fact, no other destination offers so many FREE, world-class attractions. All of the monuments and memorials and every single Smithsonian Museum (including the National Zoo) are completely free of charge, as well as the National Gallery of Art, National Archives, the Bureau of Printing and Engraving and more.
  
  
• Free activities outside DC
  The free activities continue outside of the nation’s capital including the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles airport where you can see the space shuttle Discovery at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia is where veterans of every American war since the War of Independence are buried, along with President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline.
  
  Get cultured by visiting the Capital Region’s acclaimed collections at museums and galleries including the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. In Virginia, don’t miss the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, the Torpedo Factory Arts Center in Alexandria and the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke.

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Top tips for visiting the Capital Region

• Civil War historic sites
  The Civil War is regarded by many as one of the most fascinating periods in world history and there were more Civil War battles fought in the Capital Region than anywhere else in the USA. You can discover many of its legendary moments along the Civil War Trails. You can stop at the courthouse where Generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant negotiated the surrender and the end of “the war between the states” in Appomattox, Virginia or visit the hallowed ground of epic battles and notorious prison camps. The region’s former battlefields are now peaceful parks that reflect back on the history that shaped America. Photo opportunities include the Mudd House Museum, War Correspondent’s Arch, and Hollywood Cemetery and The Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia.
  
• Film locations
  The Capital Region has many claims to fame, in addition to being home to the powerful city of Washington DC, it’s also been the filming location of some of the most loved and popular films and television series. Why not include some of the region’s filming locations during your visit such as the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington DC which has appeared in countless films including Forrest Gump in the famous Forrest and Jenny scene as they splashed around in the water. The popular drama series House of Cards was set in Washington DC, but most of the scenes were filmed in Baltimore in the Bolton Hill neighbourhood and Hartford County. And finally for die-hard romantics you can see the grounds and house were Johnny Castle lived in the much-loved film Dirty Dancing at the Mountain Lake Lodge in Pembroke, Virginia.
  
• Old Town Alexandria
  On the Potomac River just a short Metro or ferry ride from DC, Old Town Alexandria blends small-town colonial charm with upscale restaurants, high-end boutiques and an art scene featuring street performers, galleries, theatres and the Torpedo Factory Art Centre. It’s a great alterative for those who want some escapism from city life.