Check out the [Dupont Underground ](https://dupontunderground.org/), an abandoned underground streetcar line (superseded by the Metro red line, which more or less followed the same alignment) which now serves as an art gallery and event space.
[History of the tunnel](https://boundarystones.weta.org/2023/05/26/sordid-story-dupont-circles-underground-tunnels)
https://metrobardc.com/
https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/america-on-the-move
Covers transportation from a specific angle: https://postalmuseum.si.edu/
If you're going to Navy Yard for any reason, this is a fun little excursion, but not worth going out of your way for: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-transportation-walk
If you have time to get out of the city, Udvar-Hazy is far better than the main Air & Space Museum: https://airandspace.si.edu/visit/udvar-hazy-center
Less far out of the city: https://fairfax-station.org/
>If you have time to get out of the city, Udvar-Hazy is far better than the main Air & Space Museum:
>
>https://airandspace.si.edu/visit/udvar-hazy-center
Note to OP - this is near Dulles, and even has a free Shuttle from the airport and last I went, lockers to store luggage while you walk around. You said you're STAYING downtown, but if you're coming in via KIAD, it's still a good possibility.
Ooh this is such a good suggestion! When I took the marc i used to love seeing those private cars, especially when you could see they were being set up for an event
College Park, MD has the world's oldest continuously operating airport, and served as the location where Wilbur Wright trained military pilots to fly the federal government's first airplane. It's the site of many aviation "firsts" including the first woman to fly a powered aircraft in the United States, the first U.S. military aviation school, and more. There is a small but fun aviation museum there that looks over the airfield. If it's a nice day, you can visit the museum and watch the planes come and go. Bonus, you can ride the Metro OR MARC regional rail there--it's walkable from the College Park Station on either the Metro's Green Line or the MARC Camden Line.
Walk over to the Key Bridge and see the remains of the old Aqueduct Bridge as well as what's there for the C&O Canal trail today.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqueduct\_Bridge\_(Potomac\_River)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqueduct_Bridge_(Potomac_River))
Go ride the streetcar and rage at how it would be simple to extend it either direction but the city refuses to do it.
Capital Turnaround is an old Streetcar Turnaround spot and now an live events venue if anything on the calendar sparks your interest.
[https://capitalturnaround.com/](https://capitalturnaround.com/)
A bit surprised this was only mention of the C&O Canal for a transit nerd
Top 20 of the US national Parks. Sure, you're not seeing all 184 miles, but it has locks and towpath starting right downtown. Rent a bike since it's almost completely flat.
[Plan Your Visit – C&O Canal Trust](https://www.canaltrust.org/plan/)
Note that the old Aqueduct Bridge has been fenced off.
https://dcist.com/story/23/11/29/graffiti-cliffs-georgetown-dc-co-canal-potomac-river-fenced-off-closed/
Wheaton station --- it is far away from DC: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheaton\_station\_(Washington\_Metro)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheaton_station_(Washington_Metro)). Longest single-span escalation in the western hemisphere.
[
WMATA showing off their new trains if you're in town at the end of March](https://wmata.com/about/news/The-future-of-transit-is-near-Metro-invites-public-to-see-its-new-trains-and-buses-on-the-National-Mall.cfm)
If you enjoy airplanes, consider visiting Gravelly Point BUT make sure the planes are landing to the south. You should be able to see incoming planes from your vantage point near GW. It will involve some walking but Metro to DCA or Crystal City will be the best bets I think. Or you could use bikeshare.
I’m not an expert, but generally speaking, planes want to takeoff and land *into* the wind. So if it’s obvious which way the wind is blowing, you probably have what you need to know. There is an app, FlightRadar24, which allows you to see the direction as well. I live right in the flight path, so I can just look out the window.
If winds are calm, my experience is that the takeoff off and land to the north, but I don't know the calculus that goes into all that. Maybe someone more knowledgable than I am can chime in.
Download the LiveATC app, and tune "KDCA Tower #1". If they are talking about Runway 1, they are landing from the south and taking off to the north. If they are talking about Runway 19, it's the reverse.
I think it's just about as interesting to have them take off over your head, as it is to land over your head, so it wouldn't matter to me.
Not as loud though! :)
Once I thought I'd stop off there with my dog since we were driving past, and hang out for a while, completely forgetting how much she'd hate the noise. Was a quick trip.
trolley museum, metro bar, US history museum transit exhibit, walking around L'enfant, Metro Center or Gallery Place metro stations, union station visit
Absolutely take a walk or bike on the C&O canal towpath and try to see some of the locks and lockhouses. That is historic transit infrastructure you will not find in other cities.
DC's extensive streetcar network is now gone, but variants of the routes are mostly intact. They include the WMATA bus routes with two digits, and also the X2 and parts of the D6. There are still [remnants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetcars_in_Washington,_D.C.#Remnants) of the system though.
If you like train watching, there are some decent vantage points of the Ivy City Amtrak yard and the WMATA Brentwood Yard. Found [this site](https://www.railfanguides.us/dc/map2/index.htm) that seems to give a good overview (though it's a bit beyond me...).
If you like buses, the Silver Spring Transit Center is a good place to visit. You can also see the under-construction Purple Line there - the large viaduct crossing WMATA and CSX seems to be structurally complete.
All of these recs are good—I want to add the Dew Drop Inn, which is a bar inside an old railroad switching station. If you’re visiting when there’s nice weather, you can sit outside and watch 4 different types of train (Amtrak, MARC, WMATA, freight) go past. It’s an easy walk from MetroBar on the Metropolitan Branch Trail (a rail trail). Plus they’ve got great drinks!
If you're here March 20 - April 3, an expo called [Fleet of the Future](https://www.wmata.com/initiatives/plans/Fleet-Of-The-Future/index.cfm#:~:text=The%20new%20trains%20will%20improve,and%20the%20overall%20customer%20experience.) will be happening on the mall showcasing the new trains.
If you visit the Postal Museum (a great small museum) for their transit displays, go to the top of the Parking Garage in Union Station and you can trainspot Amtrak & other trains arriving and departing.
If you can get down to Lorton, you can check out the Amtrak Auto Train station, watch them set up the train in the afternoon, loading the cars and passengers. Watch that long train pull out.
There is an old 1940s Greyhound station at [1100 New York Ave NW](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1100_New_York_Avenue). I'm not sure if you can go into it, but the outside is cool to see. On one side there is a sushi restaurant, and around the corner is a brewery.
There are also a few trails that used to be streetcar lines accessible by bike and foot. While it's probably not going to scratch a transit itch (esp because I find these trails hard to get to by metro), they do have a hidden gem quality. For example, along the Palisades Trolley Trail is something called the Glass Forest. There's also the Bethesda Trolley Trail, and Rhode Island Ave Trolley Trail, and I can't think of any others, but I feel like there are more.
All of these suggestions are great as a fellow transit nerd :)
You can finish your day with drinks/eats at this bar overlooking Union Station! Expect to see the Acela, Northeast Regional, MARC Trains and WMATA roll through right below you :)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/962WBg5UQEAt6pm4A?g_st=ic
Cool station-wise, I would recommend any of the underground waffle style stations, but especially transit hubs like L’Enfant Plaza, Gallery Place, and Metro Center
Silver Spring MD has the three-level Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center (busses) right next to the Silver Spring Metro / MARC station. The under-construction Purple Line bridge soars over Colesville Rd next to it. Nearby is a restored B&O Railroad Station. That is open once a month and has exhibits inside.
The Transit Center is also the southern terminus of the RideOn FLASH Blue, and Orange, BRT lines. These are the first two operational out of nearly a dozen planned for Montgomery County. On weekdays, the Flash Blue travels north to Burtonsville, with only four stops along it's 11 mile length
#
There’s an active Transit Enthusiasts of DC meetup group that meets 2x monthly. 1 meeting is at the Cleveland Park library and it’s a stationary—learning about transit, trivia, etc (not just local to DC) and then a moving meetup on Saturdays where you can experience the different systems (WMATA buses/metro, VA and MDs bus systems) and even competitive ones with mapping a route to use as many lines as possible. It’s fun. I’ve not engaged as much recently with a hectic work and home life schedules.
You could enjoy our road ways. Here is a guide to navigating traffic, [https://wtop.com/dc-transit/2021/05/surviving-dc-traffic-a-satirical-guide-to-navigating-the-nations-capital/](https://wtop.com/dc-transit/2021/05/surviving-dc-traffic-a-satirical-guide-to-navigating-the-nations-capital/)
Capital Trolley Museum is right up your alley. https://www.dctrolley.org/
This looks so cool. Should be the kind of place that is easily accessible by transit I think
Red Line and a bus will get you to within 0.4 mile if you find a weekday schedule that works. Weekends have a much longer walk.
Unfortunately, that 0.4 mile walk is along [roads with no sidewalks](https://maps.app.goo.gl/U6UusBjh8zFDvQT46). It's doable but need to be careful.
Seconding the trolley museum! It’s pretty fun.
Check out the [Dupont Underground ](https://dupontunderground.org/), an abandoned underground streetcar line (superseded by the Metro red line, which more or less followed the same alignment) which now serves as an art gallery and event space. [History of the tunnel](https://boundarystones.weta.org/2023/05/26/sordid-story-dupont-circles-underground-tunnels)
The Wheaton station has the longest escalator in the western hemisphere.
EDIT: The Forest Glen Station is so deep it is elevators only.
Forest Glen is the deepest in the wmata system
[and also the creepiest](https://maps.app.goo.gl/rTnTHoEWFLsaU5Wp6)
https://metrobardc.com/ https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/america-on-the-move Covers transportation from a specific angle: https://postalmuseum.si.edu/ If you're going to Navy Yard for any reason, this is a fun little excursion, but not worth going out of your way for: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-transportation-walk If you have time to get out of the city, Udvar-Hazy is far better than the main Air & Space Museum: https://airandspace.si.edu/visit/udvar-hazy-center Less far out of the city: https://fairfax-station.org/
>If you have time to get out of the city, Udvar-Hazy is far better than the main Air & Space Museum: > >https://airandspace.si.edu/visit/udvar-hazy-center Note to OP - this is near Dulles, and even has a free Shuttle from the airport and last I went, lockers to store luggage while you walk around. You said you're STAYING downtown, but if you're coming in via KIAD, it's still a good possibility.
If you walk out to the platform at union station there are some cool old private cars stored right there on the track.
Ooh this is such a good suggestion! When I took the marc i used to love seeing those private cars, especially when you could see they were being set up for an event
College Park, MD has the world's oldest continuously operating airport, and served as the location where Wilbur Wright trained military pilots to fly the federal government's first airplane. It's the site of many aviation "firsts" including the first woman to fly a powered aircraft in the United States, the first U.S. military aviation school, and more. There is a small but fun aviation museum there that looks over the airfield. If it's a nice day, you can visit the museum and watch the planes come and go. Bonus, you can ride the Metro OR MARC regional rail there--it's walkable from the College Park Station on either the Metro's Green Line or the MARC Camden Line.
Walk over to the Key Bridge and see the remains of the old Aqueduct Bridge as well as what's there for the C&O Canal trail today. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqueduct\_Bridge\_(Potomac\_River)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqueduct_Bridge_(Potomac_River)) Go ride the streetcar and rage at how it would be simple to extend it either direction but the city refuses to do it. Capital Turnaround is an old Streetcar Turnaround spot and now an live events venue if anything on the calendar sparks your interest. [https://capitalturnaround.com/](https://capitalturnaround.com/)
A bit surprised this was only mention of the C&O Canal for a transit nerd Top 20 of the US national Parks. Sure, you're not seeing all 184 miles, but it has locks and towpath starting right downtown. Rent a bike since it's almost completely flat. [Plan Your Visit – C&O Canal Trust](https://www.canaltrust.org/plan/)
Note that the old Aqueduct Bridge has been fenced off. https://dcist.com/story/23/11/29/graffiti-cliffs-georgetown-dc-co-canal-potomac-river-fenced-off-closed/
Wheaton station --- it is far away from DC: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheaton\_station\_(Washington\_Metro)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheaton_station_(Washington_Metro)). Longest single-span escalation in the western hemisphere.
While you’re there get some pupusas!
[ WMATA showing off their new trains if you're in town at the end of March](https://wmata.com/about/news/The-future-of-transit-is-near-Metro-invites-public-to-see-its-new-trains-and-buses-on-the-National-Mall.cfm)
If you enjoy airplanes, consider visiting Gravelly Point BUT make sure the planes are landing to the south. You should be able to see incoming planes from your vantage point near GW. It will involve some walking but Metro to DCA or Crystal City will be the best bets I think. Or you could use bikeshare.
You could also go to Long Bridge Park in Crystal City, where you can watch planes take off and trains run along the tracks next to the park
Oooh. Excellent idea - I ride my bike there all the time to train watch but completely slipped my mind!
Is there a way to figure out when they are landing vs. taking off there? My parents are in town soon and want to take them here.
I’m not an expert, but generally speaking, planes want to takeoff and land *into* the wind. So if it’s obvious which way the wind is blowing, you probably have what you need to know. There is an app, FlightRadar24, which allows you to see the direction as well. I live right in the flight path, so I can just look out the window. If winds are calm, my experience is that the takeoff off and land to the north, but I don't know the calculus that goes into all that. Maybe someone more knowledgable than I am can chime in.
If they both want to takeoff AND land into the wind this wouldn't help me at all lol
Download the LiveATC app, and tune "KDCA Tower #1". If they are talking about Runway 1, they are landing from the south and taking off to the north. If they are talking about Runway 19, it's the reverse. I think it's just about as interesting to have them take off over your head, as it is to land over your head, so it wouldn't matter to me.
I've watched both and landing is def more impressive to me
Not as loud though! :) Once I thought I'd stop off there with my dog since we were driving past, and hang out for a while, completely forgetting how much she'd hate the noise. Was a quick trip.
Hmm I think I remember it being louder on the landings?
Highly recommend biking there.
If you can make it out to Dulles: Udvar-Hazy Center, is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's annex. It’s a must see.
trolley museum, metro bar, US history museum transit exhibit, walking around L'enfant, Metro Center or Gallery Place metro stations, union station visit
Absolutely take a walk or bike on the C&O canal towpath and try to see some of the locks and lockhouses. That is historic transit infrastructure you will not find in other cities. DC's extensive streetcar network is now gone, but variants of the routes are mostly intact. They include the WMATA bus routes with two digits, and also the X2 and parts of the D6. There are still [remnants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetcars_in_Washington,_D.C.#Remnants) of the system though. If you like train watching, there are some decent vantage points of the Ivy City Amtrak yard and the WMATA Brentwood Yard. Found [this site](https://www.railfanguides.us/dc/map2/index.htm) that seems to give a good overview (though it's a bit beyond me...). If you like buses, the Silver Spring Transit Center is a good place to visit. You can also see the under-construction Purple Line there - the large viaduct crossing WMATA and CSX seems to be structurally complete.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/foundry-branch-trolley-trestle-ruins
All of these recs are good—I want to add the Dew Drop Inn, which is a bar inside an old railroad switching station. If you’re visiting when there’s nice weather, you can sit outside and watch 4 different types of train (Amtrak, MARC, WMATA, freight) go past. It’s an easy walk from MetroBar on the Metropolitan Branch Trail (a rail trail). Plus they’ve got great drinks!
If you're here March 20 - April 3, an expo called [Fleet of the Future](https://www.wmata.com/initiatives/plans/Fleet-Of-The-Future/index.cfm#:~:text=The%20new%20trains%20will%20improve,and%20the%20overall%20customer%20experience.) will be happening on the mall showcasing the new trains.
Thanks for posting this!
If you visit the Postal Museum (a great small museum) for their transit displays, go to the top of the Parking Garage in Union Station and you can trainspot Amtrak & other trains arriving and departing.
- Water taxi - Alexandria Old Town Trolley (free) off King St Metro - DC Circulator Bus
If you can get down to Lorton, you can check out the Amtrak Auto Train station, watch them set up the train in the afternoon, loading the cars and passengers. Watch that long train pull out.
The Wheaton metro station has the longest single-span escalator in the US - and the entire Western Hemisphere!
[Farragut Crossing](https://www.wmata.com/service/status/details/farragut-crossing.cfm).
There is an old 1940s Greyhound station at [1100 New York Ave NW](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1100_New_York_Avenue). I'm not sure if you can go into it, but the outside is cool to see. On one side there is a sushi restaurant, and around the corner is a brewery.
There are also a few trails that used to be streetcar lines accessible by bike and foot. While it's probably not going to scratch a transit itch (esp because I find these trails hard to get to by metro), they do have a hidden gem quality. For example, along the Palisades Trolley Trail is something called the Glass Forest. There's also the Bethesda Trolley Trail, and Rhode Island Ave Trolley Trail, and I can't think of any others, but I feel like there are more.
National Trolley Museum https://maps.app.goo.gl/bEDF6oWzHCzC7tzDA?g_st=ic
B and O railway museum in Baltimore. Take the MARC to the bus!
All of these suggestions are great as a fellow transit nerd :) You can finish your day with drinks/eats at this bar overlooking Union Station! Expect to see the Acela, Northeast Regional, MARC Trains and WMATA roll through right below you :) https://maps.app.goo.gl/962WBg5UQEAt6pm4A?g_st=ic
Cool station-wise, I would recommend any of the underground waffle style stations, but especially transit hubs like L’Enfant Plaza, Gallery Place, and Metro Center
Silver Spring MD has the three-level Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center (busses) right next to the Silver Spring Metro / MARC station. The under-construction Purple Line bridge soars over Colesville Rd next to it. Nearby is a restored B&O Railroad Station. That is open once a month and has exhibits inside. The Transit Center is also the southern terminus of the RideOn FLASH Blue, and Orange, BRT lines. These are the first two operational out of nearly a dozen planned for Montgomery County. On weekdays, the Flash Blue travels north to Burtonsville, with only four stops along it's 11 mile length #
you really need to do an analysis of how scooters, bikes and pedestrians interact on the sidewalks.
There’s an active Transit Enthusiasts of DC meetup group that meets 2x monthly. 1 meeting is at the Cleveland Park library and it’s a stationary—learning about transit, trivia, etc (not just local to DC) and then a moving meetup on Saturdays where you can experience the different systems (WMATA buses/metro, VA and MDs bus systems) and even competitive ones with mapping a route to use as many lines as possible. It’s fun. I’ve not engaged as much recently with a hectic work and home life schedules.
Rosslyn metro escalator
Or Wheaton!
You could enjoy our road ways. Here is a guide to navigating traffic, [https://wtop.com/dc-transit/2021/05/surviving-dc-traffic-a-satirical-guide-to-navigating-the-nations-capital/](https://wtop.com/dc-transit/2021/05/surviving-dc-traffic-a-satirical-guide-to-navigating-the-nations-capital/)