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Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center

4.8 (47 reviews)
Closed Closed
Updated 1 month ago

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Tavern and Visitor center
Vishaal S.

This a nice place to visit and walk on the C&O Canal trail. The Maryland side of the Great Falls Park is small in comparison to the Virginia side, but does have the charm of being able to walk along the C&O Canal You can walk along the nature trail and past the many locks along the canal. You can also visit the Olmstead Island near the visitor center. There is plenty of parking available at the visitor center. Parking has gone up to $20 per vehicle tho! The museum is also a nice place to visit during the daytime hours. Definitely a good place to visit with family and friends and get some walking done on the towpath.

Rosanna C.

This place is truly beautiful! It is an easy drive from the DC area. The Maryland side has only one viewing area of the great falls. But it has the towpath which runs along the C&O Canal. The sights are beautiful along the towpath. The stretch between Great Falls Tavern and Anglers Parking is just gorgeous. It is about a two mile walk on the towpath one way. Along the route, there are plenty of hiking trails. There is a fee if you take the Great Falls Tavern visitor center entrance. This part of the park has better facilities than other areas. It had mule-drawn canal boat rides and free bicycle rentals before the pandemic. Hopefully these programs will come back in 2021. If you plan to visit the park more than once in a year, it is worth it to purchase an annual pass. There are multiple entry points to the C&O Canal towpath. Anglers is not far from Great falls Tavern. Parking is free. Carderock also has free parking. But the Great Falls Tavern has the most beautiful scenery and much better facilities. During peak days, there is usually a long line to get into Great Falls Tavern. It is the same on the Virginia side because both parks have a single lane for entrance. On very busy days, it would be very difficult to get parking at Anglers. Carderock usually has parking.

Sowmitha G.

My go to scenic place. The falls from the Maryland side are just amazing and the walk towards to falls is great with tiny bridges and water flowing underneath. The flowing water and the sounds send out such a relaxing energy. You will definitely feel refreshed after your visit. I have had days where I was going thru something.. Feeling low, and I would just get in my car and drive to the falls.

Great Blue Heron
Jon L.

A magnificent park in the midst of the DC Metro! You don't want to miss this spectacular display of simple nature. We started off, just across from the Anglers Inn. There's a fair amount of free parking. This time of year the trees are just beginning to bud so you get some great vistas of the river and the falls without the foliage blocking the view. The eco system supports the Great Blue Heron, Kingfisher and Double Crested Cormorant. The Chesapeake and Ohio canal trail is gravel and easy to walk on. There are many benches along the way to stop off & take a rest. There are also many picnic tables near the Potomac Tavern Museum. Stop off to check out the Frederick Law Olmstead commemorative plaque and the panaromic view of the Potomac River from the vantage point of the boardwalk.

Trey J.

This is definitely the place to go if you are into hiking and want to see Great Falls. There is a visitor center not far from the parking lot, but it's pretty small considering some of the other National Parks I have been too but either way the staff here is always willing to answer any questions you have about the many trails and hiking areas to go on. There is a fee to get into the park and there is also a little snack shop not far away as well. I do however think that if you like to bring your bicycle to trails make sure you come in the morning time because the trails get packed during the day and it can be hard at times for bicyclists to maneuver around the crowd.

Picnic area on the canal (weekday)
Lenore D.

Looking to enjoy the views of Great Falls but not up for a long hike? I recommend this fairly accessible site if you want to park, enjoy a picnic, and see several impressive sections of the river's falls within a short walk. I took my in-laws, who don't like hiking, here and they were very impressed. After passing the free, smaller parking area a few miles back, we entered the actual park by paying $10 for our car and parked in a large parking lot next to a picnic spot on the canal, which had eight or so shaded picnic tables. Bathrooms were nearby, next to a little visitor's center. From there, it was no more than a third of a mile on a flat, half-shaded path to get to some truly impressive overlooks. (The first one was impressive, the second great, and the third equivalent to the grand finale of fireworks shows!) Tip: be prepared to take your trash back out of the park with you.

Approaching the park entrance

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Absolutely beautiful. It's a must-see in the fall and spring. The views are breathtaking and the park is so well-kept.

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Review Highlights - Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center

After checking out the other side of the falls at Great Falls Park, we came over here to the Maryland side.

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US Capitol Visitor Center - Inside the US Capitol Crypt

US Capitol Visitor Center

4.3(266 reviews)
15.0 mi

Not to be missed. I highly recommend booking a tour that includes timed tickets to the US Capitol…read more I used DC by Foot. Reason for using a tour guide is It's extremely crowded at the Visitors Center, and constant crowds of students on field trips to learn about our branches of government. The DC by Foot guides are very knowledgeable, they know where to go in the Capitol. The guide I had got House Gallery passes for our group and the commemorative 250 yr (US Semi quincentennial) admission tickets. I learned you can tell if the House or Senate is in session by looking to see if the flag is raised or not on the House or Senate side. The other part of the tour is watching a presentation then going with the US Capitol guides in red jackets and using audio to view the art and history. I also liked the souvenir shop there too so I got commemorative 250 items.

Definitely ask your elected official to get a tour! Such amazing history. Schedule a morning tour,…read moreand then go to the restaurant when it opens about 11 AM. Surprisingly, this restaurant actually was good, and the desserts were excellent. It was better than trying to find someplace to eat. They also had one of the best gift shops I had seen all week. The tour guide was extremely helpful with tips of other places to go, pointing out that we had direct access to the Library of Congress. This is definitely a must see. I had no idea you could walk to it from the capital, and then it actually was an active library.

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US Capitol Visitor Center
US Capitol Visitor Center - 3/23/2019

3/23/2019

US Capitol Visitor Center

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Harpers Ferry Appalachian Trail Visitor Center - Along the trail!

Harpers Ferry Appalachian Trail Visitor Center

4.6(10 reviews)
34.6 mi

This is a unique section of the Appalachian Trail (AT) in that it's less about hard core hiking and…read moremore about history. Although you might see an occasional through hiker. This part of the AT is connected to the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP) which has lots of Civil War history attached to it. For more details see https://www.nps.gov/hafe/planyourvisit/hikes.htm The hikes here are very easy with little elevation change. But you will get many beautiful views and like I said there plenty of historical stuff to connect with as well. For more details or volunteer options check out the PATC at https://www.patc.net/

Probably one of the best National Park situated in between the Northern Virginia and West Virginia…read morebordering the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. The Potomac river runs all the way to and is about 61 miles from Washington DC. As we checked in the visitor center we were immediately greeted by a Park Service in full Ranger uniform. We paid the customary $10 per car then he handed us a map of Harpers Ferry. From the visitor center a complimentary bus takes you to the main historic town about 2 miles from the parking lot. Today, there was a special tour with a Park Ranger who enlightened us in great detail of the history including particularly of the armory it once was which equipped the US Capital for its defense all the way from the South. Most of all, the story of John Brown, the abolitionist but could be also be contested as a rebel, depending on one's learning curve. There were a few dwellings and museums and especially the building where John Brown was held up when he was captured during his attempts to raid the armory back in those days, so as to help the cause in freeing the slaves. This building was considered sacred as it triggered the civil war, or so it was thought to have started. The curators at its dwellings were knowledgeable and passionate about their jobs and to me, should serve as the model for how historical places should be curated! Thanks to our lady bus driver who drove us back n forth to the visitor center, Elliot who gave us a history tour of the museum and more importantly, the amazingly enthusiastic Park Ranger David Cox who guided us through a very thoughtful story of its history and told it as if he were speaking of the events as it was happening just then. Great job! Too bad we were pressed for time or we would have lingered longer for a hike on the trails connecting the Appalachian Trail to that area or to cross or kayak the Potomac. It was an awesome day of about 60 degrees in the middle of Winter. It could not have been a better day to visit. I'll definitely come back to either kayak or try out inner tubing in the Summer time. Very well worth a visit!

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Harpers Ferry Appalachian Trail Visitor Center
Harpers Ferry Appalachian Trail Visitor Center
Harpers Ferry Appalachian Trail Visitor Center - Streams

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Streams

National Wildlife Visitor Center - 01.20.25 when the ponds freeze over, the colors create a beautiful contrast to the browning forest and gliding waterfowl

National Wildlife Visitor Center

4.1(15 reviews)
24.1 mi

Fish and Wildlife Refuge [Laurel MD]…read more Unfortunately, because of the Federal Holiday (MLK) at the time of our visit the Visitor Center was closed but we briefly connected with nature and just explored a little bit of the area which offered 13,000 of wetlands, meadow, and forest. Visitor Center hours are from Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00a to 4:00p. The grounds are open sunrise to sunset except on Tuesdays (closes at 4:00p). We followed the hiking trail on the South Tract. We followed the trail... the lake on the right side. I was too scared to walk on the frozen lake but we saw a couple walking on it while taking selfie photos. The scenery is beautiful in winter time with the snow. We don't see snow like this in California. There were interpretive signs on the trails. During winter season we should see a wide variety of waterfowl; American Tree, Swamp, and Savannah Sparrows; and Rusty Blackbirds on the lake shores... we were on the lookout but I guess we weren't looking hard enough as we did not spot any. So what is this place? It's not a National Park but is one of the largest science and environmental education center in the Department of Interior created to conserve and protect wildlife and wildlands through research. Review #3673

We ended up checking out the National Wildlife Visitor Center while staying with family in Crofton…read more It lead to a lovely afternoon. The center itself is like a little museum. It has informational exhibits that range from learning about different wildlife to man's relationship with nature. The trails themselves are really nice, and diverse. You'll have an opportunity to walk through the woods, the water, and open fields. They're well manicured and labeled, so there's no getting lost. You'll also have an opportunity to see some beautiful wildlife. There were lots of beautiful birds flying around, and if you look down, you're guaranteed to see some tiny frogs. There's probably more, but that's all we saw. I definitely think this park is worth checking out if you live in the area, or are visiting. It was a lovely afternoon.

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National Wildlife Visitor Center - 01.20.25 winter outdoors

01.20.25 winter outdoors

National Wildlife Visitor Center - 01.20.25

01.20.25

National Wildlife Visitor Center - 01.20.25 Winter is an excellent time to visit the refuge

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01.20.25 Winter is an excellent time to visit the refuge

Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center - visitorcenters - Updated May 2026

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