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.

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

Really quick delivery and not bad pricing at all. I requested delivery of a few accordion folders…read morefrom Fairfax to Bethesda. I will say one suggestion - there is no way to track it and I was not sure when they would be stopping by which would have been ideal. This did not detract from the experience at all though, and I am very happy.

Martin and his team were awesome - from start to finish! I will use them for all of my DC Courier…read moreServices! They are top notch! No BS! No bait and switch! Real business team that commits & makes things happen...and saves people - like me and you...time and money! (Travel, hotel, waiting in lines, etc.)! I did it all from the comfort of my home and a couple of trips to FedEx! 5 Star Service - with great prices!

Wow! Attached to the parking garage this place is great! There are restrooms and a lovely group of…read morepeople ready to help and share their insights of the area. Very knowledgeable and helpful. We were able to get maps, magazines, bus info (free shuttle), etc. For sure stop in here if in the area. Wealth of information. You can tell the employees truly love their beautiful city.

I came by here on a Wednesday afternoon during my second visit to Annapolis. I collect stamps and I…read moredid not have one from Annapolis before and wanted to see if they had one. While alas, they did not have a stamp from their city for visitors, they did, after I inquired about them, have stickers! One of the employees came by with 4 different sticker options from me to choose from for free! This was so kind of them! They also have a ton of pamphlets about different tourism parts of the city you may be interested in such as historic sites to restaurants!

If you are visiting Old Town Alexandria for the first time, I highly recommend going to the visitor…read morecenter on King Street. There are public restrooms on the first floor. The second floor is the visitor center area. Jeff was very helpful, kind, and friendly in providing information and maps in the visitor center. I got a lot of pamphlets, info, and ideas of where to go and what to do in Alexandria there. They also sell tickets for ghost & historical tours in Alexandria. Overall, the place was clean, inviting, and informative.

Thank you to everyone who works or volunteers here! After a flight delay of a day from IAD, we…read morespent an unexpected day in Alexandria, VA. The airline put us in a nasty hotel about 20 minutes outside Alexandria but a friend alerted us that Old Town Alexandria was beautiful, historic, and a don't-miss. My husband and I and our five kids in tow ubered with all our luggage to Old Town and popped into the Visitor's Center. I begged to leave our bags with them so we could tour around. It isn't something they are used to doing but gladly helped us with the request and locked our bags safely away. Barbara came out from the back and asked if she could take us around on a one-hour tour. Best decision we made. What an amazing town! The people who work at the Visitor's Center were so sweet, kind, considerate and helpful and what could have been a chaotic and hectic day from our unexpected flight cancelation turned into a historic and memorable time for our family. Thank you Visitor's Center of Old Town Alexandria! Be sure to visit them and TAKE THEIR TOUR!

The United States Capitol is absolutely beautiful and a must see when visiting Washington, D.C. The…read morearchitecture is breathtaking, and knowing the history behind it makes it even more meaningful. Learning about the enslaved craftsmen who helped build parts of the Capitol, including many of the stone columns and intricate details, adds an important perspective to the experience. The House of Representatives and Senate chambers were especially impressive. Phones aren't allowed inside, but seeing them in person is something to experience at least once. Be prepared to go through security, and make sure you leave items like pocketknives or pepper spray behind... I learned that lesson the hard way! I highly recommend reserving your tickets ahead of time so you can avoid extra trips through security and make the most of your visit. A beautiful piece of American history that is well worth the time. Hungry? The Thomas Jefferson Baked Macaroni & Cheese is AMAZING! It's a big enough portion to split between two.

I live on Capitol Hill and we constantly have friends and family come to visit us. This is the…read moreFIRST thing I take people to, so I've been on this tour no less than 10 times. It's amazing, but there is a right and wrong way to do this tour. Let me help you out: Go on to the website and get a tour lined up beforehand. You can show up without tickets, but you could end up waiting an hour or more. With the reservation, you breeze into your tour without the anxiety of waiting in a line to find out when you can go on the tour. I've done the line, and it's hit or miss. Get the res. The tour is FREE. This is an amazing service to the public and it's one of the truly fantastic things about DC. They could easily charge but they don't. The tour is excellent. It starts with a short video in a lovely auditorium where you get the full scope. I've seen this video now a dozen times and it's inspiring. Then you get broken up into 1 of 5 groups and assigned a docent who communicates over your own personal radio-headset. You don't see the actual chambers of congress on the tour, but this is something you can do on your own and sit in the gallery during an actual meeting of Congress, if you like. The Rotunda is impressive. The art is museum quality. The halls are hallowed. The information is extensive. Each docent does their tour a little different and they all impart so much information, you would literally need to be on the tour a dozen times to absorb it all. This is an A+ experience in DC and a must if you come to visit. And, frankly, going to the gallery is impressive for only about 20 seconds. You sit above and listen to the presentation of a bill and see a few famous members of our legislative branch, but after 10 minutes, it's exactly like watching C-SPAN. Literally. Go on this tour of the Capitol building. You'll walk away feeling you really saw something worth remembering.

Beautiful!!! Come to the open house. This was an amazing opportunity to see The temple…read more No photos allowed in the interior, but incredible crystal chandeliers, absolutely beautiful furniture, and lots and lots of mirrors.

Fun for a free experience. The crèche display was neat but the room was small so the line took…read moreforever--not ideal with kids. The lights are beautiful but it's a short walk around. Magical for a few minutes.

I'm fairly new to the area, and I am so glad that we found this diamond in the rough…read more We visited Colonial Beach (technically estuary, I think) during a weekday near the end of June, and it was exactly what we were looking for. During our four hours at the beach, I think we saw only 10-13 people in our area. This was absolutely perfect for me because I was looking for a quiet, chill beach experience. Since we visited during the week, parking was not a hassle. The walk from our parking spot to the beach was less than 5 minutes on foot. Also, parking was about $2 an hour, which is not bad because some places charge $5+ per hour. I would image that parking probably is a nightmare during the weekends. From other reviews, I guess we lucked out because we did not have any interaction with jellyfish. Although I saw information about shops and business along the boardwalk, we did not visit any local businesses during our trip. *Hopefully, we'll have a chance to check out some shops during our next visit.* However, I think a lot of places were closed anyway because we did not see many people on the boardwalk in general. If you are used to (or looking for) crystal blue water and fine sand on a beach, this beach might not before you. The water is dark (you're technically in the Potomac River) and the beach itself is quite rocky. I think if you visit without high expectations of experiencing a beach off of the Amalfi Coast or somewhere in the Caribbean, I think you will be fine with a very low-key beach/estuary/river adventure at CBVA.

It was quiet. It wasn't crowded. It was peaceful... BUT... it's so many rocks and bugs in the…read moresand... like millions of these sand flea black crab looking things... it was a very uncomfortable situation. So glad we had chairs because sitting on that beach blanket was awful. Probably won't be back... but it is okay

Walking to visitor office, since this is my first time to this park. The Billy goat trail was…read moreclosed due to the heavy rain we had for the past 10 day from September to the beginning of October, I was a bit disappointedI was hoping to climb.all 13.8 miles up, but I made it to the observation deck to see the Potomac River overflow which was a spectacular view. I managed to walked over 17K steps. I recommend going to this National Park, I paid $20 for the year and I can visit all National parks in the DMV area.

On Sunday during Tony's Birthday Trip, We stopped at Great Falls Tavern Visitors Center. The Great…read moreFalls National Park can be seen on both sides of the Potomac River Gorges, Virginia and Maryland. The fee is $20 per car. Once you pay, your receipt is good for 7 days at any park entry points, including both sides, either states. There is plenty of parking spots and bathroom facility near the parking lot. We went inside the Visitors Center to look at the museum displays, get literature about the park, trails and sites. We took the 1 mile Falls Overlook Trail that took us past the Canal Boat on display. There was many Visitors milling around, biking, walking and enjoying the beautiful weather.

This visitor center is fantastic. Staff are super helpful. Brochures are well organized. It's very…read moreinformative and provides many options of things to do. Stop on in.

This is a beautiful and informative visitor center located at the inner harbor in Baltimore. It…read morehas several panels describing the various areas of Baltimore so you can go and explore all the neighborhoods and things to do and see in Baltimore. The building is located along the water at the inner harbor and has glass windows looking out to the harbor so the surroundings are bright and beautiful. They also have a small gift shop that sells merchandise.

I've walked a lot of battlefields, but Fredericksburg has a gravity all its own. Standing at the…read moreSunken Road, you can almost hear the roar of cannon from Marye's Heights and the futile cries of Union soldiers charging across open ground. This wasn't just another clash of armies -- it was one of the most lopsided assaults of the war, a grim December 1862 where bravery collided head-on with impossible odds. The Visitor Center does a fine job grounding you in the context: Burnside's plan to cross the Rappahannock, the delays with pontoon bridges, and how those hours gave Lee's men the time to dig in. The short film is worth it -- it sets the stage for why this battle became a symbol of both heroism and futility. Walking the field, I couldn't help but note how the terrain dictated the slaughter. The Union army had to charge over nearly half a mile of open plain, with no cover, directly into Confederate firepower. The stone wall at the base of Marye's Heights remains chilling in its simplicity -- a farmer's wall turned fortress. It's said that a single Confederate line repulsed wave after wave of bluecoats, and when you stand behind that wall, you understand how. The driving tour expands the picture. Slaughter Pen Farm, preserved by the American Battlefield Trust, gives you the only full Union attack route still intact. It's haunting to trace those footsteps -- knowing thousands never made it across. Other stops, like Lee's Hill, give you the vantage point the Confederate commander had, surveying the field with grim confidence. It's not all glory -- part of Fredericksburg's story is loss and futility. More Union soldiers fell here in a single day than in many entire campaigns. But it's also where Richard Kirkland, the "Angel of Marye's Heights," earned his legend by bringing water to dying Union soldiers, showing compassion amidst carnage. Yes, the modern world has pressed in -- houses and traffic surround pieces of the field -- but enough remains to feel the weight of what happened here. Preservation efforts have fought hard to keep key ground from disappearing, and walking it today is a testament to both the men who fought and those who saved the land. Tip for history buffs: * Start at the Visitor Center, watch the film, then walk the Sunken Road before driving the tour. * Read first-hand accounts (like Sgt. McCarter's memoirs) before going -- they'll bring the ground to life. * Go early in the morning or late afternoon for solitude -- the quiet amplifies the history.

Interesting exhibits colorful And well maintained…read more Ranger was very nice . Front desk greeter was robotic Hence one star deduction