We took a trip north, making stops in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. Each spot has its own post. In this post, we’ll talk about the places we stayed and things we did during the Washington, D.C. phase, including a campground review, a dog-friendly trail, and tips on riding the D.C. metro.
To learn about the previous two phases of this trip, check out the blog posts on the New Jersey phase and the Philadelphia phase.
In an effort to make our posts easier to navigate, we’re trying out a table of contents. If you’re only interested in a specific part of a post, getting to it should be easier from here on out.
Table of Contents
Where We Stayed
About the Campground
Cherry Hill Park is a gated campground about 10 miles (as the crow flies) northeast of Washington, D.C. They have cottages, cabins, RV sites, tent sites, and yurts. Amenities/activities include pool, hot tub, mini golf, playgrounds, splash pad, and more. There’s also a lot of landscaping, so it’s a very pretty campground.
It’s a tight campground overall; most of the spaces we saw would require a bit of maneuvering to get into, at least in a rig the size of ours. The roads also felt a little narrow. I think the other big downside for us is that, unless you book a premium site, you don’t get to book a specific site. Sites are assigned to you based on length and other factors. (You can make requests, but they’re not guaranteed.)
Those things aside, there are a lot of positives about the campground, and we were impressed. First, there is a gate at the entrance, so you can only get in (with a car anyway) if you’re staying here. We stay at gated and non-gated campgrounds, but it seems like a feature some people might look for.
The other benefit is it’s just over 3 miles to drive from the campground to the Greenbelt Metro Station (entrance to entrance). From there, it’s easy to get almost anywhere in D.C. (I’ll go more into detail about navigating the Metro later.) There is a bus line that stops at the campground (Bus 83) and makes a stop at a different metro station (College Park). However, it turned out to be faster for us to drive to Greenbelt and go from there. When we’re going to be leaving the dogs for several hours at a time, time differences like that matter.
Our Campsite
This is not the place to stay if you’re looking for spacious sites and lots of room between you and your neighbor. There was just enough grass next to our RV for a picnic table. However, we were there to visit D.C., not to spend a ton of time at the campground, so it worked out.
We happened to get the site that was right next to one of the dog parks. Aiken can be a little reactive to other dogs, so we generally try to avoid being so close to one, but it was convenient for early morning and late-night potty breaks. Aiken and Corona even got in a few games of chase.
| Campground Name | Cherry Hill Park |
| Location | College Park, Maryland |
| Dates | April 17-20, 2025 |
| Site Number | Site 1201 |
| Site Surface | gravel, mostly level |
| Hook-ups | Full hookups |
| Cost | $103 per night (including taxes and fees) |
| Water Pressure | 40-50 psi |
| Voltage | 125 V |
| Verizon Speed Test | 164 Mbps down; 15 Mbps up |
| T-Mobile Speed Test | 122 Mbps down; 34 Mbps up |
| Campground WiFi | Oops, forgot! |
Campground Trail
There’s a walking trail around the outside of the campground that we really enjoyed. Parts are close to the highway (with the road noise to prove it), but overall it’s a nice break from walking through the busy campground.
Other Ways to Stay
We were surprised to see two levels of tent sites here. There were regular tent sites (fire ring, flat spot for a tent) and what seemed like fancy tent sites that came with a hammock and gazebo.
Like many campgrounds, Cherry Hill Park has cabins.
What I didn’t expect was the large cottages. We noticed them while walking the dogs around the campground. If you’re traveling with family or meeting up with other families, this looks like a neat option. You can find all the details on this page of the campground’s website.
What We Did
Demystifying the DC Metro
We parked at the Greenbelt metro station. Parking was $5 on weekdays when we were there, but there is free parking and reduced rates on weekends.
As far as figuring out where to go, this trip planner on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority website will create a route (listing lines, stops, etc.) when you to enter your starting point and destination.
Smart Trip in your Google Wallet makes it so easy to get on the metro. Add money to that card and then use it upon entering and leaving the metro station. It was about $6 each way when we got off at the National Archives station.
Tap your phone to open the doors when entering and leaving each station.
After scanning, the screen will display the balance left on your Smart Trip account.
Once we were in the metro stations, the signage was impressive. Many listed train arrival times, later trains, which line, etc. While waiting for our train, we did see one rat down on the tracks, but the trains and stations themselves seemed clean.
Museums
For a self-proclaimed nature nerd, the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History was amazing! The highlights for me were all the different specimens, like the mola mola, oarfish, and maned wolf. We also visited the Air and Space Museum. Our eight-year-old niece enjoyed it all. She was reading everything she possibly could. The highlights for our five-year-old niece was anything with a button, whether she knew how to use it or not.
Jesse and I also visited the Smithsonian National Museum of American History which was more interesting than I expected. There were exhibits focused on food, transportation, and more. The flag that inspired our national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner, was on display.
There was a popular history exhibit with items from movies, TV shows, etc. Items included Dorothy’s ruby red slippers, the signpost from MAS*H, and other items from sports, music, movies, etc.
Memorials and Monuments
I have been to D.C. several times, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial before this trip. It was very impressive. Lots of great quotes and impressive construction.
I did not know there was an Albert Einstein Memorial until this trip. Did you? It seems fitting that it’s located right outside the National Academy of Sciences.
D.C. Sightseeing
We did a lot of walking. In our travels, we saw several non-monument, non-museum things. Some we went to on purpose, while others we just saw on our way to something else.
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building is the building right next to the White House. It’s much prettier than I expected.
The J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building was way more interesting to see than I expected. The whole thing looks like it’s made of concrete and there’s a row of those giant concrete planters in front. Plus it looks like there aren’t actually any offices on the first or second floors. We assume it’s to prevent cars from getting too close. It was interesting to see all the safety measures.
The Waldorf Astoria is beautiful!
We found this impressive structure just before we got to the Air and Space Museum. According to Google Maps, it’s an art sculpture called Delta Solar by Alejandro Otero.
It was also a hit with the local duck population.
We enjoyed this trip. Being in D.C. also gave us ideas for things we want to do the next time we’re here. We started a list.
- International Spy Museum
- National Aquarium
- Pentagon tour
As always, I have to include a few pictures of good trees.
Little Paint Branch Trail
Cherry Hill Road Community Park is only a two-minute drive from the campground. There’s a small parking lot (with a few electric car chargers) with access to the Little Paint Branch Trail.
The trail is paved and popular with walkers, joggers, and cyclists.
There’s also plenty of water access. Aiken thoroughly enjoyed it.
Where We Ate
Museum of Natural History Cafe
We ate lunch in the Smithsonian cafe. I was impressed with the variety of options they had. The chicken tenders were way above average and exceeded my expectations. The hot dog was also pretty good. They even had a selection of fresh fruit. You filled a bowl with as many pieces as you wanted and weighed it at checkout.
Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe
Jesse and I didn’t actually visit, but my sister and nieces stopped here on their way to meet us at the museums. They all gave it good reviews. I sampled a bit of a doissant (“light and fluffy like a doughnut, but buttery and tender like a croissant; covered in cinnamon sugar and glaze”) and it was amazing. Definitely recommend stopping there.
Wildlife
We saw red-winged blackbirds at the campground. They never sat still for very long, so this is the best photo I managed to get.
We did see a rat on the tracks while waiting for the metro, but the station itself seemed clean.
This black squirrel was hanging out on the White House lawn.
These deer certainly got Aiken’s attention when he spotted them on the Little Paint Branch Trail.
He was less interested in the ducks we saw later.
Happy travels!
