We visited Washington, D.C. to experience the Great American State Fair and the celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary.
This isn’t our first trip to D.C., so I’m going to try not to repeat information in this post. Check out our post from April 2025 for details from our previous trip and some tips on using the D.C. Metro.
I-95 Travel Tip (Exit 104 near Ruther Glen, Virginia)
If you’re towing an RV on I-95 and need a place to stop in Virginia, we highly recommend the McDonald’s off of this exit. There’s RV parking, shaded picnic tables, and a grassy area to let your dogs sniff and stretch their legs. It’s also a pretty quiet spot.
We first stopped at the nearby Love’s for fuel. From there, it couldn’t be easier to get to McDonald’s, and it was much nicer than trying to park at the noisy, crowded truck stop. (Plus, if a truck stop is crowded, we try not to take up a parking spot that an actual trucker might need.)
On the right side of the following image are the pull-through parking spots for RVs. On the left side is the McDonald’s drive through.
This next picture was taken from the RV spots. There’s a lovely grassy area next to the parking lot with a few picnic tables. It’s perfect for dogs (or kids) to stretch their legs!
This final image shows the RV parking spots with a picnic area next to it and the McDonald’s drive through behind them.
Where We Stayed
Cherry Hill Park
About the Campground
We stayed at Cherry Hill Park during our previous Washington, D.C. visit. For the sake of a shorter post, I’m going to skim over most of the campground details. See our post from April 2025 for more campground details, and see the amenities page on the campground’s website for a full list of what they offer.
The pools are pretty impressive. They have two pools and a hot tub in one area and a separate kids splash pad closer to the park entrance.
They also sell food. There’s a small restaurant by the pools that sells pizza, burgers, ice cream, and more. We tried the ice cream and were actually pretty impressed!
Use the QR code on the poolside tables to order and have your food delivered right to you. You can even have your order delivered to your campsite!
Their camp store is impressiv. They have everything from basic groceries to cute gifts.
| Campground Name | Cherry Hill Park |
| Location | College Park, MD |
| Dates | July 1-5, 2026 |
| Site Number | Site 301 |
| Site Surface | paved and level |
| Hook-ups | Full hookups |
| Water Pressure | Forgot to write it down! |
| Voltage | Forgot to write it down! |
| Campground WiFi Speed Test | 26 Mbps down; 26 Mbps up |
Our Campsite
The sites here are fairly small and close together, but I think that’s to be expected given the area we’re in. We stayed on a corner site that was only about 100 feet from our RV to the campground’s bus stop. If you plan to use the bus for tours (through the campground) or the regular bus to get to the Metro station, this would be a great site.
The site was level side to side, so we didn’t need our red leveling blocks.
What We Did
The Great America State Fair
Overview
The website describes it as a “world-class exposition and modern-day World’s Fair.” Granted, we were only there for a few days, but calling it a “modern-day World’s Fair” feels like a bit of a stretch.
There were two entrances to the Great American State Fair, each with metal detectors and long lines.
After making it through security, you see the first of multiple large “tents” on the National Mall. I say “tent” because they were made to look like buildings from a distance. When you got up close, you could see they were temporary structures without solid walls. Some held the state booths; others held various exhibits from SpaceX, National Geographic, and more. There was a Ferris wheel, and two food “tents.” (We discovered that the two were not created equal. The choices were much better in the one closer to the entrance.)
The first day we went, the crowds weren’t bad. Every day closer to the weekend brought more and more people.
The SpaceX exhibit included a life-size model of the underside of Starship suspended from the ceiling.
There was also a 1:72 scale model of Starship for comparison. Personally, space exploration is generally very low on the list of things that interest me, but this was cool to see.
State passport and booths
Every state had a space where they could set up and provie information about their state. I don’t know how each state figured out the logistics of that (budget, design, who staffed the booth, etc.), but you could tell states put in varying amounts of funding and effort.
Florida had the most impressive setup by far! We were able to see it on the first day without much of a wait. I’m so glad we did, because every other time we passed it, there were at least 20 people in line to get it (sometimes significantly more).
Florida was handing out small alligator or manatee stuffed animals. Another state was handing out oranges and small apples. Tennessee was handing out red, white, and blue Little Debbie snack cakes.
Colorado had a really cool interactive game to play. You say in the back half of a canoe, looking out at the river (aka a TV screen) while you explored the river presented on the screen.
Everyone got a “passport” when they arrived at the fair. In it was a page for each state. As you went around to the different state booths, you could get that state’s page stamped.
Air Show
We watched a portion of the air show from the comfort of a shaded picnic table while we ate a pretzel. Overall, I’d consider that an improvement to the crowded, sunny airstrip that is usually required for an air show.
In addition, I think we saw some things that generally don’t make an appearance at most traditional air shows, like this B2 Spirit (we think).
Weather
It wouldn’t be a complete account of the trip if I didn’t mention the heat. I believe there was record-breaking heat for the area while we were there, so it was not an ideal time to be spending hours outside in the afternoons.
On Friday, July 3rd, we came out of one of the tents to see people walking in large groups toward the exits. We saw a sign saying the event was postponed. It was about 1:00 PM. They were making everyone leave until 5:00 PM. We overheard an employee saying the medics were seeing too many people for heat-related issues.
We had no intention of hanging around for 4 hours only to get back in the security line to come back at 5:00, so back to the campground we went.
Originally, we planned to attend the Independence Day Parade on Saturday, July 4th, but that was cancelled due to the heat.
Washington, D.C. Travel Tip
Did you know many of these government buildings have a food court inside?
We found ourselves in D.C. with a good bit of time before the State Fair opened. Google Maps said there was a Panera nearby, so off we went. It turned out it was in the Ronald Reagan Building.
You have to go through security (metal detectors and such), but the building is open to the public. After finding Panera by itself, we kept wandering and eventually stumbled upon a pretty nice food court. There was so much seating! I was also surprised at the variety of food options. Seems like a good place to go if you have a big group and everyone’s in the mood for something different.
Apparently, this isn’t the only building like this. If you’re in D.C. and need a place to sit, something to eat/drink, or a break from the heat (or cold), see if you’re near one of these hidden food courts.
Fireworks
We attempted to watch fireworks on the night of July 4th. We took the metro and walked to a spot on Pennsylvania Avenue diagonal from the Washington Monument. (It’s called Pershing Park on Google Maps.) I don’t think I have ever seen so many people in one place before! It kept getting more and more crowded. They had to postpone things because of storms in the area (yes, it was raining for some of the time we were out there). Eventually, we realized the speeches wouldn’t start until maybe 10:30 or 11:00. We didn’t know how long the speeches would go, but we started to think about the mass exodus when it was all over. The more we thought, the more we worried about the metro filling up and making it impossible to get back to the dogs. Eventually we walked to our metro stop and waited there, figuring we were close enough to our stop that we’d at least be able to get on before the crazy crowds if we watched from there. I think about 11:30 we gave up and went back.
Pentagon Tour
We signed up for a tour at the Pentagon. It was free, but Jesse had to sign up well in advance. I believe reservations open 90 days in advance, and you must sign up at least 30 days before the date you want. There is limited space in each tour, and spots do fill up. Naturally, security is taken seriously for these tours. That’s the main reason you must sign up so far in advance; they need time to run a security check on everyone.
To get it, we had to have a REAL ID or a passport. There was a small gift shop in the area they had us wait before the tour. Photography was allowed there, but it was not allowed on the tour. This is the only photo I got of our Pentagon experience.
Before the tour started, we had to put our phones and smart watches (anything with bluetooth capability) in a lock box.
After all of that, honestly, I was underwhelmed and I think there’s a lot of room for improvement. The tour guides were difficult to understand. It sounded more like rushing through a memorized speech than conversational sharing of information. Quality of the guides aside, the information itself wasn’t actually that interesting. At one point, we walked through a hallway with historical exhibits. The guide briefly talked about one or two of the events, but we were standing much too far away to read anything in the exhibits. They touched on the effects of September 11th and took us to a room that was turned into a memorial for those on the base who were killed that day.
I think the most interesting part of the tour was the beginning when they talked about how many miles of hallways or the number of people on the base. I was surprised at the number of restaurants there were, but it makes sense when you realize that people are living there. They have access to to almost anything you could want without leaving the base: a barber, a post office, fast-food restaurants, etc.
Several years ago, Jesse wrote to a local representative and we got a tour of the Capitol. I remember that being far more interesting than I expected. I know they can’t be giving away secrets of national security on these Pentagon tours, but I still think there’s room for improvement.
Delightful Surprises
From Metro to Mall?
It was on this trip that I learned that if you can get to the Metro in D.C., you can get to an indoor mall, no car required. Take the yellow line to the Pentagon City stop to reach Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, a large indoor mall. Their website claims there are more than 150 stores and restaurants.
The Coolest Picnic Tables
Near the corner on Indiana Avenue NW and 7th Street NW are the coolest picnic tables I think I’ve ever seen. (Look for Temperance Fountain on Google Maps.) The table surface is securely attached, but the seats are basically swings. We saw them in passing on our way, so we didn’t get to try them out, but if you’re inthe area, I highly recommend you find breakfast or lunch nearby and have a picnic at one of these fabulous picnic tables.
List for Next Time
There’s never enough time to see everything. Here’s our list of things we want to see/do the next time we’re in this area.
- U.S. Park Police Horse Stables: We tried to visit the police stables, but they had the nearby roads blocked off, so we couldn’t get there.
- Spy Museum: This might turn out to be one of those things that’s really cool for kids but not for adults, but I still want to go once.
- White House tour: We tried to sign up for a White House tour, but they weren’t offering them on the day we would have been able to go.
- Library of Congress tour
Where We Ate
Street Burger
To get a break from the heat, we left the fair on Thursday to get lunch in an air conditioned restaurant.
Street Burger is basically two restaurants in one: Street Burger and Street Pizza. Stree Pizza is on the main level; Street Pizza is downstairs. We both ordered burgers, so I’m not sure what happens is some people in the group want pizza and others want burgers. I assume it’s allowed, but I don’t know that for sure.
The burgers were ok, but the best part about them was the cold drinks and AC. I did not make a note of the tottal bill, but remember feeling it was expensive for an average burger. I’m not sure we’d go there again without trying a few other places first.
Donut King
We met up with one of Jesse’s relatives who lives in the area. After going for a run, we went to a place called Donut King.
They have all kinds of delicious things there. They serve breakfast and lunch. They have coffe, donuts, bagels, other pasteries, and so much more. Would definitely come again!
Wildlife
We didn’t see much wildlife on this trip. The one noteworthy excption is this crow fledgling we found in the picnic area of the Great American State Fair. I watched him hop around while we ate, and he eventually made his way over to our table. He was not at all afraid of us. He even sat on my shoe for a few minutes.
I really hope his parents were somewhere nearby. My brief Internet research makes me think he wasn’t ill or injured, just too young to fly.
We also saw this lovely green heron at the campground.
Happy travels!
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