I had a one-day trip booked to DC for this weekend (Oct 5/6). My parents have never been to the East Coast and they would not fly to US probably ever again.
We are flying into BWI at ~11AM on Oct 5 and departing BWI ~430PM on Oct 6. My plan was to give my parents a flavor of DC in a day (booked a night at Willard).

Our tickets are nonrefundable. I know there is a thread with all attractions that would remain open. but none of these are first choice attractions for a day trip or attractions that a foreigner thinks about when they associate it to DC.

I am not sure what to do. Should I drive to New York/ Philly instead? I know it is a decently long drive and we might spend time driving and not seeing anything; but I am not sure if staying in DC is worthwhile either.

What do the experienced FTers suggest?

I would like to reiterate that this trip is for my parents, who have never seen any city on the east coast and would probably never visit USA again.

Thanks for the help.

So, what's your question?
Your post doesn't make a lot or sense.
If none of the listed venues that are open are "first choice" attractions for your parents, why would change your trip?

Rereading my post, it doesn't make sense to me! Effect of a sleepless night.

None of the attractions that would remain open are ones my parents wanted to see. My question is : Is there any way I can change my trip to see something worthwhile?

I even thought to driving to New York; but that is probably not a wise decision.

What are your parents' interests? That will have a huge bearing on what you should do.

If they are the type that would spend the entire day at museums and monuments, it might be better to head north (although Baltimore might be a nice compromise).

If they are the type that like to do things like see live music, go shopping, visit festivals, got to bars and meet people, etc., then you should be fine in DC since the shutdown won't affect private social activities. Going right across the river into Virginia will afford you similar facilities to National Parks and museums in the way of State Parks and museums, which are not shut down by the Federal Government. Old Town Alexandria in Virginia is a nice alternative to some of the landmarks in DC, and maybe more representative of the East Coast that DC is. Old Town Alexandria is also accessible by subway (Blue/Yellow Line).

IMO DC is still a unique and pretty city even if you can't enter federal government attractions. You can still enjoy the wide streets, parks, building exteriors (will the monuments be lit up at night?), Georgetown, etc. With any luck, the city will be uncrowded. Plus the Willard is a special hotel.

If the tickets are nonrefundable and your airline isn't offering a waiver, there isn't much choice. Driving to NYC would be miserable.

You might want to spend part of a day away from DC itself, perhaps at the Baltimore Inner Harbor and Acquarium or in Annapolis, a charming historic small town but check whether you can enter the Naval Academy Grounds. This would require a rental car. The eastern shore (of Maryland) can be pleasant too, but it's far.

ADDED: I like the idea of Old Town Alexandria. I don't know what interesting nearby state parks are in Virginia. Also farther away in Virginia, there's Charlottesville (state capital), the Shenandoah Valley, Roanoke (are the attractions federal?), and the SkyLine Drive. Pipestem and Blackwater Falls are good state parks, but again the distances are too far.

Nearby state parks/private parks that are worth checking out are (among others):

• Leesylvania - Home of the Lee Family and natural area on the banks of the Potomac River.
• Mount Vernon - George Washington's Estate
• Gunston Hall - George Mason's Estate

Charlottesville is about a 2-hour drive from DC, but is worth it as the drive is very scenic through the foothills. There are hundreds of vineyards and breweries in that area as well as Monticello and Montpelier (Thomas Jefferson and James Madison's plantations) and the University of Virginia. Note that Richmond is the capital of Virginia, not Charlottesville.

Richmond is a little more young-skewing, so assuming your parents aren't 25 years old, it's probably not going to be their scene.

Skyline Drive would be an excellent drive to see the countryside, but it is in a National Park, so it would be closed.

My parents are love scenic landscapes and cityscapes. They can spend weeks in museums; hate shopping or partying while on a trip.

Thanks for the suggestions. It seems Old town Alexandria is my best bet. Though I am not sure if there's enough for a day. Skyline drive though far could have been an option. But I read that Skyline drive has been closed.

Ideally, I would say to go to Charlottesville if they like the countryside and quaint old cities, but if the distance is an issue I would think that a combination of walking around downtown and viewing the monuments from the mall and visiting Old Town would easily take a whole day.

Let me know if you need any help.

The Capitol , White hose and Washington monument arent covered in tarps....

With the limited amount of time you have, looking at the monuments and buildings from the outside without trying to fit in museum visits and tours sounds like a good idea. The weather has been great.

Thanks all for the replies.

I would have to sit down and re-draft my plans. Would it be a better idea to stay in Arlington/Alexandria with the new plan to concentrating mostly on Alexandria?

I would get a rental car

As others have suggested, many of the key monuments and sights in Washington will still be visible, you just won't be able to enter them. So you can do a nice drive/walk around the mall, see the White House, Capitol, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, etc. You just won't be able to enter any of them.

Arlington Cemetery is open and can be very moving as is Mount Vernon.

Old Town Alexandria is a very pretty, but beyond that, its attractions are very much in the shopping, dining vein. There aren't many museums in Alexandria, and frankly, for the most part, don't measure up to many of the second level museums which are open in Washington. Many cities would be proud to call the Corcoran or the Philips their primary art gallery and the architecture of the National Cathedral is spectacular. You can also find history there in the form of the Moon Rock window and Woodrow Wilson's grave.

You are really talking about only 24 hours in Washington. It is a shame that the shutdown has affected your plans, but I still think that even without leaving DC, there is plenty to do that will appeal to your parents, and 24 hours would not have allowed you time to do more than enter a few of the sights which are currently closed anyway. To turn a negative into a positive, this way your parents will see things which the average tourist does not, getting a different slice of Washington from the standard checklist.

I certainly see no point in spending additional time to get to Philadelphia or New York. The combination of the distance and the fact that a number of their sights are closed as well (Independence Hall, Statue of Liberty, for example) just doesn't fly.

Based on all your inputs: Here's my rough itinerary:

Saturday

11Am pick up rental car from BWI, drive to Franciscan Monastery (tour at 12PM?). Spend some more time at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

2PM- drive to willard and check in (any idea where to park with in-out privileges? Willard charges $42)

3PM: Visit Newseum.

5PM: Visit Madame Tussauds (my parents have never been to one)

7Pm: grab dinner to go (suggestions?), drive back to Willard, early dinner and rest.

8PM: If the monuments are still lit, drive around the national monuments, see the reflection pool.

If the monuments are not lit, what would be a good place to visit ~8PM?

Sunday

morning: stroll around National Mall/ Capitol Hill. See it by day.

10AM- check out and visit National Cathedral, drive by Georgetown, grab crab cake sandwich from CF folks

12Pm: Visit Arlington national Cemetery

1Pm start from Cemetery, drive to IAD and then to BWI (parents' flight from IAD ~5PM, my flight from BWI to west coast ~430PM)

Does this sound like a good plan? Would love your feedback about the itinerary and suggestions for restaurants to carry out food from.

Edited to Add: The times here are approximate. We normally don't rush; so a few of these can be skipped

CF Folks is only open Monday to Friday.

The monuments are still lit and you can get very close. I passed through the Mall on my run this evening from west of the Lincoln Memorial past the WWII and Washington Monuments before turning north back toward home. You can take photos, too, and many folks were doing so today just as usual.