Quantico, VA options for cruising and sights

[aaron1085]

I frequent Assateague! Lets riddddeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

I lived in OCMD as a kid and havent been back in 10 years...much less old enough to drive on the island. (I'm 36 now) and have a Raptor, life is nearly complete .

When do you usually head out there and are there any things I should know as far as what time of day I should get there and if there are any closers or restricted traffic times now that we are after labor day; if that affects anything?

I'd likely swing up to OCMD and grab a hotel for the night afterwards and then head back to Quantico the following day.

 

[aaron1085]

3 & 4 are ok, but for all the rest you will be accompanied by 10-20 thousand of your closest motoring friends, guaranteed. And that’s on a weekday.

Stay OUT of Fairfax entirely. If you don’t mind traffic, definitely a LOT of colonial history, but you will be sitting in traffic. A LOT. Loudon is the fastest growing county on the East coast, so it’s currently battling Fairfax for how to stuff the most humans on to the smallest amount of land. Think of Northern Virginia as “South New Jersey”.

Snickersville tpk. isn’t bad or busy, or 211 / 33 out near skyline, but stay away from Skyline or BR parkway in “leaf viewing” season. It will be like being stuck in city traffic, stop and go, but no stop lights and surrounded by “caravaners”, and there’s always one who can’t make it to the 2600 foot high point, only able to sustain 18-20mph as their 18 year old RV towing a camp trailer spews out blue smoke to rival a James Bond movie.

Route 9 out to Harpers Ferry isn’t bad most days, or it wasn’t as recent as a few years ago. From there you can get some good scenery in WV and head back.

Great insights, thank you so much. I think I will check out the loop around GW National Park and Great Falls and then another weekend check out some of the other spots. There is even a dirt road loop of about 42 miles through the Northwestern parts of Leesbrug, VA areas. (#5 on the list in the link)

Any fairs coming up in September/October around here?

 

[Donovan]

Shoot a message man when you roll or post the finalized date here.. I'm out of pocket on the 1st but can swing up there any other time really.

We may know each other I am near your age.

 

[aaron1085]

Skyline Drive!

Can you give me some better insight as to where exactly the views are and how to get there?

 

[Diablo]

National Museum of the Marine Corps
1775 Semper Fidelis Way
Triangle, VA 22172
open 0900 - 1700 each day (except Christmas)
Free admission

 

[smurfslayer]

Can you give me some better insight as to where exactly the views are and how to get there?

“You go west on 66...” ( the universal direction component in VA ).

In your case, take either 3000 / PW parkway or maybe 17 to 66 west. Skyline is out toward the junction with 81.

 

[aaron1085]

National Museum of the Marine Corps
1775 Semper Fidelis Way
Triangle, VA 22172
open 0900 - 1700 each day (except Christmas)
Free admission

VERY cool place, I went with some co-workers down here. I did not have the honor of serving our country but it was great to visit and learn! Thank you!

 

[smurfslayer]

Well, if we’re talking cool places to visit and you are in the northern VA area, you must hit up Mount Vernon, home to General and then President Washington. Because we wouldn’t have a Marine Corps without the General, much less a country. Stop by his reconstructed distillery as well; yeah, in addition to being

a surveyor
a famed and renowned dancer
a farmer / gardener
General of the Continental Army
chair of the constitutional convention
The only unanimously elected president
Twice.
he was also the preeminent distiller of his day.

And he did it all without social media!

 

[Donovan]

What we doing?!?!?

 

[smurfslayer]

What we doing?!?!?

Well, whatever you choose, add in another 25% for time spent in DC metro traffic