D.C. - Gateway to Virginia

By Richard Carroll

For those camping or on a budget holiday, the Lake Fairfax County Park in Reston, Virginia, at 1400 Lake Fairfax Drive, is only 18 miles from Washington, D.C. The expansive park and campground has electrical hookups for 70 sites and a 20-acre lake. (703) 471-5414.

A Metrobus stops at the park entrance on Route 606 and connects to the D.C. Metrorail station and the steps of Loews L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in the heart of D.C.

This personalized and homey hotel, a D.C. favorite with veteran travelers, offers fine dining and elegance along with a good neighbor policy that includes on-going food donations, fund raisers and a hotel recycling program.

The property is within walking distance of the White House, the Holocaust Museum, the National Mall (between the Washington Monument and the Capitol), and the sprawling Smithsonian Institution with some 16 museums, nine of which are along the National Mall.

The Holocaust Museum is the most sought-after ticket in town and is often available through concierge George Ochoa. (800) 800-23-LOEWS; (202) 484-1000.

All Photography Copyright Donna Carroll