Ride the Capital Wheel to the top of its 180-foot loop and the layout of National Harbor finally makes sense. The Washington Monument and the Capitol are upriver to the north, Old Town Alexandria sits across the Potomac in Virginia, and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge carries the Beltway past close enough to count the trucks. Almost everything below you has opened since 2008: a 300-acre waterfront development in Prince George’s County, Maryland, with a marina, a convention resort, a grid of walkable streets full of restaurants and, up on the bluff, a casino.

The short version: National Harbor is a free-to-wander waterfront district about 10 miles south of the National Mall, and most people come for an afternoon and an evening rather than a week. You pay for parking ($5 to $25 in the public garages), the Capital Wheel ($18 per adult, plus tax) and whatever you eat, drink or lose at MGM. Half a day covers the waterfront. A full day adds MGM National Harbor, Tanger Outlets or a water taxi across to Old Town Alexandria. Demand peaks in June and again in the Christmas season, when the Gaylord National’s ICE! exhibit and Saturday-night fireworks draw the biggest crowds.

Every price, date and rule below was checked against the operators’ and agencies’ own websites on September 23, 2026. Two recent changes still trip people up: MGM National Harbor started charging non-members to park on July 13, 2026, and the old NH1 and NH2 Metrobus routes disappeared in June 2025. Both are covered below. Hotel rates change daily, so we explain what drives them rather than quoting them.

On this page: At a glance · Who it suits · Where it is · Getting there · Parking · Things to do · MGM · Gaylord and ICE! · Hotels · Restaurants · Shopping · With kids · Christmas and events · When to go · Day plans and costs · Nearby · What to skip · FAQ

National Harbor at a glance

Question	Answer (checked September 2026)
Where is it?	Oxon Hill, Prince George’s County, Maryland, at the Maryland end of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (I-95/I-495). About 10 miles south of the National Mall by road; Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, is directly across the river.
Is it in DC?	No. It’s in Maryland: a census-designated place of about 5,500 residents (2020 census) built around a privately developed waterfront.
What does it cost to get in?	Nothing. The streets, the pier, the beach and The Awakening are free. You pay for parking and attractions.
Parking	Public garages $5 for up to 90 minutes, rising to $25 for 4.5 to 24 hours; street meters $3 an hour with a 2-hour limit. MGM charges non-members $15; Gaylord self-parking starts at $22 plus tax.
Without a car	Potomac Water Taxi from Old Town Alexandria (around $22 per adult one way in 2026, more on weekends); Metrobus P90 from King Street–Old Town station ($2.25); a rideshare takes 17 to 20 minutes from downtown DC without traffic.
The Capital Wheel	180 feet high, 12- to 15-minute flights; $18 adults, $14.50 children, plus tax; under 2 ride free.
How long to spend	3 to 4 hours for the waterfront; a full day with MGM, Tanger Outlets or a water-taxi hop to Alexandria.
Best time	Spring and early-fall evenings for the wheel at sunset; mid-November to early January for ICE! and the fireworks, if you can live with crowds.
Big dates, 2026	Tree lighting and fireworks Saturday, November 7; fireworks every Saturday at 5:30 p.m. through December 26; ICE! November 14, 2026 to January 3, 2027.
Good to know	MGM’s gaming floor is 21 and over. The carousel runs only Friday to Sunday in fall. The Gaylord is cashless.

Is it worth the trip? Who National Harbor suits

In practice, the harbor draws four kinds of visitors, and each wants something slightly different from it:

• Couples and friends from the DC area come for dinner, a drink by the water and the wheel at sunset. Three to four hours and one garage ticket cover it.
• Families come for the free sculpture and beach, the carousel, the wheel and, in December, the Gaylord’s ICE! exhibit and snow tubing. Afternoons work best, before small children fade.
• Casino and concert crowds head straight to MGM National Harbor on the bluff and may never walk down to the water, which is a shame on a clear evening.
• Convention and business travelers fill the Gaylord midweek. If that’s you, the waterfront is your evening, and the water taxi to Old Town is the best way to see something different after the sessions end.

Who tends to be disappointed? People expecting a historic harbor town like Annapolis, and first-time visitors to Washington who booked a cheaper room here without realizing how much time they’d spend getting into the city. Both are avoidable, and both are covered in the sections on getting there and where to stay.

Where National Harbor is, and how it came to be

National Harbor sits on the Maryland bank of the Potomac in Oxon Hill, Prince George’s County, right where the Woodrow Wilson Bridge lands. The waterfront faces west across the river to Old Town Alexandria, which is why the sunsets are good. Downtown DC is about 10 miles north by road, 17 to 20 minutes with no traffic and a good deal longer at rush hour. Reagan National Airport is about 8 miles away, roughly 21 minutes’ drive.

Think of it as three places, and you’ll save yourself some walking. The waterfront district is the grid of streets (Waterfront Street, National Plaza, American Way, Fleet Street) between the Gaylord National at the south end and the Capital Wheel on the pier, with most restaurants, hotels and public garages. MGM National Harbor sits on the bluff to the northeast, under a mile away as the crow flies but 1.7 miles by road. Tanger Outlets is beside MGM on Oxon Hill Road, about 1.5 miles by road from the water.

The site was once the Salubria plantation, whose house dated to 1827. The Peterson Companies developed the modern waterfront, and it opened in stages: the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on April 1, 2008; Tanger Outlets in November 2013; the Capital Wheel in 2014; and MGM National Harbor on December 8, 2016. The destination says it now draws more than 15 million visitors a year, a figure it supplies itself.

The next big change is still on paper. In January 2026, the State of Maryland, Prince George’s County, the Peterson Companies and Sphere Entertainment announced a 6,000-seat Sphere venue for National Harbor, a smaller version of the Las Vegas original. Reports during 2026 put a groundbreaking in late 2027 at the earliest and an opening around 2030, so treat any date you see as tentative. For now it matters mostly because MGM cited the growth it expects nearby, the Sphere included, when it started charging for parking.

How to get to National Harbor

Most visitors drive, and the place is built for it: garages on every block and no Metro station. There are three decent alternatives, though, and one of them, the water taxi, is an outing in itself.

Option	From	Time	Cost (checked September 2026)	Best for
Car	DC, the Maryland and Virginia suburbs, Baltimore	17 to 20 minutes from downtown DC; about an hour from Baltimore (no traffic)	Public garages $5 to $25	Families, evenings, anyone combining MGM or Tanger
Potomac Water Taxi	Old Town Alexandria, with connections from The Wharf and Georgetown	A short river crossing; check the day’s schedule	Around $22 per adult one way, more on weekends; under 3 free	Pairing Old Town and the harbor in one day
Metrobus P90	King Street–Old Town station (Blue and Yellow lines)	About 20 minutes; every 30 minutes on weekdays	$2.25	Budget trips, visitors staying in Alexandria
Metrobus P94	Suitland station (Green Line)	Longer, through Prince George’s County	$2.25	Riders coming from the Maryland side
Rideshare or taxi	Anywhere	17 to 22 minutes from downtown DC or Reagan National without traffic	Dynamic; rises with demand	Late nights and one-way trips
On foot or by bike	Alexandria, over the Wilson Bridge	A 1.1-mile bridge crossing plus the approaches	Free; Capital Bikeshare is available at the harbor	Fit visitors on a dry, mild day

Driving, and how long it takes

Signed exits from the Capital Beltway (I-95/I-495) and from I-295 lead straight into National Harbor. There are no tolls between DC or Baltimore and the harbor, and no Chesapeake Bay Bridge to cross; drivers coming from Philadelphia or New York pay the usual I-95 tolls farther north. These are free-flow times from routing software, checked in September 2026, so add plenty for weekday rush hours on the Beltway and I-295:

From	Distance	Drive time without traffic
Old Town Alexandria (King Street station)	5 to 6 miles	11 to 12 minutes
Reagan National Airport	8 to 9 miles	About 21 minutes
National Mall or Union Station, DC	9.5 to 10 miles	17 to 19 minutes
BWI Airport	38 miles	About 57 minutes
Dulles Airport	35 to 36 miles	About 1 hour
Baltimore Inner Harbor	44 to 50 miles	55 minutes to 1 hour 6 minutes
Richmond, Virginia	105 miles	1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 5 minutes
Wilmington, Delaware	114 to 119 miles	2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes
Philadelphia	142 to 150 miles	2 hours 35 minutes to 3 hours 10 minutes
New York (Times Square)	233 to 238 miles	4 to 5 hours
Pittsburgh	257 miles	4 hours 15 minutes to 5 hours 10 minutes

If you’re flying in, Reagan National is the obvious airport: close enough that a rideshare usually beats the hassle of a rental car if you’re staying at the harbor and not planning to drive anywhere else. BWI and Dulles are both about an hour away without traffic.

The water taxi from Old Town Alexandria

The most enjoyable way to arrive is by boat. City Cruises runs the Potomac Water Taxi from the National Harbor Marina pier at 145 National Plaza across the river to Old Town Alexandria, where other routes continue to The Wharf in Southwest DC and to Georgetown. The 2026 season started on March 6, and the operator says its boats run from March to December and are canceled only when the Coast Guard closes the river. Its own 2026 rider guide puts a typical adult fare at around $22, higher on weekends; children under 3 ride free, and season passes are sold. Buy tickets online in advance or at the booth on the day, and check the Potomac Water Taxi schedule for your date before you plan dinner around the last boat.

Our take: ride it at least one way if you’re visiting both waterfronts. The crossing gives you the best view of National Harbor, you skip paying for parking twice, and Old Town’s King Street shops and restaurants make a very different half-day from the harbor’s newer streets. From downtown DC it’s slower than driving, since National Harbor’s boats run to and from Old Town, where the DC routes connect.

Metrobus: the P90 and P94

There’s no Metrorail station at National Harbor, and the bus routes changed in 2025, so older directions are wrong. The NH1 and NH2 buses ended on June 29, 2025, when WMATA’s redesigned Better Bus network took over. Their replacements:

• P90 runs from King Street–Old Town station in Alexandria (Blue and Yellow lines) across the Wilson Bridge to National Harbor, then on to Suitland. On weekdays a bus leaves King Street every 30 minutes from 6:04 a.m. to 12:20 a.m. and reaches the St. George Boulevard and Waterfront Street stop in 20 to 22 minutes, according to the P90 timetable effective December 14, 2025.
• P94 links National Harbor with Suitland station on the Green Line.

The bus fare is $2.25, and transfers between bus and rail within two hours earn a $2.25 discount (WMATA fares, checked September 2026). From downtown DC, the practical route is the Yellow or Blue Line to King Street–Old Town, then the P90. It’s the cheapest way here and a sensible one by day. Weekend buses run to a different timetable, so check WMATA’s trip planner before a Saturday or Sunday trip, and know when the last bus leaves if you’re staying for the fireworks or a show.

Rideshare and taxis

Uber, Lyft and taxis can drop you at the waterfront or at either resort’s entrance. Without traffic, it’s 17 to 19 minutes from the National Mall or Union Station and about 21 minutes from Reagan National. Fares are dynamic and climb when a sold-out show at MGM or a fireworks night ends and everyone leaves at once, so compare prices before you book, or linger over dessert until the rush passes.

On foot or by bike over the Wilson Bridge

The Woodrow Wilson Bridge carries a 12-foot-wide path for walkers and cyclists on its north span, 1.1 miles long with overlooks, which opened in 2009. It links the Alexandria riverfront with the Maryland shore at National Harbor, so on a clear, mild day you can walk or pedal from Old Town and take the water taxi back. Capital Bikeshare is listed among National Harbor’s services if you’d rather not bring your own bike. In July heat, or in a stiff winter wind, this is a worse idea than it looks on the map.

Parking at National Harbor: garages, lots and rates

Parking is the one cost nearly every visitor pays, and the public rates are simple. The three garages in the waterfront district share one rate card and stay open around the clock. These are the rates on National Harbor’s parking page in September 2026; the page notes that they can change on event dates.

Where	Location	Hours	Rates (checked September 2026)
Fleet Garage	Fleet Street and Potomac Passage	24 hours	$5 up to 1.5 hours; $15 up to 3; $20 up to 4.5; $25 up to 24. EV charging on P3.
Mariner Garage	Waterfront Street and Mariner Passage	24 hours	Same as Fleet. EV charging on P1.
St. George Garage	St. George Boulevard and Waterman Passage	24 hours	Same as Fleet. EV charging on P1.
Plateau Lot	250 Waterfront Street	24 hours	Same bands as the garages, plus fees
Spirit Park Lot	137 National Plaza	6 a.m. to 10 p.m.	$5 up to 1 hour; $15 up to 2; $20 up to 3; $25 up to 24; plus fees
Street meters	Around the waterfront district	As posted	$3 an hour ($0.25 per 5 minutes); 2-hour limit
MGM National Harbor garage	101 MGM National Ave	Resort garage	$15 self-parking for non-members since July 13, 2026; free for MGM Rewards members
Gaylord National garage	201 Waterfront Street	Resort garage	Self-parking from $22 plus tax; valet from $43 plus tax

How to pay less:

• Watch the steps. Garage rates jump at 1.5, 3 and 4.5 hours. A dinner-and-wheel evening usually lands in the $15 or $20 band; stay past 4.5 hours and you’ve hit the $25 daily rate, so you may as well take your time.
• Use a meter for a short stop. For stays between 90 minutes and 2 hours, a meter costs $4.50 to $6 against $15 in a garage, if you can find a free space.
• Join MGM Rewards before you go. Membership is free, and members still park free at MGM, while non-members have paid $15 since July 13, 2026.
• Don’t default to the Gaylord garage for ICE! Self-parking there starts at $22 plus tax, while a public garage a short walk away charges $15 for up to three hours outside event pricing, which covers most ICE! visits.
• Book ahead on big nights. National Harbor points drivers to parking.com for prepaid spaces, and its garages work with Metropolis, an app that reads your plate at the gate so you don’t stop to pay.

Things to do at National Harbor

The waterfront district is compact enough to cover on foot, and most of what’s there costs nothing. This table covers the main draws; the sections after it add the details that decide whether each one is worth your time.

Attraction	What it is	Cost (checked September 2026)	Time	Best for
The Capital Wheel	180-foot observation wheel on the pier, 42 enclosed gondolas	$18 adults, $14.50 children, plus tax; under 2 free	12- to 15-minute ride, plus the line	Sunset, first-timers
The Awakening	72-foot aluminum giant rising from a small beach	Free	15 to 30 minutes	Photos, kids
Spirit Park	Flag plaza with a 177.7-foot flagpole, bronze sculptures and a stage	Free	15 minutes	Events, a quiet sit
Spirit Park Carousel	36-foot carousel with 28 hand-painted animals and creatures	Price not posted online; pay on site	20 to 30 minutes	Young kids (fall: Friday to Sunday only)
The pier and marina	Promenade to the wheel, the Flight Deck lounge and the water taxi	Free	30 minutes	Sunset views
Gaylord National atrium	19-story glass atrium inside the resort	Free to walk through	30 minutes	Rainy days, December
MGM National Harbor	Casino resort with a 3,000-seat theater and a conservatory	Free to enter; gaming 21+	1 to 3 hours	Adults, shows
Tanger Outlets	80-plus outlet stores beside MGM	Free	2 to 3 hours	Shoppers
Water taxi to Old Town	River crossing to Alexandria, Virginia	Around $22 per adult one way	Half a day with Old Town	Two waterfronts in one trip
Topgolf, Escapology, Muse Paintbar	Games, escape rooms and a painting studio	Varies by activity	1 to 2 hours	Groups, rainy days

The Capital Wheel

The wheel stands at the end of the pier and is what everyone photographs. It rises 180 feet over the river, and each of its 42 gondolas is enclosed, heated and air-conditioned, holding four to six adults. A flight takes 12 to 15 minutes. On a clear evening you get the Washington Monument and the Capitol to the north, Old Town Alexandria across the water and the traffic on the Wilson Bridge alongside.

Plan it: $18 adults and $14.50 children, plus tax (checked September 2026). Children under 2 ride free with an adult; military tickets are $16.50 at the ticket booth only. The VIP gondola, called National Harbor One, costs $50 a person for up to four. Hours change by day and season (it ran from noon to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23, 2026), so check the calendar on the Capital Wheel’s website before you go. High wind, lightning, freezing temperatures, snow or ice can close it temporarily. Every gondola takes wheelchairs, with a 32-inch door and a ramp, and service animals are allowed.

Is it worth $18? Yes, once, and at sunset. By day it’s a pleasant ride with a long view; at dusk you get the river turning orange, the lights coming on across Alexandria and, from mid-November, a good seat for the Saturday fireworks. Skip the VIP gondola unless you’re marking an occasion, since the view is the same. The wheel also runs promotions through the year: on October 25, 2026, kids in costume ride free with a paying adult and dogs ride free with their owners, service members ride free on Veterans Day, and a regular ticket earns a free dessert with an entrée at Silver Diner. The Flight Deck, a waterfront bar and lounge next to the wheel, is the obvious place to wait for the light.

The Awakening and the beach

A giant is climbing out of the sand at the river’s edge: a face, a bent knee, a foot and two arms, with the right hand reaching 17 feet into the air. The Awakening, by J. Seward Johnson Jr., measures 72 feet across its five aluminum pieces. It stood at Hains Point in DC’s East Potomac Park from 1980 until February 2008. Congress had set Hains Point aside for a National Peace Garden in 1987, and in 2007 the developer Milton Peterson bought the sculpture for more than $700,000 and brought it here, where it sits on a man-made beach a short walk from the pier.

It’s free, and it makes the best photo at the harbor. Stand back on the sand to fit the whole figure in, or line up the raised hand so the Capital Wheel sits between its fingers. The sand is for photos and play, not swimming, and in summer the metal soaks up the afternoon sun, so bring water and pick the late afternoon.

Spirit Park and the carousel

Spirit Park is National Harbor’s flag plaza, designed as a tribute to the American flag. Its flagpole stands 177.7 feet tall, a nod to the first Flag Day on June 14, 1777, and it’s surrounded by thirteen 25-foot ceremonial flags, bronze sculptures of bison and of Dwight Eisenhower, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, and a 50-foot-wide stage used for concerts and events. It’s open daily from sunrise until 10 p.m.

Nearby, the Spirit Park Carousel is a 36-foot Americana carousel with 28 hand-painted animals and fantastical creatures plus two chariots, with an enclosed playground close by. For the fall 2026 season it runs Friday to Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. and is closed Monday to Thursday. The ticket price wasn’t posted on either official website when we checked, so plan to pay at the carousel.

The pier, the marina and time on the water

The pier runs out from the waterfront past the water-taxi dock to the Capital Wheel and the Flight Deck lounge. It’s the best free viewpoint at the harbor, and the place to be at sunset. Beside it, the National Harbor Marina holds most of the private boats you see from the wheel.

To get on the water yourself, National Harbor’s directory lists Freedom Ring Boats, MD Yacht Charters, the National Harbor Boathouse by Adventures Unbound and the Carefree Boat Club, a membership club, plus WaveOne Open Water Swims for organized swims. Prices and seasons vary by operator, so book with each directly. If you want a boat ride without the planning, the water taxi to Old Town is the simplest and cheapest option.

Public art and galleries

Public art is scattered through the streets, including bronze statues of historical figures. Text ACNH to (301) 747-0466 for National Harbor’s self-guided art tour and scavenger hunt, which is a good way to keep older kids moving. The Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council runs a gallery, Arts’tination, at 162 Waterfront Street, and MGM displays its Heritage Collection of paintings, sculpture and photography by more than a dozen artists. Corinto Gallery also has a space in the district.

Nights out

After dark the options run from Bobby McKey’s dueling-piano bar to the Lookout 18 Rooftop Lounge, the Whiskey Revolution Tasting Room, Live K Karaoke and sports bars such as Tom’s Watch Bar and The Brass Tap. From May to September, the Salute the Sunset series brings U.S. military bands to the harbor for 7 p.m. concerts, and Movies on the Potomac screens free outdoor films. The big-ticket night out is a show at MGM’s theater, covered next.

If it rains

Most of the good rainy-day options are indoors at the two resorts: the Gaylord’s atrium, MGM’s conservatory and casino, and the restaurants in both. Escapology runs 60-minute escape rooms, Muse Paintbar runs painting sessions where you keep your canvas, and Topgolf National Harbor is nearby. The Capital Wheel’s gondolas are enclosed, so rain alone doesn’t stop it, though lightning and high wind do.

MGM National Harbor: casino, shows and the new parking fee

MGM National Harbor opened on December 8, 2016, on the bluff above the waterfront, at a cost of $1.4 billion. The resort has a 23-story hotel with 308 rooms, 135,000 square feet of gaming, a 3,000-seat theater, a conservatory with seasonal displays, a spa, shops and a garage for 4,800 cars. Even if you never place a bet, the building is worth a look, and the conservatory changes with the seasons.

Three things to know before you go:

• Age rules. The gaming floor is strictly 21 and over under Maryland rules. If you’re bringing anyone younger for a meal or a show, check MGM’s rules for that venue first.
• Parking isn’t free for everyone anymore. Since July 13, 2026, non-members pay $15 to self-park. MGM Rewards membership is free and members still park free, so sign up online before you arrive. MGM said the change was about keeping space for guests as development nearby increases.
• It’s a separate stop from the waterfront. MGM is under a mile from the pier as the crow flies, but 1.7 miles by road and a climb up the bluff on foot. Driving between the two means paying to park twice unless you’re a member. Gaylord hotel guests can use the resort’s free Harbor Bus to MGM.

MGM’s restaurants, all listed in National Harbor’s directory in September 2026, include Voltaggio Brothers Steak House, Osteria Costa (Italian), Ginger and its Noodle Bar, Diablo’s Cantina, Shake Shack, the National Market, Bread + Butter and Bellagio Patisserie. The Theater at MGM National Harbor books concerts and shows through the year; check MGM’s calendar for dates and seating before you buy from anyone else.

Verdict: worth an hour even if you don’t gamble, for the building and the conservatory, and worth an evening if there’s a show you want to see. If you’re not a member, the $15 parking makes a quick look poor value, so join MGM Rewards first. Families with children are better off down at the water.

Gaylord National Resort and ICE!

The Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center anchors the south end of the waterfront at 201 Waterfront Street. It opened in 2008 with nearly 2,000 rooms, billed locally as the East Coast’s largest non-gaming hotel, and its centerpiece is a 19-story glass garden atrium. It’s also a convention center, so on a weekday the crowd in the atrium may be wearing conference badges.

Practical details from Gaylord’s guest information: the resort has been fully cashless since February 5, 2024; check-in is at 4 p.m. and check-out at 11 a.m.; and the nightly resort fee of $27 plus tax covers, among other things, the free Harbor Bus to the waterfront and MGM. Self-parking starts at $22 plus tax and valet at $43 plus tax. Inside you’ll find Old Hickory, Harbor Social, the Potomac District Café & Market, the Belvedere Lobby Bar, Capital Confectionery and the Relâche Spa.

ICE! and Christmas at Gaylord National, 2026

From November 14, 2026 to January 3, 2027, the resort’s Christmas program is the biggest draw at National Harbor. Its core is ICE!, a walk-through exhibit of hand-carved ice sculptures kept at 9°F. The 2026 theme is Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, carved from about 2 million pounds of ice in 6,700 blocks, and a visit takes 20 to 40 minutes. The season also brings indoor snow tubing, a Christmas Village, photos with Santa, storytelling, a laser light show and an oversized gingerbread display. New for 2026 are a live Jack Frost show, a Grinch scavenger hunt, pastry-decorating classes and a Grinch-themed holiday tea.

Plan it: buy tickets on the Gaylord National ticket site. Early-bird passes started at $41 until August 10, 2026, and regular tickets cost more. Children 3 and under get in free. Parking isn’t included, all sales are final, and side-by-side strollers and wagons aren’t allowed inside. Warm clothing is recommended, and at 9°F even 20 minutes feels long in a light jacket.

Verdict: worth it for families and anyone who likes big seasonal displays, and easier on a weekday evening than a Saturday. At $41 or more a head for under an hour of ice, it’s pricey, so make a day of it: pair it with the free atrium displays and a Saturday on the waterfront, when the fireworks go off at 5:30 p.m.

Where to stay in National Harbor

National Harbor lists nine places to stay, and all but MGM sit in the waterfront district, a few minutes’ walk from the pier. Rates move daily with conventions, concerts and the Christmas season, so we don’t quote them; compare on the hotels’ own sites. Remember the taxes: Prince George’s County adds a 7% hotel tax and Maryland its 6% sales tax, 13% in all on the room rate (checked September 2026), and the Gaylord adds its resort fee on top.

Where to stay	Address	What it is	Best for
Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center	201 Waterfront St	Nearly 2,000 rooms around a 19-story glass atrium; $27 nightly resort fee plus tax	ICE! and Christmas, conventions, families who want everything under one roof
MGM National Harbor	101 MGM National Ave, Oxon Hill	308 rooms in a 23-story tower above the casino	Adults, shows, gamblers
The Westin National Harbor	171 Waterfront St	Upscale Marriott-brand hotel in the waterfront district	Couples, a quieter stay on the water
AC Hotel National Harbor	156 Waterfront St	Boutique-style Marriott hotel with the AC Lounge	Couples, short stays
Hyatt Place National Harbor	123 Waterfront St	Mid-range hotel with Bar Harbor on site	Value in the middle of the district
Hampton Inn & Suites National Harbor	250 Waterfront St	Mid-range Hilton-brand hotel	Families watching the budget
Residence Inn by Marriott	192 Waterfront St	Extended-stay suites with kitchens	Longer stays, families who want to cook
Club Wyndham National Harbor	250 Mariner Passage	Wyndham’s vacation-ownership resort; rentals vary	Owners and longer stays
FLOHOM	168 National Plaza	Houseboat suites docked in National Harbor Marina	A novelty night on the water

How to choose: stay at the Gaylord for ICE! or a convention, at MGM for shows and the casino, and at one of the hotels on Waterfront Street if you mainly want to walk to dinner and the wheel. The Westin and the AC Hotel are the more polished picks in the district; the Hyatt Place, Hampton Inn & Suites and Residence Inn are the practical ones. Book early for November and December weekends, when ICE! packages and the fireworks fill rooms.

If your trip is really about DC’s museums and monuments, think twice. With no Metro station, every trip into the city starts with a drive, the P90 bus to King Street–Old Town or a rideshare, and the savings on a room can disappear into transport and time. National Harbor makes the most sense as a base when the harbor itself, MGM, the Gaylord or a car-based trip around the region is the point.

Where to eat and drink

National Harbor’s own directory listed 61 places to eat and drink in September 2026, from chain counters to steakhouses. They fall into four groups:

• Sit-down restaurants in the waterfront district: McCormick & Schmick’s and The Walrus Oyster & Ale House for seafood, Rosa Mexicano, SUCCOTASH (Southern), Grace’s Mandarin (Asian), Fogo de Chão (Brazilian steakhouse), Redstone American Grill, Fiorella Italian Kitchen, Nando’s Peri Peri, Silver Diner, Cadillac Ranch and Tom’s Watch Bar.
• Inside MGM: Voltaggio Brothers Steak House, Osteria Costa, Ginger, Diablo’s Cantina, Shake Shack and the National Market.
• Inside the Gaylord: Old Hickory, Harbor Social, the Potomac District Café & Market and the Belvedere Lobby Bar.
• Quick and cheap: Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings, Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls, mezeh, Chipotle, Potbelly, PrimoHoagies, BurgerFi and Crimson Coward, with Ben & Jerry’s, Carvel, Crumbl, The Yard Milkshake Bar and two candy shops for dessert.

Reserve ahead for Friday and Saturday nights in December, for tree-lighting night and for evenings with a big show at MGM; weekday afternoons are the easy time to walk in. Two annual events are built around eating: Burger Week in September and Restaurant Week, branded Fooduary, in February. A directory listing isn’t proof a restaurant is open on a given day, so check hours before you set your heart on one; The Ruxton was listed as coming soon.

Tanger Outlets and shopping

Tanger Outlets National Harbor, at 6800 Oxon Hill Road beside MGM, opened in November 2013 and has more than 80 outlet stores laid out in open-air walkways, with its own parking. It’s about 1.5 miles by road from the waterfront, so most people drive over. Hours change for holidays, so check Tanger’s own site before a special trip.

Down at the water, the shops lean toward souvenirs, sweets and small independents: MahoganyBooks, America! for souvenirs, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Carhartt, Comfort One Shoes, Pepper Palace for hot sauces, IT’SUGAR and Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, Wigenton Candle Co., Corinto Gallery and fashion labels such as ZAAF. MGM adds a handful of shops of its own, including MCM.

The honest verdict: Tanger is a regular outlet center, worth the detour if you have a list, and not a reason to come on its own. The waterfront shops are browsing, not shopping.

National Harbor with kids

National Harbor works well with children, as long as you plan around the waterfront rather than MGM. The best of it is free or cheap:

• The Awakening and its beach: free, huge and endlessly photogenic. Bring water in summer.
• The Spirit Park Carousel and the enclosed playground near it; in fall 2026 the carousel runs Friday to Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.
• The Capital Wheel: $14.50 per child plus tax, under 2 free. The gondolas are enclosed, which makes it an easy first big-wheel ride for nervous kids.
• Build-A-Bear Workshop and the candy shops, which are either a treat or a trap depending on your budget.
• Summer extras: Kids Day on the Plaza on Thursdays from June to August, and free Movies on the Potomac.
• Halloween: on Sunday, October 25, 2026, kids in costume ride the wheel free with a paying adult, and there’s trick-or-treating with free carousel rides at the carousel from noon to 2 p.m.
• Christmas: ICE! (free for children 3 and under), snow tubing and Santa at the Gaylord, plus photos with Santa at the Capital Wheel on the weekends from November 27 to December 20, 2026.
• Oxon Hill Farm, a National Park Service farm with animals and a visitor barn, is about 7 minutes’ drive away; see the nearby section below.

What doesn’t work with kids: MGM’s gaming floor (21 and over), long lines for the wheel on December Saturdays, and ICE! with a side-by-side stroller or wagon, which aren’t allowed. If you’re planning a bigger family trip in the region, note that Six Flags America in Prince George’s County closed for good after its 2025 season, so older itineraries that pair it with National Harbor are out of date.

Christmas at National Harbor and the year’s events

The holiday season is National Harbor’s peak. For 2026, the Christmas tree on the waterfront is lit on Saturday, November 7: Santa visits from noon to 4 p.m., the lighting ceremony starts at 5:30 p.m. and fireworks follow. After that, according to the Capital Wheel’s events calendar, fireworks go off over the harbor every Saturday at 5:30 p.m. through December 26, 2026. Add ICE! at the Gaylord from November 14 and you have the busiest six weeks of the year. On those Saturdays, arrive early or prebook parking, and reserve dinner.

The rest of the year is quieter but full. These are National Harbor’s recurring events; 2027 dates for the summer series and the Fourth of July fireworks weren’t posted when we checked.

When	What happens
March and April	Cherry blossom season: more than 200 Okame cherry trees, an early-flowering variety, plus St. Patrick’s Day and Easter events
March to December	Potomac Water Taxi season (the 2026 season began March 6)
May to September	Salute the Sunset military band concerts at 7 p.m.; free Movies on the Potomac; free fitness classes from May to August
June to August	Kids Day on the Plaza on Thursdays; Pride Month in June; Juneteenth on June 19
July 4	Fourth of July celebrations and fireworks
September	Burger Week at the harbor’s restaurants
October	Halloween at the Harbor; the wheel lit pink on Wednesdays for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October 7 to 28, 2026)
November 7, 2026	Tree lighting at 5:30 p.m., Santa from noon to 4 p.m., fireworks after the lighting
Saturdays, November 7 to December 26, 2026	Fireworks at 5:30 p.m.
November 14, 2026 to January 3, 2027	Christmas at Gaylord National and ICE!
February	Restaurant Week (Fooduary) and Valentine’s Day events

When is the best time to visit National Harbor?

There’s no bad season, just different trade-offs. Search interest in National Harbor peaks in June and December, which is a fair guide to when it’s busiest.

Spring (March to May)

The cherry trees flower in spring, the water taxi returns in March and the evenings get long enough for a sunset ride on the wheel after dinner. It’s the most comfortable time to walk the waterfront and cross the Wilson Bridge on foot. Weekends get busy once the weather turns; weekdays are easy.

Summer (June to August)

June is the peak of the warm season, with free concerts, outdoor movies and Kids Day on the Plaza. Afternoons are hot and humid, the sculpture beach has no shade, and the best plan is to arrive in late afternoon and stay into the evening. The Fourth of July brings fireworks and the year’s biggest summer crowd.

Fall (September to mid-November)

Fall is the sweet spot: comfortable temperatures, thinner crowds and sunsets early enough for a wheel ride before dinner. Remember that the carousel runs only Friday to Sunday in fall, and that from November the sun sets around 5 p.m., which is why the holiday fireworks start at 5:30.

The holiday season (mid-November to early January)

This is National Harbor at its busiest and most festive, with ICE!, the tree and fireworks every Saturday through December 26, 2026. It’s worth it if you plan: go on a weekday for ICE!, prebook parking or arrive by water taxi on Saturdays, and book hotels early.

Winter (January and February)

After New Year’s, it’s the quietest time of year and the easiest for restaurant reservations, with Restaurant Week in February. The wheel keeps running in cold weather but can close temporarily for freezing temperatures, snow or ice, so check before you drive over just for the ride.

A half-day and a full-day plan, with costs

Half a day: afternoon into evening

1. Mid-afternoon: Park in the Fleet, Mariner or St. George garage, or arrive by water taxi from Old Town.
2. First hour: Walk to The Awakening and Spirit Park; on a fall weekend, let the kids ride the carousel.
3. Next hour: Walk the pier and the shops on Waterfront Street, or sit at the Flight Deck with a drink.
4. Sunset: Ride the Capital Wheel. Buy tickets online on busy nights.
5. Dinner: Eat in the waterfront district, then walk back along the lit-up water.

A full day

1. Morning: Oxon Hill Farm with kids, Fort Washington Park if you like history and river views, or Tanger Outlets if shopping is the point.
2. Lunch: Back at the waterfront, then The Awakening and the pier.
3. Early afternoon: Take the water taxi to Old Town Alexandria, walk King Street, and come back by boat or on the P90 bus.
4. Sunset: The Capital Wheel.
5. Evening: Dinner, then a show at MGM or the casino (21 and over), or the Gaylord’s atrium and ICE! in the holiday season.

What a day costs

These sample budgets use the prices checked in September 2026. Food, drinks and sales tax on tickets are extra.

Trip	What you pay for	Total before food and tax
Couple, half day, by car	Garage $25 (over 4.5 hours); two adult wheel tickets $36	$61
Family of four, by car, two children over 2	Garage $25; wheel $36 for adults and $29 for children; carousel paid on site	$90, plus the carousel
Two adults from Old Town without a car	Water taxi over, around $44 for two; P90 bus back $4.50; two wheel tickets $36	About $85
Adding MGM for the evening	Entry free; $15 parking for non-members, $0 for MGM Rewards members	$0 to $15
Family of four at ICE!, 2026	Four tickets at more than the $41 early-bird price, which ended August 10, 2026; a public garage $15 for up to 3 hours	Over $179

Beyond the harbor: Oxon Hill, Fort Washington and Old Town

Three short add-ons, all within about 20 minutes, round out a longer visit.

Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm (6411 Oxon Hill Road, about 7 minutes’ drive) is a National Park Service site with farm animals and a visitor barn staffed by rangers. It’s a good morning with younger children. Pets aren’t allowed except service animals; check the park’s current hours before you go.

Fort Washington Park (about 9 miles and 19 minutes south) is a National Park Service site where a massive brick fort has watched the river approach to Washington since the 1800s. No entrance pass is required, according to the park’s fees page, and the visitor center keeps Wednesday-to-Sunday hours. Allow an hour or two for the fort and the riverside grounds.

Old Town Alexandria, in Virginia, is directly across the river, 11 to 12 minutes by car to King Street station, or a boat ride on the water taxi. Its brick sidewalks, older buildings and King Street restaurants are the historic counterpoint National Harbor doesn’t try to be, and the two make an easy pair in one day.

What to skip, and mistakes to avoid

• Don’t pay $15 at MGM without thinking. Join MGM Rewards, which is free, before you arrive, and the parking is free again.
• Skip the Gaylord garage for a short ICE! visit. The public garages charge $15 for up to three hours, against $22 plus tax to start at the resort.
• Skip the VIP gondola unless it’s a special occasion. At $50 a person against $18, you’re paying for privacy, not a better view.
• Don’t follow old bus directions. The NH1 and NH2 are gone; use the P90 from King Street–Old Town or the P94 from Suitland.
• Don’t plan the carousel for a fall weekday. It runs Friday to Sunday until the season changes.
• Don’t walk between MGM and the water in July heat or in heels. It’s 1.7 miles by road and uphill one way.
• Don’t expect a swimming beach. The sand around The Awakening is for photos, not swimming.
• Don’t book a room here as a car-free base for DC sightseeing. Without a Metro station, every trip into the city starts with a bus or a rideshare.

National Harbor FAQ

Is National Harbor in DC or Maryland?

National Harbor is in Maryland, not DC. It sits in Oxon Hill, Prince George’s County, on the east bank of the Potomac at the Maryland end of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Downtown DC is about 10 miles north by road, 17 to 20 minutes’ drive without traffic, and Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, faces it across the river. Addresses read National Harbor, MD or Oxon Hill, MD.

Is National Harbor worth visiting?

Yes, for an evening or a full day, if you want a walkable waterfront with the Capital Wheel, The Awakening, plenty of restaurants and, up the hill, MGM’s casino and theater. It’s at its best at sunset and from mid-November to early January, when ICE! and the Saturday fireworks run. It isn’t historic, and it isn’t a practical car-free base for DC sightseeing, since there’s no Metro station.

How do you get to National Harbor without a car?

Take the Potomac Water Taxi from Old Town Alexandria, around $22 per adult one way in 2026 and more on weekends, or Metrobus P90 from King Street–Old Town station, which runs every 30 minutes on weekdays and takes about 20 minutes for $2.25. The P94 comes from Suitland station on the Green Line. A rideshare takes 17 to 20 minutes from downtown DC without traffic.

How much does it cost to park at National Harbor?

The Fleet, Mariner and St. George garages charge $5 for up to 90 minutes, $15 for up to 3 hours, $20 for up to 4.5 hours and $25 for up to 24 hours, as checked in September 2026. Street meters cost $3 an hour with a 2-hour limit. MGM charges non-members $15, and self-parking at the Gaylord starts at $22 plus tax.

Where should you stay in National Harbor?

Stay at the Gaylord National for ICE!, the Christmas season or a convention; at MGM for shows and the casino; or at a waterfront-district hotel (the Westin, AC Hotel, Hyatt Place, Hampton Inn & Suites or Residence Inn) to walk everywhere. Budget for 13% in taxes on the room rate, plus the Gaylord’s $27 nightly resort fee if you stay there.

How much is the Capital Wheel?

Tickets cost $18 for adults and $14.50 for children, plus tax, when checked in September 2026. Children under 2 ride free, military tickets cost $16.50 at the ticket booth, and the VIP gondola is $50 per person. A flight lasts 12 to 15 minutes in an enclosed, heated and air-conditioned gondola. Hours vary by day, so check the calendar before you go.

When is ICE! at Gaylord National in 2026?

ICE! runs from November 14, 2026 to January 3, 2027, with a How the Grinch Stole Christmas! theme. The exhibit is kept at 9°F and takes 20 to 40 minutes to walk through. Early-bird tickets started at $41 until August 10, 2026; children 3 and under are free, and parking isn’t included. Buy tickets online from the Gaylord.

Can you walk from the National Harbor waterfront to MGM?

You can, but it’s farther than it looks: under a mile as the crow flies, 1.7 miles by road, with a climb up the bluff. Driving or a rideshare takes about five minutes, and Gaylord National guests can use the resort’s free Harbor Bus. If you drive, remember that MGM now charges non-members $15 to park, so join MGM Rewards first.

Sources and verification

Every price, date and rule on this page was checked on September 23, 2026 against the operators and agencies listed here. This guide is compiled from those sources; it doesn’t claim first-hand visits.

• National Harbor: parking, plus its where-to-stay, dining, shopping, things-to-do, family-fun, arts and culture, Spirit Park, water-activities and annual-events pages and its directory listings for City Cruises, Tanger and the Spirit Park Carousel
• The Capital Wheel: FAQ, plus its home page events calendar and Spirit Park Carousel page
• City Cruises: Washington DC water taxi guide (updated February 2, 2026), plus its Potomac Water Taxi pages
• WMATA: fares, plus the P90 timetable (effective December 14, 2025) and the P90 and P94 route profiles
• Gaylord National: ICE! tickets, plus Gaylord’s guest-information page and National Harbor’s Christmas at Gaylord National listing
• National Park Service: Oxon Cove Park basic information and the Fort Washington Park fees page
• Maryland Department of Commerce: Sphere announcement (January 2026)

Also checked: news reports on MGM’s July 2026 parking change (GamblingNews, July 6, 2026) and on the Sphere timeline (The MoCo Show, April 2026); Northern Virginia Magazine’s August 2026 ICE! preview for the early-bird price, the ice count and the new activities; Alexandria Living Magazine for the 2026 water-taxi season start; Visit Maryland’s Tanger listing for the store count; FLOHOM’s National Harbor listings; Wikipedia’s articles on National Harbor, MGM National Harbor, The Awakening and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge for dates and dimensions; and the Maryland Department of Legislative Services’ fiscal 2026 county revenue outlook for Prince George’s County’s 7% hotel tax. Drive times were calculated with routing software on September 23, 2026 and assume no traffic.

What we couldn’t verify: the Spirit Park Carousel’s ticket price; Tanger Outlets’ current opening hours; MGM’s valet rates and the Gaylord’s daily maximum parking charge; regular (non-early-bird) ICE! prices; exact 2026 water-taxi fares by route and crossing times; weekend bus frequencies; and 2027 dates for the Fourth of July fireworks and the summer series. Hotel rates change daily and are deliberately not quoted.

Maryland Tourism Guide is an independent publication. It is not affiliated with Visit Maryland, National Harbor, the Peterson Companies, MGM Resorts, Gaylord Hotels, City Cruises or any business listed here, and no one paid to be included.

Photo credits

• The Capital Wheel at dusk (featured image): photo by MamaGeek, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
• View upriver from the Gaylord National, April 2024: photo by Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster), Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
• The pier and water taxi, February 2022: photo by G. Edward Johnson, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
• The Capital Wheel at sunset: photo by MamaGeek, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
• The Awakening, August 2023: photo by APK, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
• MGM National Harbor from the air, December 2016: photo by Duane Lempke, Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
• Gaylord National atrium, 2008: photo by Duane Lempke, Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
• Tanger Outlets National Harbor, February 2022: photo by G. Edward Johnson, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
• The plaza Christmas tree, November 2011: photo by Ron Cogswell, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
• Fort Washington Park, June 2014: photo by Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)