If you’re not from the DC area, driving here can be quite scary. Between one way streets, confusing signs and aggressive drivers, finding parking can turn into a major ordeal.  What’s one to do when they want to visit and explore the great Smithsonian Institution of Washington, DC?  Not to worry SpotHero has you covered.  This quick and easy guide will help show you the way to Smithsonian parking.

With 19 museums, 9 research facilities and the National Zoo, the Smithsonian is quite the hot tourist attraction, drawing in millions of visitors each year from across the globe.  As if the DC streets weren’t congested enough, this just adds to the insanely high demand for parking.  All is not lost, SpotHero offers great rates and discounts on parking at dozens of options near the Smithsonian Institution.  You can even find parking for as low as $5, so long as you don’t mind walking a little bit to get to your destination, or you can pay more and have just a few steps to take.  Check out the map below to see some of our hottest spots or view our Smithsonian Parking Page to get a detailed list of options.

Smithsonian Institution Parking Resources

Not quite the information you see?  Abundant resources are available for parking near the Smithsonian Institution and museums in Washington, DC.  Check out the links below and you are sure to find the answers you need.

• Central Parking, Washington, DC
• About.com Smithsonian Museums
• DC Parking Meters
• Where Can I Park – DC

To learn about each of the individual museums and the zoo of the Smithsonian Institution, visit the following links:

• African American History and Culture Museum
• African Art Museum
• Air and Space Museum
• Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
• American Art Museum
• American History Museum
• American Indian Museum
• Anacostia Community Museum
• Arts and Industries Building
• Freer Gallery of Art
• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
• National Zoo
• Natural History Museum
• Portrait Gallery
• Postal Museum
• Renwick Gallery
• Sackler Gallery
• Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle)

Avoiding Parking Tickets

The best way to avoid having to fight a parking ticket in Washington is to avoid one all together.  Apparently, you can pay around $3,000 to be parking ticket free for a year.  This only makes sense if you receive more than $3,000 worth of parking tickets.  If this is consistent, I think it’s safe to say you have a problem 🙂 That said, it does feel great knowing you can park anywhere and don’t have to pay attention to the myriad of parking signs and regulations.  Washington D.C. collected more revenue from parking tickets than any other city in America.

With almost $100 million collected, it’s no reason you’d want to try to research before attempting street parking in DC so you can avoid them.  Here’s a good discussion on TripAdvisor about tickets in DC that you can follow.  DC parking tickets range from $25 to $100 depending on the offense.  Here is a great article which had some great information on Washington DC parking tickets.  Part of avoiding the dreaded slips of paper, are knowing the areas where to avoid.  In the District’s 2nd Ward, almost a third of the total number of tickets written (over 500,000 of them) were written.  This is right in the area near the Georgetown University campus.  In a distant 2nd place, the next most ticketed area is in the 6th Ward near the Congressional Cemetery and Lincoln Park.

• Watch out for ticketing during the National Cherry Blossom Festival.  This is high season for tourists and one of the most ticketed times of the year.
• Don’t park past the time period in zoned metered parking areas.  A lot of these areas allow 1 or two hour parking, but don’t have a permit and park beyond that and boom a parking ticket appears.
• Watch for signs that overlap or contradict.  – The most common ticket issued in Washington is for an expired meter.  Just because it says you can park from 7am to 7pm does not mean you’re in the clear!  Be mindful of every sign that you see because there could be a sign that also has rush hour restrictions between 7am and 9am.  What does this mean?  It means you get a ticket if you park!

You can also check out DC Parking tips.

Paying Parking Tickets

Don’t be afraid to fight D.C parking tickets.  Provide the right evidence and contesting by mail is truly a great option.

According to the Washington Department of Motor Vehicles, if you don’t pay your parking ticket within 30 days, then the fine doubles!!  Yes, you read that correctly, the fine actually doubles.  There are four different ways to pay your parking tickets in the District of Columbia.

1. Online – You can go online and pay your parking tickets through this link.
2. By Phone – Call the following phone number 866-893-502 and follow the instructions on the phone.
3. By Mail – When you pay by mail cash is not accepted.  Only checks and money orders.  These must be made payable to “DC Treasurer” and include your parking ticket number.  This must be mailed to: DMV Adjudication Services, PO Box 2014, Washington, DC 20013.
4. In Person – Paying in person is the most flexible in terms of what they accept as payment.  All major credit cards are accepted except for American Express.  Cash is accepted as well along with checks and money orders.  That said, checks are not accepted for towed and booted vehicles.  Make sure you are prepared for the proper form of payment.  Who’d like to make the trek there twice?

An Unsuspecting Vehicle

Photo from Wikipedia

The most parking will cost you on the street is $2 and hour which is in the so called “premium demand zones”.  Outside those zones, the cost is 75 cents an hour.  That said, Washington D.C is one of the toughest places to find parking in the country.  There are other options including DC parking garages and lots.  The hours of enforcement have been extended to 10pm.

Is street parking FREE in Washington DC on Sundays?

Yes, this is true. You can park on the street for free ALL DAY.  The signs on the street can be confusing so if you are unsure, the DDOT offers a number you can use to call for assistance and clarification.  DDOT Line: 202-671-2700.

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Washington DC Street Parking Links

DDOT (District Department of Transportation) – This is a great resource and list of all the DDOT parking programs.  Not just cars,  but for bicycles too, (among many other resources, pay by phone, parking meters, etc.).

District Street Parking Enforcement Updates – This details the rate increase to a maximum of $2 and hour (that’s only if you don’t get a parking ticket) along with extended enforcement hours for metered zones.  Previously, parking wasn’t enforced on Saturdays or on nights Monday through Friday.

About.com DC Parking – This is About’s list os helpful links and guide including maps of Washington DC parking information.

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Street Parking Nearby the Verizon Center

Our sister site VerizonCenterParking.com has a full post on all the info you need to know to lock down cheap or free street parking near the Verizon Center. Read the full post here > Verizon Center Street Parking