2 nights/3 days near Washington D.C. with 9 nights at the Borgata thrown in: Review of National Zoo and Brookside Gardens
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| Brookside Gardens, Maryland |
As our (my wife and myself) 2 week stay at the excellent Homewood Suites in Lansdale, Pennsylvania was coming to a close, we needed to pick a new place to live for the next week and a half. For that purpose, we chose our usual go-to place, the Borgata Hotel & Resort in Atlantic City.
By then, the Borgata had become one of our second homes, visiting there often whenever we needed a place to stay for few nights. Thanks to my Gold status with MGM Resorts, we often get up to 3 comped nights just about any day of the week.
We knew we needed to stay there for a total of 9 nights, so that required some mental gymnastics to get that done. We booked the first 5 nights (Sunday through Friday) at the MGM Tower at the Borgata with 3 comped (free) nights, and for the other 2 nights, we paid roughly $100 per night.
We wanted to stay there for those 9 nights straight but unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that, due to the weekend, especially on a busy summer weekend. We figured we needed to come back to the Borgata on a Sunday (after staying elsewhere for 2 nights) so we can get the 3 comped nights again, then pay for the fourth night.
I know that was convoluted, but it was well worth the extra effort. We managed to spend just around $300 for a 9 nights stay at the best hotel in Atlantic City. After completing our reservations at the Borgata, we searched for a suitable place to stay over the weekend, somewhere not too far from the Borgata.
In the end, we chose the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Bethesda, Maryland. We had never been to Bethesda, and it was really close to one of our favorite cities, Washington D.C., so that made perfect sense.
Before heading over to Bethesda on a Friday afternoon, we spent the 5 nights at the Borgata, the first leg of our trip. The drive from Lansdale to Atlantic City is a short one, at just about 2 hours.
We made the trip, enjoying that feeling of hope (of maybe we’ll actually hit a jackpot?) and anticipation that we get when heading to a nice casino hotel. We arrived around 1 o’clock but had to wait about an hour to get our room keys, as the place was jam-packed ! There were so many people at the Borgata waiting and milling around the lobby area.
Resigned, we waited patiently by the cafe near the entrance area. When we finally got notified via a text message that our room was ready, we were ecstatic.
We got our keys, then went up to our room. What a nice room, with a fantastic view! This never gets old…
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| King room, MGM Tower, Borgata |
We spent our 5 nights eating well (especially the buffet), having some fun at the slots, and doing little bit of sightseeing near Atlantic City. We had visited the city so many times yet we had never ventured out beyond the boardwalk and the resorts. We were ready to do just that during this trip.
List of attractions we finally got to experience are as follows:
- John F Kennedy Park
What a fantastic, scenic waterfront park just 20 minutes from the Borgata! With plenty of parking and with great views, this was a perfect place to spend some time away from the casino. We loved the bay views and the Staunton Memorial Causeway.
- Ocean City Welcome & Information Center
Located right along the Stainton Memorial Causeway, this place was a delight! We saw so many birds nesting on top of trees in front of the welcome center that it felt like we were in a zoo. We saw little ones feeding, each one battling for their share of food and attention from their moms.
Views are expansive and the second floor observation deck is a nice place to see some nice bay views from. We even liked the nicely manicured flower beds at the welcome center.
- Crab Shack Seafood Market/Restaurant Brigantine
This place is the best place to get a lobster roll anywhere near Atlantic City! At just $25 for a lobster roll with side of French fries and cole slaw, this is an absolute bargain. And best of all, the lobster roll is not on a small hot dog bun, but rather on a large sandwich bun!
We ordered two of these and a side of fried clams to go so we can eat at our hotel room. Food was absolutely delicious! Portions were so big that we ended up eating half for lunch then the other half for dinner. Nice!
- Brigantine Beach
We had completely dismissed this beach while staying at the Borgata all these years, even though it’s only a short 10 minutes away from the hotel. We finally got to walk around the nice beach and the walkway on this trip.
Beach has plenty of parking and the beach was free to use unlike many beaches along the Jersey Shore. There are cute restaurants nearby as well as ice cream shops. Good place to spend some time away from the casino.
By the time our 5 night/6 day trip was coming to an end, we were getting ready to head south, towards Bethesda, Maryland where our next “home” would be. We took the familiar Atlantic City Expressway, then got on the I-95 heading south towards Maryland.
We arrived late in the afternoon into the city of Bethesda, a city full of high rises, newer developments, and of affluence. We wanted to pick up some food for the night, so we stopped by at one of our favorite supermarkets for sushi and ready-to-eat foods, Harris Teeter.
We were lucky that it was on a Friday, as Harris Teeter has their “Sushi Fridays” with sushi rolls like California roll, spicy California roll at around $5! We picked up several sushi specials/other sushi items, as well as other goodies like pasta salad, cheese and crackers. We ended up eating these that night and the following night.
This has been one of the best ways to save money on food while traveling: shopping at supermarkets, picking up these awesome food specials and ready to eat foods on the cheap!
We arrived at our hotel in about 5 minutes after leaving Harris Teeter, and found the hotel big and imposing. It had a modern look to it, located smack dab in the center of the city, right above a subway station. We liked the location and it was actually cool to stay in downtown for a change after staying in suburbs most of the time.
We checked in first to figure out the confusing parking situation, got our keys, then went to park our car in the subterranean garage. It was a bit of a pain to find parking, but at least it was a big garage. We found a spot near where the sign that said Hyatt Regency, then parked.
I knew there was a fee of $30 per night to use this garage, but that’s not unusual in a downtown hotel. Besides, at $120 per night including taxes and fees, it was a fair price for a nice place like this one, so near Washington D.C,
We passed the hotel lobby, which reminded us of Embassy Suites with its open atrium style and see through elevators. Nice design.
The room was even nicer with a king sized bed, a couch, and nice views of downtown. The bathroom was big with nice modern decor reminding us of a spa. It even smelled like one too. It was definitely a step up from many of the hotels we’ve stayed in.
That night, we settled in after that “Sushi Friday” meal. We took warm, rejuvenating showers and drank some aromatic decaf coffees to wind down for the evening. We would spend a busy couple of days in Maryland, using this hotel as our base camp.
We would explore two of the most popular attractions nearby including the National Zoo and the Brookside Gardens:
- The National Zoo
The National Zoo, aka Smithsonian National Zoological Park, is located in Washington D.C., and it boasts over 2000 animals. Situated on over 163 acres of land, it is one of the oldest zoos in the nation, opening its doors in 1889.
We left our hotel in Bethesda heading south towards Washington D.C. on a warm and sunny Saturday morning. At a drive of just around 20 minutes, we loved the location of our hotel, so close to the zoo.
Just like the last time we had visited the zoo (way back in 1998), there was no entrance fee to the zoo, but this time around, the parking fee was at $30, a modern day highway robbery. I had to prepay for the parking via “recreation.gov” website to get a QR code to scan at the entrance. *Visit the National Zoo’s website’s parking info page for more information.
Traffic heading into the zoo started to back up as we got into the parking lot. As we slowly made our way to the entrance station to show our parking pass, we noticed all the lots closest to the zoo had already filled up.
We followed the cars in front of us then got to, what felt like the last parking lot at the zoo. Luckily, we found a spot (one of only the last 20 or so), then started walking back towards the zoo.
We saw families with little ones, young couples, older couples, and everyone in between as we got closer to the zoo entrance. Along the way, we saw deers and some fawns in a wooded area next to the walkway. That was a welcoming sight to behold!
After few minutes, we made it to the zoo we had last visited 20+ years ago. It felt smaller the second time for some reason. Maybe 20 years ago, we hadn’t experienced the world like we now had, so everything looked and felt bigger and better.
Putting aside those thoughts, we started our exploration with the farm animals exhibit. We saw cute babies finding shelter under shaded trees, and we saw lots of cows, pigs, sheep, goats. Who doesn’t love cute animals?
We headed next to the Amazonia exhibit, an indoor exhibit with many exotic birds and with warm and humid weather conditions to boot. We saw birds flying around from one tree to another, always looking majestic while doing so.
We escaped the warm and very humid confines of the Amazonia exhibit for some fresh air, then headed towards some of the more popular exhibits including the bears, elephants, seals, etc. Zoo was busy but not incredibly so on a summer weekend, so we were able to see most of the exhibits without the feeling of getting caught in a mosh pit!
We were bit bummed about the giant panda exhibit closure that day. The last time we visited we got to see cute babies with their mommy which was so adorable. Oh, well…Maybe next time…
We wrapped up our trip to the zoo in less than 2 hours then headed back home, towards our hotel. We love the idea of going back home to relax after exploring somewhere new. We’ve earned it that day, as the infamous Washington D.C.’s hot and humid summer weather was getting to us. Nothing a rejuvenating warm shower followed by a refreshing cool drink can’t fix though…
- Brookside Gardens
Brookside Gardens, located in Wheaton, Maryland came on my radar while searching for a cool place to spend roughly 2-3 hours in, before checking into the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda. And the best part? The admission and the parking is free!
We arrived at Brookside Gardens in about 3 hours, at a driving distance of 180 miles or so from the Borgata. On a Friday afternoon, the place wasn’t very busy, but the parking lot was getting crowded with each passing minute.
After parking our car, we proceeded towards the visitor center for a quick pit stop and to grab a map of the gardens. While at the visitor center, we saw a wedding party with a bride and a groom there for a photo shoot. We congratulated them, then went outside for an exploration.
We found out the garden sits on a 50 acres of land within the Wheaton Regional Park. Included in the gardens are several distinct areas: Aquatic Garden, Azalea Garden, Butterfly Garden, Children’s Garden, Rose Garden, Japanese inspired Gudrun Garden, and more.
Right behind the visitor center were the Children’s Garden, Winter Garden, and Camellia Garden. Colors of camellia were spectacular with all kinds of reds, pinks, and purples. We were glad we came while flowers were still blossoming.
Past the Camellia Garden was one of the most popular areas of the gardens: Japanese Tea House and Gude Garden. It was one of the best replicas of a Japanese tea house we’ve seen anywhere with a spectacular pond surrounding it. Wow.
We slowly walked around the perimeter trying to get a better angle at the tea house. Everywhere was a good spot.
We sat inside the covered tea house and it was just about perfect with a much needed shade from the hot August sun. We watched several small turtles swimming in the pond below us, so tiny and delicate.
This place was really beautiful considering it’s free to enter! This place could easily be charging guests $10 for admission. We liked this place that much.
We got up after few minutes of contemplating about stuff like this to see the rest of the gardens. Next stop: Fragrance Garden.
We passed the Gude Garden on our way over to the other side, then the fragrance hit us as we neared the Fragrance Garden. Wow, what an aromatic scent.
We loved walking through Maple Terrace with tons of beautiful, tall maples guarding the area like loyal bodyguards. The pink flowers on top of those maples really added to the spectacle.
We wrapped our trip by walking around the Rose Garden with their colorful roses in all shades and colors. Who doesn’t love fragrant flowers in the summer?
We left Brookside Gardens with a sense of awe and admiration knowing well how difficult it is to properly maintain a garden of that size, especially when it’s free to the public. This place was absolutely fantastic and it should be on anyone’s list of places to visit near Washington D.C.
Little side note: after spending two nights in Bethesda, we again headed (back) to the Borgata for another few nights. It was more of the same, of eating delicious foods, relaxing at the pool, exercising in the gym, and playing a little game of chance. We did well on this particular trip as we just about broke even on our gaming. We can’t ask for anything more.
Yup, Borgata is one of our favorite second “homes”!
In conclusion:
This trip marked the end of our summer travels which began in June at the Borgata, then ended in August, also at the Borgata. It was always a dream of mine to stay longer at hotels and the Borgata was a great choice for that exact purpose.
With a beautiful, spacious room with excellent food choices, what’s not to like about this place? Oh, don’t forget about the beautiful pool at the hotel, the gym, and the huge, exciting gaming space that is second to none in Atlantic City.
We were grateful we got to stay at the Borgata for a total of nine nights but still managed to squeeze in a little side trip to the Washington D.C. area. It was good to revisit the National Zoo and to see the Brookside Gardens. They are both world class attractions in their own right, providing excellent experiences for entire whole family.
We would love to revisit both in our future travels and so should you. Thank you for reading and happy trails!
Jake
Wandering Money Pig
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