Experience Prince George’s highlights top attractions, day-trip and weekend ideas
Experience Prince George’s highlights history-rich day trips and festival weekends across a county of nearly a million residents, from Riversdale and Old Town Greenbelt to National Harbor events.
Overview and purpose (evergreen): Experience Prince George’s is the county’s official destination and tourism organization; this evergreen guide highlights standout attractions and practical ideas for residents and visitors planning a day‑trip or weekend in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
County snapshot
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING Today, Prince George’s County is home to almost a million residents, is an economic engine for the state of Maryland, and is one of the most-visited destinations in the state. The county still retains a wealth of history and heritage, with over 325 historic sites and eleven National Register Historic Districts. BUCKLE UP FOR HISTORY as you plan: history and festivals are core draws that can anchor a four- to 48-hour visit.
Where history lives
Take a ride through the county’s named historic districts and heritage areas to ground a half-day or full-day itinerary. Journey through the Anacostia Trails Heritage Area and drive or bike segments of the Broad Creek and Greenbelt Historic Districts. Explore Old Town Greenbelt, a historic planned community described in the county guide as one of the four “green towns” created during President Roosevelt’s New Deal Era. Notable historic houses and museums to visit include Riversdale, Surratt House, Darnall’s Chance, Belair Mansion & Stable Museum, Montpelier Mansion and Laurel Museum, followed in the original list by an ellipsis indicating additional sites.
Potomac River shoreline interpretation is concentrated at the Potomac River Heritage Visitors Center, located at 6800 Oxon Hill Road #98, National Harbor, MD 20745. The visitors center, inside the Tanger Outlets/National Harbor complex, features Experience Salubria, “a curated collective of historic facts that establishes Southern Prince George’s County as the front door to Maryland’s epic heritage.” Use this center as a first stop to orient drives, boat-access options, and interpretive exhibits that connect National Harbor with southern county history.
Museums and cultural centers
Prince George’s African American Museum & Cultural Center anchors the county’s cultural narrative in North Brentwood at 4519 Rhode Island Avenue. Contact the museum by phone at 301.809.0440 for visitor information. The institution’s stated aspiration is clear: “The Prince George’s African American Museum & Cultural Center aspires to become recognized nationally and internationally for its innovative approach to the documentation, interpretation, preservation, [...]” Visit planning should confirm current exhibitions, hours and any special programming before you go.
- August — Chesapeake Crab & Beer Festival, National Harbor
- September — Next/Now Festival, The Clarice, University of Maryland; Hyattsville Arts & Ales Festival, Gateway Arts District, Hyattsville; Festival Hispano, Lane Manor Park, Adelphi; African American Heritage Day, National Colonial Farm, Accokeek
- October — Bowie International Festival, Allen Pond
Festival and event calendar highlights
The county’s annual events calendar is a prime source for weekend plans. Here are the named highlights from the county guide, organized by month as presented:
These festival anchors work well as the centerpieces of a weekend. Confirm exact dates, ticketing and schedules on the Experience Prince George’s tourism website and with individual event organizers before you travel, because the guide excerpts present months and event names without single-day details.
Three practical weekend plans
History-focused day trip: Start at the Potomac River Heritage Visitors Center at National Harbor to pick up maps and context via Experience Salubria, then drive north to Riversdale and Belair Mansion & Stable Museum for house tours and grounds. Finish in Old Town Greenbelt for a walk through the New Deal-era streetscape and a late-afternoon museum stop at the Laurel Museum.
Festival and family weekend: Time a Saturday at National Harbor for the Chesapeake Crab & Beer Festival and an evening stroll along the waterfront, then spend Sunday at the Bowie International Festival at Allen Pond or a family-oriented day at the National Colonial Farm during African American Heritage Day in September. These pairings keep driving times modest while offering food, live music and family programming.
Arts and neighborhood exploration: Anchor a weekend in Hyattsville with the Hyattsville Arts & Ales Festival in the Gateway Arts District, then add a performance at The Clarice on the University of Maryland campus by scheduling around the Next/Now Festival. Layer in stops at local galleries and the Laurel Museum for contextual history.
- Transportation: National Harbor, Old Town Greenbelt and central Hyattsville are accessible by major corridors; plan for event-related traffic and limited parking during festival weekends.
- Timing: Historic house tours often operate on limited seasonal hours; call ahead for Montpelier Mansion or Belair Mansion & Stable Museum to confirm tour times.
- Visitor information: Use the Potomac River Heritage Visitors Center at 6800 Oxon Hill Road #98, National Harbor, as an on-the-ground resource for Southern county orientation and interpretive material.
- Cultural access: Call 301.809.0440 to reach the Prince George’s African American Museum & Cultural Center for current exhibit information and visitor accommodations.
Practical tips
What the guide emphasizes
Promotional language in the county materials is direct and evocative: “THE WRIGHT BROTHERS WEREN’T WRONG,” “This is my fun day »” and the instructive header “VISITORS GUIDE » ANNUAL EVENTS This is my fun day »” pepper the calendar material. These phrases reflect the tourism office’s intent to sell both single-day experiences and recurring festival programming across the year.
Gaps to note and follow-up items
The excerpted guide includes a truncated header, “Top attr,” and an ellipsis after the Laurel Museum that indicate the published top attractions and the full list of historic sites are longer than the material available here. The events calendar provided in the excerpt lists months and festival names but not exact dates or times. Confirming the full “Top attractions” list, current visitation data, complete historic-site listings and up-to-date event schedules requires contacting the county tourism office and individual venues.
Plan your visit with that verification in mind: the county guide is a reliable roadmap for themes and anchors, but the specifics that shape a seamless day-trip or weekend—hours, ticketing, accessibility and precise event dates—must be checked before departure. Prince George’s County pairs dense local history with festival programming across National Harbor, Hyattsville, Bowie, Accokeek and beyond, making it possible to build focused mini-itineraries from the sites and events listed here as primary anchors.
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