PARKING & DIRECTIONS

Washington National Opera performs at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. The Kennedy Center is located at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue NW and Rock Creek Parkway, on the banks of the Potomac River. It is accessible by public transportation (subway and bus), by taxi, and by car.

If you are driving, please plan your trip carefully. Allow plenty of time to arrive, find parking, and reach your seats before curtain time. Avoid passenger drop-offs whenever possible – congestion in front of Kennedy Center can delay your arrival and cause you to miss the start of the opera. There are several parking options available for patrons (see below).

There are a variety of hotels and restaurants in the Kennedy Center area. The Kennedy Center web site has up-to-date information about hotels and restaurants.

PLEASE ALLOW EXTRA TIME WHEN DRIVING TO THE KENNEDY CENTER
The Kennedy Center has broken ground on a two-year construction project that will not only enhance the grounds aesthetically, but will also provide you with much easier access to the nation's center for the performing arts. The construction may cause delays in your travel so please allow extra time when arriving for a performance. You can view the latest updates and directions on the Kennedy Center web site. Please see below for information on nearby off-site parking at Columbia Plaza.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Metro (Subway): The Foggy Bottom/George Washington Univ. Station (located at 23rd and I Streets, NW) is the closest stop to the Kennedy Center. From there it is a seven minute walk via New Hampshire Ave. OR use the FREE Kennedy Center Show Shuttle (signs are to the left as you exit the escalator). It departs every 15 minutes from 9:45 a.m.-midnight Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-midnight Saturdays, and noon-midnight Sundays and holidays.

Bus: A Metrobus route frequents the Kennedy Center every day, including Sundays and holidays. Route 80 drops off and picks up passengers near the Kennedy Center. For details on bus routes and schedules, call Metro information at (202) 637-7000 or TTY (202) 638-3780.

Taxi: Service to and from the Kennedy Center is convenient and readily available. A taxi dispatcher is available to signal cabs and assign patrons from 6:30 p.m. (3:30pm on matinee days) until 30 minutes after the end of the last performance, and taxis queue in the Plaza each evening to serve patrons. Look for the uniformed dispatcher at the Hall of States entrance (on all performance days).

DRIVING TO KENNEDY CENTER: DIRECTIONS
Plan ahead and be aware of traffic delays and construction along your route.

From Northern Virginia, from the west: Take Route 66 to the Roosevelt Bridge. As you cross the bridge, get in the far right hand lane. After crossing the bridge, make a right at the sign for Independence Avenue. Go to the bottom of the hill and keep bearing right at the yield sign onto Rock Creek Parkway. Go under the bridge, and the Kennedy Center entrance is to the right.

From Northern Virginia, from the south: Take Interstate 95 North to 395 North. Just past the Pentagon, the left lane goes to Memorial Bridge. Take that exit and get into the left lane. As you approach Memorial Bridge, get into the right lane. Cross bridge and follow right lane to Rock Creek Parkway, which leads to the Kennedy Center entrance on the right.

From Northwest Washington and Montgomery County, Maryland: Take Rock Creek Parkway south and follow the signs to the Kennedy Center.

From Frederick, Maryland: Take 270 South to 495 towards Virginia. After crossing the American Legion Bridge, take the George Washington Memorial Parkway to the Roosevelt Bridge. As you cross the Roosevelt Bridge, get in the far right hand lane. After crossing the bridge, make a right at the sign for Independence Avenue. Go to the bottom of the hill and keep bearing right at the yield sign onto Rock Creek Parkway. Go under the bridge, and the Kennedy Center entrance is to the right.

From Baltimore, Maryland: Take 95 South to 295. Go to Route 50 to New York Avenue; exit turn-off is to the right. Turn left from New York Avenue onto 4th Street, go through the tunnel, exit onto 395 South. Exit onto Maine Avenue and follow the Potomac Parkway (so that the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial are always on your right, Jefferson Memorial is on the left) along the river in a northerly direction (be sure to stay left at the fork in the road past the Lincoln Memorial to stay along the river). Exit at the Kennedy Center on the south side of the building.

From Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest Washington and Prince George's County, Maryland: Take Constitution Avenue to Virginia Avenue, or take K Street, NW, to Washington Circle to New Hampshire Avenue. Follow signs to the Kennedy Center.

DRIVING TO KENNEDY CENTER: PARKING
Kennedy Center Parking Garage: The Kennedy Center Parking Garage is open every day from 6:00 a.m. until midnight. Performance parking is available to patrons on a first-come, first-served basis. Beginning at 1:00 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays, the $16 fee will be collected upon the driver's arrival at the entrances to the B and/or C levels of the parking garage on the south side of the building.

Accessible Parking:: Accessible parking spaces are available at the Kennedy Center Parking Garage on all levels and are located on the west side of the motor lobbies nearest the river, to the left as you enter.

SUV'S 6 Feet or Higher: The Kennedy Center parking garages have limited availability on the "B" and "C" levels for over-sized vehicles that are 6 ft. or taller.

For more information about the Kennedy Center parking facility, call 202.416.7984 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or 202.416.7987 evenings and weekends.

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Off-Site Parking: Columbia Plaza and Watergate. Although Kennedy Center makes full use of all parking spaces on busy performance evenings, there are many days when the parking demand is greater than the number of spaces that are available. Columbia Plaza at nearby 2400 Virginia Avenue has an abundant number of parking spaces available to Kennedy Center patrons. The Center operates a free shuttle bus service to and from Columbia Plaza that begins every performance evening at 6:00 p.m., at 12:30 p.m. on weekend matinee days only and concludes at midnight. Please be advised that the maroon Kennedy Center shuttle buses are wheelchair accessible. Columbia Plaza is only a short walk to the Kennedy Center. Other off site parking is available at Watergate, but on a limited basis. Enter the Watergate garages from New Hampshire Avenue across from the Saudi Embassy or from F Street opposite the Kennedy Center.