Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium — plus everything to eat, drink, and do in Landover for a perfect sports weekend.
Northwest Stadium (formerly FedEx Field) sits in Landover, Maryland — 10 miles from the Capitol and a Metro ride from all of Washington DC's extraordinary cultural, culinary, and sports resources. A Commanders weekend is really a Washington DC weekend with a suburban football game added — and Washington DC is one of America's great cities.
Use GamePlan to combine a Commanders game with a Nationals home stand or a Wizards game. All are within 10 miles of each other in the greater DC area.
Northwest Stadium is the NFL's largest venue by capacity at approximately 82,000 seats. The stadium is under review and a new facility is being planned in the DC area. The current stadium offers a straightforward NFL experience — large, functional, and increasingly beloved as the Commanders have become more competitive.
You cannot leave Landover without eating these.
DC's finest boutique hotel, steps from the White House. Quill cocktail bar and Plume restaurant are both exceptional.
Best for: Special occasions, luxury travelersThe Wharf development on the Potomac River has created DC's finest waterfront hotel district. InterContinental, Pendry, and Canopy are all excellent.
Best for: Waterfront-focused trips, groupsA stylish boutique hotel in Dupont Circle with easy Metro access. An excellent base for exploring DC's neighborhoods.
Best for: Design-focused travelers, couplesSince 1958. The most important restaurant in DC's African-American cultural history. The half-smoke is the order. Barack Obama, Bill Cosby, and every Washington notable has eaten here.
Must order: Half-smoke with chili and mustard, chili cheese friesDC's most acclaimed cocktail bar. Multiple rooms with different experiences — the Spirits Library, the Punch Garden, and the Tasting Room. Book ahead.
Must order: The tasting room experience — 5 courses with cocktail pairingsDC's finest craft brewery, producing an extraordinary range of styles in a stunning converted boiler house.
Must order: Admiral, whatever seasonal is availableDC's most historic restaurant (1856), steps from the White House. Raw bar, classic American cooking, and the kind of atmosphere that makes Washington feel like Washington.
Order: Oysters on the half shell, Maryland crab cake, the Old Ebbitt burgerOne of DC's finest and most creative restaurants. James Beard-nominated. Original, ingredient-driven cooking that is difficult to categorize and easy to love.
Order: Whatever the menu presents — it changes constantly and is always excellentJosé Andrés's ThinkFoodGroup runs multiple exceptional DC restaurants — Minibar (Michelin starred), Zaytinya, Oyamel, Jaleo. Any of them is extraordinary.
Order: At Minibar, the tasting menu; at Zaytinya, the mezze selectionWashington DC has the world's best free museum system, the monuments, the National Mall, and a restaurant scene that is genuinely world-class.
The Blue/Orange Line to Largo Town Center is the correct way to reach Northwest Stadium. From downtown DC, 35 minutes and $4.
Georgetown, Adams Morgan, Shaw, U Street, the Wharf — DC's neighborhoods are more interesting than most people expect. Explore beyond the monuments.
A crab feast at a Maryland crab house is worth the 30-minute drive from DC. Order by the dozen, bring patience.
Washington is the nation's capital — a large market with a historically significant franchise. Tickets are available but demand spikes with team success.
Late March/early April. Two million tourists. Extraordinary beauty. Plan around it — either to experience it or to avoid it.
Use GamePlan to find the exact dates when your favorite teams all play in the same window — then book everything in one trip.
⚡ Open GamePlan — Find My Weekend