George Mason University's main campus is in Fairfax County, VA, just south of the city of Fairfax.
Fairfax County is to the west of Washington DC, sandwiching Arlington County and the City of Alexandra in between.
By Car:
- To meeting venue: Follow the directions of Google Maps to the Shenandoah Parking Deck or Parking Lot K. See also the Meeting Location for the map.
- Shenandoah Parking Deck:
campus map location 43. Address: 10401 York River Rd, Fairfax, VA 22030.
Parking on campus is $10 (all day Saturday rate). Friday rates are between $5 (1 hour) - and $19 (all day). For more information about the rates, please refer to this link. GMU will not be providing parking validation.
Visitors can only use Levels 1, 4, & 5. They then need to make note of their license plate and pre-pay for their parking on Levels 1 or 3 at pay stations by the elevators. Another option is to use ParkMobile payment using Zone 4999.- Use the Exit on Level 3.
- Use the Exit on Level 3.
- Parking Lot K:
free; about 15 mins walk to Exploratoray Hall.
Each person will need to log on (or sign up) to the parking portal and "purchase" the complimentary weekend permit. This permit is valid in LOT K ONLY and is also only valid for Saturday and Sunday.
- Shenandoah Parking Deck:
- To meeting hotel: Follow the directions of Google Maps to the SpringHill Suites Fairfax Fair Oaks
By Train
From Delaware and Maryland, take Amtrak/MARC/Capitol Limited to Union Station. From Union Station take the Metro: The Red Line toward Shady Grove as far as Metro Center Station, and then take the Orange Line to its west terminal station Vienna/Fairfax-GMU. (See Metro map below.)
From Virginia, take Amtrak to Alexandria Station, which is adjacent to the King St - Old Town Metro Station. Take the Blue Line toward Downtown Largo as far as Rosslyn, and then take the Orange Line to its west terminal station Vienna/Fairfax-GMU. (See Metro map below.)
By Long Distance Bus from Virginia:
Take the Virginia Breeze to the West Falls Church Metro Station or Union Station, then take the Metro to the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Station. (See Metro map below.)
By Metro:
The closest metro station to the GMU Fairfax Campus is the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Station, the west terminal station of the Orange Line. From there, you can take the CUE (City University Everyone) Bus to reach the GMU Campus. (See below.)
From the Metro Station to the GMU Fairfax Campus:
The free CUE (City University Everyone) Bus connects the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro Station to GMU's Fairfax Campus:
The Gold 1 and Gold 2 lines, and the Green 1 and Green 2 lines, respectively follow the same circular route in opposite directions, 1 in the clockwise direction and 2 in the counterclockwise direction.
Exit the Metro Station to the north side:
The buses stop at:
- North Bus Bay B: Green 2 (counterclockwise)
- North Bus Bay C: Green 1 (clockwise)
- North Bus Bay D: Gold 1 (clockwise)
- North Bus Bay E: Gold 2 (counterclockwise)
The time it takes to reach the GMU Fairfax Campus is similar (30~45 minutes) regardless of which bus you take. Just hop on the first bus available.
Get off at the Rappahannock Ln at Patriot Circle Bus Stop. The Meeting venue is an 8-minute walk from this Stop.
From the Metro Station to the Meeting Hotel:
The meeting hotel, SpringHill Suites Fairfax Fair Oaks, can be reached from the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro Station by one of the following routes:
- Exit the Metro Station to the north side and take the Gold 2 bus (free) from the North Bus Bay E and get off at the Jermantown Rd at James Swarts (southbound) bus stop. The hotel is an 8-minute walk from the bus stop
- Exit the Metro Station to the south side and take Metrobus 2B (westbound) (not free) from South Bus Bay H and get off at Waples Mill Rd & Fairfax Bl bus stop. The hotel is a 6-minute walk from the bus stop
- to return, reverse the directions, noting bus stops will be on the opposite side of the street.
From the Meeting Hotel to the GMU Fairfax Campus:
- Take the Gold 2 (counterclockwise) bus from the Jermantown Rd at James Swarts (south bound) and get off at Rappahannock Ln at Patriot Circle.
- To return, reverse the directions, noting bus stops will be on the opposite side of the street.
Meeting Hotel:
Photo courtesy of SpringHill Suites
- A block of hotel rooms at
SpringHill Suites Fairfax Fair Oaks
11191 Waples Mill Road
are available at the following reduced rates for the nights of Friday, April 4, 2025 and Saturday, April 5, 2025:
Fairfax, Virginia, USA, 22030
Telephone: +1 703-691-7880
- 1 King-bed Room : 139 USD/night + 13% tax = 157.07 USD/night
- 2 Double-bed Room : 149 USD/night + 13% tax = 168.37 USD/night
- Breakfast is included. On-site parking fee is 6.23 USD/day + 6% tax = 6.60 USD/day.
- The cutoff date to reserve rooms at this rate is Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
Please note that this is NOT the last date that the hotel will offer you the reduced rate but the date beyond which you will not be offered the reduced rate. As soon as all the rooms in our room block are reserved, the rate will go up. So book early to secure the reduced rate! - To make a reservation, please use this link.
After adjusting the "Date" and "Rooms & Guests," click on "Check Availability" for room options (1K or 2D).
Lodging Support:
- We have limited funds to provide lodging support to high school teachers and community college faculty of up to $175/night at SpringHill Suites Fairfax Fair Oaks for the nights of Friday, April 4, 2025 and Saturday, April 5, 2025.
- The support for 2-year community college faculty is provided by OPTYCs.
- Please DO NOT inquire the hotel about this support! People receiving this support must make a reservation at the hotel using the link provided above and pay the hotel first, and then submit the hotel receipt to us. A check will be mailed to you later.
- If you make a reservation at a different hotel, you will be reimbursed for the actual lodging fee up to and including $175/night but not more even if your rate exceeds this bound.
- To apply, indicate the number of nights you would like to request support for in the registration form, and also fill in the requested information. The deadline to apply for this support is midnight of Sunday, February 23, 2025. PLEASE NOTE THE EARLY DEADLINE! The application section on the registration form will be deactivated after this date.
- People selected for support will be notified by Tuesday, February 27, 2025, in time to take advantage of the CSAAPT group rate at SpringHill Suites Fairfax Fair Oaks, the cutoff date for which is Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
- Preference will be given to high school teachers and community college faculty who are presenting a talk or demo, those who must travel long distance to reach the Meeting site, and those who are CSAAPT members.
- If you are selected to receive this support, you will be requested to provide the following:
- A copy of your work ID which proves that you are a current high school physics teacher or 2-year community college faculty
- A copy of the detailed itemized receipt from the hotel
- A copy of your work ID which proves that you are a current high school physics teacher or 2-year community college faculty
- A check will be mailed to you after the meeting from one of our supporting institutions.
- If you have any questions about this program, please email Kent Yagi (ky5t@virginia.edu) if you are a high school teacher, or OPTYCs (OPTYCs@aapt.org) if you are a 2-year community college faculty member.
Things to do, places to visit in Fairfax and DC:
- National Cherry Blossom Festival 2025 (March 20-April 13, 2025)
- Smithsonian Institution
- National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
- Mount Vernon (George Washington's Plantation)
- Tyson's Corner Center (Shopping)
- Tyson's Galleria (Shopping)
- Children's Science Center Lab (in Fair Oaks Mall)
- LEGO Discovery Center (in the Springfield Town Center Shopping Mall)
- Things go do in Fairfax County, VA
- Things to do in Washington DC
