Information for Visitors

Join us on the National Mall in October to see the incredible U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2009 team houses for yourself.

Dates and Hours

The team houses are open Oct. 9-13 and 15-18, 2009. They are open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. There is no cost to attend the Solar Decathlon, and you do not need to register in advance.

Please note that all houses are closed Wed., Oct. 14. Some houses may be closed 1-2 hours on other days for competition judging and measurement purposes.

For more information about what is happening each day, see the schedule of events.

Village Tours

When the team houses are open, docents are available on a first-come, first-served basis to provide short, 30-minute tours of the solar village. The teams offer their own tours of the houses.

Map

See the Solar Decathlon map to learn more about how the National Mall will look during the event.

The team houses are located along Decathlete Way. Workshops are held in the tent on the east end of the solar village. There is also a small picnic area on the east end of the village. Visitors with packed lunches are welcome to eat here or on the open, grassy areas of the Mall.

Transportation

Parking near the National Mall is extremely limited, so visitors are encouraged to use public transportation.

The Metro is the easiest way to reach the Solar Decathlon. The Smithsonian Metro station is closest to the event and can be reached by the orange and blue lines.