What's Open, Closed On Presidents Day In DC 2020

WASHINGTON, DC -- Three cheers for a three-day weekend, as Presidents Day arrives to give us a nice mid-winter break.

The holiday was actually established in 1885 to honor President George Washington. Then, as part of a Uniform Monday Holiday Act that proposed the country celebrate holidays on Mondays rather than the day they fell on the calendar so that workers could have three-day weekends, it was proposed to be changed. That didn't go over so well at first.

During debate on the bill, it was proposed that Washington's Birthday be renamed Presidents Day to celebrate the birthdays of both Washington on Feb. 22 and President Abe Lincoln's birthday on Feb. 12. Congress actually rejected the name change in 1968 version of the bill. But after the bill went into effect in 1971, Presidents Day became the commonly accepted name anyway.

Here's a look at the type of things that are open and closed in on Presidents Day, Monday, Feb. 17 via Washington, D.C.:

• Government offices: closed
• Schools: closed
• DMV: closed
• Libraries: closed
• Metrorail: The rail system will open at 5 a.m.- 11:30 p.m. Trains will operate on a Saturday schedule (every 12 minutes from endpoint terminals). Off-peak fares will be in effect all day.
• Parking will be free at all Metrorail parking facilities. Customers should be aware of scheduled track work on the Red Line on Monday.
• Metrobus: Buses will operate on a Saturday supplemental schedule. Some late-night (post-midnight) trips will be cancelled on selected routes. Check the timetable for your route. View bus timetables and plan your trip.
• MetroAccess: Service will operate normal hours.