visiting programs before app season

[gclax30]

I have a few weeks of vacation coming up soon and want to take a few days to visit some peds programs that I'm interested in. This will be my only chance to visit many of these programs before interview season unless I happen to get some away electives. General questions:

Is this a common thing to do? How do I go about setting this up? Should I call ahead or just show up? How long before should I contact them? Go for the entire suit or just business-esque clothing? Take copies of my CV? How can I be sure to interact with residents and interns, not just the PD?

I'm also trying to figure out what questions to ask them regarding the residency program, beyond just the usual like call schedule, etc. I'm still an MS3 and I'm not exactly what to look for in a good program, or what distinguishes a good program from an excellent one. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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[mendel79]

For what it's worth, this seems totally unnecessary to me. you'll get a chance to see the programs when you interview.... for now, make the most of your vacation time and do something fun!!