Why go? With 32 miles of trails, plus paved roads for biking, you can easily spend an entire day stretching your legs in the park. While you're there, you can also explore the old mill and the site of the Civil War battle at Fort Stevens. A s the neon sign hung downstairs near the kitchen says, dining here really is "awesome.
All in all, it's a homage to arguably one of the best cuisines in the world. Bon appetit. A brutal beauty on Indepndence Avenue, boasting a wealth of modern art. Today it still aoperates as such, but it's open to all and new pieces continue to be added. Explore the National Mall. Although it's been a bustling commercial district for centuries, today this area is one of the most popular places in the city to go out for a drink or a bite to eat.
Affordable outings that are fun for all the family don't get much better than Washington, D. National Zoological Park. Exhibits include 1, animals, ranging from rare pandas to giant salamanders via elephant trails and lounging lions. Currently, free entry passes are required. Now is a better time than ever to visit the National Gallery of Art, the gargantuan museum located smack-dab on the National Mall.
There are countless other notable works of art, including a self-portrait of Vincent van Gogh from The gallery is also home to various special installations, some permanent, some touring. Take a DC trolley tour. The annual National Cherry Blossom Festival , which was first celebrated in , celebrates the change of seasons and the beauty of the cherry blossoms not to mention Japanese-American friendship.
Nothing says spring in DC like the appearance of the cherry blossoms along the Potomac. You can also enjoy cherry blossom tours — some of which give you a beautiful view of the blossoms from the relaxing luxury of a cruiseship.
Head to Columbia Heights to find this acre park positioned due north of the White House along the longitudinal meridian of D. Pack a picnic and hang out in front of the Cascading Waterfall in the formal garden, or visit the upper mall area, where concerts and events are often staged. This woman-owned and run restaurant off 14th Street is known for its worldly dishes, including khachapuri.
Inspired by her travels, owner Rose Previte cherry picked her favorite meals abroad and serves them in one place. Owner Anas "Andy" Shallal, an Iraqi-American artist, activist, and restaurateur, opened the flagship venue in and it swiftly became a hub for DC progressives, including many anti-Iraq War activists.
One of DC's quirkiest luxury boutique hotels, the Mansion on O Street stands out for its eccentric decor and interior layout, which includes 32 secret doors. The Mansion has a storied history, including a period during the s in which it was used as rooming houses for FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover's G-men. Today, the Mansion is open to the public for tours, dining and shopping. Set in the heart of the H St. Corridor, this is one of the few trendy restaurants that actually delivers good grub.
You get a cool scene, sure, but you also get really good food. The menu is simple, focused on Taiwanese-style ramen, dumplings and sides including kimchi and steamed buns. The community-focused art center provides gallery walls and workspace for artists with disabilities to create.
They also offer commissions. Eden Center is a must-stop for those who can't live without pho or bun cha. The chaotic parking lot, which is legendary among patrons both for the hassle and for its enchanting aroma of barbequed pork, is an essential part of the experience.
Union Market is an upscale food- and drink-focused "artisanal marketplace," with shops that sell both local and imported goods. Unlike your typical farmer's market, Union Market is open every day, so if you have a midweek hankering for locally made cheese or extra virgin olive oil, you can come here to satisfy your urge.
The space houses more than 30 artisans peddling everything from acai bowls to Korean tacos; you'll also find coffee, home goods, flowers and spices. Don't miss the rum tasting flights, which feature half-ounce pours of booze made right on-site. Key Bridge Boathouse in Georgetown is D. Key Bridge Boathouse offers canoe, kayak and standup paddleboard SUP rentals and classes, as well as twilight tours of the Potomac via kayak. Dinner, drinks and live entertainment from the comfort of your theater seat.
This imposing '30s Art Deco building is home to one of the quirkiest cinemas you're ever likely to attend. Within the theater are tables and plump, comfy armchairs — from here you can enjoy table service, as well as a movie or live comedy show.
The menu comprises convenient finger foods like wraps, burgers, nachos and doughnut holes, while the drinks menu features a satisfying range of cocktails, draft beers and non-alcoholic options.
Don't turn up expecting to catch the latest flicks, however, as this is a second-run cinema—with ticket prices to match. The food is just as festive—think kung pao wings and crab rangoon dip. A day spent on the water in Maryland's charming capital, followed by an epic crab feast, is practically a D. You haven't really lived in the DC area if you haven't gone sailing in Annapolis.
Make sure you leave time before or after your sail to wander around the picturesque home of the US Naval Academy and St. John's College. Don't expect to get upscale cocktails here: the bar only has a few bottles, and nothing too schmancy.
Technically a research division of the Agriculture Department, this acre haven always has many more trees than people, even on its busiest days during the spring azalea season. Even though it spans 20 acres, this nature conservancy, situated between Cleveland Park and Woodley Park remains a hidden wonder in the heart of D. The non-profit Tregaron Conservancy owns and protects the site of a century-old, neo-Georgian estate formerly known as The Causeway and now as Tregaron Estate and its surroundings.
Visitors can roam the grounds of the conservancy for no charge, seven days a week but donations are welcome. This incredibly sought-after establishment offers something for everyone: a chill downstairs bar, an upstairs dance party and some of the best trivia in the District. Hardcore trivia nerds head to The Wonderland Ballroom's trivia night for its mix of joviality and seriousness. There's no entry fee or charge to play, but trivia-goers are expected to buy a beer or a snack at the bar.
Fellow teams take turns hosting and writing the questions, which are often hard and always quirky. Need something to munch on while you're quizzing? There's a whole load of edibles on offer from bar snacks to full meals, including a super sumptuous veggie burger. With at least 50 wines available by the glass and bottles, every palate is sure to be satisfied at Cork.
It's hard to beat Cork Wine Bar's cozy, romantic atmosphere, and even harder to beat the voluminous wine selection. Try a wine flight or a wine and food pairing, in which Cork matches some of its small plates with various selections of wine.
The venue's food menu is solid: try the charcuterie board, cheese plate and avocado on grilled bread. Relax with a picnic lunch or just take in the green surrounds at this Kahlil Gibran Memorial.
Lines from his work are also engraved around the piece. Pizzeria and Birreria Paradiso has found a way to combine the best of both worlds at its four locations. Head to the friendly Georgetown outpost of this pizza chain to experience the full Paradiso experience. Upstairs, in the homey, cheerful restaurant, you can chow down on fresh, hearty pizza plus antipasti and salads complemented by a beer menu spanning an impressive 20 on tap and some more in bottles and cans.
Once you've had your fill of pizza and booze, make a beeline for the games room where you can try your hand at everything from pinball to shuffleboard and classic arcade video games. Nostalgia, incoming. It has something for everyone: a Nature Center for explorers; running, biking, and hiking trails for fitness enthusiasts; equestrian, golf, and tennis centers for sports lovers; and picnic spots, historic forts, a 19th-century gristmill, and concert venues for everyone else.
While the verdant grounds are a peaceful escape from urban life, it also offers a planetarium—the only planetarium in the National Park Service, in fact—and the Smithsonian National Zoo. Both are free. The local pop impressionist artist and co-founder of creative design firm Swatchroom has run a gallery at The Wharf since late She was the official artist of the Cherry Blossom Fest, and her punchy, colorful work largely depicts the iconic people and places of the city.
Her art pieces would be a gorgeous memento of a visit, with depictions of the Capitol , Obama, RBG, a city map mural which also appears on her custom apparel like leggings and more.
The wine is the main draw here. There is careful attention to detail—off-the-beaten path labels and funky finds that delight. Step out of your comfort zone and try something different. While the menu from Sam Molavi, who's worked at Compass Rose is limited, there are a selection of snacks and rotating specials to stave off hunger.
Spring for a create-your-own cheese board, with Mt. This Takoma-area specialty shop is as eclectic, warm, and creative as its entrepreneurial founder, Angel Gregorio. The store is filled with glass jars whose labels read of interesting blends, including black cardamom, as well as red curry from Zanzibar. Gregorio is also planning to introduce cranberry-lime-creamed honey and parboiled rice blends. Ron Blunt. Mady Sieracki. Kyle John. Courtesy of St. Vincent Wine. Sam Johnson. Topics city guides.
The Watergate Hotel. Home to everyone from the Washington Wizards to the Washington Capitals, it hosts sporting events of all kinds, including basketball, hockey and even wrestling.
To put it simply, everything that you need for a good vacation is right here in the Capital One Arena. Setting off from the Potomac River, the Odyssey Dinner Cruise will take you on a journey through some of the top travel destinations of Washington, DC. They offer several species that are quite rare for the region, including waterlilies, lotus blossoms and water hyacinths. Theodore Roosevelt Island is a small and beautiful sanctuary located off the coast of Washington, DC.
From there, you can choose a direction and explore art galleries, fossil halls, meteorite collections, butterfly gardens and more. Address: 10th St. Additionally, if you get too lazy and relaxed to move, you can just book a room at the hotel and extend your stay! As you might expect from an underground building, it features a lot of dark walls and dimly-lit alcoves, but it gets filled with so much laughter that it never feels gloomy.
Its bright colors can be seen from miles away, especially since most of the surrounding neighborhood was demolished years ago. The Culture House was only spared from the bulldozer because it used to belong to the Friendship Baptist Congregation, an African-American institution that supported low-income families and provided them with fun, creative ways to express themselves.
Every inch of the place has been hand-painted or graffiti-sprayed with various types of artistry. If you want some non-touristy things to do in Washington, DC, the Culture House is decidedly off the beaten path.
The sword in her hand has been stolen and re-stolen multiple times over the years; sometimes, the thieves leave flowers or other tokens behind. Do you want to experience the great outdoors without having to leave the urban terrain of Washington, DC? Offering hundreds of bars, breads, truffles, crisps and bites made by world-class artisans, the Chocolate House DC is a luxury boutique and tasting room for chocoholics of all types.
You can munch on everything from chocolate peanut brittle squares to orange-infused dark chocolate fudge bombs. You can also indulge yourself with wines, soaps, blankets and other care package goods to complement the cocoa. You can learn how to roll truffles; you can sample various types of gourmet chocolate under the tutelage of an expert.
With all of its vintage theaters and gleaming government buildings, you might not expect Washington, DC to have a lot of greenery. However, the United States Botanic Garden would prove you wrong. Gardens are arranged by theme, so one might have rare and endangered species while another is focused on jungle, desert or tropical plants. There are trails and courtyards if you want to walk, talk, sit or just breathe deeply among the orchids. If you want to escape the high-rise buildings of Washington, DC for awhile, stop by the tranquil spring that is the United States Botanic Garden.
Monumental Helicopters is that company. It was built with red sandstone over the course of — in a combination of Romanesque and early Gothic architecture. The architects picked this style deliberately because they wanted it to stand out from the white marble and granite of other DC buildings.
Washington, DC might be full of cool buildings, but the Smithsonian Institution Building is one of the top choices to visit. However, it does date back to the mids, and it went through several lives as a boarding house and a saloon before finally settling on its identity as a tavern.
The menu offers old classics like steak and eggs as well as more contemporary dishes like oysters and scallops. For dessert, you can try some of the famous peach cobbler or the mouthwatering brown butter chocolate chip cookies; for a drink, you can sip white wines, bourbon whiskies, rum cocktails and tequilas with salty glasses.
There are all kinds of odds and ends to appreciate as you wander from room to room, and special events include tours, treasure hunts, musical performances, book readings and more. It also means that attractions like the Capital Wheel really stand out. Rising more than feet from the land and water below, the Capital Wheel is a gigantic Ferris wheel that overlooks everything from the Washington Monument to the Potomac River. It has such amazing views, in fact, that you can see Virginia and Maryland from the very top gondola.
You can just sit back and watch the raindrops streaking across the glass as you slowly ascend into the clouds. Take a deep breath in crisp, clear air when you visit Rock Creek Park.
Available activities include everything from horseback riding to sightseeing at old-fashioned grist mills. Georgetown is a lively neighborhood filled with colorful houses dotting cobblestone roads and shopfronts, so there are lots of things to see and do.
Located within the National Museum of the American Indian, this cafe is one of the only ones in the country that serves exclusively Native American food.
An open kitchen will allow you to watch your meal being prepared over fire pits and cedar-covered grills. Part of the National Gallery of Art, the Sculpture Garden has an amazing collection of outdoor artwork that ranges from the aesthetically pleasing to the mind-bendingly weird. Thinker on a Rock is a quirky take on the old classic with a ponderous rabbit in place of a human.
Chair Transformation Number 20B is a series of melted blue chairs that have been stacked on top of one another. You can also grab a bite to eat at the pavilion cafe or shop for souvenirs at the museum gift shop.
For fun times with crazy, creative artwork, check out the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery of Art. Another museum in the Smithsonian collection, the National Postal Museum is dedicated to the long and surprisingly interesting history of the U.
Exhibitions include letters, stamps, uniforms, decals, flags and vintage postal tools like printing presses and perforation machines. Hit up Penn Quarter. The Capital One Arena is close by for sports fans, and the J.
For example, there are many bars and restaurants to cater to the frequent foot traffic of tourists, and there are a number of stores for shopaholics. With its endless variety of events and activities, Penn Quarter is one of the most fun things to do in DC. Hidden beneath the city of Washington, DC is a series of underground tunnels that are designed to mimic the religious catacombs of the Middle Ages. This woodsy wilderness is one of the top spots in Washington for hikers, campers, climbers and other outdoor enthusiasts.
There are off-grid locations if you like to get rugged, or you can stick to the reserved camping areas to enjoy amenities like picnic grounds and public bathrooms.
Home of the Washington Nationals, this ballpark mixes a classic, old-school stadium aesthetic with contemporary features and amenities. While it sells hotdogs and peanuts, it also offers ribs, lobster rolls, kielbasa, bao bao and Korean fried chicken. Baseball is the biggest sport for Nationals Park , but if your trip coincides with hockey season, you might also be able to catch a NHL game.
You can also keep your eyes peeled for concerts, papal masses, political rallies and other big events.
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