The Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) is a quick worthwhile visit…read more A big appeal of MoCA is that there's abundant off-street parking and the museum is free. While there is an upstairs and downstairs, the exhibits are rather small and it will take you less than a half hour to go through the entire museum. While there were a couple people at the information window, I was the only visitor during my brief time here. I did find all the art at MoCA interesting.

This is a wonderful museum in the heart of Arlington. I've been here a few times now and even took…read morea class here recently. I love their galleries and they always have so many exciting activities and events planned. There are two locations; the museum and they have a smaller location over by AWS in Arlington.

"I love these murals, but when do we enter the museum?" Me. "These are the museum," my friend. And…read morethis is how I've come to enjoy the DC Alley Museum as the best outdoor-only free museum experience that I've ever had! For the past 10 years, Shaw's Blagden Alley has partnered with the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities to transform its building walls into canvases for local artists to showcase their work. The result is an alleyway filled with a cavalcade of murals big and small, that blend in well with the local businesses within said alleyway. While walking through this vast alleyway I saw so many incredible works of art that I lost track, and the photos that I took barely do justice It's an absolute street art lover's dream! The best part is that you can either walk through it in a quick dose, or you can do so while grabbing coffee at La Colombe, a cocktail at Calico or Death & Co, or even a workout at DC Strength and Nutrition. Checking out the website is a must to learn more about the core mural artists and to find out about events like their Alley-Oop Music and Arts Festival.

Murals galore! They are all different and unique and range in size. How fun to just explore various…read morestreets and find unique art at every turn. Sometimes you can't even tell if it's part of the outdoor museum or part of the storefront of a creative restaurant. Definitely worth checking out. There is a coffee shop, bar, restaurants, and other business nestled within this space. We need more art, less arguing!

I had a great time photographing the artists and their work but it was well worth the time spent…read morethere.

This was difficult to find, as every site we looked on seemed to give a different address or…read morelocation, but we finally managed to track it down and it was worth it! We put 666 Rhode Island Ave NE in the gps and that was what got us closest, and then we went up the curving drive to the parking lot for Big Lots and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. These are some stunning murals that could use a little TLC...definitely a cool project for them to have done in this neighborhood!

Georgetown Glow is free public art with elements to captivate all ages & demographics. It can be…read morepaired with some history or can be enjoyed to captivate your Instagram followers. It is currently in it's fifth year, running from early December to early January. It looks like the installations change every year so there is something new to explore and enjoy. I won't go through every installation that I saw for this reason. There are some really instagramable moments, my favorite in 2018 was definitely Prismatic, but I have a big soft spot for Run Beyond as well. You should definitely plan to get out and explore a lot of the installations, just walking or driving by won't give you the full effect of some of them. Some of them also can't be seen from your vehicle, bundle up and explore! There are also a few that incorporate motion & sound. Here is the biggest "well duh" moment- see these installations after dark. Not during sunset, not at dusk- make sure it is really dark for the full effect. I mean- they are light installations, so maybe that shouldn't even be mentioned. I opted to see Georgetown Glow as part of a tour group (Free Tours by Foot DC) and our tour started almost an hour before sunset so I made a point to revisit the installations we saw early on during the tour- it was definitely worth the trip back to see the earlier installations. I thought taking the walking tour was a great way to see some of the installations and learn more about the history of Georgetown. Our tour guide was excellent, but was definitely a better Georgetown guide vs a Glow guide. She had great historical stories to connect to the themes of the art installations as we walked through Georgetown. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see all of the artwork during this foot tour, but we had plenty of time to explore the ones we did encounter on our tour. I would recommend doing Georgetown Glow both ways, take a tour if that's your thing, but really for the art itself I think you can easily enjoy every installation without the tour aspect and just read the information provided on the website to learn more. It is an outdoor, free, public display so expect that a few of the installations may have technical difficulties. I visited on the second night of the displays and noticed some light vandalism, most likely caused by careless spectators. It didn't take away from the overall effect though. One thing I appreciated is even though this is a December outdoor light exhibit, it wasn't Christmas themed. There is definitely plenty of holiday cheer to enjoy as you explore the city between installations. The art itself focuses on different themes giving you a brief mental break from the holidays.

I've been going to GLOW since the first edition and I just love it! I like some installations…read morebetter than others but it's a great idea and it's nice seeing people walking around at night in the Winter! It would be nice to have shuttle tours for people who can't walk as much. Maybe the Circulator used to do free rides? I can't remember. DC has so many free events and exhibits and GLOW is one of the best.

My co-worker and I were looking for a fun place to go and stumbled on this gem. If I'm staying in…read morethis part again I'll definitely be back. The local artist have art displayed in a tasteful way throughout the restaurant. There are big picture windows that provide natural light. We got food off of the restaurant week price fixed menu. The mini charcuterie boards, fried polenta, tuna tartare, and flank steak all worth getting again. If you want a tasty drink but have to drive try the hungry hippo. Super refreshing and doesn't have booze. If you want a boozy drink try I know the owner. I'm not a huge vodka person and I thought it was very good.

I had the good fortune of seeing these guys at Art Basel Miami, and have followed their shows since…read morethe first Basel in a grassy lot a few years back. I stopped by their temporary space tonight and enjoyed the same quality graphic-novel type art I am used to.This kind of art reminds me of the decor of my favorite Baltimore guilty pleasure, Paper Moon :) I'm digging the robot sculptures and gummy bear paintings at this year's Art Basel..see y'all next year!

The Torpedo Factory Art Center is housed in a former WWI munitions plant along the waterfront in…read moreOld Town. This is a unique building with three floors of artist studios. Many of the artists are working and you can go in and watch them in their studio and ask them about the process. What I enjoyed was that that there were so many styles and mediums. We particularly enjoyed the 3-D sculptures and bought some pottery for a friend. We enjoyed our visit so much that we went back the next day. Admission is free. On the way out, I stepped on the scale -- oops! -- it was unfortunately, all too accurate.

3 floors of art studios, and many welcoming artists! This is a great place to get out of the…read moresummer heat, and there's free admission! While it's open daily from 10am to 6pm, the amount of studios closed/opened varies. I feel that there's more open on Fridays and through the weekend. There's a great variety in art here, and I'm sure everyone can find a new favorite artist!

Funny story - I was looking for kid-friendly ideas of things to do in DC and asked ChatGPT for…read moreideas. One of the responses was the Planet Word museum, which I never heard of. I looked it up and decided to try it! They recommend you get timed passes online ahead of time; it's free but they do recommend a donation. This museum is SO COOL! As someone who loves different languages and words I loved everything about this place! My kids loved all of the interactivity. There is a room with an interactive word wall and you can interact and answer and request more info on the history of certain words. For example, I learned that "ketchup" was named after a Chinese sauce even though they are not similar. There is also a magical library room where you can pick a book off the shelf and place it on a book holder and the book is read to you. There are also mirror shadow boxes that come to life if you read the inscription. Finally, the kids loved the karaoke room - you select a song and as you sing along you see the types of parts of speech at play in the song. Great experience, would for sure recommend and go back!

Planet Word is a fun pit stop geared mostly toward children, though adults will still find plenty…read moreto enjoy. The space feels very modern, with clean and well maintained exhibits throughout. I appreciated the free coat rack and lockers available to all visitors. One thing to note is that the stairs are unidirectional, so moving between floors requires walking across the entire level each time. We were advised to start on the third floor and work our way down. The third floor featured a massive globe surrounded by multilingual iPads. Each one offered different languages along with cultural and linguistic context. The video and audio quality stood out as especially clear. There was also an interactive show exploring the history and cultural influences behind everyday words. While museum shows can sometimes feel skippable, this one held attention for the full fifteen minutes with clever use of visuals, lighting, and a dynamic word driven backdrop. On the second floor, the free photobooth stood out as a highlight. Individuals or pairs pose based on randomly assigned words. The photo quality is not the best, but it still makes for a fun and memorable souvenir. There is also a sing along room where groups of children gather to perform songs. I had to laugh when Eminem came on, though I was genuinely impressed by how the lyrics were broken down and analyzed on screen. A small library space is also available, stocked mostly with children's books for casual reading. I also tried the Lexicon Lane experience, which cost forty dollars and is designed for groups of up to four. It is set up similarly to an escape room, but with a stronger focus on wordplay and language based puzzles. Since we were the first group of the day, we had full choice of the cases, while later groups had to pick from what remained. Each case offers a normal or expert level, though both were fairly challenging. Some puzzles rely heavily on familiarity with American idioms and cultural references, which could make them tougher for some players. That said, the staff were very accommodating and offered helpful nudges when groups got stuck. I would especially recommend this for puzzle lovers, as it is a unique add on and actually more affordable than a typical escape room. One of the standout aspects of Planet Word is the staff. They were consistently friendly, approachable, and clearly invested in making the experience enjoyable. Overall, it is a great museum to visit if you are looking to be entertained for an hour or so.

I purposely visited recently (winter season) because entrance to the gardens is free, otherwise…read moreit's $15. The gardens are interesting even in the cold months. The couple most closely associated with this Georgetown estate, Mildred and Robert Bliss, clearly loved and thought deeply about this parcel of land when they owned it (1920/30's). Their efforts to preserve and share the space with the public are to be commended. It must have been quite something in its heyday. There's a lot of research that's supported here, as well as other activities. The website explains all that. It's a low-key sightseeing spot; quiet, contemplative.

Dumbarton Oaks is such a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of Georgetown. We enjoyed taking…read morephotos in the lovely gardens. I was disappointed that you can't go in the house, and the museum that is attached had nothing to do with the garden or the house.

We were on a brief trolley tour of Arlington Cemetery and saw views of Arlington House from below…read morewhen standing at the JFK gravesite and again soon thereafter when the bus stopped for those having time to access it from the upper entrance for a tour. Since we were limited on time, we had to forgo touring it further during this trip, but will look forward to future visits and take the opportunity to explore further.

The former home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The house was closed since it was at the end…read moreof the day, but it was enormous and grand. It overlooks the Capital area and the grounds are hallowed.

This is one of my favorite park in Annandale that I use to frequent more often when living nearby…read more However, we had a chance to walk around after dinner and even spotted a few deers that night! There's something for everyone from the historical house to the children/demonstration garden with a well kept trail that has beautiful flowers with a gazebo and trails leading to a small pond. Come at different times of the year and see something different with events hosted by FROGS (Friends of Green Spring Gardens) and the Master Gardener Program.

A cute free park garden area to visit! It's peaceful and there's flowers, trail, and pond area to…read moresee with a few gazebos. Parking sucks so I parked in a shopping area nearby and walked over. There's also an information building that's nice to visit for its greenhouse, small library, and small exhibits they have. So peaceful!