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!

Fantastic DC icon colorful, bright and as much DC as the monuments! Just type Watermelon House for…read moredirections.

The local artist is SO NICE and alludes his love to art. He is known for his "watermelon house" and…read moremural down the alley...

A hidden gem in DC - part thrift store part community art incubator. Grateful that third spaces…read morelike this exist! They host a ton of regular, weekly events so check those out, or stop by to shop secondhand and buy crafts from local artisans: https://bloombars.com/contact/events/

Awesome and accepting arts space in the middle of DC that holds cool events...go there a random…read moreevening if you want to take in some local culture in a beautiful space. If you're a performer you should know....the sound there is one of a kind, the mixing spot on. One of the most professional operations I've seen in terms of sound quality. No drinks or food so get your fill before you drop by.

I really enjoyed the overall concept and creative vision of this museum. It has a lot going in its…read morefavor. It has a prime location within easy walking distance of Metro center, in the beautiful old Franklin building. The staff are friendly and helpful. There is no charge for entry although donations are very welcome. One could almost go exclusively to visit the gift shop and the museum cafe as they are both so nice and full of fun things to feast the senses on. But for now I will stick to the museum. You start on the third floor and work your way down. There are displays for all ages and levels of interest, from very technical linguistics to basic "repeat after me". There's karaoke for the brave, joke telling for the dads, a Photo Booth for the tweens and an absolutely epic library in which fairy tales come to life. There's also a section on advertising and it's lures. The café is really fabulous and delicious and gives you a true taste of the global plate that America thankfully has adopted. I thoroughly enjoyed my West African chicken and shrimp curry. I was only sad that it was too early in the day on a weekday and with kids to enjoy one of their dozens of fantabulous looking cocktails! I'll have to go back for that!

We went here with some friend while visiting the DC. area. It was very fun and interesting I wish I…read moretook more pictures. They had a room with a digital globe in it where you learned about different languages. Another room talked about telling jokes and you would sit and tell jokes to one another. There was a karaoke room where you learned about how music is constructed. There was a library which is like a Harry Potter room with a hidden door to a poetry nook. I would definitely recommend this place for $15.

4 stars for a fun Georgetown holiday tradition…read more One of the nice things about living in Georgetown the last few years is getting to see the fun traditions. One of the better traditions is Georgetown Glow, the yearly holiday light exhibit festival. The way it works is you drive and/or walk around the Georgetown area looking at light exhibits that artists put together. Some of those exhibits are very artistic, like the 2019 light swing that changes colors as you swing or the 2018 Love You exhibit near Washington Harbor. Others are more traditional, like lighted snowflakes as you drive through Cady Alley or the 2019 light in a window display (not all of them are meant to blow you away). The way you find the exhibits is with a map that you can get online or find in paper form for some of the exhibits. The exhibits run for about a month through December and January. At the end of the timeframe, some exhibits will give away parts to the public. In 2018, an exhibit with a bunch of small pop culture lanterns was given away and made for a very fun momento. Overall, Georgetown Glow is a great Georgetown tradition that shows off local artists and helps get people into the holiday spirit. While I know some Washingtonians don't like making the trek over to Georgetown, it is worth making the trip each year.

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.

This is one thing that I knew I wanted to do in the area. It is so sad that it took me nearly four…read moreyears to make my way here. This, I'm almost certain, is what an escape room is based off of (of course, I'm making that up). First and foremost, this place is so many things under one roof, or is it many roofs? Most people will file this under hotel or boutique hotel. Others might file this under a museum. Some might even file this under a historic site. Honestly, this place could hold a multitude of designations. Whether it be hotel, museum, private club, concert venue, book signing venue, conference center, and even a safe haven. The mansion started as a cluster of three row houses designed by Edward Clark, architect of the Capitol. Used to house the family, connected via the basement. In 1980, H. H. Leonards purchased the plot. Over the years, adjacent row house were bought and incorporated into the plot. An empty lot next to it was bought and built upon and incorporated. In 1990, it came under a not-for-profit membership association, H.H. Leonards Associates (HHLA). Adjoined buildings were bought and incorporated into the property in 1991, 1992, and 1994. The museum portion of this opened in 1998. And the museum is a treasure full of treasures. What pulls you in here are all the hidden passages/doors within. The secret doors. If you book a ticket for this you start with a brief introduction video before you are set free to explore the house as you feel. There are about 86 doors of various sizes to discover. Their website states nearly 90 doors. Why the variance? Because no one knows exactly how many doors there are. A lot of the staff here do not even know where all the doors are. We were also told that some doors may be small enough for a fairy to enter. You are given some encouragement to find some distinct doors and set loose. There website also notes that you should bring your shopping bags here. Everything is for sale and can be purchased. Just pick it up, take it with you and pay on your way out. Visiting during the spooky season is definitely fun. The outside courtyard area is decked to the nines with Halloween. Inside, you will need to discover the door that takes you to Chucky's Room. Other notable places to find inside is the Wine Cellar, Log Cabin, John Lennon Room, and Rosa Parks Room. I mean, half the time you are questioning yourself if what you are looking at is a door or is it just a mirror/bookcase/locker. As this is still a museum, take a moment to look around in here too. It may look busy, but a ton of history lies within. You will see sports jerseys, manuscripts, tiaras, political memos, toys, something you completely forgot about. And what blows your mind here is that everything held within has been donated. Every single item has been donated and you can take it home for a price. Seriously. But do make sure to check out a few notable pieces, one that sticks out to me is the Miss America crown. Bring it back to the museum and history of this place. Something you really need to check out and take in is the Rosa Parks connection to here. The O has a Heroes-In-Residence program. When Rosa Parks was in the DC region, she would stay here, hence a room dedicated to just her which overlooks the courtyard. She conducted DC business while she was here with Congress and The White House. She also met many notable people here, ranging from Hilary Clinton to the Pope. This is now a stop on The African American Heritage Trail. This can now be included as a Civil Rights site. I am going to have to come back here. I know I did not see everything. We found many doors, but not all of them. If you want an accurate description of this place, it's a Scooby-Doo episode that never ends (regarding the doors).

Someone at the hotel we were staying at recommended we checked this place out and we were so glad…read moreshe did. What a unique place! The mansion was actually a combination of multiple houses put together and in doing so, over 80 secret rooms are hidden throughout the museum. Everything in the museum is for sale. If something is too big to carry, you can take a picture and show it to a staff member for assistance. The rooms were all themed too, everything from old school toys and cartoons to the Beatles to horror icons like chucky and Michael Meyers! It was pretty crazy walking through and going through these hidden doors to either a secret room or a secret pathway. We only found 15 of the 80 doors! Crazy! Overall it's a really cool way to spend a couple hours.

Why I fell in love with Washington, D.C. in 1984…read more We walked from the Washington Hilton? and ended-up here after dark. I was with a group of teenaged girls and it was my first time experiencing the fabulousness and flamboyance? that is some of our people. They danced and strutted and put on a great show for a group of impressionable youth. This might have been around the same time I read Baldwin's, Giovanni's Room and fell in love. Such a great memory. Dupont Circle looks much smaller during the day and 42 years later. I will never get enough.

Calming park in the middle of all the hustle and bustle…read more Great place to enjoy a sunny afternoon with its large trees providing shade and the sound of the fountain. Seems like lots of people come here to enjoy there lunch. Plenty of seating with built in bench seating along the inside and outside perimeter. Lots of restaurants nearby, especially fast casual.

I found this place by randomly zooming in on Google Maps! TikTok kept recommending all the popular…read morespots in D.C., but this turned out to be a true hidden gem. I loved exploring the different artifacts and seeing how they represent cultures from various time periods around the world. The exhibits are incredibly unique, diverse, and thoughtfully displayed. It may not look like much from the outside, but once you step in, you'll be surprised by how spacious it is. Definitely worth a visit! Your friendly neighborhood museum, with items you wouldn't expect to see. All the items are incredibly beautiful!

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.

Dear reader, Ford's…read moreTheatre is such a special place to see a show, and Come From Away was absolutely wonderful. We sat in Row B of the Left Balcony in seats marked as having an "obstructed view," but the obstruction was incredibly minor. For the price, the seats were an absolute bargain and gave us a fantastic view of the performance. The theatre itself is beautiful, historic, and clearly very well cared for. The staff were universally kind, helpful, and genuinely passionate about the space and its history, which adds enormously to the experience. One of the best bonuses is the museum included with your theatre ticket. Definitely arrive early enough to explore before the show rather than racing straight to your seat. The seats themselves are admittedly on the smaller side and can feel a bit cramped, but one rather accepts that as part of the historic theatre experience. Beautiful venue, excellent value, fascinating history, and a phenomenal production. Ford's Theatre remains one of DC's most memorable places for a night out.

I'm surprised not to see any other reviews for Come From Away yet! It was wonderful!…read more The theater itself is a place where the past and present mingle. The chairs are ornate and historical (albeit missing modern day plushness). The bunting in the balcony above indicates where Lincoln was sitting during the attack. Yet, the stage and quality of the audio and visual effects clearly root you in the 21st century. We swept into our seats a mere 5 minutes before the production began, so unfortunately didn't have time to explore the museum. I've heard great things, though! Ushers were friendly and efficient. The actors did an amazing job, but my favorites were the musicians. It was such a nice touch to bring them onstage during the pub scene. The themes of this show are heavy, and the mention of the Pentagon crash pulled a few shudders from the local audience. The play walks the line between tragedy and hopefulness really beautifully; more emphasis is placed on the unity that was found than the darkness that wrought it. Would recommend, especially given the historical significance of the place! Very meaningful to have an American disaster staged within the building that witnessed another dark day for the country over 150 years ago. Very walkable to metro stops, too!