A historic building with an ostentatious name which has somehow eluded my attention until now. It…read morehouses a free (!) art gallery, which is just a big room with a little add-on at street level. The basement is open and is also visibly historic, but doesn't have much in the way of art. It does have cool air and a restroom. The scope of the art gallery clearly isn't large (bearing in mind that a free art gallery the size of a mansion is ho-hum by DC standards), but I enjoyed what they had and it was a perfect use of the time I had to spend on it. Surprisingly enough, they seem to allow people to bring their dogs inside.

All of the Athenaeum staff was excellent to work with. During the initial planning stages, Veronica…read moreand Richard were my main points of contact, both of whom were very helpful answering questions. They were happy to entertain our questions both via email and during the various trips to check out the space. The contract process was fairly straight forward and fortunately renting out the space includes both the art gallery and the outside garden (it rained on our wedding day and the ceremony was initially going to take place in the garden). A few days before the wedding, we were informed that Amanda would be the staffer on hand on the actual wedding day. I sent Amanda my proposed timeline and we reviewed it over the phone. She was willing to assist with flow of show and confirming chair and floral deliveries/set up. She advised us of some renovations that were taking place in the alley behind the garden, which is where the ceremony was originally going to take place. While the staff had not previously informed us of the planned renovation, it all worked out in the end. Amanda emailed me photos of the renovations, offered alternate solutions to ensure the scaffolding wouldn't be as visible, emailed the contractor to ensure they would be done with the renovations for the day prior to our scheduled photo time and ceremony start time, and offered to be at the venue early to ensure that everything was clean. When I realized it was likely going to rain on the wedding day, I emailed Amanda asking for a quick discussion on a rain plan. She contacted me right away to confirm a time and we spoke the morning of the wedding to come up with a rain plan. She handled the new set up with both the chair rental company and the florist. The set up came out beautifully. Also, one of the photographers left a water behind and Amanda emailed me about the item so I was able to retrieve it the next day. I would definitely rent this space again!

I forgot I even went to the Aldie Mill. Bored at home. Took a ride. Stopped in here. The outside…read moreself tour is one grassy area at the back of the mill and a short 200 yard path over a creek to the FD. The building looked great but not much to report on. Oh. I did find a 1/2 inch screw in the gravel driveway and also when coming out of the mill onto the road (50 West) there's not a good view of oncoming traffic. Hold your breath and gun it.

Our homeschool group did a field trip here and the kids loved it. We were still in the parking lot…read morewhen my 7 year old asked when we are coming back. The staff was so kind and Informative. They really took their time to explain everything to the kids. The mill and grounds are beautiful and very well kept. Highly recommend.

It was a beautiful day for a Juneteenth Jazz in the Garden concert. There was plenty of seating…read moresurrounding the pond, both grass and concrete benches. I enjoyed walking the grounds prior to the concert to take in some of the gigantic sculptures. Georgia Heers is a talented singer, and my friends and I were glad she was our first concert in the garden.

Free sculpture garden just outside of the national gallery of art. Beautiful to enjoy the breeze by…read moresitting down in one of the many benches. Really nice cafe as well that sells sandwiches, salads, drinks.

Really cool museum, devoted to all women artists, with such eclectic art that spans continents,…read morestyles, and decades! Check out their community days when it's free to explore. You'll spend about an hour to hour and half across four floors. Definitely some great art not seen in any other museum. Today they even had a bunch of local women artists selling various pottery, candles, and gifts. Worth the visit!

How gorgeous is this atrium at the National Museum of Women in the Arts!?!! It's just one of many…read morebeauties to beyond. I specifically went for the Tawny Chatmon exhibit and it did not disappoint. The intention behind every detail of her work is chef's kiss. There many other exhibits to view and the art can me memorizing. Take a look at the pics but I'm sure they're rotating things in/out. A beautifully curated museum.

My DS and I had a marvelous time at AwecomeCon '26. This was our first time visiting the convention…read morecenter, as well as our first time attending an event like AwesomeCon in the DMV. We scored a pair of 3-day passes and ended up going on Fri (~5.5 hrs) & Sun (~4 hrs). Given how expansive the event was, we tried our best to do a little bit of everything (video games, panels, celebrity sightings, cosplay, vendors, book fair, tabletop gaming, etc.) There were certain activities we never got around to, but that was highly dependent on what my DS gravitated to. Given his age and attention span, we kept gravitating back to the (free play) video games ... go figure! Next time ... more panels, less video games LOL TY so much #yelpnova for hookin' it up! #itsneattobeelite #YES And TY to all the super friendly AwesomeCon staff that assisted us the entire wknd!

Went to Awesome Con for the 2nd time thanks to Yelp. I got to meet the actor who played Vecna from…read moreStranger Things! I was so happy! And he told me he liked my boots! I had a blast seeing all of the custom artwork. The earrings, costumes and all. I went home with a bag of goodies including Funko Pops.

Lovely and interesting house of Lee Fendall - boutique gem right in Alexandria. They offer tours on…read morethe hour. Ours was excellent and walked us through the history of the Lee family in Virginia and subsequent owners. Rooms are appointed with time appropriate pieces. Much of the furniture is gifted from the Lee family. A fascinating way to learn a bit about a family of Henry Lighthorse Lee, one of the signers of the declaration of independence. That family was instrumental in changing the course of history in the United States. George Washington apparently dined here often and they set up a long table in what is now the entryway. Woodrow Wilson also ate here during his presidency. Tours are quite chatty and interesting with lots of opportunities for questions. Cost of entry is seven dollars. Highly recommended for those who want to see something off the beaten track but truly interesting.

What a cool colonial home! We took the tour which covered all the major parts of the house…read more Absolutely beautiful and furnished with pierces from across the time the house was occupied. Many of them have a history of their very own. What really made this tour great though was the docent/ guide we had for our tour. She was incredibly knowledgeable on every aspect of the home from the furnishings to the architecture to the family histories of the owners and building restoration. Very rarely have I had such a knowledgeable guide. She was really impressive. All that to say, if you have a couple hours and you're looking for something to do this is a great little side trip. Well worth the time.

This is a great little museum, right in the heart of DC in Dupont Circle. We've come here over the…read moreyears. Mainly for their Phillips After 5 special event. On Thursday nights, at certain times of the year, they offer late night museum access beginning at 5 PM, where you can enjoy some cocktails and explore the galleries. We came here for their Pride celebrations. It was a little frustrating since not all of the activities were available. They had a "story time" that ended up having a sign up list that filled up within minutes. And it was positioned on their materials that this would be more open. Also, my partner was running a little late. And the complimentary Champagne also went within 10-15 minutes. I got the champagne and served about a half inch, while I noticed some guests had so much, it was overflowing form the glass. Regardless of the champagne situation, it was fun. The gallery is small and often has rotating galleries. We loved the Miro exhbition currently on display.

I used to be a member at the Phillips; this is probably the way to go for the local as entrance is…read moreexpensive and exhibits rotate. On my return, I found one floor closed, but there will usually be something under installation somewhere in a museum of this size. While I was not seeking any specific tour or event, I found a tour guide, who essentially just gave an introduction to one painting. It was engaging, though there are often events of greater significance. The museum is an old mansion, and in some areas poses challenges for those with mobility limitations, people of a sort which I saw plenty of on my visit. Typically you can find an elevator if you look hard enough. The collection is eclectic and often defies description. I find a significant number of their pieces I either hate or am bored by, but the overall experience is aesthetically distinctive and it's not what you'd get downtown. Outside of its pure museum experience, the Phillips offers a lot in the community, from events to kids to engagement for those dealing with dementia. A walk down to the basement levels yields a vista of local non-professional art. I appreciate the commitment to the community.

Honestly, such a cool and unique place to be. The Petersen House is one of those places that really…read moremakes history feel real because you're actually standing in a place connected to such a major moment in American history. It's not a huge place, but there's so much history behind it and being able to walk through and learn about what happened there was really interesting. Definitely worth stopping by if you're exploring DC and want to see something a little different from the usual monuments and museums.

A sacred place where one of the two greatest Americans took his last breath. I was overcome to be…read morein the room where Lincoln died Almost as breathtaking is the tower of books on Lincoln that is in the gift shop. Almost has to be seen to be believed