The Smithsonian gardens are an excellent stop to relax and admire the flowers. In late March, it…read morewas nice to see the tulips in bloom, but unfortunate that the magnolia trees had already shed most of their flowers. Even better is that the entrance to the gardens is also home to the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art. It's easy to spend hours at the gardens, visiting these must-see museums.

As you enter the walkway to the Air and Space Museum, you…read morewill see one of the many Smithsonian Gardens. The gardens are provided for everyone's enjoyment. You will see a variety of gardens around the border of many museums.

The Bonsai Museum is a fascinating look into the world of bonsai and has over 300 bonsai to see…read more You can see many species, varieties, growing styles, and ages. The highlight of the collection is a Japanese White Pine that was planted in 1625 that survived through the bombing of Hiroshima. Another amazing bonsai is a gift from the Japanese Imperial Family that was planted in 1795 and gifted to the United States in 1976. The Museum is located inside the US National Arboretum, but has different hours than it and is open 10am-4pm. It's free, and so, so worth wandering the grounds to see the care bonsai artists have given these plants for decades - or even centuries.

Been here several times and decided to pop by again today after a walk with a group. The plants are…read moreabsolutely stunning and I appreciate the short description beside them explaining that they're gifts from Japan and even one from Morocco.

TL:DR - A oasis in Washington, DC…read more While the phrase "hidden gem," is too often overused, the Tregaron Conservancy is place where that label is completely apropos. Located off Macomb Street in the toney Cleveland Park neighborhood, this is definitely a spot frequented by locals. Walking up to the small gate entrance, it's almost as if this a secret garden of sorts. Make you way up the winding path, and visitors encounter some of the most beautiful green spaces in all of DC. The Tregaron Conservancy and the associated grounds are joint tenants with the adjacent Washington International School (https://tregaron.org/news/washington-international-school-tregaron-conservancys-perfect-partner). Just be aware that while the main sections of the Tregaron are open to the public, the school portion is not. While the Tregaron is not expansive, there are many nice sections. There are benches down by the Lily Pond which I have often enjoyed a coffee and conversations with friends. The remaining grounds are kept pristine with slight hills which are perfect for an afternoon picnic or just sitting to enjoy sunny days. There is also the scenic Klingle Valley trail which winds through the woods and eventually connects up with Rock Creek Park after crossing through busy Connecticut Ave. Good information before you make the trip: https://tregaron.org/planning-your-visit My advice is to take the Metro to the Cleveland Park stop, and make the short 10 minute walk. There are many restaurants and bakeries where you can pop in, get a beverage and pastry to enjoy at the Tregaron. Bonus Tip: If you need to use a restroom, the Cleveland Park Library is at corner of Connecticut Ave and Macomb Street (https://www.yelp.com/biz/cleveland-park-library-washington?osq=cleveland+park+library&sort_by=date_desc) There aren't many "attractions" at the Tregaron...but that's really the point. It's a place to escape the concrete jungle that is DC and commue and appreciate nature, at least for a short while. If you are looking for an "in the know" place and want to impress long time DC residents and visitors alike, I highly recommend visiting the Tregaron Conservancy.

Is this a local fave? I'm not sure, but we saw a number of people in and outside the estate. I'm…read morestill confused about what this place is, even after reading a bit of history about the estate. Still, it was pleasant enough for us first timers to wander around and sit on the bench around the pond. It didn't take us long to walk less than a mile to find a series of buildings with the sign "Washington International School," but there didn't appear to be much of a trail as far as we could tell. We did see construction vehicles, pipes, fences, etc., and it made me wish as much of the nature would be left 'undeveloped' as possible.

A total gem. Have biked the entire trail, from DC to Cumberland, MD. To be clear not all in one…read moreday. 184.5 miles isn't a short trip. There have been some changes, as the trail goes more up to Pittsburgh area. Yet the canal originally from these areas, was supposed to be a major commercial success. It wasn't as trains came into the picture. Am glad it was built! The history on and off the trail are hard to beat. Some of the views are breathtaking. In many ways you can follow a lot of civil war events biking this. There are towns near the trail to get food and other supplies. The campgrounds are primitive. Yet a fire, quick dinner, and knocking out to sleep works for me. It is planned again. By all means this is a national treasure!

Meander along the historic canal…read more Pleasantly designed brick path along the canal. Sure, the canal can use some love, but it's an old fella and doing its best even after so many years. It is best to just take a walk rather than go on a tour.

Amazing city!…read more Washington, DC, the U.S. capital, is a compact city on the Potomac River, bordering the states of Maryland and Virginia. It's defined by imposing neoclassical monuments and buildings - including the iconic ones that house the federal government's 3 branches: the Capitol, White House and Supreme Court. It's also home to iconic museums and performing-arts venues such as the Kennedy Center. Oh and we can't forget the Library of Congress as well. It's the worlds largest library with more than 167 million cataloged items. Wild fact. It would be a long list if I started listing all the wonderful museums or historical places you could visit here. So definitely take some time and look places up so you can explore. There is so much to do as a single person, family, children, elders and even for pets. There are several foodie spots for the folks that love all different type of foods. The one unfortunate thing I am starting to realize is the way they are starting to take all the small parks that did exist and build in its place. There have been several at this point. Hopefully they will slow down but more than likely it won't end unfortunately. All in all, definitely a place to take some time and enjoy!! It's well worth it.

A great vacation in the DC area. Seeing all the monuments, mysuems and sights was such an…read moreenjoyable experience. Even with the protests/riots putting a damper on things it still was an enjoyable experience. Another bucket list item checked off.

It is a cute little garden with Barbie's. They change it depending on the theme or holiday or…read moreseason.

This was marked a tourist attraction on Google Maps. After clicking, seeing photos, and Instagram,…read moreI knew this was going to be a must-see. I visited DC before and did all the museums and monuments. I wanted to see other landmarks and attractions, and what better that the Barbie Pond. In a cute neighborhood, you will find an adorable front of home garden with a pond. The barbies were living their best lives! Hands up in the air with boobies out! The other girlies were floating around in the pond, relaxing and enjoying the summer rays. The "pond floats" were so cute being little rings and pineapples. The Ken's were enjoying the sunny weather at well. You can even spot 2 speed boats. What an awesome summer day. I even liked the large sign reading The Magic of Liquid Sunshine. The Barbies change for the different holidays and seasons. I can't wait to keep up with them on Instagram!

If you want to see some American Graffiti, this is where you come. Jimmy Cliff and Cliff Richard…read more(ew) like it here too, hence it's named the Graffiti Cliffs. I didn't even know the Graffiti Cliffs of Georgetown even existed (even) until my most recent visit, which is weird because I know everything, lol, and I used to live around here. But it's a must visit. I love it. The views are amazing and the graffiti on all of the cliffs and things around here is awesome. The sometimes strict local police let everything go here, so it's basically just a free artistic place. It's sort of like a tolerance zone for prostitution, but instead, it's art. Although Barbi and I consider some forms of prostitution to be art, too, especially when we do it. So Graffiti. Not as much fun as prostitution but it might be better to look at depending on who the client is. I mean artist. However, I learned that just a few weeks after I visited here, they closed it off. Not even for Coronavirus, but before Corona. Hopefully it'll be opened up again as soon as Coronavirus is over. It better be.

I like the graffiti cliffs for a multitude of reasons. My main reasoning is it allows me to get an…read moreescape from the hustle and bustle of the city while still being right in the middle of it. Additionally, it offers a great view of Rosslyn, Georgetown, and the Potomac. It is one of those experiences in the city that takes you away while still being present. A couple of downsides to this area is that it can be a bit sketchy and you're best to watch your back when you come up here. On the flip side, they're there for the same purpose that you are - to chill. You leave them alone and you will be left alone. It is easy to access for the most part. Just take the stairs up from the parking below by the kayaks and you'll find yourself on the C & O Trail. Wear good shoes. You will be better off than wearing sandals.

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.