10 Great Places to PLAY in Washington DC
Table of Contents
Stories and photos by Roxie LaFever (unless otherwise indicated)
Reflect on History at the African American Museum
The Smithsonian Institute is one of the world’s best museums – and most of it is free! You will pay more for an IMAX film special or if there is a special event. But those costs are easily balanced out by all the other 155 million things to see at their exhibits. Highly recommended and one of the newer museums is the African American Museum which will “open your eyes,” when exploring the lower levels (please allow 2 to 3 hours) which walks you through lives in Africa prior to be abducted into slavery, the indignity of being sold as property, the destruction of families separated for a lifetime, the beatings, rapes, and other abhorrent behavior of the past. The displays range all the way up to lifesize – like the log cabin that has been moved from a plantation in the South. Videos bring to life how blacks were segregated and treated as second class citizens, and you can walk through train cars from the past where bathrooms and seating areas are clearly noted for “colored only.”
History shows how life changed from before the Civil War to African American men and women becoming emancipated and men initially being given the right to vote in the District. The significant roles of Frederick Douglas, President Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks and others are documented. And then you go upstairs….to the top 3 floors and relive the amazing accomplishments of African Americans in television, in theatre, as musicians, in sports, and how they influenced the last century. Videos remind you of the important speeches from Martin Luther King, President Barak Obama, Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey and other modern-day influencers. After 6 hours, I still want to go back. Order tickets for date/time online but if they are sold out, check online the same day. Twice I have obtained tickets to enter within 10 minutes of checking online at https://nmaahc.si.edu/
Explore a New Frontier at the Air and Space Museum
A museum for all ages is the Air and Space Museum. The first time I visited was in 3rd grade and I remember looking inside the space capsule, staring up at rockets bigger than life, eating space ice cream (powdered) and watching videos of takeoffs and landings. Then as an adult decades later, I visited again with the same awe and open-mouth drool as I saw the Enola Gay and Joint Strike Fighters, and listened once again to Amelia Earhart’s story and saw it bigger than life at the IMAX. For more details, see: https://airandspace.si.edu/. The second building (out by Dulles Airport) is known as the Udvar-Hazy Center. Special exhibits right now include the Apollo 11 Moon landing, which was projected on the side of the Washington Monument this past summer.
Touring by Paddle Boat
Take a break from walking to see the sights and step aboard a paddle boat to float along the tidal basis close to the Jefferson Memorial and others on the Mall. Two and four-person paddle boats can be rented by the hour, or you can pay a bit more for the Swan Boat. Your legs will get a workout while spending quality time with your boatmate. Remember to stop and just float every so often and capture some amazing photos along the way. Rental information is available at https://boatingindc.com/boathouses/tidal-basin/.
Take a Haunted Ghost Tour in DC or Alexandria
Escorted by costumed (and licensed) tour guides, see and hear about the haunted happenings of days gone by around either city. A popular one is the White House Ghost Tour, which includes about 2.5 hours of walking in the neighborhood close to the White House, visiting the Occidental Grill, Old Ebbitt’s Grill, The Hamilton and the Round Robin Bar. All are wonderful pubs and after the tour, great places to grab a bite or 2nd drink. In Old Town Alexandria, the ghost tour walks up King Street and hits pubs like Chadwicks, Union Street Public House, Jackson 20 and the Columbia Firehouse. Sorry, but no one under the age of 21. For additional information, see https://nightlyspirits.com/dc-tours/
Cruise Along the Potomac River
Whether you want to float along on one of the few working sternwheelers in the country (used for private charters) or just take the water taxi and see the river view of sights, the Potomac Riverboat Company has ship berths at National Harbor, Gaylord Convention Center, Georgetown, Alexandria, Mount Vernon, the National Mall and Nationals Park (baseball games). Check out their website at www.potomacriverboat.com/ for more details.
Go Undercover at the Spy Museum
Do you have what it takes to be a spy? The Spy Museum challenges all to find out. When first visiting, make sure you select your cover identity…one that fits your new personality. While exploring, visitors come face-to-face with spies, scientists, and engineers from the past and present and learn how they steal secrets on behalf of their governments. Once obtained, learn how the secrets have been utilized in history and discover how intelligence gained has been used on covert missions. At the end, visitors are debriefed and learn just how well they performed while under cover. Get early details for your next mission at www.spymuseum.org/visit.
Walk the Jungle at the Nation’s Botanic Garden
On the mall close to the U.S. Capitol is one of the country’s oldest botanical gardens. Those that have already visited Mount Vernon, our first President’s home, know that he was an active farmer and experimented with the crops and plants that would easily grow in our new lands. It is said that more than 200 years ago, President Washington had a vision to include a botanic garden in the nation’s capital, and the U.S. Congress agreed and established it in 1820. Check their website at https://www.usbg.gov/ for any events or exhibits for when you visit.
Visit the New Babies at the National Zoo
With more than 2,000 animals and 400 species, the National Zoo is a must-see! Check out their live cams of new arrivals like this year’s three baby cheetahs, or perhaps a future baby panda will soon be on the way since cameras caught the four adult pandas mating during the pandemic. Take a day to walk among the wild or volunteer at the zoo if time permits. Make sure to download the print-friendly zoo map from their site in advance at https://nationalzoo.si.edu/ Admission is free and they are open 365 days a year.
Visit National Harbor
While technically across the Wilson Bridge in Maryland, this harbor is just a bridge away from Alexandria. The National Harbor is our newest and largest waterfront with restaurants, bars, homesites, a convention center and its own Ferris wheel. Enjoy seafood, events like festivals and music, walk amongst the statues, and even tour a retired Air Force One. Kids can play and climb on the “Awakening Sculpture” of larger than life hands and a face reaching out of the sands. There are lots of shops to browse at the harbor, and there is a Tanger Outlet just a couple streets away as well as the neighboring MGM Casino. More info on up-to-date events can be found at https://www.nationalharbor.com/.
Based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Roxie LaFever likes her town but knows she needs to explore the world and search out her own truth. Without creating even an “unofficial bucket list,” she’s been to all 7 continents, seen all 7 Wonders of the World and over 40 countries. With each trip – she tries to identify a way to step out of her comfort zone – and grow. Whether she’s jumping off a mountain in Rio to hang-glide down to the beach, exploring the world’s largest waterfalls by ultra-lite or zodiac, hiking at high altitudes in Bhutan and Peru, or doing the “Walk of Faith” on the world’s longest glass bridge in China, you’ll want to travel along. In addition to freelance travel writing and photography, Roxie manages a lifestyle and travel blog at www.RoamingwithRoxie.com.