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- Capital Overview
- Like a Local
- Capitol Arts & Culture
If you’ve been to DC before, or if you want to get to know DC from a local’s point of view, follow this insiders’ tour.
Day 1
Daytime
Start your morning by jogging or cycling around the scenic monuments or memorials. The Mount Vernon and Capital Crescent Trails take you past some of the city’s most familiar sites. On your way back to the hotel, refuel with coffee or tea and a pastry or sandwich at a neighborhood café.
Spend your day shopping for funky home furnishings and vintage clothing in the Logan Circle/ U Street neighborhood. Indulge in a chocolate milkshake and chili half-smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street, Washington, DC’s historic Black Broadway. A neighborhood heritage trail guides visitors past the historic Lincoln Theatre, the boyhood home of Duke Ellington, the African-American Civil War Memorial and other points of interest.
Evening
Enjoy a cocktail and catch a live jazz show on U Street, or head to the Adams Morgan neighborhood, where you’ll find an endless variety of cuisines from around the globe. Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Latin American… take your pick. Live blues music pours out of Madam’s Organ and salsa dancing beckons at Havana Village, while stylish crowds flock to bars like Chloe, The Reef and Felix.
Day 2
Daytime
Have breakfast in Georgetown, where you’ll find casual bistros and cafes situated on and around M Street and Wisconsin Avenue. Try on clothing and jewelry by local designers, rising names in fashion and international retailers in upscale boutiques in this neighborhood—one of the city’s most famous shopping districts. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, head to the Georgetown Waterfront. Rent a kayak or canoe for a view of the city from the water, or hop on a bike and travel on the scenic C&O Canal Towpath.
In the afternoon, venture over to Dupont Circle and explore a fascinating collection of art galleries and book shops. In the circle itself, locals mix and mingle over pick-up games of chess. Take in an exhibition at The Phillips Collection, the nation’s original modern art museum, home to some of the world’s most prized paintings by Cezanne, Renoir and other noted artists.
Evening
See for yourself why Washington, DC’s live music scene has earned such acclaim. Music enthusiasts flock to venues such as the Black Cat and the 9:30 Club, where national and local artists enjoy an intimate playing space. Have dinner and drinks near U Street or Dupont Circle before stepping out to the show.
Day 3
Daytime
Start your day in Anacostia, where you can explore DC’s African-American heritage at the Anacostia Community Museum, tour the Frederick Douglass House at Cedar Hill and take advantage of a spectacular view of the DC skyline. As you cross the Anacostia River and return to downtown DC, stop at the Southwest Waterfront to lunch on seafood delicacies fresh from the Chesapeake Bay like oysters or steamed crabs at the boisterous Maine Avenue Fish Market.
In the afternoon, explore Penn Quarter, DC’s new revitalized downtown district. Visit the high-tech, interactive International Spy Museum or the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Art and Portraiture, home to the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum—the newest additions to the DC art scene.
To experience another up-and-coming neighborhood, wander over to Barracks Row along 8th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE, where new restaurants, specialty shops and boutiques are constantly opening. On the weekend, browse the arts, crafts and antiques for sale at nearby Eastern Market.
Evening
Washington, DC’s theatre scene is booming. Enjoy a pre-theatre dinner at one of downtown’s most fashionable eateries, then take in a show at the edgy Woolly Mammoth Theatre, the unconventional Studio Theatre, the funky Warehouse Theatre or the classical Shakespeare Theatre. Half-price same-day tickets are available at Ticketplace, located on Seventh Street across from the Shakespeare Theatre.
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