With tourist season upon us, many Washingtonians are going to be pining for places to get away and escape the seemingly inescapable masses, even if for a few hours. While D.C. offers plenty of fun and interesting things to do with friends and family, sometimes you just want to be alone—and that’s OK! Whether you’re looking for a secluded park to relax in, a quiet museum to reflect upon fine art, an empty bar to sort out your problems, or a good library to dig into some reading, there’s plenty of great getaways to be alone in the D.C. area. Here are some of DCist’s favorite spots.
Photo by Edward Hoover
HIRSHHORN MUSEUM: Of all the Smithsonian’s museums, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is far from the least crowded (in fact, I think the Freer and Sackler Galleries might be the least crowded art museums on the Mall, at least every time I’ve visited), but there’s something about the museum’s contemporary and modern art exhibits that’s best observed on a solitary visit. To me, there’s nothing more tranquil and relaxing than visiting the Hirshhorn and deeply reflecting at the gorgeous art. Even when it’s crowded, it makes you feel like the only person in the building. — Matt Cohen
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is located at 700 Independence Avenue SW.
WEST END CINEMA: Despite this painfully accurate Onion article, I still prefer going to see movies alone. It’s not that I don’t enjoy my friends’ company at movies from time to time, it’s just that sitting in a darkened theater silently for a couple hours seems better suited as a solitary activity rather than a group one. As such, I’ve found that the Dupont Circle-area West End Cinema is one of the best theaters for seeing films alone. It has three small screens that aren’t usually too crowded and the programming skews on the artier side (with the occasional prestige film), making for a premium solo movie outing. Bonus: they have some of the best popcorn in the city. — Matt Cohen
West End Cinema is located at 2301 M Street NW.
DODGE CITY: Look, just because you sometimes like to drink alone, doesn’t make you an alcoholic. Sometimes, you just need to work out some stuff in your head over a strong cocktail in an empty bar. Maybe you strike up a conversation with the bartender and they dispense invaluable advice? Most barkeeps in this city are wiser than you know. On any given weekday, Dodge City is one of the best bars in the city to enjoy a drink or ten by yourself. It’s not empty, but it’s never too crowded and the vibe makes for a valuable neighborhood watering hole, whether you just want to be alone or make some new drinking buddies. — Matt Cohen
Dodge City is located at 917 U Street NW.
ROOSEVELT ISLAND: For those looking for a nice stroll or hike in the greet outdoors, Roosevelt Island is a great option. Located in the Potomac River, the 88.5-acre island features a statue of America’s 26th president, as well as many trails. Pedestrians may only enter the island from a footbridge in Rosslyn, while drivers enter from the George Washington Memorial Parkway. While pets are welcome, bikes are not. Bonus for locals? It’s one of the least visited tourist attractions in the area. — Sarah Anne Hughes, from our Best Tourist Spots Locals Should Also Enjoy list
Theodore Roosevelt Island is located in the Potomac River.
ROOM 11: Another neighborhood bar that’s a great place to grab a strong drink and reflect on your life in solitude. It’s also a coffee shop if boozing alone isn’t your thing. Unlike Dodge City, Room 11 has more of a hang-out vibe; a solid place to sit down with a book, magazine, newspaper, etc. and have some quality alone time. — Matt Cohen
Room 11 is located at 3234 11th Street NW.
ROCK CREEK PARK: Rock Creek Park has a plethora of hiking trails, many of which are very quiet. Especially from Klingle Road and north, the trails above the creek like the Valley Trail and Western Ridge Trail seem more like a hike in the Shenandoah than one in your backyard. You may not see a lot of wildlife, but you also won’t see a lot of people. The side trail to Fort DeRussy is another solitary but interesting one, you end up at an old Civil War fort that commanded the valley, now tucked away in a forest. — Andrew Wiseman
Rock Creek Park is big and accessible from various places in NW, but the address listed is 3545 Williamsburg Lane NW.
SHAW LIBRARY: There’s no more quiet, peaceful place to be alone than the library, at least in theory. Though sometimes bigger libraries can still be noisy and crowded, there’s quite a few smaller ones that are the perfect place to be by yourself. I’m a fan of the upstairs portion of the Shaw Library, where I can often go to do work or read a book in peace and quiet. — Matt Cohen
SENSORY DEPRIVATION/FLOAT TANK: I’ve never been in a sensory deprivation tank, but I can’t imagine a better place to be alone than floating in the dark in a body-sized tank. There’s not a lot of places in the D.C. area you can to this, but there are a couple that aren’t too far away.. There’s Hope Floats in Bethesda, Md. and Om Float Spa in Manassas, Va. For $70, you can spend an hour floating in a tank alone at Hope Floats. Just, you know, don’t stay in there too long. Weird stuff might happen to you. — Matt Cohen
Hope Floats is located at 4811 Battery Lane in Bethesda, Md. Om Float Spa is located in Manassas, Va.
Photo by Sean Hennessey.
CRISPUS ATTUCKS PARK: This hidden Bloomingdale gem is one of the city’s best-kept secrets. So much so, that I almost didn’t write about it because I didn’t want to risk exposing it to the masses. Almost. Tucked away in behind row houses between U and V Streets NW and First and North Capital Streets NW, this serene alleyway park features an open green lawn and lush flora that’s the perfect place to relax on your own and dig your nose into a good book. — Matt Cohen
Crispus Attucks Park is located at 63 U Street NW.
DAVID M. BROWN PLANETARIUM: While the Air & Space Museum’s planetarium offers some great programming, it’s a bit on the expensive side and can get pretty crowded during tourist season. So if you want to be alone to explore the universe from the comfort of the indoors, I’d recommend Arlington’s David M. Brown Planetarium. The amazing group Friends of Arlington’s Planetarium offer programming, including lectures and kid-friendly shows, one weekend a month. Arlington Public Schools handle normal programming, like star watching on the first Monday of the month. It’s about a half-mile walk from the Vienna Ballston or Virginia Square Metro stations, and admission is $3 for adults. —Sarah Anne Hughes
The David M. Brown Planetarium is located at 1426 N. Quincy Street.
ONE OF PABLO MAURER’S “ABANDONED PLACES:” As regular readers know, DCist’s soccer guru Pablo Maurer has a unique hobby of going to abandoned places—asylums, schools, resorts, factories, whatever—and taking really, really gorgeous photos. As you can probably gather from those pictures, there aren’t a lot of people at those places. Simply put, if you’re looking for true solitude in some truly astonishing places, you can try and beg Pablo to tell you where his abandoned places are and how to get into them (but good luck with that, I’ve yet to pry it out of him), but I’m sure if you do your homework, you can probably figure out a way to find them. Just don’t be surprised if you get a surprise visit from the local authorities. — Matt Cohen
Finding one of Pablo’s abandoned places is tough. You can try and bribe him for locations, but I’m sure you can find out how to get there through some Internet sleuthing. Going to them is probably illegal, just so you know.
MARVIN GAYE PARK TRAIL: If you’re like me, and too much alone time translates into over-thinking, riding a bike solo is a nice compromise. You’re alone, but occupied with trying not to crash/die. The Marvin Gaye Park Trail is my new favorite place to go on a ride. The Ward 7 park is 1.6 miles long, and the trail runs next to the Watts Branch stream. Getting there from west of the River is a bit tricky, but can be accomplished by also using the Anacostia River and Fort Circle trails. The local ANC is dedicated to bringing programming to the section of the park off Division Avenue this summer, so stay tuned. —Sarah Anne Hughes
The Marvin Gaye Park Trail begins at Minnesota and Nannie Helen Burroughs avenues NE.
