If you have the good fortune to be in Washington, D.C. for the Christmas holiday, you need not be confined to your home. While most of the city will shut down for the secularized day of gift giving, there are options for getting out around town. See a list below. To add an event, please email tips@dcist.com.
You have until noon to sign up for a volunteering activity through the Washington DCJCC.
The Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia (8900 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax, Va.) will host a family day with food, a magician and a screening of the film The Frisco Kid. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The U.S. Botanic Garden (100 Maryland Avenue SW) will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., so you can check out the Season’s Greenings exhibit: “Come explore the seven seas, guided by the light of 33 lighthouses and navigate your way through this nautical wonderland. Get your telescopes primed and keep an eye out for sea creatures, mermaids and even a pirate ship, all created with plant parts. Don’t worry if you get seasick; train travel is still possible with our marvelous model trains.”
Decorated for Christmas, George Washington’s Mount Vernon (3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, Va.) estate will be open with special events planned. Sadly, there’s no candlelight tour, but the house will be open for regular viewing. $17.
Note: All of the Smithsonian museums, including the National Zoo, will be closed.
Find a vehicle (legally) and head to Northern Virginia to check out the many lights displays using Holly’s Tacky Christmas Lights guide.
Looking to dine out? Consult our list.
Alcohol is always an option. Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar (1104 H Street NE) will open at 5 p.m. and Jimmy Valentine’s Lonely Hearts Club (1103 Bladensburg Road NE) will open at 10 p.m. See other options here.
The National Cathedral (3101 Wisconsin Avenue NW) hosts its annual organ recital at 5:15 p.m.: “Cathedral organists Christopher Betts and Benjamin Straley play a Christmas afternoon recital on the Cathedral’s great organ. With special guest, Rosa Lamoreaux, soprano.” $10 recommended donation.
For the 16th year in a row, some of the area’s best musicians convene on the Millennium Stage on Christmas Day to present the best in D.C. jazz. Drummer Lenny Robinson, trumpeter Tom Williams, bassist James King, and vocalist Delores Williams join host/vibraphonist Chuck Redd. 6 p.m. Free. —Sriram Gopal
Photo by Tony Quinn.
