Washington, D.C
Fun date and activity ideas for your DC-area Valentines and Galentines
Valentine’s Day and Galentine’s Day mean that many of us are brainstorming ways to spend some quality time with our favorite people.
Plenty of restaurants are offering special Valentine’s Day menus or Galentine’s brunches, but maybe you want to switch things up this year.
From free dates to crafty activities, here are out-of-the-box activities and fun outings you can try for your Valentines and Galentines.
Free dates and activities in the D.C. area
Orchid conservation exhibit: About 350 flowers have come out of the Smithsonian’s orchid collection and into the Kogod Courtyard between the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. Between the flowers, don’t miss the technicolor orchid sculptures created by Baltimore-based artist Phaan Howng using 3D scans of the plants. The exhibit is free to visit and will be open until April 28.
Middleburg’s 13th Annual Winter Weekend Sale: The “Nation’s Horse and Hunt Capital” in Loudoun County is the perfect place to hunt for deals Feb. 16-19. The area also hosts many wineries and restaurants to complete your quick day trip.
Millennium Stage: The Kennedy Center’s free stage has several concerts to choose from this week, including a performance by Justin Adams and Mauro Durante on Wednesday.
Unique D.C.-area date ideas for any pair
Cookology Cooking School: What’s more endearing than a delicious meal made with love? This Ballston Quarter cooking school offers a range of classes for adults and kids ages 3 and up – including a whole series of Valentine’s Day classes. Or, you can give your giftee a gift card to begin fulfilling their chef-y dreams.
Ice skating: The National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden ice rink . You can also skate through Georgetown’s waterfront, The Wharf ice rink and Yards Park.
Monet: The Immersive Experience: Whisk your person away into the iconic landscapes of the impressionist painter Claude Monet. The exhibit includes larger-than-life digital renderings of the most famous impressionist paintings and backdrops ideal for a quick DIY photoshoot. It’s set to open the weekend after Valentine’s Day.
Profs and Pints: For about $15, give the gift of knowledge at this popular series of talks by professors on topics ranging from Emily Dickinson’s love life or Orcas vs. Yachts.
Plant stores: Freshen up your décor and get crafty at one of the D.C. area’s many plant stores. Plant House in Alexandria; PLNTR in Northwest D.C. and Plants Alive! in Silver Spring are great for workshops.
Spa World: The Korean spa in Centreville, Virginia, offers pools, saunas and poultice rooms made of red clay, gems, salt and more with general admission, plus you can book massages and other care services. Spa World offers gift cards and a selection of Groupons starting at $35 for a one-day general admission. (If you haven’t been to a Korean spa before, read the FAQ and etiquette advice before committing. Pool access is separated by gender, and no clothes are allowed in them.)
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WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Spray parks reopened in the District just in time to relieve people from the extreme heat forecasted this week.
Lafayette Pointer Park – in the Upper Checy Chase neighborhood – was one of the 32 sites that opened around D.C. Saturday.
“He loves coming here. Even when it’s kind of cold,” Austin Stack said about his two-year-old son, Collin. “He loves running through and getting soaked.”
The parks are open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Labor Day.
However, the one at Turkey Thicket Recreation Center is closed for repairs, while Fort Grebel Recreation Center remained closed Sunday for unknown reasons.
The Kremers, of Kensington, Md., are glad they found one that was open as temperatures reached the upper 80s on Sunday afternoon.
“We actually went somewhere else last weekend and we were so happy coming back today [but] it was shut down. It was closed,” said Pedro Kremer. “So we were heartbroken. And then we found this one.”
The District offers plenty of indoor pools right now as a way to stay cool, and starting Monday, June 24, all District outdoor swimming pools will be open six days a week.
Washington, D.C
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Bay Area News Group readers have hopscotched around the world in recent months, sharing their adventures as they rode camels in the Sahara, explored temples in Thailand and took cooking classes in Barcelona.
Now an Oakland couple is sharing their tales from a spring trip to Washington, D.C. Read on for details, then find more travel inspiration at www.mercurynews.com/tag/wish-you-were-here/.
Wish You Were Here
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Oakland residents Sean and Caroline Sorenson visited Washington, D.C. in early April. “We saw the Capitol, White House, Supreme Court and all the monuments,” Caroline says. “Everyone was very friendly and helpful. We were a week late for the peak of the cherry blossoms, but we saw the end of it, which was very pretty!”
TRAVEL TIPS: “We stayed in Dupont Circle, which was convenient for the Metro. The Metro is very easy to take everywhere. We got a three-day pass ($28) and got more than our money’s worth. Once you’re on the Mall, you can easily walk to whatever you want to see.”
That list of things to see includes the National Archives, home of the Declaration of Independence, for example, and U.S. Constitution. Admission is free, but reserving a timed-entry ticket at https://museum.archives.gov/ ($1 service fee) will help you avoid summer’s long lines. ” It’s worth it,” Caroline says.
Join the fun! Send a photo of yourself on your latest adventures — local, domestic or international — to jburrell@bayareanewsgroup.com. Tell us where you are, who everyone is and where they’re from, and share a travel tip or two to help fellow readers go there, too.
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