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D.C., we are panda positive again!
A pair of 3-year-old pandas, male Bao Li and female Qing Bao, are settling into their new home at the National Zoo. You’ll have to wait a little while for the housewarming party, though. The pandas won’t make their public debut until January.
If you just want to be near the pandas… the zoo is open, except for the Asia Trail and Bird House. Our other animal obsession Basil the one-eyed opossum is ready for visitors in the Small Mammal House (just remember to reserve free, timed passes).
We did get a sneak peek of the bears chowing down on bamboo and exploring their upgraded habitat.
Four things to know for the weekend
- Weekend Weather: Enjoy mild, sunny days.
- Ready to scream? Check out these haunted houses.
- Open now: The F1 Arcade near Union Market features more than 80 full-motion simulators ready to start their engines.
- Sports corner: The Wizards play their last preseason game against the Knicks on Friday. D.C. United and Washington Spirit play their last home games of the regular season this weekend. And the Commanders play at home this Sunday and next.
Explore open houses at dozens of farms and vineyards in Loudoun County
The Scene
The most fun things to do and places to be in D.C., Maryland and Virginia
Free pick
Loudoun Farm Tour
Sat. and Sun., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
🔗 Details
More than three dozen farms and vineyards in Loudoun County are inviting you in to explore and sample their goods.
Drive between the locations on a self-guided tour using an interactive map.
The farms cover a large area from Aldie to Lovettsville to Purcellville and beyond. Check the map and plan to visit a few locations near each other. In between, keep an eye out for roadside stands and farmers' markets!
Pro tip: Use filters on the map to find exactly what you’re looking for, from kid- and pet-friendly stops to public bathrooms.
Many farms let you interact with animals – or even ride them, in the case of Donkey Meadows Safe Haven ($10 cash or $11 card).
Some other highlights include:
- Tour Aurora Apiary as beekeepers prepare their honeybees for winter. Or learn about all parts of a beehive at Old Apple Valley Farms, which will let kids try on beekeeper bonnets.
- Pick your own produce at Blackwood Manor Farm, Farrah's Farm, Hope Flower Farm & Winery, Old Apple Valley Farms and Wegmeyer Farms.
- Grab ice cream and see milking demonstrations at Brookfield Dairy Farm.
- Meet alpacas at Butterfly Hill Farm Store and Double 8 Alpaca & Llama Ranch, goats at Bully Goat Farm or mini donkeys at The Sassy Ass.
- Explore vineyards including Farm de Vine Winery, Willowcroft Farm Vineyards and Zephaniah/Mill Road Farm, or sample two wines and tour Two Twisted Posts Winery.
Go here for more fall fun on the farm in Virginia and Maryland.
Halloween at the National Zoo
The National Zoo animals are ready to play for Halloween (even if the pandas aren’t ready for their debut yet!). This weekend’s Boo at the Zoo is perfect for families.
Boo at the Zoo
Fri. to Sun., National Zoo, $35 for nonmembers
🔗 Details
This weekend, you can take your little ghosts and goblins to Boo at the Zoo to trick or treat at 30 stations and watch the animals play with jack-o'-lanterns.
Make sure to come in costume!
Tickets also get you after-hours access to the Elephant Community Center, Small Mammal House (home to Basil, the one-eyed Virginia opossum!) and Reptile Discovery Center.
🔮 Night of the Living Zoo, the boo-zy open bar party for adults, happens next week.
Museum highlights
Yes, it’s fall, but it’s basically springtime for D.C.’s museums. There are so many cool new exhibits and fun events popping up.
New Exhibits
Free pick
OSGEMEOS: Endless Story and Basquiat × Banksy
Hirshhorn Museum
The street art exhibit taking over the third floor of the Hirshhorn is mesmerizing, imaginative and exploding with color.
It's the largest U.S. exhibition yet of twins Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo's work, including sculpture, paintings, film and more. You'll need a free, timed pass to visit.
It’s the perfect place to stop after seeing two legendary street artists’ work at the Basquiat × Banksy exhibit.
Free pick
Fierce Flora: Tales of Survival and Demise
Open now at the U.S. Botanic Garden
🔗 Details
Get to know the “ferocious side of the bright and beautiful plant world” at the U.S. Botanic Garden.
The multisensory exhibit highlights carnivorous, poisonous and helpful plants. See if you can move faster than a Venus flytrap, or take a selfie with poison ivy (from a safe distance!).
The garden is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
William Gropper
Opens Oct. 17 at the Phillips Collection, included with admission ($20 for adults)
🔗 Details
Can’t get politics and the state of the world off your mind? Cope at the first exhibit in D.C. dedicated to the work of painter and cartoonist William Gropper.
“This presentation features more than 30 works that reveal his biting commentary on human rights, anarchy, labor, freedom, and democracy,” the Phillips Collection said.
Consider this before you go: The exhibit deals with violence, racism, prejudice and war.
Cool events
Free pick
Food History Weekend 🍳
Thurs. to Sat., National Museum of American History, most lectures are free
🔗 Details
Swing by the National Museum of American History’s Coulter Plaza for a special display of objects that recently came out of storage on Saturday from 11:30 to 12:45 p.m.
Or, attend fascinating lectures on food culture, including talks on Julia Child’s Kitchen and America’s Chinatowns.
Free pick
DC Punk Archive 10th Anniversary: Lamont Plaza Fest and pop-up record fair 🤘
Sun., 1-5 p.m., Lamont Plaza at 3210 Mt Pleasant St NW
🔗 Details
D.C. is celebrating a decade of its punk archive with events all month, including a comic exhibit at the Lost Origins gallery.
At this weekend’s pop-up festival and record fair, watch a show with Hammered Hulls, The Messthetics, and Flowers for the Dead and explore the record fair.
Just for kids
Free pick
Big Build
Sat.,10 a.m. to 4 p.m., National Building Museum
🔗 Details
It’s an extra special free day at the National Building Museum, where kids can play plumber, roofer, designer, builder and more using real tools (and expert guidance!).
Stop by dozens of booths that let the little ones pour concrete, wire a light or hammer nails, or climb into some construction equipment at the Truck Petting Zoo.
It’s free, but we suggest getting tickets in advance.
🚒 BTW: If your kid loves vehicles, check out Big Truck Night on Friday at Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon. It’s part of the Farm Harvest Festival and Carnival.
Free pick
Library of Congress Family Day: Halloween
Sat., 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
🔗 Details
In this spooky season-themed Family Day, you can do eerie crafts and get a special look at the Library of Congress’ collections.
Concerts this weekend
The Magnetic Fields, 6:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, Lincoln Theatre, $49-$79
Tickets are still available for some nights of Stephin Merritt’s “69 Love Songs” 25th anniversary performances. The band became kitchen sinkers on the classic triple LP, playing a wide variety of instruments with multiple vocalists while the songs remained somewhat sparse, beautiful, outsider pop. Details.
Billy Bragg, 7 p.m. Sunday, 9:30 Club, $55
Britain’s beloved punky protest singer-songwriter — a sort of Joe Strummer of folk music — is touring in support of a career retrospective box set, “The Roaring Forty.” Will be a treat to see the legend at the Club. Details.
Things to do in D.C.
Mean Girls: Tues. to Sun., National Theatre, $79+
Food History Weekend: Thurs. to Sat., National Museum of American History, most lectures are free
Design on the Water: Washington DC Architecture Cruise: Oct. 18 and 25, departs from Georgetown, $45 (adult)
Boo at the Zoo: Fri. to Sun., National Zoo, $35 for nonmembers
Washington Wizards vs. New York Knicks: Fri., 7 p.m., Capital One Arena
Kids Euro Fest Family Day: Sat., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., MLK Memorial Library, free
4th Annual Planet Wordiversary and Community Day: Sat., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., 925 13th St., NW, suggested $15 donation
Adams Morgan Apple Festival: Sat., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., outside The Line Hotel at Euclid and Champlain Streets NW, free
Big Build: Free day at the National Building Museum: Sat.,10 a.m. to 4 p.m., free
Library of Congress Family Day: Halloween: Sat., 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., free
DC Wine Fest: Sat., noon to 10 p.m., Dock 5 at Union Market, $35-$55
Tara Hoot's Camp(y) Brunch Bingo: Sat., 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., Whitlow’s DC, $10 (can add bottomless drinks)
Fusion Festival: Sat., Anacostia Arts Center, $60-$75
D.C. United’s last home game of the season vs. Charlotte FC: Sat., 6 p.m., Audi Field
Turkish Festival: Sun., Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 3rd Street and 6th Street, free
DC Punk Archive 10th Anniversary: Lamont Plaza Fest and pop-up record fair: Sun., 1-5 p.m., Lamont Plaza at 3210 Mt Pleasant St NW, free
Washington Spirit’s last home game of the season vs. Chicago Red Stars: Sun., 5 p.m., Audi Field
Colada Shop Coffee Festival - Coffee Cupping: Sun., 2 p.m., Dupont location (1900 N St NW), $15
- FYI: The Clarendon location will host the same event next week
Things to do in Maryland
Steve Martin & Martin Short: The Dukes Of Funnytown!: Fri., 8 p.m., The Theater at MGM National Harbor
Halloween Eye Spy Train Ride: Saturdays and Sundays through 10/27, Cabin John Regional Park and Wheaton Regional Park, $6
Eddie Griffin: Sat., 8 p.m., The Theater at MGM National Harbor
Utopia Film Festival: Sat. to Mon., Greenbelt, screenings cost $8
Chappell Roan Halloween Drag Queen Bingo and Dance Party: Sat., 5:30 p.m., Lewistown Volunteer Fire Company in Frederick, $17.35
Commanders vs.Panthers: Sun., 4:05 p.m., Northwest Stadium in Landover
Things to do in Virginia
Arlington Restaurant Week: Oct. 14-21
Farm Harvest Festival and Carnival: Fri. to Sun., Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon, $10 for parking, admission free (rides cost extra)
FYI: Big Truck Night is Fri., 5-7 p.m.
Loudoun Farm Tour (open houses at dozens of Loudoun farms and vineyards): Sat. and Sun., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., free
Goblin Golf Extravaganza!: Sat. and Sun., Burke Lake Park (7315 Ox Rd, Fairfax Station, Virginia), $10
Ghost Town: No Screams, Just Treats!: Sat. and Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Burke Lake Park, $15
Springfield Fall Festival: Sat., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Springfield Town Center, free
Rocktoberfest: Sat., 4-7 p.m., Rocklands Barbeque, $45 (adult)
Fall Harvest Festival: Sat. and Sun., George Washington’s Mount Vernon, included with admission
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