The Weekend Scene: What to Do Around DC on Thanksgiving Weekend
Beat your food coma with stuff to do around D.C., Maryland and Virginia
By Sophia Barnes and Jacob Wallace ••
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What to Know
It will get cloudy on Saturday, then there's a chance for rain late in the afternoon
Rain is likely on Sunday and high temps will be in the 40s
When you've had your fill of gobbling turkey, watching football and whipping cream, there are plenty of ways to get out and enjoy the long, holiday weekend around the D.C. area.
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Step inside ARTECHOUSE (1238 Maryland Ave SW) and you’ll feel like you’re in another world. The innovative arts space specializes in larger-than-life, interactive projections on the walls. You can lounge in bean bag chairs to soak in the sights, or play around yourself. Tickets start at $16 for adults and $8 for kids if purchased online. A winter-themed Northern Lights exhibit runs Dec. 7-Jan. 5.
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Ax throwing has become a serious trend around D.C. In addition to Bad Axe (2419 Evarts St. NE and 2985 District Ave Suite 195, Fairfax, Va.), there’s Kraken Axes (840 E Street NW) and Autobahn Axe Throwing (45448 E Severn Way, Sterling, VA).
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Cheer on the Capitals at 18 home games in December, January and February that you can watch from the Capital One Arena — still chilly, but not as biting as the outdoors. Winter also means basketball, and that means the Wizards! Buckle up for a slew of home games every week.
The Punch Bowl Social is a retro-style bar, bowling alley, arcade and karaoke hall rolled into one building in Arlington (4238 Wilson Blvd.). A cozy fireplace defines the holiday lounge on the first and second floors. “Virginia Is for Lovers”-styled karaoke rooms and an homage to Arlington’s Great Elephant Escape — when four elephants escaped an amusement park in 1906 and ran through town — add local touches.
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When it gets chilly outside, the U.S. Botanic Garden stays balmy and green. Explore a tropical rainforest, a reconstructed Jurassic landscape, rare and endangered species, orchids and more. It’s free to enter.
Have you ever wanted to be inside the shoes of a video game character? Virtual reality arcades are springing up around the DMV and allow that exciting experience. Reviewers love VR Zone DC (2300 Wisconsin Ave NW, Suite G-101), which offers options for gaming, art exhibitions and VR escape rooms. The Augment Arcade offers more than a dozen games along with a bar in Shaw (645 Florida Ave NW). Monster Mini Golf is great for kids and families, plus you can book sessions as short as 5 minutes for just $5 (locations in Gaithersburg, MD; Columbia, MD; Chantilly, VA).
The National Law Enforcement Museum (444 E St. NW) has artifacts relating to notorious police investigations, both local and national. Tickets cost $21.95 for adults and $14.95 for youth ages 6 to 11. Online purchases get a $2 discount.
Get out of the cold just to try and break back out. Every city now seems to boast an escape room game, where daring participants get locked in and solve a series of puzzles to get out. Escape Room Live, with D.C. and Alexandria locations, lets you flee the sinking Titanic, outsmart a maniac in the woods or undo a crypt’s curse. Themes run from family-friendly, like the Wizard’s Apothecary (Escape Room Live Alexandria, 814 King St.), thrilling (Stephen King-inspired Dungeon Things at Insomnia Escape, 2300 Wisconsin Ave NW) to old-school mysterious (Sherlock Holmes’ Library at The Great Escape Room, 1730 Connecticut Ave. NW)
Have you ever wanted to be inside the shoes of a video game character? Virtual reality arcades are springing up around the DMV and allow that exciting experience. Reviewers love VR Zone DC (2300 Wisconsin Ave NW, Suite G-101), which offers options for gaming, art exhibitions and VR escape rooms. The Augment Arcade offers more than a dozen games along with a bar in Shaw (645 Florida Ave NW). Monster Mini Golf is great for kids and families, plus you can book sessions as short as 5 minutes for just $5 (locations in Gaithersburg, MD; Columbia, MD; Chantilly, VA).
Sportrock Climbing Centers (5308 Eisenhower Ave., Alexandria, VA; adult day passes cost $20 with separate equipment rental) is only one establishment where you can harness up and scale a wall. A few others include Earth Treks Crystal City (1235 S Clark St., Arlington, VA) and Badlands Playspace (For kids, 5200 Randolph Rd, Rockville, MD).
Here's a spot where you can support small and local business owners while finding unique gifts for everyone on your list. There are daily exhibitions and performers, too, along with food and drink for purchase. It's free to enter.
Bring the kids to this icy wonderland decked out with "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" ice sculptures. It's open the entire holiday weekend, including Thanksgiving. Tickets start at $25 for a child and $30 for an adult.
This very special event at Nats Park will feature many spectacular Christmas amenities, including an ice skating trail, Christmas Market and what the event calls the world's largest Christmas Light Maze.
The attraction is closed on Thanksgiving, but is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It's a good idea to buy tickets in advance.
Dining options will include sweet treats, a custom Ben's Chili Bowl offering and more. If you're thirsty, stop by the Ice Bar and Lounge for drinks like spiked coffee, beer, mulled wine and other spirits and cocktails. Tickets start at $20 for adults and $15 for children, but visit the website for deals and special offers.
Winter Walk of Lights Meadowlark Botanic Gardens, Vienna, Virginia Nightly admissions from 5:30-9:15 p.m. through Jan. 5
Wind through a dazzling display of lights; then stop by the gift shop and s'mores snack shop. Tickets start at $8.
Chef Fitz Tallon from Eataly NYC shows you how to carve a turkey.
This interactive arts space is winding down it's current exhibit "Lucid Motion," which pulls visitors into the art. It's open through Sunday. Adult tickets start at $16 if bought online.
Mix the virtual world with reality at Lucid Motion, the newest exhibit at ARTECHOUSE. Interactive technology allows visitors to be a part of the process of making the art. Watch the video to learn more about the experience.
Follow the history of the Marines, see real-life aircraft and artillery pieces or sit back for a screening of "We, The Marines" or "Superpower Dogs." Admission to the museum is free.
Dive into how pupusas, El Salvador's national dish, made their way from El Salvador to Washington D.C. and what makes this dish special to the District's culinary scene.
Zoo Lights 5-9 p.m., then nightly through Jan. 1 The National Zoo
See the zoo come to life with thousands of twinkling lights in displays throughout. You can also get a special late-view of the animals in certain areas.
New attractions this year include "Pandamonium: A Virual Experience" where you can get up close to pandas and "Entre les Rangs, A Luminous Field of Lights," which the zoo says is highly Instagrammable.
Festival of Lights Nightly 5-9:30 p.m. Watkins Regional Park (301 Watkins Park Drive, Upper Marlboro, Maryland)
Drive through a display of more than 2.5 million twinkling lights. Advance online tickets cost $8 per car.
These tips will help you maximize your Black Friday shopping.
Attendees of this festive tree lighting will be treated to a musical performance by The Washington Chorus, balloon artists, face painters and more. Say hi to Eun Yang as the gorgeous 75-foot tree lights up for the holidays.
