It's Summer in DC!
The cherry blossoms have long-since bloomed and the heat is here - it’s finally summer! Whether you’re a local grabbing mimosas for brunch in this beautiful weather or you’re visiting from out of town for your summer vacation, there’s a lot to do in DC! After you stop by the best escape room in the DC area, do you need something else to do while the kids are in town for vacation? Look no further! Here’s a list of some other fun things in the area we recommend for this beautiful season.
If discovering secrets is the reason you love escape rooms, the O-Street Museum may be right for you. This place is simultaneously a functional hotel and an art museum filled with literal secrets. Get the secret door experience to hunt for the nearly 100 rooms and 70+ secret doors, and get lost for an afternoon while you dodge the summer heat.
If cycling or walking is your thing, the Mount Vernon trail is a beautiful stretch of 18 miles that’ll take you to the estate of George Washington himself. There’s tons of very pretty trails in DC, and you can take the Anacostia River Trail to the ones on the Maryland side as well. If you love biking and you’ve never checked out the local trails, you’re missing out! Capital Bikeshare is a reliable service for biking, too.
Do you love animals? So do we! The Smithsonian Zoo is more than a zoo, it’s a research and rehabilitation center so you know the animals are treated very well. This is one of the few spots to see large pandas, so this one’s worth checking out. It’s always free, too.
Benches and trees at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park
If you want to cool off with some kayaking or biking, come here - the capital bikeshare bikes are great, but if you want to rent real bikes, this is your spot. They do kayak and canoe rentals for super reasonable rates, if you want to kayak the Anacostia River. You’ll have to navigate to the Maryland side of DC, but they’re right on the Anacostia River Trail, and they’re a short hike from the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, which are my personal favorite nature area in the DC area.
Speaking of rivers, The Wharf is a beautiful waterfront section of DC. It boasts paddleboat rentals, water taxis, and a lot of high-end shopping and restaurants. If you want something a little less nature-y and a little more tourist-y, this may be the spot for you. If you visit The Anthem this summer you’ll be able to see Coheed and Cambria, Lorde, and Father John Misty. Lil Nas X’s show is sold out, but Carly Rae Jepsen still has tickets!
Conventions
Yes, yes, you’re on the website for one of the best escape rooms in the DC area. We know that you know what conventions are. Otakon comes to DC the last weekend of July (29th-31st), Small Press Expo hits Bethesda on September 17th and 18th, and BlerdCon is July 8th-10th right here in Arlington!
This one’s one of the more popular museums on people’s itineraries to DC. The Spy Museum is more than a collection of espionage artifacts - it has a lot of interesting tongue-in-cheek exhibits that are more interactive than informational. The gift shop is also a lot more fun than your standard museum gift shop. Unlike the Smithsonian museums, this one does require purchasing a ticket to enter.
You’ve already seen the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian and the several Van Goghs at the art museum, so what’s next? If you’re into art, definitely check out the Hirshhorn if you’ve never been. The Hirshhorn generally features more modern exhibits as well as socially impactful ones (such as from the likes of Ai Weiwei), and there’s a Yayoi Kusama exhibit on display until November 27th. If you’ve never been to a Kusama Infinity Room, you owe it to yourself to visit.
The Kennedy Center is where you watch shows in DC. We may not be broadway, but you can see To Kill a Mockingbird through July 10th, and Hamilton is coming August 2nd through October 9th. Look, I know you’re just here for Hamilton. That’s okay, too. Just swing by and visit our escape room after your show.
If you’re looking for fun things to do with the whole family during this summer season while everyone’s still in town, look no further than the best escape room in Arlington! We’ve also got all of your hosting needs for your summer work party, or just a respite from the July heat. Enjoy the summer!