We don’t need the Go-Go’s to get us thinking “Vacation.’‘ We’re way ahead of ’em.
But as you circle the dates for a regional getaway during the summer season — which unofficially launches Memorial Day weekend and ends Labor Day — you might want to know before you go: Options, please.
With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at some popular summer getaway spots for people who live in Greater Washington. This isn’t a comprehensive list, mind you. It’s just a small primer to get you going. Here goes:
- Staying in town for a throwback staycation? How about starting at Hillwood Estate Museum & Gardens, the historic home of cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, maintained in its original style. Or you could take the fam to Theodore Roosevelt Island Park, that island in the Potomac with a monument to T.R. as well as walking trails with views of Rosslyn, Georgetown and other parts of D.C. accessible from the Mount Vernon Trail,
- Over at the National Portrait Gallery, you’ll still have time to catch the “American Cool” exhibit.
- You could start the summer off at Great Falls Park. The weather’s going to be gorgeous this weekend and so will the views of the Potomac as you climb the Billy Goat Trail.
- Or how about the National Archives? Beat the Fourth of July rush — there is one, right? — and check out the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.
- Did somebody say panda? You’re on your way to The National Zoo to see bouncing baby Bao Bao.
- Other favorite spots of locals, according to our informal and very unscientific pool, include the Tidal Basin, with the paddle boats, and the many monuments. You just can’t get enough of that — especially the recently reopened Washington Monument. Get a ticket to go up now that it’s open again, or go check it out at night along with the other monuments to Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR and MLK.
- More? The International Spy Museum is currently featuring an exhibit on popular TV show “The Americans: Fact or Fantasy.”
Other local favorites include:
- Capitol Visitors Center(a good first stop).
- Mt. Vernon
- The United States Holocaust Museum
- The United States Botanic Garden, the more accessible option for plant-philes, and it’s walking distance from the mall, Union Station and other locations.
- The United States National Arboretum, another one for nature lovers, the arboretum features the National Bonsai museum, a national herb garden and a collection of all the state trees, among other attractions
- Library of Congress tour
