Pro tip: Pair this with the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s field guide to plants and animals.
Rock Creek Park
Basics: At $5.99, this should do more than indicate the park’s restrooms, parking lots, and, strangest of all, maintenance sheds. Missing are trailheads and decent picnic spots.
Pro tip: Try a popular (and free) crowd-sourced app like MapMyHike instead.
National Zoo
Basics:This $1.99 GPS-enabled app suggests best walking routes, and it updates you on exhibit openings and closings.
Pro tip: Don’t miss the pandas IRL because you’re watching them on your phone.
National Gallery of Art
Basics: A host of info such as museum hours and current exhibits, plus high-res versions of 130 artworks, all free.
Pro tip: Keep the kids from ruining your visit and let them listen to the app’s children’s audio tour.
DC Restaurant Violations
Basics:The free app culls Department of Health data to show eateries that flunked inspection.
Pro tip: Nix your pals’ favorite greasy spoon with a well-timed health report.
This article appears in our December 2014 issue of Washingtonian.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
5 Mobile Apps to Put Washington in Your Pocket
Plus—pro tips on how to use them.
Chesapeake Bay
Basics: The National Park Service’s free directory of more than 400 hiking, boating, and camping spots in the watershed, spanning six states and DC.
Pro tip: Pair this with the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s field guide to plants and animals.
Rock Creek Park
Basics: At $5.99, this should do more than indicate the park’s restrooms, parking lots, and, strangest of all, maintenance sheds. Missing are trailheads and decent picnic spots.
Pro tip: Try a popular (and free) crowd-sourced app like MapMyHike instead.
National Zoo
Basics: This $1.99 GPS-enabled app suggests best walking routes, and it updates you on exhibit openings and closings.
Pro tip: Don’t miss the pandas IRL because you’re watching them on your phone.
National Gallery of Art
Basics: A host of info such as museum hours and current exhibits, plus high-res versions of 130 artworks, all free.
Pro tip: Keep the kids from ruining your visit and let them listen to the app’s children’s audio tour.
DC Restaurant Violations
Basics: The free app culls Department of Health data to show eateries that flunked inspection.
Pro tip: Nix your pals’ favorite greasy spoon with a well-timed health report.
This article appears in our December 2014 issue of Washingtonian.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Best of Washington 2023: Things to Eat, Drink, Do, and Know Right Now
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
Everything You Wanted to Know About Urban Bear Sightings but Were Afraid to Ask, Because Who Wants to Get That Close to a Bear?
Rockville Police Are Searching for Culprits of a $4,500 Pickleball Paddle Heist
Dozens of Vintage Planes Will Fly Over the National Mall This Saturday
PHOTOS: “Rupaul’s Drag Race” Queens Work It at the National Mall
Meet the NIH Detectives Cracking Medicine’s Toughest Cases
5 of DC’s Most Interesting Ideas for Revitalizing Chinatown
A “Corpse Flower” Is Currently in Bloom at the Botanic Garden
How Emma’s Torch Is Changing the Lives of Its Refugee Workers