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DC Travel Guide  |  Things to Do

Your Weekend Bucket List for Washington, DC

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Your weekend bucket list for Washington, DC
Washingtonian Recommends

Our Washingtonian Recommends lists bring you the best places to eat, drink, and be entertained—all selected by Washingtonian editors.

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Updated on December 28, 2016.

Washington is a big place—okay, not Los Angeles or London big, but large enough to make seeing all its attractions in a day or two nearly impossible. Consider these the Things to Do in Washington Before You Die—or before you leave town, anyway.

1. Explore the monuments on the National Mall.

Your weekend bucket list for Washington, DC
Photograph by Andrew Propp.

2. Ogle the Hope Diamond and other gems at the National Museum of Natural History

Your weekend bucket list for Washington, DC
Photograph courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution.

3. Stand beneath the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin.

Your weekend bucket list for Washington, DC

4. Snap a selfie in front of the White House.

5. Tour the Capitol Building.

Your weekend bucket list for Washington, DC
Photograph by Andrew Propp.

6. Eat at one of 14th Street’s myriad restaurants.

Your weekend bucket list for Washington, DC
Photograph by Scott Suchman

7. Go for oysters and martinis at Old Ebbitt Grill.

Your weekend bucket list for Washington, DC
A relaxed atmosphere doesn’t mean the Ebbitt isn’t a serious earner. Photograph by Scott Suchman

8. Pick a favorite power player at the National Portrait Gallery.

9. Try a half-smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl.

Your weekend bucket list for Washington, DC
Photograph by Jeff Elkins

10. See the only Leonardo da Vinci work in the Western Hemisphere at the National Gallery of Art.

11. Check out the Spirit of St. Louis at the National Air and Space Museum.

Your weekend bucket list for Washington, DC
Plane courtesy of National Air and Space Museum.

12. Wave hello to baby panda Bei Bei at the National Zoo.

Your weekend bucket list for Washington, DC
Photograph by Andrew Propp.

13. Check out the day’s newspaper headlines from around the world at the Newseum.

Your weekend bucket list for Washington, DC
Photograph by Smaria Bryk/Newseum.

14. Explore Georgetown’s vibrant shopping scene.

15. Wander up the nearly 200-year-old C&O Canal starting at the Georgetown Visitor Center.

16. Head to a Nationals game.

Your weekend bucket list for Washington, DC
Photograph by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images.

17. Have a drink at Martin’s Tavern, where JFK supposedly proposed to Jackie.

Your weekend bucket list for Washington, DC
Flickr photo via MikeMaguire.

18. Take in a live show at the 9:30 Club.

Your weekend bucket list for Washington, DC
Flickr photo via @wumpiewoo

19. Click your heels in front of Dorothy’s ruby slippers at the National Museum of American History.

20. Catch a world-famous act at the Kennedy Center

Your weekend bucket list for Washington, DC
Photograph by Jennifer Zmuda.

This article appears in our Washingtonian Welcome Guide.

More: 14th Street9:30 ClubBen's Chili BowlCherry BlossomsGeorgetownGeorgetown StoresKennedy CenterMartin's TavernMuseumsNational Air and Space MuseumNational Cherry Blossom FestivalNational Gallery of ArtNational MallNational Museum of American HistoryNational Museum of Natural HistoryNational Portrait GalleryNational ZooNationalsNewseumOld Ebbitt GrillThe White HouseTidal BasinWashingtonian Recommends
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