The countdown is officially on. There’s only a week before Labor Day, which means fall, aka Decorative Gourd Season™, is near.
How to best take advantage of these last few days of summer? So glad you asked! We rounded up the best outdoor, seasonal activities to send off summer (and if you can’t get to them all in a week, that’s okay—fall doesn’t technically start until September 22).
See an outdoor movie
You can still catch plenty of flicks in the great outdoors. Pack a picnic, grab a blanket, and head outside to watch Wonder Woman in NoMa or Space Jam in Alexandria.
Paddle board and kayak
No matter what kind of water activity you’re looking for—be it paddle boarding, kayaking, or pedalboarding—you can do it in the city. CapitalSUP takes you out on the Anacostia River, or you can head down to the Key Bridge Boathouse in Georgetown to hit the Potomac.
Listen to live music outside
Take in some live tunes at the Strathmore, in downtown Rockville, at the Wharf, and Wolf Trap.
Do yoga in some weird places
Practicing yoga in a traditional studio seems passé compared to these scenarios: do yoga on a rooftop followed by mimosas, do yoga in the U.S. Botanic Garden, do yoga in a cemetery, do yoga at an urban farm, or do a series of free workouts (yoga, barre, or pilates) in Farragut Square.
Dive into a pool
The District is one of the best cities in the country when it comes to outdoor public pool access, so take advantage of it while you can. While some public pools have closed early, a good number are still open through Labor Day, such as the Banneker, Upshur, and Rosedale pools. If you live in DC, bring a photo ID and a utility bill to prove your residency; if you don’t, you’ll have to pay a small fee.
Take the water taxi
The cheerful yellow water taxi can take you between the Wharf, Georgetown, Old Town Alexandria, and the National Harbor, so you can have drinks in one spot and dinner in another. You can also take a sightseeing tour of the monuments by boat, as well as one to Mount Vernon.
Hang out at the Bullpen
It seems like there’s always a rumor going around that this season is the last one for the Bullpen, but from what we can tell, it’s still going strong. Just in case, head out for some food, live music, and beer before a Nats Game—they take on the Brewers and the Cardinals this week.
Mimi Montgomery joined Washingtonian in 2018. She’s written for The Washington Post, Garden & Gun, Outside Magazine, Washington City Paper, DCist, and PoPVille. Originally from North Carolina, she now lives in Del Ray.
