About Winter Things to Do
Lace up skates, dine in an igloo, go stargazing, drink a hot cocktail. Here are lots of places and ways to delight in the season, whether you’re chilling outside or getting cozy indoors.
Missing sunnier times? Fear not: There are ways to capture summer’s spirit even when it’s snowing outside.
Take a Dip in an Indoor Pool
You can still splash around in the winter, thanks to public indoor pools. Some standouts: Chantilly’s Cub Run Rec Center (4630 Stonecroft Blvd.) features water slides, a lazy river, and a jet-filled vortex. The splash pool at Germantown Indoor Swim Center (18000 Central Park Cir., Boyds) has a faux island with waterspouts. Lap swimmers can check out the Olympic-size pool at Tenleytown’s Wilson Aquatic Center (4551 Fort Dr., NW).
Visit a Greenhouse
Marjorie Merriweather Post hired a curator to breed new orchids for her greenhouse at Hillwood Estate (4155 Linnean Avenue, NW), which contains 2,000 specimens. Meanwhile, the warm dome at the United States Botanic Garden (100 Maryland Ave., SW) is filled with rainforest plants.
Sip a Tropical Cocktail
Bring back memories of warmer days with piña coladas and mai tais at tiki bars such as Archipelago (1201 U St., NW) and the Wharf’s Tiki TNT (1130 Maine Ave., SW), which mixes island drinks with spirits from Thrasher’s Rum Distillery, located under the same roof.
This article appears in the December 2022 issue of Washingtonian.
