Great Ways to Score Cheap Tickets
Three insider tricks for getting into events at a discount.
Best for Sports
Nationals District Tickets
location_on 1500 S. Capitol St., SE
language Website
DC residents can now root for the home team for less. Using a credit card with a District address, you can buy discounted tickets (starting at $5) to any game at Nats Park on the Nationals’ website, or flash a DC driver’s license at the box office. Seats are in sections 401 and 402, and there are some limits: Each person maxes out at four tickets per game and four games a season.
Best for Museums
Phillips Collection Deals
location_on 1600 21st St., NW
language Website
Entry to the Dupont Circle art museum typically costs $20, unless you time your visit right. Each day from 4 to 5 pm, the Phillips offers pay-what-you-wish tickets, and on the third Thursday of the month, stroll the galleries at no cost from 4 to an extended closing time of 8. Admission is free, but seeing works by Renoir and Rothko up close? Priceless.
Best for Theater
TodayTix
language Website
This app offers reduced prices for a number of local theaters, including the Kennedy Center and Ford’s, Studio, and Signature theaters. The platform occasionally offers opportunities to win tickets for hard-to-see shows, such as Shakespeare Theatre Company’s recent performance of Macbeth starring Ralph Fiennes.
Best Rainy-Day Activity for Kids
Super, Awesome & Amazing
location_on 6805 Industrial Rd., Springfield
language Website
When summer storms roll in, take energetic kids to the tricked-out 30,000-square-foot play space inside the St. James, the Springfield megagym. Super, Awesome & Amazing is split into three sections: a climbing area and obstacle course with a Nerf battle zone; a new arcade featuring sports-themed games; and an indoor water park for splashing around on slides and under buckets (open weekends).
Best Private-Pool Hack
ResortPass
language Website
Channeling vacation vibes at a hotel’s private pool doesn’t require an overnight stay. The booking platform ResortPass lets you buy day passes for a luxe hotel rooftop, including a number in DC. Sip drinks poolside at Hotel Zena in Logan Circle or rent a cabana at Yotel Washington DC in Capitol Hill. Some places offer lounge-chair reservations and towel service so all you have to worry about is swanning around the water and reapplying sunscreen.
Best Museum Trend
After-Hours Programs
Museums: They’re packed with tourists on weekends and hard to visit on weekdays, often closing before you clock out. And while places like the National Gallery of Art and Phillips Collection have held after-hours events for a number of years, now more museums are keeping their doors open after 5 for a fun evening out. Glenstone is staying open until 8 every Friday and Saturday this summer, pairing wine with live music and nature walks. The National Museum of Women in the Arts launched NMWA Nights in January, returning this fall with cocktails and DJs. And on the first Wednesday of each month at the language museum Planet Word, logophiles can play games during extended hours.
Best Hotel for a Spa Staycation
Four Seasons
location_on 2800 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
language Website
The plush bedding and 24-hour room service already make for a luxurious retreat, but the recently renovated spa at the Four Seasons is another reason to hole up in the Georgetown hotel. A new couples suite has side-by-side massage tables and a large soaking tub, and the three comfy relaxation lounges (including the addition of a coed area) now serve açai bowls and avocado toast so you can spend the day unwinding. The spa also added treatments that combine guided meditation with aromatherapy and massage for relaxing mind and body.
Best for Creative Play
Lego Discovery Center
location_on 6563 Springfield Town Center, Springfield
language Website
DC’s landmarks are a regular sight for children growing up in the area. But seeing those landmarks (and more) built by more than a million Legos in a massive display? Now we’re talking. The cityscape is behind glass at the colorful Lego Discovery Center, but there are a few cutouts to reach through, and pretty much everything else is fair game for interactive fun. Kids can customize Lego figurines, construct works with the Master Builders, engage in build challenges, and more.
Best Fitness Trend
Healthy Coworking Spaces
Now that the office can be anywhere, gyms and fitness studios are merging work and working out. The top floor of the Clarendon gym Life Time, for example, is an expansive workspace with reservable offices. Climbing and coworking mix at Sportrock and DC Bouldering Project; both have an area for remote work with wi-fi. In Georgetown, the yoga studio Alkova offers memberships that cover classes and access to sleek desks.
Best for Pickleball Lessons
Dill Dinkers
location_on 40 Southlawn Ct., Rockville; 4942 Boiling Brook Pkwy., Bethesda; 8300 Sudley Rd., Manassas
language Website
Whether you’re finally succumbing to curiosity about the sport or looking to improve your lob, pickleball facilities Dill Dinkers in Rockville and North Bethesda hold classes for all levels, taught by Professional Pickleball Registry–certified instructors. Lessons range from one-on-one tutelage to doubles-partner training and group sessions, as well as monthly clinics on skills such as serving and dinking. Beyond the classes, there are eight courts for open play in Rockville and 11 in North Bethesda. A Manassas location opened in June.
Best Movie Experiences
For Outdoor Films
Movies on the Potomac
location_on 150 National Plaza, National Harbor
language Website
The riverfront at National Harbor turns into an open-air theater during Movies on the Potomac, a biweekly film series that caters to different audiences. A giant screen shows kid-friendly films on Sundays, while Thursday is dedicated to date-night selections, the Capital Wheel turning in the background. Showings are free and run through September 29. Bring picnic blankets and chairs.
For Dinner and a Show
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
location_on 1660 Crystal Dr, Arlington; 630 Rhode Island Ave., NE
language Website
A full menu can be delivered to your seat throughout the movie at this upscale theater chain. Each reclining chair is outfitted with a tiny table, ideal for balancing pizza, sandwiches, and boozy milkshakes. The theater also creates special dishes for many new releases, and throwback screenings will often be matched with themed drinks or brunch.
For Cinephiles
Suns Cinema
location_on 3107 Mount Pleasant St., NW
language Website
Take a break from blockbusters at this independent theater and lounge in Mount Pleasant, which showcases Criterion classics and foreign films. Seating consists of an eclectic collection of couches and chairs, making for a scene that feels less like a theater and more like a beatnik poetry reading. After, chat about films at the cocktail bar, where drink names nod to cinematic moments.
Best Free Comedy Shows
Area comics are out every night of the week working on sets and keeping up with their comrades, so we asked some to spill their favorite spots for a laugh.
For Seeing Rookies and Pros
Hotbed
location_on 2477 18th St., NW
language Website
Every night except Monday, you can catch a free show at this Adams Morgan club, organized by the local group Underground Comedy. There’s “always a mix of veteran and up-and-coming DMV comics,” says comedian Becca DiLuzio. One evening could introduce your next favorite comic; another, you might spot a notable comedian visiting from out of town.
For Audiences Who Want In on the Action
“Bombs Away”
location_on 1205 U St., NW
language Website
An area favorite for “indie vibes and great local comedians,” says comic Josh Blume, Kinda Live Comedy runs the monthly themed show “Bombs Away.” The audience gets buzzers to send comedians off, and comics stay onstage only until their jokes flop. Comedian Ambi Narula applauds Kinda Live’s producers for being thoughtful about their lineup, which means she can count on a diverse and inclusive show: “They go out of their way to help make a difference in the community.”
Best Walks
Dan Silverman buys new walking shoes every three months. As proprietor of the beloved District blog Popville, the Cleveland Park resident walks four or five hours every weekend day and at least five miles on weekdays. The punishment he metes out to his Asics Gel-Lyte IIIs pays off in posts about stuff he notices. “If I don’t do my walks,” he says, “I don’t get my information.”
Best Walk With Kids
Reservation 630 trail in Rock Creek Park
language Website
“During Covid, I force-marched my kids for many, many miles. That’s kind of backfired on me now when I suggest a nice walk. For kids, it’s really all about the hikes. Rock Creek Park is just an unbelievable resource. My kids love doing little creek crossings. You gotta jump from rock to rock. Although I and my kids always fall in.”
Best Hidden-Gem Walk
Palisades Trolley Trail
language Website
“There’s a cool walk in Palisades that follows an old trolley trail. It’s this nice green walk that’s close to MacArthur Boulevard, but you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. There’s an old trestle that’s a little controversial because the neighbors are trying to save it, and I think it’s very expensive to save. But it’s cool to look at while it’s still there.”
Best Walk Without a Plan
City thoroughfares
“City walking is totally underrated when you don’t have a set path. If you have an hour, just pick a section of the city that you’ve never been to before. Pick one main thoroughfare and just go for it.”
Best Garden
Dumbarton Oaks
location_on 1703 32nd St., NW
language Website
Holley Simmons knows flowers. As founder and owner of the floral shop She Loves Me, she’s constantly surrounded by blooms. But where does Simmons go when she needs a little extra flower power? “You truly can’t beat the gardens at Dumbarton Oaks. Of course, the wisteria are not to miss in early spring, but truly any time of year there’s something to marvel at. The forsythia forest, azaleas, the dogwoods–it’s all so stunning!”
This article appears in the June 2024 issue of Washingtonian.
