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DESTINATIONS
14 Best Things to Do in
Washington, DC
For those looking to go way beyond the Mall.
BY ADELE CHAPIN
April 18, 2024
There's the DC you see on C-SPAN footage

and blaring cable news clips. Then there's
DC that residents know, the livable city
where you can spend a Saturday exploring
indie boutiques, cool restaurants and
breweries, and amazing concert venues.
Your visit to America's capital city can
include both sides of town, seeing awe-
inspiring museums and memorials—or
trying to find a presidential motorcade if
you're a "West Wing" super fan. Next up,
see a free concert at the Kennedy Center's
Millennium Stage, hear the birds chirp in
one of The District's many parks (both wild
and manicured), or even see the sights from
the Potomac River on a water taxi. Need
more ideas? Here's our list of the best things
to do in Washington, DC, both on and off the
beaten path.
Read our complete Washington, DC,

destination guide here.
Every review on this list has been written by a

Condé Nast Traveler journalist who knows the
destination and has visited that activity. When
choosing things to do, our editors consider
landmarks and experiences that offer an insider’s
view of a destination, keeping authenticity,
location, service, and sustainability credentials
top of mind. This gallery has been updated with
new information since its original publish date.
All products and listings featured on Condé Nast

Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you
purchase something through our links, we may earn an
affiliate commission.
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ACTIVITY
National Museum of African

American History and Culture
It’s hard to imagine improving upon the
grandeur of the historic National Mall,
miles of greenery surrounded by world-
class monuments and museums. But in
September 2016, the Smithsonian's
National Museum of African American
History and Culture did just that. This
relatively new addition to an iconic
landscape houses artifacts, photography,
and other media that reflect African
American culture and experiences. Here
you’ll find Harriet Tubman’s personal
hymnal and silk lace and linen shawl, a bill
of a sale for a young enslaved girl, Louis
Armstrong’s trumpet, photos capturing the
participation of Black women during the
Civil Rights Movement, and a collection of
costumes from ‘The Wiz’. Given the scope
and size of the space (85,000 square feet),
this is best saved for a day when you have
plenty of time to devote.
B O O K N O W AT G E T Y O U R G U I D E
WATCH THIS
Only 70 People A Day Can Eat This $10

Michelin Star Ramen
Alamy
RESTAURANT
Ben’s Chili Bowl

$
You can’t miss Ben’s Chili Bowl. The

restaurant’s bright red and yellow facade on
the U Street Corridor proudly broadcasts
itself as a Washington landmark. The
institution is best known for its chili dogs
and half-smokes—half-beef, half-pork
smoked sausage smothered in chili—and
has presided over U Street since it opened in
1958. Much has changed in 60 years: U
Street has become a hipster hotspot and
Ben’s has expanded to five other locations,
including one inside Washington Reagan
National Airport and another at Nationals
Park. Former President Obama has been
known to dine at Ben’s; his likeness graces a
mural on the side of the building. Prepare
yourself for an animated, if not downright
rowdy, crowd. By day, the restaurant is a
popular tourist destination—everyone is
here to try a half-smoke—and by night it’s a
perfect late-night spot to recover from an
evening at one of U Street’s many bars.
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SHOP
Union Market
Washingtonians love spending their
weekends at Union Market, in the industrial
NoMa neighborhood, a sweeping space
filled with local food vendors, restaurants,
and shops. Union Market offers more than
enough to meet anyone’s needs. Get fish and
chips from The District Fishwife, eat
Venezuelan at Arepa Zone, or go for
Southern comfort food like étouffée from
Puddin'. For a sit-down meal, try the
Michelin-starred Masseria or St. Anselm, a
perfect steakhouse from restaurateur
Stephen Starr. For drinks, head up to Hi-
Lawn, a rooftop bar and open-air eatery. Or
hit mixologist Gina Chersevani's two
outposts: the New York soda shop–inspired
Buffalo & Bergen and carefree dive bar Last
Call. And if you’re in the mood to explore
Latin American culture, you’re in luck,
thanks to the nearby 20,000-square-foot
Latin market, La Cosecha.
Waldorf Astoria Washington DC
ACTIVITY
Old Post Oﬃce Tower

This massive Romanesque Revival building
completed in 1899 is covered with arches
and turrets. It's a formidable presence on
Pennsylvania Avenue, nicknamed
America's Main Street. The building is now
the grand home of the Waldorf Astoria
Washington D.C. (the tower entrance is at
the back of the hotel next to Sushi
Nakazawa). This is also DC's second tallest
structure, according to the GSA, second
only to the nation capital's most
recognizable building: the Washington
Monument. But the Old Post Office Tower is
much lower-profile for the tourist hordes,
which makes a visit here a cheat code for
taking in a sweeping view of the
Washington skyline. No tickets or
reservations are needed for a trip to the 270-
foot observation deck within the clock
tower.
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Alamy
ACTIVITY
Phillips Collection
In a town full of museum after-hours
parties, the Phillips Collection's monthly
"Phillips After 5" is one of the longest-
running events of its kind and still hits it
out of the park. For example, a party
celebrating an exhibit with French post-
Impressionist artist Pierre Bonnard
partners up with the Embassy of France to
bring in a live band, snacks like spring
vegetable galettes with edible flowers, and a
floral arranging workshop.
Courtesy Busboys & Poets
RESTAURANT
Busboys & Poets

$$
It’s hard not to be taken with Busboys and

Poets, particularly if you have an affinity for
cozying up with a compelling book and a
steaming cup of coffee. Part restaurant,
bookstore, and hub for driving social
change, the establishment is eclectic and
comfortable, outfitted with murals and art
depicting activists and progressive
movements. The crowd varies, based on
time of day, event lineup, and what’s going
on in the world when you visit. Weekend
mornings can be lively, with folks tucking
into a DC favorite brunch.
The Washington Post/Getty
ACTIVITY
The Yards Park

If you're looking to hike and disappear into
nature within the city limits, head to Rock
Creek Park. But for an outdoor escape that
combines showy landscape architecture
with DC's peaceful Anacostia riverfront,
check out the Yards Park. This very modern
urban park is an anchor of the redeveloped
Capitol Riverfront neighborhood, turning a
former industrial space into a slice of
greenery for residents and visitors to enjoy
amidst the office towers—with amenities
like a dog park and water features that little
ones can splash around in during the
summer. The futuristic Yards Park Bridge, a
pedestrian bridge with striking, swirling
steel supports that glows at night, tempts
photographers to capture a unique angle.
The bridge is located near the park's Canal
Basin and Waterwall, a unique water
feature where kids are invited to wade and
play in the 11-inch deep water on hot days.
Alamy
SHOP
Eastern Market
Open since 1873, Eastern Market is a
National Historic Landmark and a beloved
local institution. Long before farmers
markets cropped up in every neighborhood
across the city, Eastern Market was the go-
to place for fresh produce, meat, cheese, and
baked goods—and still is. One can easily
spend an afternoon wandering the stalls,
which are packed with fresh produce,
cheeses, meats, poultry, and flowers, as well
as items like shaved ice snowballs, canned
pickles, and Filipino food. If you’re really
hungry, sit down for a meal at Market
Lunch, a 46-year-old institution famous for
its blueberry-buckwheat pancakes. On
weekends, local artists sell handmade wood
carvings, letterpress prints, soaps, and the
like. A community staple for more than 140
years, Eastern Market offers a fascinating
look into local life DC—beyond the buzzy
new restaurants and the politics.
Ron Blunt
ACTIVITY
The John F. Kennedy Center for

the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center is a sight to
behold, inside and out. Set on the banks of
the Potomac River—between the Watergate
Hotel and the Lincoln Memorial—this
performing arts center is stately and iconic;
it's the true monument to J.F.K. Edward
Durrell Stone designed the modern marvel,
whose halls are decorated with plush red
carpets, enormous crystal chandeliers, and
a bevy of state flags; its rooftop restaurant is
a favorite place for Washingtonians to
watch the sunset with a cocktail or coffee.
The National Symphony Orchestra and
Washington National Opera both call The
Kennedy Center home. In September 2019,
the Kennedy Center doubled down on its
commitment to the arts with the opening of
The REACH. Filled with intimate
performance spaces and lecture halls, the
expansion aims to create deeper
connections between performers and
audiences.
Getty
ACTIVITY
National Mall
Each year, millions of people come to see the
monuments and memorials that dot the
more than 1,000 acres of the National Mall,
which is flanked at one end by the U.S.
Capitol Building and at the other end by the
Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther
King, Jr., delivered his famous “I Have a
Dream" speech in 1963 (his own memorial is
a half-mile away). At the center of the park,
dubbed “America’s Front Yard," the
Washington Monument honors the first
U.S. president and the founding of
American democracy. Though the National
Mall stars in myriad movies and TV shows,
it's far more awe-inspiring in real life. From
the solemnity at the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial to the stirring energy at the
Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial, you’ll
find that each monument or memorial has
its own atmosphere. In other words:
Prepare to feel all the feels.
Getty
ACTIVITY
Nationals Park
Nationals Park, home to the Washington
Nationals, is one of the finest baseball
stadiums in America; from the upper decks,
you just might spy the top of the U.S. Capitol
Building. While you’re cheering on the
Nats, you can enjoy a burger from Shake
Shack, brews from more than a dozen local
breweries, or a half-smoke from Ben’s Chili
Bowl, a local institution. Since it opened in
2008, the ballpark has become the
glittering centerpiece of a revitalized
Southeast Waterfront—so don't forget to
check out the neighborhood while you're
here.
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INSPIRATION DESTINATIONS PLACES TO STAY NEWS &

SALE: SUBSCRIBE AND GET FREE GIFTS! »

All products and listings featured on Condé Nast

North America United States District of Col

There's the DC you see on C-SPAN footage

Read our complete Washington, DC,

Every review on this list has been written by a

All products and listings featured on Condé Nast

National Museum of African

Only 70 People A Day Can Eat This $10

Ben’s Chili Bowl

You can’t miss Ben’s Chili Bowl. The

Waldorf Astoria Washington DC

Old Post Oﬃce Tower

Courtesy Busboys & Poets

Busboys & Poets

It’s hard not to be taken with Busboys and

The Washington Post/Getty

The Yards Park

The John F. Kennedy Center for

GET DIGITAL ACCESS >>

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