You don’t should journey far this summer season so as to have a enjoyable—and frugal—time. Listed here are a number of free cultural occasions taking place within the DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia space, plus cool lodge picks for every metropolis.
Alexandria, Virginia
Kick off your summer season with a weekend getaway to this historic outdated port metropolis (this 12 months marks Alexandria’s 275th anniversary) stuffed with colonial appeal and cobblestoned streets on the Portside in Previous City Summer season Pageant (June 21-22), a free pageant that includes an eclectic mixture of stay music, native craft beer from Port Metropolis Brewing Firm, and household enjoyable on the Alexandria waterfront. On Friday night, don’t miss jazz performances by the Lovejoy Group, Brandon Woody’s Upendo, and Kokayi on the ALX Jazz Fest @Portside (https://www.alexandriava.gov/arts/alexandria-jazz-fest). The festivities proceed on Saturday with extra music, native meals, and interactive arts and historical past actions.
Whereas on the town, take a stroll alongside the waterfront and uncover the African American Heritage Path, peruse the retailers and eateries on King Road (each August there’s an annual summer season sidewalk sale), and take a look at artist studios on the Torpedo Manufacturing unit Artwork Heart.
The place to Keep: Centrally positioned in Previous City, the pet-friendly Lodge Indigo is Alexandria’s solely waterfront lodge. Get a comfortable room with a view of the Potomac River and dine on the rustic, Hamptons-reminiscent Hummingbird Bar + Kitchen.
Baltimore, MD
In case you love arts and tradition festivals, then you will have two causes to go to Attraction Metropolis. First up is the annual AFRAM (June 22-23), one of many largest African American festivals on the East Coast. The 2-day occasion within the metropolis’s Druid Hill Park attracts hundreds of attendees who come for the soul meals, trend, and music performances. (Enjoyable truth: this public park impressed the title of hometown R&B group Dru Hill.) Just a few of this 12 months’s scheduled headliners are Busta Rhymes, Morris Day, Massive Daddy Kane, and Karen Clark-Sheard.
Later in the summertime, there’s Artscape (Aug. 2-4, https://www.artscape.org/about-artscape/), one among America’s largest free outside arts festivals, with native meals and crafts distributors, public artwork shows, and performances from native and world-renowned recording artists.The place to Keep: Lodge Revival Baltimore is a brand new boutique lodge that boasts 107 fantastically restored visitor rooms within the metropolis’s historic Mount Vernon neighborhood. The good-looking lodge is accented by native artwork and options the favored rooftop restaurant, Topside, and a spirit-forward speakeasy with karaoke rooms.
The lodge overlooks the landmark 178 foot-tall Washington Monument at Mount Vernon Place, the primary monument to George Washington within the U.S. Contained in the monument’s restored white marble inside, climb the tower stairs to the highest for a wide ranging 360 view of Baltimore Metropolis. Throughout your keep, stroll to the Walters Artwork Museum and take a look at the close by eclectic retailers and ethnically numerous eating places.
Washington, D.C.
The District of Columbia comes alive within the summertime. An annual calendar spotlight is the free Smithsonian Folklife Pageant (June 26-July 1), which celebrates Indigenous and worldwide cultures on the Nationwide Mall with craft reveals, stay music and cooking demos, and coincides with the twentieth anniversary of the Nationwide Museum of the American Indian. For the July 4th vacation, pack a picnic, arrive early, and safe a spot to observe the fireworks towards DC’s iconic skyline of monuments and memorials on the Nationwide Mall. Then over Labor Day weekend, don’t miss the DC JazzFest (Aug. 28-Sept. 1), celebrating its twentieth anniversary with performances by D-Good, Samara Pleasure, Chuck Brown Band, Dianne Reeves, and extra on the Wharf and throughout town.The place to Keep: Eaton DC, within the District’s downtown hall, is an entire vibe. Get pleasure from stay music and attractive sips and bites on the rooftop bar and lounge Wild Days, savor artisanal cocktails and sway to DJ units on the artsy speakeasy Allegory, and take an R&B yoga or sound meditation class at Eaton Wellness. Then get your magnificence relaxation in one of many lodge’s fashionable rooms accented with area of interest facilities like a file participant with a curated vinyl choice.
