Its all about the Monet, Monet, Monet…read more... I've always enjoyed the works of Impressionist Claude Monet, and here you get to experience his works projected on floor to ceiling screens. There's a short section with informational panels about his life and his process (TL:DR- LOL). Unexpectedly, there is also a section that recreates his studio and his garden at Giverny. (Note: I visited his house several years ago and obvs they have taken liberties here). Enough about this, what about the immersive experience? If you've attended the Van Gogh experience, I think that was superior. Maybe it's Monet's artwork, but projected like this, it's not as interesting. Maybe it has to do with the proportions, but it's a lot more impressive when there are just a few large paintings than several. And the music quite frankly was putting us to sleep. However, it is quite interesting when he revisits the same location and repaints it over the years. And of course the water lilies are gorgeous. The abrupt ending with caricatures of (famous?) people was a strange choice to end this experience. The projection area is set up nicely with chairs, benches and bean bags and everywhere you sit is a good spot for viewing. Just settle in and get comfortable. Optionsl to purchase a VR experience. The gift shop is tasteful and has lots to choose from. When is the Klimt show, I'm still waiting.

If you went to the Van Gogh exhibit, you should know what to expect: A room with information on the…read moreartist's life, information on his painting style, and lots of reproductions of his art. This exhibit was different from the Van Gogh in some respects. The first room we entered a Victorian-like parlor with furniture and artwork. From there, you go into a garden with hanging flowers and blue and green lights. From there, you go into the main room with the artist's works animated in a half-hour loop. There are bean bag cushions on the floor and numerous sling chairs on which to sit. From there you go into the last area, where you can select a drawing based on the artist's paintings and color it in. (The crayons were clearly left over from the Van Gogh exhibit and needed something to make the points finer.) Unlike the prior exhibit, there was as scanner we used to take a picture and display it on a screen. You can also pay extra to do a VR experience, but as my boyfriend and I didn't care for it the last time we went, we skipped it for this exhibit. Feel free to take as many pictures as you want; just don't use your flash or disturb other people at the exhibit. Although I didn't like the Monet exhibit as much as Van Gogh (maybe because I like Van Gogh's oeuvre better), it's still worth a visit and a nice experience. I hope to see this type of exhibit with more artists.

I brought my 6-year-old twin grandsons here and they had a blast. There are a lot of fun things…read morefor the kids to do, and the place is small enough to be manageable. it is well organized and kept clean. The rules require socks for kids and either socks or shoe coverings for adults. Make sure the socks have rubber things on the bottom if you think you will be in the disco room, as the floor is slippery. I highly recommend this place for some wholesome fun!

So much fun. Every detail AMAZING! We signed up for an hour and had so much fun we extended to…read more2!! Great Creative active play.!!! Not I front of a tv!!! Loved it!!!

This is SUCH a neat experience for any person in any age group…read more This year was our second year in a row going to the Garden of Lights. I was happy to see they definitely switch up many of the elements so that it's a new experience, while keeping classics like the huffing dragon. What makes it so magical is that Brookside Gardens are set aside from MoCo businesses and general traffic so there is no light pollution coming from outside, while inside, aside from a few pathway or building lights, all of your lighting and illumination is coming from the holiday lights themselves. Do you you want a great walk that may short-circuit your little ones from excitement (as it did mine)? This is it. Do you want a creative and romantic holiday date idea? This is also it. Do you have guests in town for the holidays that you want to wow? Yep. Also it. I expect we will be coming back each year and I highly recommend it to anyone.

Absolutely beautiful place and amazing experience!! The lights were so unbelievably brilliant and…read moreperfect & i captured so many good pictures. Highly recommend coming here during Christmas time, and I'm sure Brookside gardens alone without the lights is beautiful too!

Always amazing, I've gone every year for a few years now and it's gotten super popular. I'm…read moredefinitely going back this year but you won't see me posting the location anymore hahah;)

Markoff's was a big disappointment. It had been about 20 years since I last went to a haunted…read morehouse/forest and I had heard good things about Markoff's, so I was excited to visit. I found the Midway boring, the Town small, the Trail extensive but not very scary/surprising, and the prices outrageous. Markoff's charged $70 for a Town + Trail combo ticket. Ok, fine, for a unique experience I paid it. I don't think it's terrible compared to concerts, Renn Fest, and other experiences. But I thought the overall quality would be higher. At the Midway, I expected more entertainment and activities. Compared to a Renn Fest, which has tons of shows and activities going on, there is almost nothing at the Markoff's Midway. There were a few food stands (tacos, nachos, and pupusas; cotton candy; donuts; waffles; cotton candy; smores), one bar, a merch store, a small art store, face painting, a zip line, and a log rolling activity. The only entertainment I saw was a pretty tame fire dancer at one point. They played DJ music but song choices were often odd, like Elton John (doesn't say "Haunted Forest" to me). Everything cost more money to do. Beer was an outrageous $15. Tacos $8 for one (but did get good reviews from my friends). Lines were long because they only had one person checking IDs and one cashier, and no one had any hustle. Overall, it was boring. I did the Town first. You wait in a line to be driven in a group to the town. The ride there didn't have any decorations or scares which was a missed opportunity. The Town itself was a fairly basic path in and out of some rooms. Some of the decorations were neat. There were some attempted scares and surprises, but this heavily depends on where you are in your group and if you are close to the group ahead of you -- either people in your own group or the next group can spoil the scare/surprise. There were some actors and some dummies and animatronics. Actors were okay but some were overacting high schoolers. It was pretty short. My immediate reaction was, "That's it?" The Trail was much longer and more substantial than the Town. It is clear this is the main event. It was very long and winding, had lots of different themed areas, and lots of props, decor, animatronics, and actors. But everything felt a little low quality. Many of the themes were old timey, like a crypt; I would have liked a few more modern horror settings like a morgue or hospital. Some of my favorite decor was some old cars near the end because they felt more real than other area. I also would have liked some longer, more involved themed areas; instead, the themes felt short and shallow. Like, give me a whole haunted church to explore instead of just one room. They could also have more creative scares/surprises, like with people above you or below you. Scares/surprises could have been good if not often ruined by people ahead. I'm glad I gave it a shot but I don't recommend it. I would read reviews carefully before doing another haunted house/forest.

First time attending 420 festival, I enjoyed music by action Bronson and my boy ludacris, I brought…read moretickets online, I heard people looking for tickets outside venue, because they were sold out, that happened to me last year, so I was prepared for this year. They could have done better with traffic, no officers directing traffic, so that was a nightmare getting into event, not to mention ncf, could have done a better job putting information on map what lot parking was going to be in, trying to find the lot to park in was hell , as well as parking was $20, overall I had a good experience, can't wait to see what headliners are for next year.

Small carnival located in parking lot 6 of RFK. $5 entry fee. No charge for parking, and there's…read moreplenty of it. Standard fair games. Standard carnival food like deep fried Oreos, corn dogs. They have an icee place which is nice, also a smoothie stand. A few rides, mostly for smaller children. This year there was one that went upside down like the pirate ship ride.

We went here with some friend while visiting the DC. area. It was very fun and interesting I wish I…read moretook more pictures. They had a room with a digital globe in it where you learned about different languages. Another room talked about telling jokes and you would sit and tell jokes to one another. There was a karaoke room where you learned about how music is constructed. There was a library which is like a Harry Potter room with a hidden door to a poetry nook. I would definitely recommend this place for $15.

Really lovely museum and experience. Beautiful exhibits and super interactive as well. Really…read moreenjoyed being able to learn the origins of words. Good for adults and kids alike. Great for people who love books or are just looking for a nice museum. Store was also very adorable and fun! Free tickets no reservation required. Very clean, new building as well. Good signage everywhere.

Located inside the historic Glen Echo Park, the Puppet Co. is a true blast from the past! This…read morenon-profit theatre is dedicated to introducing the art of puppetry to a new generation by bringing a mix of hand puppets, rod puppets, body puppets, marionettes, and shadow puppets to stage both original works and traditional children's stories. If you ever visited the "Land of Make-Believe" with Mister Rogers, you will be very familiar with these vintage style puppets. My four and eight-year old recently enjoyed a weekend original feature which was a mash up several different fairy tales. As an adult, I found it to be a bit corny but the show was perfect for my littles who stayed engaged for nearly the entirety of the one-hour show. Floor seating is available which is perfect for young families with children who cannot stay still. They have a fun house mirror in the lobby and after the show there was a puppet meet and greet. Overall it was good family fun for a hot summer afternoon. It's proximity to the Glen Echo carousel, playground, and aquarium made it feel like a full day affair!

My kids absolutely loved their first puppet show. I took my 5 and 10 year old to see the Twisted…read moreTales show and it was laughs for everyone. The staff were friendly, and the actors were engaging. I loved that they provided an interactive experience with pauses throughout the play to ask questions to the audience. I worried that my 5 year old wouldn't be able to sit still, but the open floor space was perfect for him to move around.

Had a great time at the Summer Snow Globe!…read more The food was appropriate for the intended temperature: lobster bisque, chicken pot pie, butternut squash soup, and a number of passed hors d'oeuvres like crab cakes and shredded duck crostini. While the sun made it a bit toasty to justify eating soup in the beginning, I skittered over to the soup stations as soon as the sun went down and the chill set in. The drinks were great! They had a boozy snow cone station that kept my wife sipping away. I focused on the Mint Julep cocktail, which they wisely made with the crushed ice from the snow cones. They also planned very well, and I didn't have to hear them say they ran out of anything. A major issue that I would normally need to point out at events like this is that the bars are usually packed, making it unreasonable to wait so long for one drink. I can't say that here! I never had to wait for more than one person ahead of me to get their drink. It wasn't an overbooked event, and that's a big deal for someone who is used to attending packed events and feeling like a canned sardine. The music was what I'd describe as "snow globe chill". There weren't any recognizable songs, but it was sufficient for creating a cool ambiance, similar to a lounge vibe. The only feedback I'd give for their future events is that the live band was pretty loud (not sure they need to mic the drums in such an enclosed space), which resulted in guests stepping outside so they could hear each other. BUT, with picnic tables, a waterfront sunset, and two corn hole sets waiting for us outside, it actually worked to add some variety to the night. It was a great event, all around! It also convinced my wife and I to return for one of their upcoming snow globe events. What can I say? I've been frost-bitten!

I wanted to love this, and I certainly didn't hate it, but I'd say I only just "liked" it well…read moreenough. The pre-opening party itself was good due to the tasty drinks and delicious bites being passed around, but I don't think I would pay for this exact experience on my own. Not because I'm cheap, but because it's only just o-k. A few pros and a few cons: Pros: - Unique idea - Bathroom trailer was surprisingly sufficient - Aesthetically pleasing decor, especially the chandeliers and trees - Outdoor seating and cornhole Cons: - EXTREMELY loud music -- if you want to talk to anyone, no. That's not happening. - Awkward sort-of lounge arrangement - Mystery snow -- as the foam snow fell into my drink, I thought, "I hope I'm not drinking something moderately to really toxic now..." - More snow would be nice - The dome was surprisingly hot and humid, definitely warmer the promised 64* - It's sitting in a rather unattractive asphalt parking lot. Maybe some AstroTurf would help. There's nice looking seating, but it's so loud that I'm not sure who's going to be able to make use of it; I'd prefer either a quieter space with more seating or no/less seating and more high tops for standing guests. This venue is a perfect example of "Man! This has SO MUCH potential! If only a few changes were made..." I'm crossing my fingers that some of those changes will be made and then this unique little National Harbor gem will really shine!