I have walked by this small domed area without realizing it. The structure almost looks like a…read moresnack bar. Just walk beside it to the entrance and go downstairs. There are a lot of hidden gems underground. The Ripley Center is beside the Smithsonian Castle. and the Freer Gallery. You can take Smithsonian metro or the Red line Circulator bus ( stop 4 if you don't mind walking across the grounds or stop 13 if you have an extra 25 minutes and want to be dropped off out front). The Ripley Center is a popular stop for schools. There are wonderful programs for students. The lower level has classrooms where groups can make art projects and learn about art. The building also has a lecture hall, the Discovery theater and wonder exhibits that change from time to time. The National Museum of African Art is connected to the building. You don't have to exit to see the exhibits. The Freer Gallery is on the same block. These are just three of the gems right beside each other. It is especially convenient when the weather is hot or rainy. If you have time for another adventure, the castle is just a few yards away from the domed shaped structure. It is a perfect meeting place outside. The museums are free. The circulator buses are currently free. Win-win.

Lecture Hall Under the Mall! I attended my first Smithsonian…read moreAssociate Program (8/2/19). The Venue: The most exciting thing is the S. Dillion Ripley Center is located Below Ground-under The National Mall. You enter the Via a small circular Building across the street from the Smithsonian Metro Station. Note: You Must Walk Down Many Stairs once inside. The place is very spacious, once below ground W/towering high ceilings. The center includes: Several lecture halls, movie theater space & conference rooms. The Food: Coffee, Bottled Water, Pastries & Snacks Available for purchases just outside lecture hall. The Program: "The Splendors Of The English Country House" 400 years in 7.5 hrs on the art, architecture, decor & people who created these homes & history. The program covered historical periods & significant architectural themes including: Elizabethan, Palladian (Neo-Classical), Victorian. I was most interested in learning more about Neo-Classical Architecture & it's driving force Robert Adam. He is credited w/popularizing This architecture in America. Most notable "The Federal Style" we see here in Washington, DC i.e. the Capitol & the National Archives best examples in my opinion. The lecture hall is quite comfortable-well padded Seats. We had a (1 hr) lunch break-eat on your own. I left the venue & got a polish sausage from a vendor on the mall & bottle water & a croissant From vendor outside our lecture hall. All tasted good. The Smithsonian Associates Program: Is an annual membership based program. Members receive a reduced cost per program And receive a monthly program via U.S. Mail Detailing upcoming programs. Non-Member pay a slightly higher ticket price For programs & learn about programs Via members or the Associate's latest programs Via the Smithsonian website: "Smithsonian.edu" It was a very informative day overall. A few participants I met had been to many Of these lectures, speaking well of the presenters. The staff I engaged w/all professional/courteous. Worth another visit.

This random little museum has a beautiful building if you're looking for a wedding venue (the…read morereason I was here). There is a large empty room on the second floor of the museum which can be used for a wedding ceremony. The museum itself was small but had some nice touches. My kids enjoyed seeing the lighthouse lights, especially seeing how small the lights were compared to the amount of light they generated. The museum had a few other touches for kids, like a small table with coloring sheets and crayons, and a large deer hide with a sign saying PLEASE TOUCH. Admission is free for Alexandria residents. I'm not sure I would have paid if I wasn't already there for the wedding. There is also a small parking lot with about 15-20 parking spots, and plenty of paid 2-3 hour street parking around there.

I do believe this is a must-stop for any Alexandrian looking to learn more about the history of the…read moretown in which they live. And bonus points: it is free for Alexandria residents. I guess it is shameful it took covid for my museum loving self to come here (it is open while many of the other local Alexandria museums are still closed) Full disclosure: this is a small little museum of history. You won't be spending all day here. But it is a good stop for residents and visitors.

14th Annual Ukrainian School Holiday Bazaar was a wonderful event. You get an ethnic festival…read morewithout crowds, hanging around with kind people. There was a food stand, market stands, musical program and the never ending table with the Ukrainian sweets. I have experienced before that the best desserts festival was the Ukrainian bazaar at their shrine so it is not surprising that this bazaar offered a huge quantity of delicious cakes. There were many layered cakes that somebody spent a lot of time making it from scratch. You can eat stuffed cabbage and enjoy home made tea or coffee before you get (inexpensive) deserts with the price range between $1 and $3. This bazaar could be an annual tradition for any non-Ukrainian who aspire to be an Ukrainian for 45 minutes. Hope to make it again next year. TIP: do not arrive at start (9:30AM) but more for lunch time (Noon). You will have everything available and ready for you.

For decades, the Lebanese are having the great festival and I am almost feeling guilty for not…read moreknowing about it, as if I missed something very important. For a half price of the restaurant cost you can experience the Lebanese delicacies and maybe try something new - like a Jallab ( It's made by diluting the syrup made of grape molasses, dates and rose water with water) The host (Lebanon men and women) were gracious and welcoming. Music over speakers was great, food and drinks even better. I felt like I had something very healthy. Vegetables and meats were savory; falafel (poor men burger) was made right there at that moment and it was extremely light, crispy with great taste. Actually, there was nothing to complain except about the size of my stomach that could not try more delicious food. I am sorry that I did not witness any dances or national costumes, or any cultural program with live music at the time I was there. If there was a program with times I would have timed it better. There was a section for the kids and parking was available at this fee free festival. I was happy to support Lebanese-American community.

Washington, DC - This compact and modern museum has lately hosted some very interesting…read moreexhibitions. Last year was the Jewish Deli - an interesting exhibition that made me hungry! Currently there's the Jewish Comics Experience- POW! WHAM! HURRAH!! I didn't know that many iconic comic characters like Superman, Batman and Captain America had Jewish creators. Some of the characters even used Jewish names and imagery in the comics! I learned a lot! I also liked the playful activities that were incorporated such as creating your own character and costumes for photos. I'm looking forward to the next exhibition. Tickets were reasonably priced at $10 and included admission to the museum as well. Be sure to check out the gift shop. I'm still smiling about a kids book I saw there - The Chupacabra ate the Candelabra!

Beautiful exhibitions! Started on the third floor at the pride in Washington exhibit. Great…read moreinformation! And photos. Moved to the second floor for the library and activism room. Great suggestions about how to get involved. I also found kids books to add to my collection. Then down to the first floor to the small shop. My only suggestion is that they should create a book based on the Pride exhibit.

A friend and I visited the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center today, and it was a…read morereally cool museum. The museum hosts rotating exhibitions of contemporary art from around the world, and it was larger than I expected (three floors). The highlights when we visited were an exhibit on Aboriginal Australian bark painting, an exhibit of the works of two WWII photojournalists, and an exhibit of artists who are past winners of the Trawick Prize (recognizing and supporting DC, MD, and VA artists since its creation in 2002). The museum is free to visit and has a parking garage below which is free on weekends. This is not your typical art museum, but that's kind of what made it great to visit today. It pushed me out of my art comfort zone and exposed me to some new artists! Definitely visit if you're in the area and love an art experience.

I have driven by this building a lot. I always thought it looked unique. What a treasure! The…read moreuniversity is conveniently on Massachusetts Ave. The metro stop is also on the campus. If you use the museum garage on Sundays, it is free. The space is large. There are currently three exhibits in the museum. There is also a lovely sculpture garden. It is wonderful sitting outside in the sun. The garden has a wonderful floral scent. The views take you out of DC for a minute. The staff members are nice. There are handouts or brochures on each exhibit. You can also see the works on line. The artists sometimes give Q & A sessions about their paintings or photographs. It would be easy to visit several times a month. You don't have to be a student to appreciate the arts. You don't have to take the steps. There are elevators. You will want to walk outside to see the sculpture displays. The current exhibits are: Val Lewton: From Hollywood to Breezewood, States of Mind: Cuba and North Korea and Fred Kellogg: Works in oil and water. They were all unique and interesting. The works are on display until August 13th and then new projects will be shown. It is worth a visit, or ten.

A must see if you visit Bowie! A hidden gem of a museum. The excellent docent-led tour was…read morefascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.

Well worth the visit. This museum includes a guided tour. Lots to see and hear, with many…read moreinteractive displays. Learn & have fun at the same time. Low admission fee.

I saw a Groupon deal for Sunday Fun Day $25 for VIP tickets for unlimited drinks. Bonuses were…read morethat we got a free bottle opener,souvenir stein to carry our drinks in, free pickles, speck and sausage in the VIP tent and a pretzel necklace to munch on while you try all the beers and liquors you want. Plus a good variety of German food. I totally recommend the potato pancakes I think it was 2 for $5.00 it's like a steal because they are so good and so crispy they have apple sauce or sour cream if want. The brautwarst sandwich was just as good as when I had it in Austria. Perfect snap when you bite into in. Only negative I have is that they did run out of a few beers mainly the pumpkin beers which bummed me and my friend out but we made due and since Sunday was the last day they rushed us out of the venue as quickly as possible. Major buzzkill.But another bonus they gave us soft pretzels on the way out lol.Other then that I had a positive experience and will probably have to go again.

This event needs to be held at a much bigger venue, or they need to limit ticket sales more. There…read morewas a line out the door to bathrooms at all times, to the point where bathroom attendants had tip jars out (and in exchange they stayed right there cleaning constantly. Not bad!) The indoor part of the festival was packed shoulder to shoulder. Getting anywhere meant ducking through gaps when you could, and otherwise shuffling along with a crowd so dense I could feel the texture of people's clothing on my arms. I had to take my contact lenses out, because of the smoke from the indoor BBQ, and with people smoking the cigars that were for sale, my eyes started burning. It got better once the plastic was out though so for people who don't wear contact lenses it probably wasn't an issue. I noticed that the stage was a bit too close to the indoor merchant area; the crowd was backed up into the building, blocking about 20 booths as well as one of the bathrooms. There was a literal wall of people all the way up to the Yelp.com booth. On the PLUS side: For a beer festival I was impressed with the low level of drunkenness. I was there all day and only saw 2 people leaning on each other. I didn't see a single fight. No one who talked to me was slurring their speech. I did see a group of young men playing a hand slapping game; if anyone spilled beer, everyone in their group took turns slapping their hand as hard as they could for the sacrilegious act of shame. Any time anyone broke a glass, a group "Ohh!!" would sound through the entire crowd. It was hilarious. I brought a huge stein with me, and in hindsight it wasn't very nice of me. People who had paid $35 for the 4 oz tasting tumbler who saw my stein were a little saddened. I felt bad. One guy held his tumbler up to my big 24 oz glass and took a picture. The food smelled amazing and was typical faire-fare price; about $6 for BBQ or a turkey leg. Lots of German meats. The aroma was great. Overall, fun and silly. There were people in costume and all crowding aside people were generally having a good time. Oh: To the guy selling $12 candied apples: try offering samples of that particular item. Otherwise they seem far too expensive. I understand that you're a gourmet candy shop but for customers who don't seek your business out for it's gourmet reputation the price was daunting and samples would have helped. Not for general consumption; but for anyone who asked about the apples. You wouldn't even need to advertise that you were sampling; just offer if it looks like you're going to lose the sale otherwise. It might turn them around. These festivals are all about advertising, getting the name out there, right?