Travel back in time

by spending the night in a lockhouse along the C&O

Canal. Completed in 1850, the 184-mile canal was once lined with

57 small houses where lock keepers and their families lived. The waterway

stopped operating in 1924, and the houses were abandoned. But in 2009, the

National Park Service began restoring a handful of them. Six lockhouses

can now be rented; all are brick or stone homes that are more than 170

years old and can sleep eight. The most modern are Lockhouse 6, near

Brookmont, and Lockhouse 10, near Cabin John, which have kitchens and

central air. Prices range from $70 to $150 per night.

canaltrust.org

Laugh till you cry

at an after-hours storytelling event. Modeled

after the New York City event called The Moth (heard on NPR), local

storytelling gatherings are gaining popularity and can be a great way to

break out of a nightlife rut. SpeakeasyDC (speakeasydc.com) draws a crowd each month to various venues with topics such as “bad mommy moments” and

“stories about sex,” and the group vets performers before each show. Story

League (storyleague.org) is more casual–anyone can submit a story online or in person at the beginning of the night–but just as much fun. Arrive

early to get a seat, then settle in as Washingtonians bare their souls and

tell entertaining tales about everything from security clearances to

online dating. Check the websites for schedules, locations, and

prices.

Dig for buried treasure

at Gunston Hall, George Mason’s 18th-century

estate in Fairfax County. The staff gives volunteers tools and basic

archaeological training, then lets them go to work. Among the many

artifacts that been have found are coins, glass jewelry beads, and a

two-tined fork with a bone handle from the 1760s. The field season goes

from April to December; in the winter, volunteers can work in the lab,

dating and categorizing unearthed objects. The house, designed in

Chesapeake Georgian style, is also worth a visit. The intricate carvings

in the Palladian Room are marvelous, and Mason’s writing desk sits in the

Little Parlor. 703-550-9220; gunstonhall.org.

Experience the thrill of rock-climbing

at Mather Gorge in Great Falls. The cliffs may

be only 60 feet high, but with sheer and overhanging rock faces leading

down to the roaring rapids of the Potomac River, the vertical slabs of

Mather Gorge serve up the same sense of exposure and high adrenaline as a

climb of 1,000 feet. A four-to-six-hour introductory climbing lesson

through Go-Adventures includes rope handling, belaying, rappelling, and

climbing techniques. Admission $125 for individuals; $80 per person for

groups of four or more. 240-603-4150; go-adventuresports.com

Outsmart the crowds

and see cherry blossoms in a more natural setting at the

National Arboretum. While tourists pack the Mall, you can

cruise nine miles of less traveled roads by car, bike, or foot and see

thousands of cherry trees on hillsides and throughout meadows. On 446

acres in Northeast DC, the Arboretum is home to 600-plus varieties of

cherry trees in colors ranging from white to deep pink. Free.

202-245-2726; usna.usda.gov

Take in a panoramic view

at the Air Force Memorial, less than a mile

from the Pentagon in Arlington. Since opening in 2006, the soaring,

three-spired memorial–set on a promontory overlooking the monuments and

designed to resemble a flying maneuver called the “bomb burst”–has become

a fixture along Washington’s skyline. Below, you’ll see the Pentagon and

the white rows of Arlington National Cemetery. Across the Potomac are the

Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and Capitol. It’s a particularly

good spot to watch the Fourth of July fireworks. 703-979-0674;

airforcememorial.org

Walk in a foreign dignitary’s shoes

on a tour of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms at

the State Department, a collection of 42 rooms used by the Secretary of

State, the Vice President, and Cabinet members to entertain world leaders.

The tour takes you into seven rooms, including the Franklin Dining Room,

where the carpet is so large that it had to be brought in by cranes. What

makes this tour special is the magnificent collection of early-Americana

art and furnishings such as the desk where Benjamin Franklin, John Adams,

and John Jay signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the mahogany desk where

Thomas Jefferson wrote parts of the Declaration of Independence, and a

silver bowl made by Paul Revere. Free. 202-647-3241;

diplomaticrooms.state.gov

Ride an old-fashioned streetcar

at the National Capital Trolley Museum in

Colesville. The depot-like visitors center brings a sense of whimsy to

public transportation with a miniature model of the old trolley line on

Connecticut Avenue, called the Rock Creek Electric Railway, and a

collection of real trolleys from places including Germany, Canada,

Belgium, and New York. An exhibit on streetcars in the movies features a

silent movie highlighting streetcar action and the comedic exploits of

film legend Harold Lloyd. And commute to your heart’s content with

unlimited trips on the 20-minute trolley ride around Northwest Branch

Park. Adults $7, seniors and ages 2 to 17 $5. 301-384-6088;

dctrolley.org

Enjoy an infusion of drama

at Theater J’s Tea at 2 program, generally the

third Friday afternoon of every month. In the intimate library at the DC

Jewish Community Center, actors read new scripts that are in the works as

part of the theater’s play-development program for both emerging and

established playwrights. There’s tea, cookies, and the chance to discuss

the work with the actors and often a director. $5. 202-777-3210;

theaterj.org

Saddle up

for a pony ride at the Rock Creek Park Horse

Center. Known for horse rides catering to ages 12 and older, the

stable also offers 10-to-15-minute pony rides for younger kids along a

wooded mini-trail. Budding equestrians must be at least 30 inches tall.

Afterward, keep your little one smiling with a visit to the nearby Rock

Creek Park Nature Center for stories, animal feedings, and planetarium

shows. Horse Center: 202-362-0117, rockcreekhorsecenter.com. Nature

Center: 202-895-6070; nps.gov/rocr

Peak inside modernist treasures

during the Hollin Hills House & Garden Tour

April 28 from noon to 6. A neighborhood of 463 homes in

Alexandria, Hollin Hills offers the area’s richest collection of

midcentury-modern homes. Built in the 1950s and ’60s, the houses were

designed by local architect Charles Goodman. Large glass windows look onto

wooded, hilly lots–making a drive through the neighborhood feel more like

California than Virginia. During the biannual house tour, a collaboration

with the Corcoran Gallery of Art, 12 homes open their doors to the public.

Tickets $20 through April 15, $25 after. hollinhills.net.

Play heiress for an afternoon

and picnic in the lush gardens of Marjorie Merriweather Post’s

Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens in DC’s Forest

Hills neighborhood. You can bring your own basket of goodies or buy soups,

sandwiches, salads, cookies, brownies, and wine from Hillwood’s sunny

cafe. Picnic blankets are also on loan at the cafe and the visitors

center. Several designated picnic spots amid the 13 acres of gardens are

abloom with magnolia, lilac, dogwood, and tulips, but our favorite is a

verdant oasis behind the manse, known as the Lunar Lawn. Suggested

donation $15. 202-686-5807; hillwoodmuseum.org

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Learn about the drug world

at the Drug Enforcement Administration Museum &

Visitors Center in Pentagon City. This small museum takes

visitors on a 150-year tour through the evolution of drug abuse in

America. Youâ€™ll learn that it was the Civil War, not Vietnam, that created

the first drug-addicted veterans. At the turn of the 20th century, common

maladies such as toothaches and coughs were treated with over-the-counter

drugs that contained cocaine, heroin, and morphine. You’ll see photographs

of opium dens, a diamond-encrusted gun confiscated from a Colombian

dealer, and a large collection of drug paraphernalia, including homemade

bongs, opium pipes, and chocolate-flavored rolling papers. Free.

202-307-3463; deamuseum.org

Find a rising star

at the spring show of works by graduating students at

the Corcoran College of Art & Design. This year’s exhibition,

the school’s second annual museum-wide student show, includes innovative

and interactive works by newly minted graduates April 14 through May 20.

Some commercial galleries around town, such as Conner Contemporary Art

(202- 588-8750; connercontemporary.com), mount student shows as well, offering art lovers the chance to spot a good young artist and buy a work

at relatively low cost. 202-639-1700; corcoran.org.

See the sofa where John Wilkes Booth was treated

at the Dr. Samuel A. Mudd House. Restored to

its 19th-century condition, the white clapboard house sits on a 197-acre

farm in Waldorf and looks much as it did the night Booth arrived there

after shooting President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. Docents in

period costumes give tours of the house and its outbuildings, one of which

is still used to dry tobacco. You’ll also see a collection of Mudd’s

medical instruments and a pair of tables he built in prison. You might

even meet some of his descendants, who live near the farm and help run the

museum. Adults $7, ages 16 and under $2. 301-274-9358;

somd.lib.md.us

Peek behind the curtain

at an open play rehearsal, where you’ll likely

get to see the director and actors tweak scenes and lines before a

production debuts. Round House Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre, and the

Kennedy Center occasionally offer sneak previews. At a rehearsal of

Double Indemnity at Round House on May 18, audience members can

hear about the set and costumes and watch an hour of a rehearsal, then ask

questions. Free first-come, first-served tickets are available at

roundhousetheatre.org about four or five weeks before each Round House

production opens. The Kennedy Center’s Explore the Arts program offers $12

tickets to rehearsals and “look-ins” of some of its dance and theater

performances: A theater look-in on July 17 gives the public a chance to

ask questions of The Addams Family cast and crew; visit

kennedy-center.org. Check the Shakespeare Theatre’s website for announcements of its open rehearsals at shakespearetheatre.org

See the Capitol Dome up close

from the clock tower of the Old Post Office

Pavilion. The Washington Monument may be DC’s tallest structure,

but you can take in just as stunning a view from this clock tower, DC’s

third-highest point. Opened in 1899 as the US Post Office’s headquarters,

the Romanesque Revival building was saved from demolition in the 1970s.

Don’t be turned off by the food court and touristy shops on the main

level–elevators whisk visitors up to an open-air observation deck where

you’ll have 360-degree views of the Mall and monuments. Free.

202-606-8691; oldpostofficedc.com

Step inside the Gilded Age

at the Heurich House Museum, a Victorian

mansion once owned by German-immigrant brewer Christian Heurich near DC’s

Dupont Circle. The walls, ceilings, and floors are covered with ornate

wood carvings, murals, and mosaics. Rooms contain many original

furnishings, including a hand-painted Steinway piano. Note the

white-marble-and-green-onyx staircase–its newel post and decorative panels

were designed by the Chicago architecture firm Burnham and Root, its only

known work of that design in a private residence. And don’t miss the

conservatory, where light pours through red-glass windows on sunny days.

Admission $5. 202-429-1894; heurichhouse.org

Find the Aztec god of flowers

in the glorious garden and pool area behind the Art

Museum of the Americas, an often-overlooked museum on the Mall

run by the Organization of American States. The Spanish Colonial

building–with white walls, iron grilles, and red-tiled roof–once served as

the residence of OAS directors and secretaries general. The museum’s

permanent collection features Latin and Caribbean art in all media, and

temporary exhibitions rotate through. There are also educational programs

and films. Free. 202-458-6016; museum.oas.org

Meet the author

of your favorite bestseller at the Gaithersburg Book

Festival, which in only two years has become one of the region’s

top literary get-togethers, attracting dozens of award-winning local and

national authors. This year’s event, on May 19, features sportswriter John

Feinstein, Pulitzer Prize winner Buzz Bissinger, and children’s author

Andrew Clements, among others, plus writing workshops, panels and

signings, entertainment, and a coffeehouse with music and poetry readings.

Free. 301-258-6350; gaithersburgbookfestival.org

Try open-air painting

amid some of the area’s most glorious azaleas at

McCrillis Gardens in Bethesda. The five-acre neighborhood

garden is home to a botanical art school, which means students are out

drawing and painting on most days. Maintained by Wheaton’s Brookside

Gardens, the shade-filled property has thousands of azaleas and

rhododendrons as well as benches and a pavilion. Often mistaken for a

private estate, the property was once the home of William McCrillis, an

assistant to the Secretary of the Interior during three administrations.

Free. 301-962-1455; montgomeryparks.org

Run like hell

during a chaotic and unpredictable District-wide game of tag.

During the annual event, organized by a group called

SurviveDC, participants use a map to race from checkpoint

to checkpoint, all the while avoiding the “chasers” hunting them down. Get

caught and you can join their ranks to search for more prey. The

volunteer-run event, which usually happens in late May, starts around 7 pm

and goes into the wee hours. Last year’s hunt drew more than 1,200

adventurers. Free. survivedc.com

Spot orioles, red-tailed hawks, wood ducks, and bald eagles

at Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, where

more than 200 species of birds live and pass through. On 12,841 acres, the

refuge is a combination of wetlands, grasslands, lakes, and woodlands that

make for easy sighting of songbirds, waterfowl, and raptors. There are 25

miles of pathways extending into the eco-systems as well as a guided tram

tour offered on weekends from mid-March to mid-November ($3). The free

visitors center includes interactive displays–and a mounted polar bear.

301-497-5763; fws.gov

See an operating table that was used for amputations

at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine

in Frederick. Nearly two-thirds of casualties in the war were caused by

disease. Although you’ll see all manner of ghastly things (a display on

embalming, surgical tools including a saw) this museum is a lot more than

a collection of period medical equipment. You’ll also learn about the camp

life of soldiers and about Dr. Jonathan Letterman, who created the system

of battlefield care–using medics, triage, evacuation, and field

hospitals–that’s still the basis for what we use today. Adults $7.50, ages

10 to 16 $5.50. 301-695-1864; civilwarmed.org

Delight kids

with trompe l’oeil sculptures and other fun contemporary works

in the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Lincoln Gallery.

Crowd-pleasing pieces are assembled on the museum’s third floor. There’s a

large bronze horse you’ll think is made of driftwood, a cool column of

lights where spectators can pick out words and phrases, a woman sitting at

a diner table who you’ll swear is real, a neon map of the US made of 336

televisions, and David Hockney’s mesmerizing nine-minute light show that

rolls through a darkened room. Free. 202-633-1000; americanart.si.edu

Rock out to live folk and bluegrass

at Jammin Java, one of the area’s best venues

for music. The Vienna coffeehouse turned club has a packed schedule of

live local and national acts seven nights a week. It’s run by Daniel,

Luke, and Jonathan Brindley–Daniel and Luke perform as the Brindley

Brothers–and has hosted everyone from legend Leon Russell to local

favorites such as the Nighthawks and Bill Kirchen to new sensations like

Paramore. The folk-rock duo Aztec Two-Step takes the stage April 5 in a

performance celebrating the pair’s four decades together. Tickets are

usually $10 to $25. 703-255-1566; jamminjava.com

Stamp your musical passport

and get rare glimpses inside Washington’s trove of embassies

and ambassadors’ residences through the Embassy Series.

The concert series, from September to June, brings music from all over the

globe. Performances, such as a Mendelssohn piano trio at the Embassy of

Austria in April or an Iraqi jazz ensemble at the Iraqi Cultural Center in

May, are followed by an ethnic buffet and the chance to mix with the

musicians and diplomats. Prices are usually $50 to $150. 202-625-2361;

embassyseries.org

Shop in the spotlight

at the annual Studio Theatre garage sale,

where props, costumes, and furniture from stage sets are offered for sale

to the public. Held on August 4, this year’s hodgepodge includes items

from Studio’s 2011–12 season. There’s no telling what you’ll find–last

year featured a row of three airplane seats, a Balinese shadow puppet, a

Barcelona ottoman, and Korean floor mats, among many other knickknacks.

202-232-7267; studiotheatre.org

See nature untouched

at Rachel Carson Conservation Park, named

after the environmental pioneer. The 650-acre park in Brookville is one of

Washington’s premier conservation areas, featuring an abundance of

wildlife and undeveloped wilderness–from river otters and gray foxes to

orchids and towering oak trees. Six miles of trails form loops that go up

into the hills, down into the valley along the Hawlings River, and along

rocky outcroppings with great views. You can connect the loops any way you

like and create hikes that range from one to six miles. 301-495-2595;

montgomeryparks.org

Peak inside a world-class private collection

at the Kreeger Museum, housed in what was once

a home on DC’s Foxhall Road. Built in 1967 for philanthropist and

insurance magnate David Kreeger and his wife, the Philip Johnson-designed

home is as stunning as the collection. The walls are lined with 19th- and

20th-century paintings by Picasso, Renoir, Cézanne, Chagall, and Miró

along with prominent Washington artists. One of the most impressive spaces

is in what was the dining room, where nine Monets hang on the walls and

floor-to-ceiling glass doors open to a terrace filled with sculptures.

Admission $10; students, seniors, and military $7; ages 12 and under free.

202-337-3050 ext. 10; kreegermuseum.org.

Scavenge for history

by tracking down DC’s Boundary Stones, the

oldest monuments in the District. Installed in 1791 and 1792 to mark the

boundaries of the nation’s newly formed capital city, the 40 sandstone

tablets run along DC’s old diamond-shaped borders at about one-mile

intervals. One side reads jurisdiction of the united states with a mile

number, and the opposite names the state it borders; the two other sides

say the year the stone was built and the compass variance. Although a

handful of the original tablets have been destroyed or lost, history buffs

have taken to uncovering the rest in parks, parking lots, even back yards

throughout Maryland and Virginia. For a map, visit

boundarystones.org

Horse around

at the National Sporting Library & Museum

in Middleburg. A light and airy renovated 1804 home, Vine Hill

mansion, is the backdrop for a permanent collection of paintings and

prints, sculpture, weathervanes, and objets d’art pertaining to equestrian

and field sports. The museum, which opened in October, also features

temporary exhibitions such as one from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,

opening April 6–“Scraps: British Sporting Drawings From the Paul Mellon

Collection.” Free. 540-687-6542; nsl.org

See DC from a different perspective

through the tall bay window at the Frederick Douglass

National Historic Site. The house sits atop Cedar Hill in

Southeast DC. You’ll take in a sweeping view that includes the Navy Yard,

the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the Capitol dome, and

Washington National Cathedral. In the foreground are the smokestacks of

Southeast and the bungalows and rowhouses of Anacostia. Douglass, the

revered abolitionist, lived here while serving as a US marshal and consul

general to Haiti. Docent tours, which let you peek at Douglass’s photos

and books and even a well-worn pair of shoes, are the only way to see the

inside. 202-426-5961; nps.gov/frdo

Stroll amid formal gardens

at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, a

privately owned museum on 254 acres in Winchester, Virginia. Opened in

2005 and designed by Michael Graves, the museum features work by Gilbert

Stuart and James McNeill Whistler as well as furniture, textiles,

ceramics, and interactive displays. Surrounding an 18th-century historic

home (closed for renovation until 2014) are 14 formal gardens on six

acres. There’s a serene Chinese garden, a pond filled with golden trout, a

vegetable garden, and two rose gardens. A favorite spot is the Pleached

Allée–two parallel rows of crabapple trees whose branches have been woven

together to create a blooming tunnel (see background image). Admission $10, $8 for

seniors and ages 13 to 18, free for ages 12 and under. 540-662-1473

ext. 235; shenandoahmuseum.org

Sleep under a life-size model of a 45-foot-long right whale

on a sleepover at the National Museum of Natural

History. The evening starts with an “Exploration of Extremes”

through the exhibits, where kids may be asked to craft bioluminescent

creatures, eat like a Tyrannosaurus Rex (with no hands), or collect rocks

using remote control “arms” like moon astronauts. They’ll watch an Imax

movie in their pajamas before climbing into sleeping bags in Sant Ocean

Hall. Up to three children ages 8 to 12 may participate with one adult.

$125. 202-633-3030; smithsoniansleepovers.org

Sample home-cooked delicacies

at Grey DC, an underground food market. You

have to join this semi-secretive organization to learn the whereabouts of

quarterly markets (membership is free). Once you do, e-mails direct you to

venues such as restaurants or parking lots, where a $2 fee gains you

access to dozens of rotating vendors–including up-and-coming chefs and

shop owners–who offer everything from fresh-baked jelly doughnuts to jars

of kimchee and hearty platters of barbecue.

Ponder human ingenuity

at Alexandria’s Patent and Trademark Office Museum,

where exhibits feature inventions we come in contact with every

day but usually don’t stop to think about. The current exhibit, which runs

through October, highlights fitness inventions dating to the 1800s. You’ll

learn the history of Gore-Tex and Gatorade and see archaic devices such as

belt massagers, a radiant-light bath, and President Calvin Coolidge’s

electric horse. The arcade-like setting includes interactive displays that

allow visitors to test their hand strength or weigh themselves on vintage

scales. Free. 571-272-0095; uspto.gov

Fancy yourself a Versailles courtier

at Anderson House, home to the Society of the

Cincinnati, founded by the officers of the Continental Army and Navy and

run by their descendants. The Beaux Arts home was built between 1902 and

1905 for diplomat Larz Anderson and his wife, Isabel. The French salon

upstairs, decked in gold leaf and silk tapestries handmade in Brussels

around 1600, calls to mind Versailles. Among the many rarities on view are

a hand-carved ivory sword given to the Andersons in Japan, an 800-year-old

Italian sculpture of the Madonna and Child, and a Tibetan helmet–all

collected during the Andersons’ world travels. Free. 202-785-2040;

societyofthecincinnati.org

Leave your opera glasses at home

for broadcasts of world-class ballet and opera

companies, screened in high definition at local movie theaters.

Emerging Pictures’ Ballet in Cinema and Opera in Cinema series bring live

and encore performances from the world’s most glittering stages–Russia’s

Bolshoi Theatre, London’s Royal Opera House, the Paris Opera, Barcelona’s

Gran Teatre del Licieu–to cinemas. Check out Verdi’s Rigoletto

from the Royal Opera House on April 17–and invest in the large popcorn;

performances can run three to four hours. Tickets are usually $15 to $25.

balletincinema.com; operaincinema.com

Paddle down a lazy river

with Dave Brown’s Canoeing Adventures. The

3½-mile trip passes heron rookeries, sheltered islands, and an abundance

of wildlife. Along a quiet stretch of the Potomac River near Seneca Creek

Park in Darnestown, Brown offers instruction on basic canoeing strokes as

well as cooperation techniques for pairs who might be struggling to row a

tandem canoe. There are even a few easy Class I rapids for a taste of

whitewater excitement. $75 a person. 703-281-4380;

canoeadventures.home.mindspring.com

Don’ bypass the Byzantine

at the Dumbarton Oaks Museum, an impressive

collection of pre-Columbian art, artifacts from the Byzantine Empire, and

European masterpieces, often overshadowed by the Georgetown mansion’s

extraordinary gardens. Diplomat Robert Woods Bliss and his wife, Mildred,

bought the property in 1920 and began to fill it with art they’d started

collecting while in Paris. Don’t miss the opulent Renaissance-style music

room, with its marble arches and 1926 Steinway–the site of concerts,

lectures, and salon-style gatherings for the Blisses. Free.

202-339-6400; doaks.org.

Explore the wonders of the world

at the National Geographic Museum in downtown

DC. By hosting only temporary exhibits, this small museum stays fresh and

interesting. Shows focus on everything from archaeology to photography to

cultural history. Exhibits have featured photos of endangered big cats, a

reconstruction of a Mayan civilization, a collection of recently unearthed

gold artifacts dating to 650 ad, and a 3-D model of a cow’s digestive

tract. Tickets $8; $4 for ages 5 to 12. 202-857-7588;

ngmuseum.org.

Swing through the woods like Tarzan

at Go Ape!, a ropes course in Rockville’s Rock

Creek Regional Park. After a 30-minute safety session, you can make your

way through the forest adventure at your own pace. You’ll soar through the

treetops on a 340-foot zipline, crawl through a wooden tunnel, cross

swinging bridges, and climb rope ladders. Participants must be at least

four-foot-seven and ten years old; maximum weight is 285 pounds. Open

March through mid-December. Adults $60.50, ages 10 to 17 $38.50.

888-520-7322; goape.com.

See a play through Irish eyes

at the Keegan Theatre, a small company near

Dupont Circle that specializes in bringing audiences a taste of Ireland’s

rich theatrical heritage. Last year’s world premiere of An Irish Carol,

written by company member Matthew Keenan, was well received. But the

company’s non-Irish fare, both new works and creative takes on classics,

is also solid. This spring’s schedule includes Twelve Angry Men;

Working: A Musical, based on a Studs Terkel book; and the Tony

Award-winning musical Spring Awakening. 703-892-0202;

keegantheatre.com.

Marvel at the beauty of nature

at the Wilderness Society’s Ansel Adams

Collection. Before his death in 1984, Adams donated 75 of his

most important landscape photographs to the Wilderness Society. These

images, along with 13 others and a photograph of Adams himself, are tucked

away on the first floor of the society’s downtown DC headquarters in a

white-walled gallery. The collection of original black-and-white photos

includes sweeping vistas and detailed microcosms in America’s majestic

wilderness: Yosemite National Park, the Sierra Nevada, Death Valley

National Park, the Great Smoky Mountains, Glacier Bay National Park, and

more. Free. 202-833-2300; wilderness.org.

Discover rare orchids

in the orchid room at the US Botanic Garden.

The greenhouse is packed to the ceiling with a selection of the garden’s

5,000 orchids from around the world. Flowers are rotated twice a week so

that each of the 200 on display is at the peak of its bloom–you might see

a tropical lady’s-slipper orchid from Southeast Asia or a five-foot-tall

laelia anceps from Central America. Through April 29, the garden is

cohosting its annual orchid exhibit with the Smithsonian. More than 500

flowers are on display in the serene style of a Japanese garden with a

moon bridge, a teahouse, and bamboo. Free. 202-225-8333;

usbg.gov

Crack the code

at the National Cryptologic Museum, the only

public museum run by the US intelligence community. Managed by the

National Security Agency, the museum is housed in what was a motel near

Fort Meade and traces the history of encryption in the US back to the

Revolutionary War. There are lots of gadgets–big 1980s-era computers,

secure telephone and radio contraptions, and a collection of World War II

German Enigmas, the typewriter-style encryption/decryption machines that

were cracked by Allied codebreakers to help win the war. Free.

301-688-5849; nsa.gov

Feast in a Field

during a local stop of the Outstanding in the Field

tour, a series of gourmet farm-to-fork dinners hosted in pastures

and barns across the country. The program pairs acclaimed chefs with

farmers and their harvest–last year Scott Drewno of downtown DC’s the

Source cooked a dinner at the Arcadia Farm in Alexandria. Each gathering

starts with wine and a tour of the land you’ll eat from. Before twilight,

the group of about 100 guests comes together around a long, cloth-draped

table for a meal of at least four courses. Tickets are typically around

$200. outstandinginthefield.com

Stick your head into the Oval Office

during a tour of the West Wing. You have to

know someone who works in the White House to get one of these coveted

tours, but if you’re lucky enough to get the nod, you’ll see some of the

most famous spaces in our country’s history: the Oval Office, the Cabinet

Room, the Rose Garden, and the closed door to the Situation Room. Along

the narrow hallways and passageways are a rotating mix of photographs

taken by the President’s photographer, Pete Souza, including some of

Barack Obama’s favorites.

Catch some air

at the new Maloof Skate Park at RFK Stadium. A

legacy of 2011’s Maloof Money Cup professional skateboarding competition,

the park–the first major skate venue in DC–opens in April. Designed to

mimic street elements favored by Washington’s best skaters, it features

ledges like those at Freedom Plaza, rails like the handrails at Metro

Center, plus stairs and ramps. The plaza design allows two skateboarders

to ride at once. For those who prefer to watch instead of skate, this

year’s Maloof Money Cup takes place in September–or you can stop by on a

warm weekend afternoon when the park fills with fearless teens.

202-608-1100; eventsdc.com

Sail into the sunset

with an evening outing via DC Sail. Every

Wednesday from mid-May through mid-September, a fleet of 19-foot Flying

Scot dinghies sets off around 5:30 from the District’s Gangplank Marina.

Seasoned sailors are paired with novices, so no experience is needed. The

first Wednesday of the month, the sail is followed by a barbecue ($10 for

the sail, $5 for the barbecue). Looking to get on the water during the

weekend? DC Sail’s 65-foot schooner American Spirit heads out every Friday

night ($50). Bring beer, wine, and a picnic; soft drinks and ice are

provided. Though there’s a captain and crew, you can help hoist the sails

if sitting back and relaxing aren’t your thing. 202-547-1250;

dcsail.org

Experience Washington’s beer renaissance

by sipping a craft beer from a local brewery.

A brewing boom and revised regulations mean you can now fill

growlers–glass jugs that often hold four pints–of fresh, hard-to-find

beers from a handful of new producers. Breweries often offer different

beers each weekend–from hoppy pale ales to crisp witbeirs. While you’re

there, you can peek inside the brewery and chat with brewmasters. Local

breweries offering growler sales include Baying Hound Aleworks

(baying-hound.com), Chocolate City Beer (chocolatecitybeer.com), DC Brau

(dcbrau.com), Lost Rhino (lostrhino.com), and Port City

(portcitybrewing.com).

Go camping inside the Beltway

at Greenbelt Park. This uncrowded park has

nearly nine miles of rolling, wooded hiking paths. You can hear the buzz

of the Beltway on a few sections, but otherwise this is a quiet oasis

where you can pitch a tent and sleep under the stars. The 174 campsites in

the southern end of the park are only a half-hour walk from the College

Park Metro station. The park features hot showers, bathrooms, and an RV

area. Campsites are first come, first served and cost $16 a night.

301-344-3948; nps.gov.

Bike uncrowded trails

along the Anacostia Tributary Trail System, a collection of 24

miles of trails through the Anacostia River’s stream valleys in Prince

George’s and Montgomery counties. You’ll wind along eight-to-ten-foot-wide

pathways through woods and stretches of open fields, over wooden bridges,

around 38-acre Lake Artemesia, and by Bladensburg Waterfront Park, site of

the first unmanned balloon flight. A good place to pick up the trail is at

Riverdale Park and Recreation Center (4901 River Rd., Riverdale). For a

map, visit pgparks.com

Watch an elephant take a bath

during a tour of the National Zoo’s elephant

barn, otherwise closed to the public. Opened in July 2010, the

concrete-and-steel barn is home to the zoo’s three Asian elephants:

64-year-old Ambika, 36-year-old Shanthi, and ten-year-old Kandula. An

hourlong tour takes you up to the mezzanine balcony, where you can look

down onto the elephants as they play with one another, interact with

elephant keepers, and, most days, take their morning bath. Tours ($40; $20

for ages 3 to 12; free for ages 2 and under) take place Wednesdays and

Sundays at 8:15 am. 202-633-3057; nationalzoo.si.edu

Hunt for vintage furniture and other antiques

at barn sales in Frederick the third weekend

of every month. At Chartreuse & Co. (301-874-1882;

chartreuseandco.com), more than 15 antiques dealers gather to stock three

barns with one-of-a-kind finds–recent hits have included mismatched

industrial stools, vintage signs, and timeworn farm tables. Then wind

along country roads to Stylish Patina (no phone; stylishpatina.com), where a handful of local dealers fill a whitewashed barn with vintage globes,

burlap-covered benches, and silk-shaded chandeliers. The 50-acre horse

farm also has animals that kids can pet and, in warm months, vendors

selling barbecue and local produce.

Sip a local spirit

at the family-owned Catoctin Creek Distilling

Company in Purcellville, the first distillery to open in Loudoun

County since Prohibition. Working distilleries are rare in the Washington

area, especially one bottling award-winning whiskey, rye, and gin. Stop by

Monday through Saturday for half-hour group tours, typically led by owners

Scott and Becky Harris. The beery aroma of fermenting mash wafts through

the warehouse-like distillery as you learn about fermentation,

distillation, aging, and bottling. A tasting of the three signature

spirits–Mosby’s white whiskey, Roundstone rye, and Watershed gin’follows

some tours. Admission $5. 540-751-8404;

catoctincreekdistilling.com

Go strawberry picking

at Homestead Farm in Poolesville. Although

there are a lot of farms in the Washington area where you can pick your

own produce, this 230-acre, family-owned operation offers one of the

widest varieties. Mayâ€™s strawberries herald the season, followed by tart

cherries, blackberries, peaches, tomatoes, and squash. Buy a fresh-fruit

smoothie or pie from the snack bar and picnic by the lake. There are

resident chickens, pigs, sheep, and goats to meet. In fall, the farm

features apples, pumpkins, hayrides, and hot apple cider.

301-977-3761; homestead-farm.net

Bounce your way fit

at Rebounderz Indoor Trampoline Arena in

Sterling. Open since July, this complex features two 6,000-square-foot

spaces covered with adjoining trampolines that stretch up along the walls.

Three times a week, professional dancer Jimmie Manners leads a

cardio-busting class in which you build back, leg, and core strength while

learning tricks such as backflips and no-hand cartwheels. An ideal spot

for birthday parties, Rebounderz has party rooms, arcade games, a lounge

area, and a foam pit. And it’s open late: Monday through Thursday to 10,

Friday and Saturday to 11, Sunday to 8. A class is $12; open-bounce rates

$15.75 an hour. 703-433-5867; rebounderzsterling.com

Stand in Eleanor Roosevelt’s shoes

when you visit one of her favorite spots, the Adams

Memorial by Augustus Saint-Gaudens in DC’s Rock Creek Cemetery.

The gorgeous bronze statue of a shrouded figure, erected in 1891 and

commonly known as “Grief,” was commissioned by historian Henry Adams as a

memorial to his wife. The hexagonal plot was designed by Stanford White, a

leading American architect. The cemetery is also home to the graves of

other Washington figures. Free. 202-726-2080;

rockcreekparish.org

Play the sport of kings

at the Capitol Polo Academy in Poolesville.

You don’t have to be a millionaire to learn polo. Instructor Marcos

Bignoli teaches newcomers the intricacies of the 2,000-year-old sport, in

which the most important bond is between horse and rider. The intro group

class finishes with a chukker, one “inning” of a polo game. You’ll gallop

at 25 miles an hour while swinging a mallet and fending off riders. A

lesson for riders with little or no experience is $100. 240-780-3239;

capitolpolo.com