Free Summer Activities in Washington, D.C

Unlike most major cities in the United States, Washington, D.C. is full of free activities year round. With its special status as the nation's capital, Washington D.C.'s key museums and monuments are free for all to experience. When summer comes, there are festivals, parades, concerts and other free activities to enjoy outdoors.

Free Year-Round Activities in Washington, D.C.
Residents and visitors of any other city in the United States would be hard pressed to find as many free year round activities as those available in Washington, D.C. There are so many activities, in fact, that it is really not feasible to list all of them. Here are some of the most popular free year round activities in Washington, D.C.:

Smithsonian Museums: Admission is free at all of the Smithsonian Museums in Washington, D.C. These include the extremely popular National Air and Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the National Botanical Gardens, the Natural History Museum, the American History Museum (closed for renovation until 2008), the National Museum of African Art, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and the National Portrait Gallery.

The Memorials and Monuments: The Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial and the FDR Memorial are all free.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: This popular museum requires timed entry tickets that can be obtained for free in advance at www.ushmm.org.

The National Zoo: A visit to Tai Shan, the zoo's baby panda, is more highly prized than a visit with the President in this town (this could change with next year's election). The zoo has recently completed some much needed upgrades to its exhibits. You can see them for yourself, for free.

The National Cathedral: This church where dignitaries fill the pews for important religious occasions is a national treasure.

The National Arboretum: The United States National Arboretum is located at 3501 New York Avenue, N.E., Washington, D.C. Breathtakingly beautiful, the Arboretum is open year round. Among its most popular features are the National Bonsai Penjing Museum dedicated to the art of Bonsai, with its Japanese pagoda; the aquatic gardens with magnificent lily pads; the National Herb Garden; the National Grove of State Trees containing the state tree of each of the 50 United States; and the awe-inspiring National Capitol Columns and reflecting pool. These Corinthian columns originally found their home on the East Portico of the United States Capitol Building where they were designed to hold up the Capitol Dome. The Dome was built larger than originally envisioned and the columns were removed.

Rock Creek Nature Center: This nature center and planetarium, at 5200 Glover Rd., N.W.,, Washington, D.C. has small animals for kids to visit and walking trails as well as a planetarium.

365 Days/365 Plays: A collective of theatres provide free shows at different locations almost every night of the year. The current schedule is posted at www.studiotheatre.org/365/#SCHED.

Kennedy Center Millennium Stage Concerts: These free concerts begin at 6 p.m. at the Millennium Stage every day of the year. Concert information is published at www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/.

The United States Navy Band: The United States Navy Band regularly performs free concerts in Washington, D.C. The schedule through June 2007 is published at www.navyband.navy.mil/sched.shtml.

The United States Marine Band "The President's Own": The Marine Band regularly schedules free performances in Washington, D.C. The schedule is published at www.marineband.usmc.mil/index.asp?date=7/13/2007.

Free Summer Only Activities in Washington, D.C.
In the summer, Washington D.C. hosts exciting free music festivals and other crowd-pleasing outdoor activities. There are so many free activities in the summer, it is nearly an impossible feat to list them all. Here are some of the best known and loved:

Caribbean Carnival Parade- On June 23, 2007 along Georgia Avenue, N.W. from Missouri Ave. to Barry Place, this parade of masqueraders and musical performers is a visual and aural delight. For information, check www.dccaribbeancarnival.com.

Smithsonian National Folklife Festival: This annual summer festival runs from June 27- July1 and July 4-July 8, 2007. The festival begins daily at 11 a.m. and ends at 5:30 except for a limited schedule of evening activities beginning at 6 p.m. This year's featured locations are the Mekong River region of Vietnam, Northern Ireland and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The festival activities include music, dance, drama, storytelling, craft and cooking demonstrations, and other attributes of living culture. Details of the festival can be found at http://www.folklife.si.edu/festival/2007/index.html.

4^th of July Festivities: Washington, D.C. kicks off its Independence Day celebration with a noontime parade. Then, beginning in mid-afternoon, the Mall is filled with popular music and picnickers. At 8 p.m., the National Symphony Orchestra begins its concert on the Capital grounds. The music is followed by a 30 minute fireworks display that begins about 9:20 p.m.

Sunset Serenades: This summer concert series on Lion/Tiger Hill at the National Zoo takes place on Thursday evenings, 6:30-8:00 p.m. from June 28- August 2. Each week features a different style music from rock to jazz to folk to blues. Once the schedule for 2007 is set, it can be viewed at www.fonz.org.

Adams Morgan Day: This popular neighborhood fair takes place as summer is waning, on September 9 from noon-7 p.m. Adams Morgan Day features free crafts, music, ethnic food and other entertainment and activities on the streets of Adams Morgan. This fair includes a special group of children's activities, typically featuring games and a moon bounce.

Fiesta Musical: This Latin American fiesta showcases Latin heritage, dance, traditional crafts and food. It takes places at the National Zoo on Sept 16. For more information, go to www.fonz.org.

Ft. Reno Concert Series: This is an Indie rock music concert series in upper northwest Washington, D.C. The free concerts are held Monday and Thursday nights from mid-June through mid-August at Ft. Reno Park.

Sounds in the Square Concert Series: This concert series takes place on Farragut Square every Thursday from 5:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m. May 10 through August 9. The lineup includes performers of reggae, jazz, world pop, R & B and more. See the complete schedule for 2007 at www.gtbid.com/news_pubs/events_soundsinthesquare.htm#lineup.

Jazz in the Sculpture Garden: On Fridays from 5:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. from May 25- August 31, jazz performers play in the National Gallery of Art sculpture garden. The complete schedule is posted at www.nga.gov/programs/jazz.htm.