20+ Things to Do in October in DC

Fun and (mostly!) free ideas to get you out and about!

We love DC, but to be honest, our commitment is tested during the heat and humidity of its infamous summers, ugh.  So we rejoice when temperatures start to dip and a cup of PSL becomes a standard accessory. 

There's always a lot to do in the District and it's even better in the fall!  From ghosts and ghouls, reopened museums, pop-up wineries and colorful murals, we've rounded up some of the best things to do right now, whether you're a local or just visiting.

1. ​Pick your own apples and pumpkins on a DC-area farm.
2. Experience DC's beautiful fall foliage in an off-the-beaten spot
3. Visit the animals at the reopened National Zoo.
4. Take a walk and get away from it all. 
5. Investigate paranormal activity at one of DC's many haunted places.
6. Get your motor running with ADMObile in Adams Morgan. Thanks to Songbryd Music House,  the decked out vintage truck hosts a variety of musical acts and travels throughout the neighborhood each Saturday from 5-7pm.
7. Relax and enjoy views of the Potomac at Victura Park, the outdoor wine pop-up at the REACH at Kennedy Center.
8. Spend the day exploring Glenstone, a 230-acre public-private art museum in Potomac that blends art, architecture and nature and features artwork by Jeff Koons, Jackson Pollack and others.
9. Take the kiddos on a nature scavenger hunt or take it up a level on a sensory nature scavenger hunt.
10. Put on your comfy shoes and explore DC's past on an Cultural Tourism neighborhood or African American heritage trail walk.
11. Get cozy by the fire with drinks and s'mores in the Living Room at the Georgetown Ritz Carlton.
12. Explore all the colorful sea of murals (new ones are going up this month!) that blanket the NoMa neighborhood, then grab a drink and nosh at the Wunder Garten outdoor beer garden.
13. ​Enjoy a fall picnic.
14. See the new Dwight D. Eisenhower memorial that was 20+ years in the making.
15. Check out the newly opened Graffiti Museum in Petwork with work from the local Double Down Kings collective featuring DC history and a mural dedicated to famous DC graffiti artist Cool “Disco” Dan.
16. Head to Strathmore for the outdoor art installation "Monuments: Creative Forces," that projects the faces of local innovators onto large trees, turning them into living monuments (thru 10/25).
17. Dine out (literally!) at a DC streetery.
18. Visit DC's reopened Smithsonian museums.
19. See activism on display at the National Building Museum which is showcasing DC street art created this summer in response to the protests for racial justice in the nation's capital and across the country (thru late November).  
20. Drive over to the RFK Campus for a drive-in movie at the Park Up X Events DC pop-up.
21. Welcome the reopening of the Phillips Museum, which is considered America's first museum of modern art, on October 15.
22. Immerse yourself in the power of language at the highly anticipated opening (Oct 22) of Planet Word, the world's first voice-activated museum that brings words and language alive.
23. Take a seat on the swings at the Wharf and admire the waterfront views of fall foliage.
    
24. Feel the rhythm at Meridian Hill Park drum circles on Sundays.

---

Curious? There's more!

• 7 Walks in DC to Get Away From It All This Fall
• ​Six Places to Have a Pumpkin & Apple Picking Good Time Near DC​
• The Creepiest, Most Haunted Places in Washington, DC