Wanderlist: 20+ Awesome Things to Do in DC in May

Spring has finally sprung in DC, bringing with it the promise of mild temperatures and easing COVID restrictions as more places start to reopen, hurray! We're totally ignoring the reappearance of the cicadas because, ick.

Whether you prefer hanging out indoors or outside, we've curated more than 20 activities to fill up your calendar this month. We've got aqua picnics, outdoor movies, art walks, experimental theatre, sneaker-filled and immersive, gallery-wide art installations, plus the latest reopened (and soon to be!) attractions. It's going to be a busy month; let's go!

If you're interested in more local adventures, make sure to check out our DMV-focused content or contact us to custom-design your DC experience.

REOPENING

• Smithsonian reopening plans: Some of the biggest attractions in the District are set to reopen. A free timed-entry pass is required for entry. All outdoor Smithsonian Gardens are already opened and don’t require a timed pass. The schedule looks like this:
  • National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center (May 5)
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery (May 14)
  • National Museum of American History, National Museum of the American Indian, National Zoo (May 21)​

• Kreeger reopens with new exhibit: The private art museum reopens to the public with a new exhibit held over from Fall 2020. “Traces” is a group show of eight artists from DC or nearby featuring many works that are large enough to overwhelm and even immerse, and enough of them to fill three galleries and spill onto a staircase and the lawn. Yet the pieces can be said to be traces in one sense: They contain vestiges of natural, personal and cultural history. Reservations are required

• National Building Museum is open again: This historic hidden gem, including its Great Hall, has reopened with new and timely exhibits including: Justice is Beauty: The Work of MASS Design Group and Alan Karchmer: The Architects' Photographer, plus the museum's Gun Violence Memorial Project. Tickets are required

DINING

• George Washington Whiskey Tasting: Sample whiskey and other distilled spirits in the Colonial style at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. This rare opportunity to try Mount Vernon’s unique spirits takes place at the distillery and gristmill on the estate, an area you can tour during your visit. Choose three out of five spirits offered to sample and learn distilling methods and techniques along the way. Tickets required, May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

• What Asian food means to America:  CULINASIA, a four-part series hosted by the Smithsonian in May and June, explores the disconnect between how mainstream American culture enjoys cooking from the continent and how it treats the people who produce it with some of the country’s foremost experts in Asian-American food.  The Zoom panels include events dedicated to America’s Chinatowns, Southeast Asian restaurants, the stigma and devaluation of Asian cuisines as “ethnic” or cheap food (June 9), and the experiences of Asian-American farmers and vinters as highlighted in Oscar-contending Minari. Free, May 5 & 9, June 9 & 23

• Award-winning eats: For all you foodies, five new starred restaurants made it to the pages of the 2021 Michelin Guide so make those reservations soon. Here's a map so you can see which restaurants are near you. And just a suggestion: Mother's Day is coming up and she's sure to be impressed that you were so thoughtful to make reservations at a top-rated restaurant.

• Easy, breezy outdoor dining: Private al fresco dining is the hottest thing this spring! Check out these five fabulous cabanas for socially distanced outdoor dining.

FEATURED CONTENT

Curious City Guide: Springtime in DC: Have a capital season by adding activities curated by Curious Caravan's local guides to your "must do" list. Spring adventures await! ($2.99/Digital Download).

ART

• Sneakerheads: Artist Andy Yoder pays homage to “The Great Shoe Spill of 1990,” when a shipload of Nike’s spilled into the Pacific, through an installation dubbed “Overboard.” On view at CulturalDC’s Mobile Art Gallery in Navy Yard, the work features a repurposed shipping container filled with over 150 Nike Jordan 5 sneakers made from recycled materials. Free, now thru June 27

• Ground breaking: Honfleur Gallery in Anacostia hosts Breaking Ground, an immersive, gallery-wide installation  of loblolly pine needles and other nature-based artworks by Stephanie Garon that explores the fragility of nature and how we engage with the natural world around us. Reservations required, now through May 22

• Photo walk: Exposed DC has partnered with Focus on the Story and Lost Origins Gallery to present the 15th annual Exposed DC Photography Show in an outdoor installation in Mount Pleasant. Free, thru June 27

• Get your GLOW on: Georgetown GLOW has returned with a two-part series of outdoor installations, with the first lighting up DC’s most historic neighborhood. The region’s only free, curated, outdoor public light experience will be open to all both day and night, and you can read up on the spring edition’s artists and installations (there are five in total) on Georgetown GLOW’s official website. Free, now thru June 27

ENTERTAINMENT

• Get funky: Celebrate the history and vibe that can only be found in DC's iconic "Black Broadway" neighborhood at Funk Parade. This year, the annual festival will be a mix of virtual and socially distanced in-person events, including a mural walk, musical performances and talks focused on cultural reflection & preservation on the state of the District of Columbia. May 1 -8

• We close our eyes: Shakespeare Theatre Company welcomes us back with Blindness, an immersive sound and light installation with the nightmarish premise of a pandemic that causes blindness. The actor-less installation is a a wholly unique experience. May 1 - 23

• Come to my window: Head to the corner of 14th and R Streets NW for "Kept Under Glass: Unheard Women's Voices," a pop-up concert of songs about love and longing for connection by under-recognized Austrian and German women composers performed from the bay windows of the new Whitman-Walker cultural center. Free, May 5 - 6​

• Movies in the park: Join the National Landing BID for a month of outdoor movie nights at Virginia Highlands Park in Arlington. Titles include Moana, Bill & Ted Face the Music and Mary Poppins Returns.  Free; registration required. May 7, 14, 21 and 28

• Drive-in movies: Head to the Stack at Buzzard Point for Capitol Riverfront BID's six-week drive-in movie series  featuring a lineup of popular films voted on by the public. Fan-favorite titles include Get on Up, Ocean's Eight, Bridesmaids and Booksmart. $20/car and all proceeds benefit local charities. May 7, 14, 21 and 28

• Watercolors in the Garden: Learn about DC's historic homes and which neighborhoods to find them in as you paint illustrations of houses with artist Justine Swindell. Paint kit includes: Watercolor set, Brushes, Warm up activity paper, Watercolor paper with outline. $55, May 24

GET OUTSIDE

• Biking with Lincoln: Hop on your bike for a three-mile bike tour tracking President Lincoln's commute from his cottage in Petworth to the White House. The guided cycling tour, hosted by President Lincoln’s Cottage and the DC Cycling Concierge, will stop at places of note for bits of history and end at the White House. Ticket required,   May 1

• Floating picnic: There's a new way to dine al fresco this spring. You can now rent picnic boats from black-owned company Float DC at The Wharf, and they’re pretty much as they sound: small, 100-percent electric crafts with a table and seating for friends, perfect for taking happy hour out on the water. The boats cruise at an easy speed of five miles-per-hour, and anyone over the age of 21 with a valid driver’s license can operate them. The group also offers a one-day boater’s safety course. Reservations required

• Take a walk on the art side: Think of Adams Morgan as your own personal art gallery thanks to AdMo Art Walk. Walk the streets of Adams Morgan and admire an impressive selection of artworks displayed in various storefronts in a self-guided walking tour brought to you by the Adams Morgan Partnership BID, the DC Arts Center, local artists, and neighborhood restaurants and shops! Free, now thru May 14

• Anacostia River tour: Learn about the Anacostia River’s history, wildlife, the environmental threats it faces, and the solutions helping it realize its full potential on an river tour hosted by Anacostia Riverkeeper. Tours provided through District's disposable bag fee. Free, contact [email protected] for reservations.

• Forest bathing: Forest bathing, or shinrin yoku, is the simple practice of taking in the woods through the senses for health benefits. Join the nature and forest therapy guide at the National Arboretum in a two-hour program that encourages you to slow down and take in your surroundings through all your senses.  The benefits are immense: boosted immunity, lowered blood pressure and heart rate, improved attention and mood, and hitting the reset button on life. Pay what you can, May 9 and 26

VIRTUAL EVENTS

• Korean film festival: Travel the world without leaving home during the annual Korean Film Festival, presented the Asian Art Museum. The films present examples of Korea’s interactions with the rest of the world, whether through the perspective of a Korean woman on a US Army base, the remake of an Italian comedy, the experience of Filipino immigrants, or a cinematic journey to the cosmopolitan Itaewon neighborhood in Seoul. Free, May 21 - June 6

• LOC concerts:  The Library of Congress rocks with a series of virtual concerts. The lineup kicks off with the French Ensemble Correspondances evoking an evening at the court of Louis XIII at the Palace of the Louvre; the Kandace Springs Trio pays tribute to women artists who inspired Springs’ career. and Moroccan pianist Marouan Benabdallah with a program called “Arabesque,” featuring music by composers from Syria, Algeria, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Morocco. Free, throughout the month

FAMILY-FRIENDLY

• Mansion on O Street Scavenger Hunt: Book a night filled with discovery for the entire family at the O Museum & The Mansion on O Street. Your adventure includes a socially distant self-guided tour through more than 70 secret doors, with all types of history, intrigue and mystery awaiting behind each one. Reservations required

• Secret Agent Scavenger Hunt: Participate in Imagination Stage's  Secret Agent Scavenger Hunt and complete missions, take pictures and video, and enhance your spy skills – all right from your phone!   Best for ages 5-10. Ticket required, now thru May 24

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