1. Do you know about Dumbarton Oaks Park in Georgetown? Not to be confused with Dumbarton Oaks Garden that I’ve written about and recommended a lot, the Park is a lovely little stretch of nature that is actually located right behind the gardens. I first wrote about the Park here a bunch of years ago… it’s part of Rock Creek Park and contains well maintained trails and features like footbridges, seating areas, and stone walls built into the landscape, kind of giving it all a fairytale feel. It’s a perfect place to go for a hike with young children — it’s not too big, the paths are flat and easy for little ones to navigate, and it’s right next to Montrose Park, where there’s a playground and lots of grassy space to run around — but all ages would enjoy a walk there. You can make a whole day of it in that tucked away area of the neighborhood and visit Dumbarton Oaks Park, Montrose Park, and Dumbarton Oaks Garden all in one great outing! The Park is open daily dawn to dusk, and admission is free. Access it near the intersection of R & 31st Streets NW. [Note that Dumbarton Oaks Garden is only open to the public Tuesday – Sunday, 2-6pm, and admission is $7 through October 31, then free through mid-March).
2. There have been some additions to the round-up of Halloween events around the area, including the haunted lab at the Children’s Science Center Lab, a special scavenger hunt at Meadowlark Botanic Garden, and a Halloween Party at the Parc at Tysons. Get all the details for these wicked fun ways to celebrate Halloween, plus many more, here.
3. Smithsonian’s Discovery Theater will be back in person soon after nearly two years! Their first show will be Seasons of Light, the annual holiday production that was a tradition for many pre-Covid. In case you’re not familiar with the venue, it’s located in the Smithsonian Ripley Center connected to the National Museum of Asian Art.
4. 13 family-friendly shows and movies perfect for Halloween.
5. And to balance it out: The scariest movies of all time. 😱
Thank you for the reminder of this lovely park. My only issue is that everybody walks their dog on this path and virtually NONE of them use leashes. It’s really frustrating b/c my son is scared of dogs.