1. Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo will all be open on Thanksgiving Day — good to keep in mind if you’re looking for things to do while the turkey is cooking and/or have out-of-town guests to entertain. Hours are 10am – 5:30pm at all of them, except for the American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery which are open 11:30am – 7pm, and the Zoo from 8am – 4pm (be sure to reserve passes). The National Gallery of Art (which is not part of the Smithsonian, just a neighbor on the Mall) is open, too, from 10am – 5pm. [KFDC Tip: The new FUTURES exhibit at the just reopened Arts & Indutries Building (mentioned last week) is a great one to check out with the fam!]
2. Tell your friend Veronica… it’s (almost) time to celebrate Hanukkah! We start lighting the menorah on Sunday night — giant ones, at some places! If you’re looking for ways to celebrate the holiday around the area, there are a bunch of events happening that are open to all — menorah lightings, theatre performances, ice skating parties, even a Chanukah firetruck parade. Some of them require advance registration and/or offer discounts for early sign-up (though most are free), so check out the KFDC Guide to the Holiday Season, where there’s a Chanukah section with info on where and when to celebrate the eight craaaazy nights!
3. The Downtown Holiday Market opened this past weekend, and it always makes for a fun and festive outing during the season, plus you can pair it with a visit to the National Portrait Gallery/American Art Museum (open Weds-Sun) that are right next to the market. Located at 8th & F Streets NW in Penn Quarter, hours are 12-8pm daily through December 23, with the exception of Thanksgiving Day and December 6. Admission is free.
4. Lots of tasty sounding recipes from an always trusted source — for Thursday or anytime.
5. Weird Al narrates Thanksgiving. (Totally going to be singing ‘You’ve got the right stuff..ING!’)