! N O I T A C STAY Wild, Wacky and Wonderful Ways to Enjoy the DC Area and Beyond This Summer
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by Kathleen Donner
n one hand you have high summer gasoline prices, crowded planes (airline travel isn’t glamerous anymore), body scans, flight delays and luggage charges. On the other hand you have the remarkable place that is the Washington DC area in summer. Forget what you’ve heard about the city having been built on a swamp and that everyone who can get away, does. Our art scene remains vibrant. Our street markets are open and thriving. And you can spread out a blanket and hear live music or see an outdoor movie every day of the week. For ideas of what to do, and special hotel rates if you want to take a real “staycation,” check out Destination DC’s website (http://washington.org/planning/about-destination-dc).
DC’s adjoining counties also offer a dizzying array of festivals, fairs and special events. Labeled DC’s largest creative event, Artomatic blazes along in Crystal City through June 23 (artomatic.org). Alexandria celebrates its birthday every year on the Saturday after Independence Day with a festival, concert and fireworks. The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, August 10-18, at the Gaithersburg Fairgrounds, attracts tens of thousands (mcagfair.com). Within a 2-hour drive, there are beaches, battlefields, mountain trails, amusement parks, sports events and historic sites. It’s all here or just a short drive away. Below is our listing (in no particular order) of twelve reasons to hang around. capitalcommunitynews.com H 29