Weekend picks in and around Washington, DC

There are plenty of ways to spend the weekend outdoors (albeit, dress extremely warm in order for the experience to be a pleasant one). Ice rinks are open, the slopes have snow and typical hikes are more beautiful with a layer of white fluff on the branches. Sounds kind of crazy but our family loves to head to the beach in the winter and see the landscape in a different season. Our area has many beaches and state parks near us as well as marshes and gardens that are fun to walk through in the winter. It is Restaurant Week in DC through Sunday and many places have take-out options.

Washington Auto Show is at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center January 21 – Sunday, January 30. The Washington, D.C. Auto Show is also the largest public show in the nation’s capital. Test-drive an all-electric vehicle like Toyota’s RAV4 Hybrid, the Jeep Wrangler 4xe, a Polestar 2, and a Nissan Leaf on the streets of D.C. at the Washington, D.C. Auto Show! See the Exotic Car Display at the 2022 Washington Auto Show in Hall B on the lower level. Visit the Subaru Loves Pets exhibit in Hall A of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center during the times below, and you’ll be able to meet, play with, and even adopt one of the shelter dogs provided by the Humane Rescue Alliance.

Smithsonian FUTURES is part exhibition, part festival!. FUTURES presents nearly 32,000 square feet of new immersive site-specific art installations, interactives, working experiments, inventions, speculative designs, and “artifacts of the future,” as well as historic objects and discoveries from 23 of the Smithsonian’s museums, major initiatives, and research centers. Of the nearly 150 objects on view, several are making their public debut: an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven rover from Alphabet’s X that could transform agriculture; a Planetary Society space sail for deep space travel; a Loon internet balloon; the first full-scale Buckminster Fuller geodesic dome built in North America; the world’s first controlled thermonuclear fusion device; and more.

ARTECHOUSE has a new exhibit– Transient: Impermanent Paintings. Experience an immersive journey into artistic process, inspired by music and traditional painting techniques. This groundbreaking exhibition, originally composed as a live performance, presents a series of audiovisual paintings created by the artist in concert with generative algorithms. The exhibition employs technology as a lens to explore music for the 21st-century audience and rethink the traditional artistic techniques in the context of human-machine relationship.

Eliana’s Light invites you and your family members, friends, and/or colleagues to participate in “Spreading Kindness”, their 7^th Annual community service program in advance of Valentine’s Day. Due to the pandemic, this year’s program will again be virtual, and you can participate where you are. They welcome photos of homemade cards, poems, printable artwork for coloring pages, and songs that give uplift, hope and encouragement to children with serious illnesses and complex medical conditions. Please email items to Eliana’s Light before Feb. 10th. They also welcome donations to purchase art supplies for these families in financial need. Please make a financial donation by clicking here. Questions? Please email!

Saturday

9:30am: Saturday Morning Live! Happy Soup
This season will contain five virtual series which will premiere on Facebook and YouTube. From the coziness of your home, you are invited to gather with Natasha and Tia (a pair of very silly humans) to cook up a Happy Soup! They have the recipe, but they need YOUR creativity to bring all of these special and surprising ingredients together for the world. There will be antics, there will be teamwork, there will be HAPPY SOUP!

1:30pm & 4:00pm: Corduroy at Imagination Stage
We all need a friend, and Lisa is instantly drawn to the perfectly imperfect teddy bear on display at the department store. If only she can convince her stressed-out mother to buy Corduroy for her! Meanwhile, Corduroy is determined to find his missing button and become worthy of going to a real home. After the store has closed, he goes on a hilariously destructive search–with the Night Watchman in comical pursuit. Full of mischief and clowning, this story of unconditional love, based on the books by Don Freeman, captures both the humanity and the merriment of the holiday season.  Best for ages 3-9.

5:30pm: Drive-In: Hotel Transylvania 4 https://www.dcpartybox.com/drive-in-movies
Pack up the car with kids and treats and head to the drive-in!

6:30pm-10:30pm: Kids Night Out at Silver Stars Gymnastics
While Silver Stars is known for expertly guiding children through all aspects of balance beam routines, trampolines and rope climbing, Kids’ Night Out offers children the chance to explore the various apparatuses at their own pace. These events take place on the second and fourth Saturday evenings of every month highlighting all the fun of Open Gym, but as a drop-off program. Offering free play, movies, games, pizza and more! Ages 3.5-12.

Sunday

1:30pm & 4:00pm: Corduroy at Imagination Stage
We all need a friend, and Lisa is instantly drawn to the perfectly imperfect teddy bear on display at the department store. If only she can convince her stressed-out mother to buy Corduroy for her! Meanwhile, Corduroy is determined to find his missing button and become worthy of going to a real home. After the store has closed, he goes on a hilariously destructive search–with the Night Watchman in comical pursuit. Full of mischief and clowning, this story of unconditional love, based on the books by Don Freeman, captures both the humanity and the merriment of the holiday season.  Best for ages 3-9.

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