How To Explore Your Own City Like A Tourist
Lifestyle
Spring is always a great time to rediscover the vibrant city around you, but this year, the season’s prospects are even brighter.
Between lifting pandemic sanctions, warming temperatures, new restaurants, and the reopening of iconic cultural destinations, the list of ways to see DC in a new light are seemingly endless.
Keeping reading to get our team’s hottest tips for exploring your own city like a tourist today!
#1 Places To Revisit: Missing your old go-to haunts? There’s a good chance they’ll be back — and sooner than you might think. Here are a few of the places we can’t wait to revisit this season!
– The National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall, slated to reopen on Friday, March 11.
– The National Postal Museum will also reopen its doors to the public on March 11.
– The Anacostia Community Museum is set to reopen on March 9.
➤ Want to learn more about DC’s museums? Take a look at our guide to the top museums in DC right here.
#2 Ways To Support Women-Owned Businesses: Did you know that March is Women’s History Month? Whether window shopping or on the hunt for that perfect gift, these women-owned businesses in Washington, DC offer something for everyone.
– Your Poppy: This online marketplace connects customers to fairly priced florals, and now anyone can be a floral designer thanks to the new Poppy at Home concept.
– East City Bookshop: Laurie Gillman seeks out a bookstore wherever she goes, and in 2015, the entrepreneur took it upon herself to learn everything about opening her own shop. By 2016, Gillman’s East City Bookshop was open and has since become a community gathering place.
– Shop Made in DC: There’s no better way to pay witness to DC’s creator community than by stepping inside a Shop Made in DC location. Back in 2016, the DC city council passed legislation to certify, promote, and support local artisans and businesses through the “Made in DC” program, which now has more than 300 members. A year later, community-based business consultant Stacy Price, a champion for area artisans, got together with Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s Michael Babin to launch the Shop Made in DC concept, which now has four locations. You can pick up everything from locally sourced mumbo sauce cider to original artworks, jewelry, home goods, and legitimately cool DC souvenirs.
➤ Want to learn more about the DC’s communities? Here are some of our most poplar local area guides:
- See Our Complete Guide to Living in DC
- See Our Guide to Columbia Heights, DC
- See Our Guide to DuPont Circle, DC
- See Our Guide to Shaw, DC
#3 New Restaurants To Sample: Your garden isn’t the only thing springing back to life this month. Check out the latest restaurants to sprout up on the DC scene.
– Honeymoon Chicken: Federalist Pig pit master Rob Sonderman turns his attention to slow-brined birds at Petworth’s anticipated poultry project, which he opened in January with business partner and &pizza co-founder Steve Salis. Wedged in a retro-chic space that formerly housed Slim’s Diner, Honeymoon Chicken brings the neighborhood build-your-own buckets of bone-in white and dark meat.
– Magpie and the Tiger: From chef Caleb Jang and his mentor Kevin Tien, this playful new restaurant explores Jang’s Korean American roots in the storied Petworth space where they once worked (former Eater D.C. Restaurant of the Year Himitsu). With a small, green-tiled bar and tables nestled along a rustic wall, the cozy, 22-seat space lets the dishes take center stage.
– Dolce Vita Coastal Mediterranean Cuisine: Restaurateur Med Lahlou boosts his 14th Street NW portfolio (Lupo Verde, Lupo Pizzeria) with a stylish new sanctuary for meze and wood-fired favorites from Spain, Morocco, Italy, and Greece.
➤ Want to learn more about the restaurant scene in DC? Take a look at some of these posts:
Ready for more local insights? Our team is always here to help! You can reach out right here.
