DMV Parks and Gardens Holiday Lights

It's the season of lights in the Washington DC metro area. Many parks and botanical gardens are hosting beautiful light displays through the new year: Brookside Garden of Lights - Montgomery County MD hosts its annual display at Brookside Gardens through January 5th. Walk among the outdoor twinkling lights and glimmering displays that dot the paths and flowerbeds in 50 acres ...

Skating at NGA Sculpture Garden

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden 7th Street & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC, United States

(DC) (National Gallery of Art) Enjoy a winter skate at the NGA's iconic ice rink surrounded by sculptures and the National Mall. Purchase skating passes in person. Fees cover two back-to-back, 45-minute skating sessions that each begin on the hour. Enjoy a hot cocoa and food at the adjoining Pavilion Cafe. The skating rink will be open through March 2nd ...

$10 – $18

Tai Chi at Tregaron

Tregaron Conservancy 3031 Klingle Road NW, Washington, DC, United States

(DC) (Tregaron Conservancy) Join David Harold for Tai Chi practice on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. We will gather west of the Lily Pond near the entrance at Klingle Road NW. David is passionate about making Taiji and Qigong practice and principles accessible. For 15 years, he led a free, weekly public outdoor practice in Winston-Salem, NC. That practice continues to be led ...

Little Critters Nature Play

Smithsonian's National Zoo 3001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, United States

(DC) (National Zoo) Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo as we learn about the different ways animals care for their young. This week, we learn how animals change as they grow- just like us! We'll create our own baby addax whose horns continue to grow their whole life, we'll explore baby/parent relationships through sensory play as we ...

Free

Autumn Walk at Meadowlark

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens 9750 Meadowlark Gardens, Vienna, VA, United States

(VA) (NOVA Parks) Enjoy the autumn colors on a guided walk around Meadowlark's 95 acres.  Each one-hour walk will be over hilly terrain, have a positive focus, and include a silent, meditative portion and a few interesting facts from our docent along the way. This is a drop-in activity.  No reservations are required. Ages 18+.

$4 – $8

Lunchtime Meditation and Mindfulness (Virtual)

(DC) (Smithsonian Asian Art Museum) Meditation helps us build a relationship to a place of inner quietude. Whether you’re a beginner or a skilled practitioner, join us for free online meditation sessions each week led by DC-based meditation teachers on Tuesdays and Fridays. Friday sessions include inspiration from art in the museum collections, much of which is inspired by nature, ...

Native Plant Book Club: The Language of Trees (Hybrid)

Birch Tree Bookstore 1 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA, United States

(VA) (Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy) In collaboration with Watermark Woods, Birch Tree Bookstore and Loudoun County Public Library, join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy for the next Read! Plant! Grow! book club meeting at Birch Tree Bookstore and Foliage Plants in Leesburg. We will be discussing The Language of Trees by Katie Holten. This book is a collection by Katie Holten and 50 ...

Free

Community Native Plant Project (Virtual)

(MD) (Maryland Native Plant Society) Diane Beedle will discuss the work and approaches Community Native Planting Project (CNPP) has taken with public and private landowners to help them become environmental stewards with their approaches to landscape practices and greenspace management during this monthly MNPS meeting. Diane Beedle is the president and co-founder of Community Native Planting Project (CNPP), a nonprofit ...

Free

Occoquan Bay Natural Resources Survey

Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge 14050 Dawson Beach Rd, Woodbridge, VA, United States

(VA) (Audubon Society of Northern VA) If you would like to discover native birds, other fauna and flora — in the company of dedicated citizen scientists — then consider joining this outing! Many know Northern Virginia for its economic dynamism, cultural development and ever-changing landscape.  Less well known are the places sheltering remnants of an earlier, vital, natural history.  If ...

Free

Volunteer at the ARC Farm

THEARC Farm Washington, DC, United States

(DC) (THEARC Farm) Want time in a peaceful, outdoor space? Are you hoping to learn more about gardening? Would you like to help grow food for the neighbors? Join us! We'll be harvesting vegetables, fruits and herbs for our food giveaway in the afternoon. Adults of all skill levels are welcome. Kids under 16 should be accompanied by an adult. ...

Exhibit: Faces of the Forest

The Writer's Center 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, DC, United States

(MD) (Rock Creek Conservancy) Artist Sophia McCrocklin’s larger-than-life botanical fiber sculptures explore art’s crucial role in enhancing human relationships with the environment. By spotlighting the grandeur of leaves, seed pods, and ferns from Rock Creek Park’s understory, McCrocklin documents the beauty and reverence of the species at the frontline of climate change. The exhibit is available to view during Writer's ...

Free

“Season’s Greenings” at US Botanic Garden

U.S. Botanic Garden 100 Maryland Ave SW, Washington DC, United States

(DC) (United States Botanic Garden) The annual holiday display “Season’s Greenings” features model trains in the gated outdoor gardens, festive lights throughout the Garden, and the poinsettias, holiday decor, and D.C. landmarks made from plants inside the Conservatory. On the lawn in the gated outdoor gardens, G-gauge model trains  circulate from 10:00-5:00 daily through displays of pollinators made from plant ...

Capital Nature