All Day

2023 Bull Run Festival of Lights

Bull Run Regional Park 7700 Bull Run Drive, Centreville

(VA) (NOVA Parks) Enjoy a 2.5 mile drive-through of festive light displays, walk-through a Christmas Village and Carnival. The show is open nightly from November 11, 2022 through January 8, 2023. Times vary on weekday and weekends. PLEASE NOTE: YOU ONLY NEED TO BUY ONE TICKET PER VEHICLE.

$30 – $75

2023 Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens 9750 Meadowlark Gardens, Vienna

(VA) (NOVA Parks) Enjoy even more lights this year as Meadowlark Botanical Gardens sparkles with displays of flowers, animals, trees, and holiday scenes along the Winter Walk of Lights .6-mile trail. Times and prices vary by weekday or weekend. See website for all details.

$18 – $22

2023 Ice & Lights: The Winter Village at Cameron Run

Cameron Run Regional Park 4001 Eisenhower Ave, Alexandria

(VA) (NOVA Parks) Ice & Lights offers a fun, outdoor family experience to see unique light displays, take family pictures or selfies with a variety of displays, and take a spin on the outdoor ice rink.  Tickets are available for the Village or Village and Ice Skating daily through January 1st.  Prices and times vary from weekdays to weekends.

$8 – $20
Ongoing

Garden of Lights at Brookside

Brookside Gardens 1800 Glenallan Ave, Wheaton

(MD) (Montgomery Parks) The Garden of Lights display transforms Brookside Gardens into a magical winter wonderland. Stroll through the one-half mile, outdoor, walk-through exhibit and enjoy the twinkling lights and glimmering one-of-a-kind displays adorning the flowerbeds and grounds throughout the 50-acre horticultural gem in Wheaton. Shop for unique seasonal items at the Gift Shop. Hot chocolate and light snacks will ...

$10

US Botanic Garden Holiday and Trains

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

(DC) (US Botanic Garden) The annual holiday display “Season’s Greenings” will feature model trains in the gated outdoor gardens, festive lights throughout the Garden, and the Conservatory will feature poinsettias, holiday decor, and D.C. landmarks made from plants. G-gauge model trains will circulate through displays of pollinators made from plant parts in the outdoor gardens. These scenes will range from ...

Free

US Botanic Garden Holiday and Trains

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

(DC) (US Botanic Garden) The annual holiday display “Season’s Greenings” will feature model trains in the gated outdoor gardens, festive lights throughout the Garden, and the Conservatory will feature poinsettias, holiday decor, and D.C. landmarks made from plants. G-gauge model trains will circulate through displays of pollinators made from plant parts in the outdoor gardens. These scenes will range from ...

Free

Zoo Lights at the National Zoo

Smithsonian's National Zoo 3001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington

(DC) (Smithsonian) Washington, D.C.’s beloved Smithsonian’s National Zoo holiday tradition is back and brighter than ever! Dozens of dazzling displays and half a million environmentally-friendly LED lights illuminate the Zoo's pathways. Visitors can stroll through immersive lantern displays showing rainforest, grassland, desert, ocean and polar habitats and the animals that call them home. Live musical performances, delicious treat offerings and ...

Zoo Lights at the National Zoo

Smithsonian’s National Zoo 3001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington

(DC) (Smithsonian) Washington, D.C.’s beloved Smithsonian’s National Zoo holiday tradition is back and brighter than ever! Dozens of dazzling displays and half a million environmentally-friendly LED lights illuminate the Zoo’s pathways. Visitors can stroll through immersive lantern displays showing rainforest, grassland, desert, ocean and polar habitats and the animals that call them home. Live musical performances, delicious treat offerings and ...

Montgomery Parks’ Urban Wood Sale

Montgomery Parks Urban Wood and Recycling Program 8301 Turkey Thicket Drive, Gaitherburg

(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Join the Montgomery Parks Horticulture, Forestry, and Environmental Education Division this winter at their annual Urban Wood Sale. Located off of Snouffer School Road at the Green Farm Maintenance Facility, the sale features walnut, cedar, pine, poplar, oak, beech, cherry, cypress, and ash. This year, customers can find kiln-dried, planed, and air-dried wood. Slabs are available in ...

$5 – $400

Montgomery Parks’ Urban Wood Sale

Montgomery Parks Urban Wood and Recycling Program 8301 Turkey Thicket Drive, Gaitherburg

(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Join the Montgomery Parks Horticulture, Forestry, and Environmental Education Division this winter at their annual Urban Wood Sale. Located off of Snouffer School Road at the Green Farm Maintenance Facility, the sale features walnut, cedar, pine, poplar, oak, beech, cherry, cypress, and ash. This year, customers can find kiln-dried, planed, and air-dried wood. Slabs are available in ...

$5 – $400

Winter C&O Canal Walk

Angler's Inn 10790 Macarthur Boulevard, Potomac

(MD) (Free Walkers) Walk with FreeWalkers on the historic C&O Canal from Anglers Inn to Georgetown and back. The start of the walk is across from the Old Angler's Inn, where there is plenty of parking and a public restroom. From there, we will walk 12 miles downstream to historic Georgetown, and return along the same route. The route is ...

Free

Winter C&O Canal Walk

Angler’s Inn 10790 Macarthur Boulevard, Potomac

(MD) (Free Walkers) Walk with FreeWalkers on the historic C&O Canal from Anglers Inn to Georgetown and back. The start of the walk is across from the Old Angler’s Inn, where there is plenty of parking and a public restroom. From there, we will walk 12 miles downstream to historic Georgetown, and return along the same route. The route is ...

Free

Invasive Removal at Reservation 630 East

Reservation 630 East 2801 Quebec Street Northwest, Washington

(DC) (Rock Creek Conservancy) Join Rock Creek Conservancy, the National Park Service, and Weed Warrior Leader Rena Subotnik for this invasive plant removal restoration event in Rock Creek Park. Invasive plants are a major threat to our fragile forests, and stopping their spread helps allow for a thriving native understory. Event location, directions, and information will be sent from the ...

Free

Outdoor Skills: Wild Teas for Women & Non-Binary Individuals

Locust Grove Nature Center 7777 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda

(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Did you know many local plants make a flavorful infusion when steeped in hot water? Introduce your tastebuds to a sampling of natural teas like spicebush, sweetbay magnolia, and turkey tails. Go on a walk in the woods and learn how to identify these plants as we discuss the safety and ethics of foraging for wild foods. ...

$20

Outdoor Skills: Wild Teas for Women & Non-Binary Individuals

Locust Grove Nature Center 7777 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda

(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Did you know many local plants make a flavorful infusion when steeped in hot water? Introduce your tastebuds to a sampling of natural teas like spicebush, sweetbay magnolia, and turkey tails. Go on a walk in the woods and learn how to identify these plants as we discuss the safety and ethics of foraging for wild foods. ...

$20

Invasive Removal at Reservation 630 East

Reservation 630 East 2801 Quebec Street Northwest, Washington

(DC) (Rock Creek Conservancy) Join Rock Creek Conservancy, the National Park Service, and Weed Warrior Leader Rena Subotnik for this invasive plant removal restoration event in Rock Creek Park. Invasive plants are a major threat to our fragile forests, and stopping their spread helps allow for a thriving native understory. Event location, directions, and information will be sent from the ...

Free

Bat Riverside Tree Planting

Colmar Manor Community Park 3510 37th Ave, Colmar

(MD) (Anacostia Watershed Society) Volunteers will join the Anacostia Watershed Society and Bat Conservation International for a Riverside Tree Planting along the Anacostia River at Colmar Manor Community Park! During this workday we will focus on planting native trees in the forested area damaged by the invasive emerald ash borer beetle.

Free

Bat Riverside Tree Planting

Colmar Manor Community Park 3510 37th Ave, Colmar

(MD) (Anacostia Watershed Society) Volunteers will join the Anacostia Watershed Society and Bat Conservation International for a Riverside Tree Planting along the Anacostia River at Colmar Manor Community Park! During this workday we will focus on planting native trees in the forested area damaged by the invasive emerald ash borer beetle.

Free

Exhibit: Recovering Our Night Sky

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History 1000 Madison Drive NW, Washington

(DC) (Smithsonian Natural History Museum) What do brighter nights mean for people and wildlife? Through over 100 photographs, nearly 250 objects, interactive experiences, tactile models, and a theater program, discover why dark nights matter, rekindle your connection with the night sky, and consider how much light at night is enough—for whom, for what purpose, and who gets to decide?

Free

Sunset in the Hollow

McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area 18600 River Rd, Poolesville

(MD) (Nature Forward) Enjoy a late afternoon stroll through the field, forest, and wetland habitats of Hughes Hollow Wildlife Management Area (McKee Beshers), south of Poolesville, MD. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open for the sights and sounds of wildlife as the afternoon winds down, the sun sets–and darkness falls. The natural surface trails here will be uneven and ...

$33 – $46

Sunset in the Hollow

McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area 18600 River Rd, Poolesville

(MD) (Nature Forward) Enjoy a late afternoon stroll through the field, forest, and wetland habitats of Hughes Hollow Wildlife Management Area (McKee Beshers), south of Poolesville, MD. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open for the sights and sounds of wildlife as the afternoon winds down, the sun sets–and darkness falls. The natural surface trails here will be uneven and ...

$33 – $46
Capital Nature