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

National Audubon Christmas Bird Count

(DMV) The Christmas Bird Count occurs December 14 to January 5 every season.  Sign up to receive information and results about all of Audubon's community science programs through American Birds, our newsletter by email. Click here for a map view of the circles expected to be included in the 124th CBC. You can use ESRI's free mobile app to view updated public ...

Free

National Audubon Christmas Bird Count

(DMV) The Christmas Bird Count occurs December 14 to January 5 every season.  Sign up to receive information and results about all of Audubon’s community science programs through American Birds, our newsletter by email. Click here for a map view of the circles expected to be included in the 124th CBC. You can use ESRI’s free mobile app to view updated public ...

Free
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

Goose Creek Geminid Meteor Shower Watch Party

Aldie Mill Historic Park 39401 John Mosby Hwy, Aldie

(VA) (NOVA Parks) Join the NOVA Parks Roving Naturalist for a late night meteor shower watch party at Goose Creek Bridge Historic Park! Every December, the earth passes through a debris field produced by asteroid 3200 Phaethon; causing the Gemenid Meteor Shower. As crazy as it seems, after midnight is the best time to get outside and see the highest ...

$8

Goose Creek Geminid Meteor Shower Watch Party

Aldie Mill Historic Park 39401 John Mosby Hwy, Aldie

(VA) (NOVA Parks) Join the NOVA Parks Roving Naturalist for a late night meteor shower watch party at Goose Creek Bridge Historic Park! Every December, the earth passes through a debris field produced by asteroid 3200 Phaethon; causing the Gemenid Meteor Shower. As crazy as it seems, after midnight is the best time to get outside and see the highest ...

$8

Medicinal Plants at the Conservatory

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

(DC) (US Botanic Garden) Drop by the Conservatory's Garden Court to talk with Emily Ogwin, USBG Gardener, about medicinal plants. Bring your questions and connect with USBG plant science professionals in this Expert Is In program.

Free

Medicinal Plants at the Conservatory

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

(DC) (US Botanic Garden) Drop by the Conservatory’s Garden Court to talk with Emily Ogwin, USBG Gardener, about medicinal plants. Bring your questions and connect with USBG plant science professionals in this Expert Is In program.

Free

Gardener’s Focus Tour: Bones of the Winter Garden

Hillwood 4155 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington DC

(DC) (Hillwood) Explore the bones of Hillwood’s peaceful winter gardens with Jessica Bonilla, director of horticulture. Evergreen plants take center stage, deciduous woody plants become architectural, and hardscapes become more important. Winter’s cool light shapes the experience, and we can sense more subtle shades of green and brown. The few flowers in bloom are very special, and the texture of ...

Free – $15

Gardener’s Focus Tour: Bones of the Winter Garden

Hillwood 4155 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington DC

(DC) (Hillwood) Explore the bones of Hillwood’s peaceful winter gardens with Jessica Bonilla, director of horticulture. Evergreen plants take center stage, deciduous woody plants become architectural, and hardscapes become more important. Winter’s cool light shapes the experience, and we can sense more subtle shades of green and brown. The few flowers in bloom are very special, and the texture of ...

Free – $15

Lunchtime Meditation and Mindfulness (Virtual)

(DC) (Smithsonian) 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 it inspired by nature.

Free

Lunchtime Meditation and Mindfulness (Virtual)

(DC) (Smithsonian) 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 it inspired by nature.

Free

Holiday Floral Design (Virtual)

(DC) (Hillwood) Celebrate the holiday season with a floral arrangement full of luxuriously rich colors and festive blooms. Ami Wilber shares a step-by-step guide to create your own arrangement with plenty of time to ask questions. Supplies are not included, but a materials list, including suggested alternatives, is included below, should participants wish to follow along at home. For an ...

$12 – $82

Holiday Floral Design (Virtual)

(DC) (Hillwood) Celebrate the holiday season with a floral arrangement full of luxuriously rich colors and festive blooms. Ami Wilber shares a step-by-step guide to create your own arrangement with plenty of time to ask questions. Supplies are not included, but a materials list, including suggested alternatives, is included below, should participants wish to follow along at home. For an ...

$12 – $82

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 ...

Orchid Origami

Long Branch Nature Center & Park 625 S Carlin Springs Rd, Arlington

(VA) (Arlington Parks) Did you know there are more than 50 species of orchid found in Virginia? Come learn about the bizarre and diverse orchid family, with its 30,000 species in total. We will focus on the orchids found in northern Virginia. After learning about these amazing native plants, we will use the Smithsonian's "Orchid-gami" sheets to cut and fold ...

$7

Orchid Origami

Long Branch Nature Center & Park 625 S Carlin Springs Rd, Arlington

(VA) (Arlington Parks) Did you know there are more than 50 species of orchid found in Virginia? Come learn about the bizarre and diverse orchid family, with its 30,000 species in total. We will focus on the orchids found in northern Virginia. After learning about these amazing native plants, we will use the Smithsonian’s “Orchid-gami” sheets to cut and fold ...

$7
Capital Nature