2023 Bull Run Festival of Lights

Bull Run Regional Park 7700 Bull Run Drive, Centreville, VA, United States

(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, United States

(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

Duck Walk at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge

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

(VA) (Audubon Society of Northern Virginia) Occoquan Bay NWR is one of the best places to see waterfowl in northern Virginia. Walk leader Greg Butcher is the recently retired Migratory Species Coordinator for U.S. Forest Service International Programs. He is a Ph.D. ornithologist who has worked for the National Audubon Society, American Birding Association, Partners in Flight, Birders World magazine, ...

Free

To Live and Breathe: Closing Reception

Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum 1901 Fort Pl, SE, Washington, DC, United States

(DC) (Anacostia Community Museum) Join us for a last-chance viewing of the exhibition, To Live and Breathe: Women in Environmental Justice in Washington, DC. Hear from the curator, Rachel Seidman, and community leaders, discover your "Activist Animal" and more through the exhibition's interactives, and enjoy good food and fellowship.

Free

The How and Who of Urban Wildlife Conservation (Virtual)

(DMV) (Audubon Society of Northern Virginia) Join us Sunday afternoon, January 7, for a virtual Audubon Afternoon that features the first of our Stretch Our Parks Lectures featuring Dr. Charles Nilon, an ecologist and professor from the University of Missouri. Dr. Nilon’s decades of research and service have combined two of his lifelong passions – understanding how to safeguard urban ...

Free

Exhibit: Recovering Our Night Sky

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

(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

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

iNat Nite: Lichens of Maryland (Virtual)

(DMV) (The Nature Conservancy MD/DC and Capital Nature) Join fellow citizen science and nature enthusiasts for a fun and informational evening on Lichens of Maryland by Dr. Natalie Howe. We'll then look at lichens on iNaturalist, sharpening our identification skills along the way. This is part of a monthly iNat ID Nite series. Programs are generally held on the 2nd ...

Free

Gentle Yoga at Brookside Gardens

Brookside Gardens 1800 Glenallan Ave, Wheaton, MD, United States

(MD) (Montgomery Parks) This series of classes feature foundational yoga poses that are designed to support better breathing, walking, and space orientation. Yoga movements help build muscle, bone density and core strength while improving balance, posture, and flexibility. Mats are not included. Instructor: Sherry Weber This class meets weekly.

$14

Winter Walk Along the Canal A: Riley’s Lock

Riley's Lock, C&O Canal

(MD) (Nature Forward) Bundle up and join us for these general nature walks along the flat C&O Canal. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open for over-wintering birds and other wildlife, practice winter botany skills, and enjoy the expansive views along the Potomac River that this season provides. These walks will move at a bit faster pace than our usual ...

$33 – $46

Winter Wildlife Stroll at Long Branch

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

(VA) (Arlington Parks) Come enjoy the forest in all of its winter beauty. We'll walk through Glencarlyn Park to see evergreen plants, the foraging critters and a few surprises. Adults.

Free

Owl Prowl

Potomac Overlook Regional Park3 2845 N. Marcey Road, Arlington, VA, United States

(VA) (NOVA Parks) "Whooooo cooks for youuuu? Whoooo cooks for youuuu allllll?" No, this is not a chef looking for a job! This is the call of a Barred Owl, perhaps Northern Virginia's most frequently observed owl. Join the roving naturalist on a quest to find these feathered friends. Learn more about owl adaptations, behavior, and role in the ecosystem ...

$8
Capital Nature