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

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

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

Exhibit: Forces of Nature

National Portrait Gallery 800 G St NW, Washington, DC, United States

(DC) (National Portrait Gallery) “Forces of Nature: Voices that Shaped Environmentalism” presents some of the key people—scientists, politicians, activists, writers and artists—whose work has influenced attitudes toward the environment in the United States from the late 19th century until today. The exhibition traces a history of the movement from turn-of-the-20th-century conservationism to mid-20th-century environmentalism and its backlash. It also addresses ...

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

Chinese Fountain Grass Survey at Rock Creek

Picnic Grove #8 5200 Glover Rd, NW, Washington, DC, United States

(DC) (Rock Creek Conservancy) The National Capital Region (NCR) Invasive Plant Management Team (IPMT) will be hosting surveys at Rock Creek Park in search for Cenchrus purpurascens (Chinese fountaingrass). Chinese fountaingrass is used in landscaping throughout the region and has been spreading into natural areas. An abundance has been found and treated, especially throughout the past week. Our goal for ...

Free

Kestrel Meadow Walk

Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park Silver Spring, MD, United States

(MD) (Friends of Sligo Creek) We will gather at the metal gate on the 7100 block of 16th Place, Hyattsville. Bring binoculars if you have some. Our walks are free and happen rain or shine.

Free

Saturday Morning Birding at Woodend

Woodend Nature Sanctuary 8940 Jones Mill Road, Chevy Chase, MD, United States

(MD) (Nature Forward) Join enthusiastic birders at Woodend to learn birding basics. One will learn binocular basics and how to identify common birds as well as explore the wonders of migration. Second registrant is FREE.

Free – $16

R.I.P. Invasive Plants at Gulf Branch

Gulf Branch Nature Center & Park 3608 Military Rd, Arlington, VA, United States

(VA) (Arlington Parks) Want to restore habitat and increase species diversity right here in Arlington? Work parties are held every month. We are making a real difference, with the return of ferns and wildflowers, and the animals that depend on them, in areas once covered in destructive invasive plants. Adults, teens and families ages 8 and up.

Free

Volunteer Service Day at Potomac Overlook

Potomac Overlook Park 2845 Marcey Rd, Arlington, VA, United States

(VA) (NOVA Parks) Join us as we work to keep our park healthy and beautiful!  Assist with invasive plant removal, habitat restoration, and other projects as needed.  Come dressed for and prepared to work outdoors. Gloves and snippers are recommended, but extras may be provided if needed.  Meet at the picnic shelter (located in main parking lot).  Free and appropriate ...

Free

Backcountry Navigation with a Map and Compass

Rock Creek Nature Center 5200 Glover Rd NW, Washington, United States

(DC) (REI) During this class, our instructors will help you understand a topographic map, proper use of your compass, and how to put the two together. You’ll learn about magnetic north, true north, and magnetic variation (declination). After covering these fundamentals, you’ll get time to practice taking a bearing from the terrain and your map so that you can make ...

$95 – $125

Botanical Collage and Printmaking

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

(DC) (US Botanic Garden) Highlighting natural materials from the USBG collection, this workshop will feature a mix of the art of zine making, collaging, printmaking and bookarts with Doriana Diaz, Multidimensional Artist, Archivist, and Memory Worker. Dorianna will guide you in implementing and enhancing the practice as both an individual as well as a collective. Experiment with visuals that curate ...

$10 – $20
Capital Nature