Unlocking Outdoor Magic: Things to Do This Winter Season in Washington, DC

As Washington, DC re-opens cautiously, the phase two of the re-opening allows visitors to explore a bouquet of experiences outdoors. A simple walk around the National Mall, exploring the newly re-opened museums, relaxing in the city’s boutique hotels, the city has a lot to offer.

The DC government has made masks mandatory and has also provided travellers with simple guidelines to follow while visiting Washington, DC. Entities throughout the city have made sure to implement safety mechanisms like enhanced sanitation efforts and enforcing social distancing protocols. Read here for travel updates.

Among the re-opened sites, there are memorials, monuments, museums and unique exhibits to engage locals and visitors alike. Here are some attractions that are opened for the public.

Planet Word (Opened 22 October)

Housed in Washington, DC’s historic Franklin School, the revolutionary Planet Word is dedicated to the power, beauty and fun of language and how words shape the human experience. It is the world’s first voice-activated museum, featuring immersive galleries and exhibits to engage visitors of all ages. General admission will be free.

National Mall

Seeing the Washington Monument rise majestically to the sky, surrounded by the stately US Capitol Building at one end and the dignified Lincoln Memorial at the other, it’s hard not to think of America’s history. Explore the swath of land nicknamed ‘America’s front yard’ and you’ll find inspiring monuments and memorials. Wander along the wide, pedestrian-friendly, tree-lined boulevards and take in the history and scenery of America’s front yard or admire the scenery during the comfort of a Big Bus Tour. There’s always something to see and do.

National Native American’s Veterans Memorial (Opened 11 November)

Located on the grounds of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the memorial that honours American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian veterans was inaugurated on Veterans Day. The memorial, which sits on the grounds of the museum, was commissioned by Congress to give ‘all Americans the opportunity to learn of the proud and courageous tradition of service of Native Americans in the Armed Forces of the United States.’

The Phillips Collection (Openend 15 October)

The Phillips Collection reopened its doors to the public on 15 October, with new safety measures in place in accordance with health guidelines and in response to the covid-19 pandemic. Encounter superb works of modern art in an intimate setting at The Phillips Collection, an internationally recognised museum in Washington’s vibrant Dupont Circle neighbourhood. Paintings by Renoir and Rothko, van Gogh and Diebenkorn are among the many stunning impressionist and modern works that fill the museum’s distinctive building, which combines extensive new galleries with the family home of its founder, Duncan Phillips.

The district government has issued updated travel requirements for anyone traveling into Washington, DC from a jurisdiction with more than 10 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people:

- Get a test within 72 hours of traveling, and if the test is positive, don’t travel.

- If you are a close contact of a confirmed positive case, don’t travel.

- If you are a visitor to DC for more than three days, get tested within 3-5 days of arrival.

- Adhere to the mandatory mask policy, exceptions include vigorous exercise or while actively eating or drinking.