It is hard to believe that the summer is ending soon, but the good news is you still have a little bit of time left to explore the DC nightlife before heading back to school! Whether you’re 21 or not, DC nightlife has a lot to offer. Here are some of my favorite nighttime activities that I’ve done throughout the summer.
My favorite nighttime activity is walking the monuments. The monuments are so much prettier at night and there are less people around which makes for a more enjoyable experience. I typically have gone with co-workers or fellow WISH interns where we walk them ourselves but if you’re more of a guided tour person you’re in luck! There are many guided tours such as The Monuments by Moonlight via trolley or The Big Bus hop on/hop off nighttime tour.
While the monuments are cool, it’s also fun to have a night out on the town laughing with your friends! Good news for you comedy-loving interns out there, my roommate went to Underground Comedy club with some of her fellow interns and she was talking about how hilarious the comedians were for days. The club has two locations, The Big Hunt (right next to The DuPont Circle metro stop, 21+) and The Drafthouse Comedy Theater (L Street, 18+). They are famous for putting comedians like Michael Che from Saturday Night Live on the map and for their long-running shows broadcasted on Comedy Central. The best news of all is that they have shows coming up both nights of this weekend! Visit https://www.undergroundcomedydc.com/ for more info.
Most people think of Happy Hour as a 5pm only activity, but there are a few bars and restaurants in the area that celebrate happy hour a little later in the day. My personal favorite is a restaurant/bar called District Commons right by the George Washington University metro stop. Every weeknight they have late night happy hour from 10pm-close (typically around midnight) and most drinks are $5! They also do food specials during this time with a different bar food item that are featured each day of the week. My recommendations are The Pony Express and “Don’t Mess with Texas BBQ Brisket”. All ages are welcome since it is a restaurant! Visit http://www.districtcommonsdc.com/news.html for more info. Other restaurants/bars offering similar deals are Old Ebbitt Grill, El Camino, and Clyde’s (Gallery Place location). I suggest trying them all!
Lastly, who doesn’t love enjoying a classic film on a lawn with hundreds of your closest friends for free?! There are many places that do this throughout the weeknights of summer but my personal favorite is The Library of Congress Movies on the Lawn series that take place on Thursday’s after sunset. The movies they show are all films that are in the National Film Registry such as Back to the Future, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and The Wizard of Oz. Last year, my WISH housemates and I went every Thursday because we lived up the street and it was such a great bonding experience for us all. They still have 2 Thursday’s left (Aug 9 and Aug 16) so go while you still can! If The Library of Congress is a little far from you, Georgetown Waterfront Park, Storey Park (NoMa Summer Screen series), and The Capitol Riverfront put on similar series. For more information on these movie screenings, visit http://www.dcoutdoorfilms.com/#dcscreenings
I hope you all had a fantastic summer here in DC! It definitely flew by for me! Go enjoy these few things while you still have the time!