Indoor Activities for Adults in Washington, DC
Washington, DC's best indoor activities for adults include 9:30 Club ($20-60), Bistro du Jour ($25-40 per person), Black Cat DC ($15-35), Blagden Alley (Free), and Blues Alley Jazz ($20-70). No kids required.
Hope Diamond and a T. rex, completely free
10th St & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20560 · Daily 10am-5:30pm, extended to 7:30pm spring/summer
Actual Wright Flyer and Apollo 11 capsule, free
600 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20560 · Daily 10am-5:30pm
Giant pandas and 2,100 animals, totally free
3001 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008 · Mar 15-Sep 14: 8am-6pm; Sep 15-Mar 14: 8am-4pm
The Great Hall is free and spectacular
401 F St NW, Washington, DC 20001 · Mon, Thu-Sun 10am-5pm, closed Tue-Wed
Free museum where kids sing karaoke and write poetry
925 13th St NW, Washington, DC 20005 · Mon, Wed-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm, closed Tue
Underground walkway, wading fountain, ice rink, all free
6th & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20565 · Daily 10am-5pm
Free show every night at 6pm, no tickets
2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566 · Daily at 6pm (Millennium Stage); building open 10am-9pm
300+ bonsai trees and original Capitol columns, free
3501 New York Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002 · Daily 10am-4pm; closed federal holidays Veterans Day through Presidents Day
Actual assassination site, Booth's diary, free
511 10th St NW, Washington, DC 20004 · Daily 9am-4:30pm
Largest library in the world, free to visit
101 Independence Ave SE, Washington, DC 20540 · Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, closed Sundays
Free, never crowded, kids sort mail and fly biplanes
2 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002 · Daily 10am-5:30pm, closed Dec 25
The actual Declaration of Independence
701 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20408 · Daily 10am-5:30pm, closed Thanksgiving and Dec 25
Free show every single day at 6pm
2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566 · Box office: Mon-Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 12pm-9pm
Routinely ranked best live music club in America
815 V St NW, Washington, DC 20001 · Show nights, doors typically 7pm
300 seats, two-drink minimum, open since 1992
1140 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 · Shows Wed-Sun, box office opens 1 hour before
Only da Vinci painting in the Americas, free
6th St & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20565 · Daily 10am-5pm
Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party lives here
1600 21st St NW, Washington, DC 20009 · Tue-Sun 10am-5pm, closed Mon
Oldest jazz supper club in America, since 1965
1073 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007 · Shows nightly at 6pm and 8pm
Co-founded by Dave Grohl's former bandmate
1811 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009 · Show nights, doors typically 7pm; Red Room bar open nightly
Duke Ellington and James Brown both played here
620 T St NW, Washington, DC 20001 · Show nights, times vary; brunch shows Sun 11am
Comedy club inside a former flower shop
808 Upshur St NW, Washington, DC 20011 · Show nights only, check schedule
Where Marian Anderson made history in 1943
1776 D St NW, Washington, DC 20006 · Event nights only, box office opens 2 hours before showtime
Art shows in abandoned streetcar tunnels
19 Dupont Circle NW, Washington, DC 20036 · Event-dependent, check schedule
Caps, Wizards, and every big concert tour
601 F St NW, Washington, DC 20004 · Event nights, doors typically 1-2 hours before showtime
Movable stage adjusts room from 2,500 to 6,000
901 Wharf St SW, Washington, DC 20024 · Box office daily 12-7pm, show nights doors vary
250 seats, every one close to the stage
33 Pearl St SW, Washington, DC 20024 · Tue-Sun, show times vary; closed Mon
40+ food vendors, free to browse
1309 5th St NE, Washington, DC 20002 · Tue-Sun 8am-9pm, closed Mon
Shares a building with the National Portrait Gallery, all free
8th & G Streets NW, Washington, DC 20004 · Daily 11:30am-7pm
Record store upstairs, basement venue downstairs
540 Penn St NE, Washington, DC 20002 · Show nights, doors typically 7pm; shop hours vary
Free stand-up comedy, no tickets needed
1724 Kalorama Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009 · Comedy nights vary, check social media for schedule
Hardest free ticket in DC, book the day passes drop
1400 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20560 · Daily 10am-5:30pm
Free jazz every Friday all summer
6th St & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20565 · Fridays 5-8:30pm, Memorial Day through Labor Day
Mid-size room splitting the difference at The Wharf
740 Water St SW, Washington, DC 20024 · Show nights, check schedule
Free, no tickets, and rarely crowded
Independence Ave SW & 7th St SW, Washington, DC 20560 · Museum: Daily 10am-5:30pm; Sculpture Garden: Daily 7:30am-dusk
Only national park for performing arts
1551 Trap Rd, Vienna, VA 22182 · Summer season May-Sep; Barns year-round
1917 movie house, still has the original facade
535 8th St SE, Washington, DC 20003 · Show nights, check schedule
Free — Russian imperial art, Japanese garden, and an orchid greenhouse nobody knows about.
4155 Linnean Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008 · Tue-Sun 10am-5pm, closed Mon
Byzantine art + 10 acres of terraced gardens in Georgetown — the gardens alone are worth it.
1703 32nd St NW, Washington, DC 20007 · Museum: Tue-Sun 11:30am-5:30pm; Gardens: Tue-Sun 2-6pm (seasonal hours vary)
Free Smithsonian with 40,000+ Asian art pieces — way less crowded than Air & Space.
1050 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20560 · Daily 10am-5:30pm
Hidden alley in Shaw with street art, cocktail bars, and restaurants — most people walk right past.
Blagden Alley NW, Washington, DC 20001 · Always accessible; restaurant/bar hours vary
$15 adults for two sessions. $7 skate rental. Skate surrounded by modern sculpture on the Mall. 45-minute sessions start on the hour.
6th St & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20565 · Sun-Thu 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm
$20 adults, $15 kids. The priciest rink in DC, but the Wharf atmosphere makes up for it. Right next to The Anthem and all the restaurants.
970 Wharf St SW, Washington, DC 20024 · Wed-Fri 4-10pm, Sat 12-10pm, Sun 12-8pm (closed Mon-Tue)
Weekend farmers market + flea market on Capitol Hill — Saturday produce, Sunday antiques.
225 7th St SE, Washington, DC 20003 · Indoor: Tue-Fri 7am-7pm, Sat 7am-6pm, Sun 9am-5pm; Outdoor: Sat-Sun 10am-5pm
Live music 7 nights a week, no cover most nights
2461 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009 · Sun-Thu 5pm-2am, Fri-Sat 5pm-3am; live music nightly from 8pm
Roberta Flack got her start here — live jazz Wed-Sat, no cover
601 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington, DC 20003 · Mon-Thu 4pm-12am, Fri-Sat 11am-1am, Sun 11am-12am; live jazz Wed-Sat from 7pm
Live jazz Wed-Sun on U Street, Sunday sessions are a ritual
1518 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009 · Wed-Sun from 5pm; live music from ~7pm
Free Sunday night jazz in Adams Morgan — no cover, no minimum
1847 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009 · Jazz nights: Wed, Thu, Sun from 8pm
Sunday jazz brunch with Southern food — a DC institution
950 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005 · Sunday jazz brunch 11am-2:30pm
Free Sunday afternoon jazz 3-5pm at a natural wine bar
3212 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC 20010 · Sun jazz 3-5pm; regular hours vary
$33 bottomless with jazz brunch on H Street
1340 H St NE, Washington, DC 20002 · Sunday jazz brunch 12-3pm
NOLA jazz brunch with beignets and a speakeasy downstairs
1100 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005 · Sunday jazz brunch 11am-3pm
Metal dive bar with pinball and burgers — Petworth's weirdest gem
5413 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC 20011 · Daily 5pm-2am; live music nights vary