| |  | | |  | Tally ho! We tend to think of August as the last month of summer since kids will be heading back to school. Technically, summer doesn’t end until September 23, so there is still lots of time to knock some things off your summer bucket list. Frozen cocktails, boat rides, and barbecue—oh my! Tell us the one thing you REALLY want to do before it’s officially fall. | | 🗓 Awesome Things To Do This Month. |  | It’s that time of year again when everyone starts asking, “Where did the summer go?” Although it might be a little late to start that herb garden, there's plenty of fun activities and celebrations to be had before the end of tourist season and the kiddos go back to school.
Take a gander at what's ahead: And that's just for starters! We've handpicked 90+ things to do in the District.
So soak up those summer rays and make August your best summer month yet! | | | 👀 “Look Here” Summer Block Party Installation. |  | In case you missed the news, one of the most anticipated exhibits of the summer has returned! This year’s summer block party installation at the National Building Museum, Look Here, features a series of hanging mirrors resembling the folded paper “fortune tellers” you probably played with as a child, that reflect and shift light and perspective. It was designed by artist and architect Suchi Reddy, the first BIPOC to collaborate with the museum on the popular summer series.
➡ Check out our reel for an insider look!
Another reason to be excited, NMB’s summer block party late nights, where you can experience Look Here and the Block City exhibit after hours, are back too.
🗓 August 10: Las Vegas-themed complete with blackjack, roulette, card games and more! Food will be available for purchase from the Roaming Rooster and drinks will be available for purchase from Lost Generation Brewing Company $20; tickets required
🗓 August 24: Go-Go themed with a performance by the celebrated D.C. band TOB. Food will be available for purchase from food trucks and drinks will be available for purchase, including local brews from City State Brewing Co. Free; registration required | | |  | | 👀 Imagining the Future: Leonardo da Vinci. |  | For the first time ever in the United States, twelve original drawings by Leonardo da Vinci are being shown in the “Imagining the Future — Leonardo da Vinci: In the Mind of an Italian Genius" exhibit at MLK Library.
Leonardo is most known for his paintings of the Mona Lisa and “The Last Supper,” but the pages on display offer a rare opportunity to see his genius at work. The folios deal with various subjects ranging from mechanics to hydraulics, from mathematics to architecture, all the way up to curious inventions such as parachutes, war machines and hydraulic pumps.
Basically, his entire life as an artist and a scientist appears in this extraordinary collection, which compiles drawings, diagrams, and notes made between 1478 and his death in 1519. Standing in front of a page, knowing that you are looking at lines and text drawn by Leonardo’s hand, not some reproduction, is something you won’t forget. |  |  |  | In the children's area on the second floor is the "Leonardo’s Lab," which features a number of interactive activities. There's a table with materials for visitors to make a paper helicopter and watch it twirl over a built-in fan; another encourages visitors to practice Leonardo's unique "mirror writing"; others offer the opportunity to sketch from models and recreate the Mona Lisa with rubber stamps. It's great for families and kids at heart!
MLK library scored a huge coup with this exhibit. Usually it’s major museums that have the chance for such a display, so kudos to the team who put this together 👏🏾
Capacity in the exhibition is limited to protect the artwork, so plan to arrive earlier in the day to check-in and secure your place in the virtual line, especially on the weekends. There is little to no wait time during the week and in the evenings.
📍: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW
📆: Through Aug. 20
💰: Free | | | 🏛 One Life, Many Photos. Frederick Douglass Exhibit at National Portrait Gallery. |  | Rare images and memorabilia associated with Frederick Douglass are showcased in the exhibit “One Life: Frederick Douglass,” which opened last month at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
Douglass was not only among the most influential writers, orators, and abolitionists of the 19th century—he was also among the most photographed. With this in mind, the exhibit will explore his legacy through prints, pictures, and ephemera.
The exhibit traces Douglass’s trajectory, in photographs, records and writings, from enslaved man to fugitive, fierce abolitionist and presidential adviser, highlighting how he carefully constructed his enduring image using every available medium of his time. |  | The Smithsonian exhibit, which runs through April, includes one of the first known photographs of Douglass, taken in 1841. It was captured a year after the first commercial daguerreotype studio opened in the country, the National Portrait Gallery says, when the exposure time for such a machine “could run up to 15 seconds.”
“One Life: Frederick Douglass” features 35 objects, “One Life: Frederick Douglass” will exhibit 35 objects, including his birth ledger, a pamphlet of his iconic speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” and a letter from Douglass to Lincoln. The exhibit will also feature portraits of other Black activists in Douglass’s social circle, as well as those who carried on his legacy afterwards: Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Ida B. Wells, among others.
It is not easy to make real people come to life, especially someone from the not-so-distant past. Seeing artifacts from Douglass’ life and works written by his own hand puts his life in immediate reach.
The exhibit can be found on the National Portrait Gallery’s One Life Gallery on the second floor.
Douglass wrote many of his powerful speeches at his home, Cedar Hill, in Southeast Washington, which he bought in 1877, defying laws that prohibited African Americans from buying property in the area. The home, now part of the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, reopened earlier this month, after closing in 2020 for the pandemic and renovations.
📍: 8th and G Streets NW
🗓: April 21, 2024
💰: Free | | | 🎤 You Oughta Know: DC Public Library Podcast | |  | We love podcasts. They’re a great way to stay informed and entertained while you’re on the go.
When it comes to learning about the District, there are slew of local and indie pods telling inside stories about DC with candor and insightful information. We’ve perused those recorded around Washington and collected our favorites for your listening pleasure in this new series. Chuck in the earbuds, kick back and soak up some local wisdom.
For the endlessly curious: We’re huge fans of the DC Public Library system, so it’s no surprise that their podcast is among our favorites. Recorded in the historic Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library, this podcast covers as many topics as the Dewey Decimal system. It features book talks, interviews, goings on in the library, DC information and more!
| | | | | | | | |  | If you’re interested in Latin American and/or Caribbean art, the Art Museum of the Americas is the place to go in DC. Situated on a beautiful parcel of land not far from the White House, this is the oldest art collection of its kind in the United States. All told, a permanent gathering of about 2,000 paintings, sculptures, installation pieces, prints, drawings and photographs are on display.
And the interior design of the building is itself a work of art. Immigrant architect Paul Philippe Cret looked to the Mayan culture of Central America to express his conviction that architectural pieces should serve as public art that forms part of the city's landscape. |  |  |  |
Although it’s on the beaten tourist path and right near the White House, most visitors to D.C. don’t realize this small museum exists (look for the yellow wrought-iron sculpture near the entrance). The upside is that you can experience rotating exhibits without crowds to contend with. The second-floor galleries are separated by a magnificent blue tiled loggia inspired by Aztec and Incan art, and there’s a small sculpture garden with a water fountain and a statue of Xochipili, the Aztec god of flowers.
The museum was created and is administered today by the Organization of American States, a United Nations-like organization bridging North, Central and South Americas.
📍: 1889 F Street NW ⏰️: 10am-5pm Tue-Sun
💰: Free but a donation is encouraged | | | 🔗 ICYMI: DC Link Roundup. | Arts + Entertainment Culture Embodies Nü Androids’ Mission to Connect People Through Dance Music (CityPaper) Yayoi Kusama’s ‘One With Eternity’ Smashed Visitor Records. As It Ends, What’s Next For The Hirshhorn? (DCist) A guide to D.C.'s new boating scene (Axios) Grounded in Science, Beyond the Light Feels Ethereal (CityPaper) 5 Unconventional Ways To Dance The Night (Or Day) Away Around D.C. This Summer (DCist) How the Atlantis Cleverly Recreates ’80s and ’90s DC (Washingtonian)
Food + Bev Highly Recommended Patios for Outdoor Dining Around D.C. (EaterDC) July's hottest restaurant and bar openings in D.C. (Axios) The 38 Essential Restaurants Around D.C. (EaterDC) Good Taste: Hedzole Offers an Uplifting and Exciting Taste of Ghanaian Cuisine (CityPaper) You Can Now Drink Inside a Metro Car (Washingtonian) 8 Must-Try Restaurants in DC’s Mini Mexico Corridor (Washingtonian)
Around Town New vintage and handmade goods shop opens in Eastern Market (Axios) Anacostia River to open for first legal swim in more than 50 years (Axios) REI’s New Effort To Close The ‘Nature Gap’ Launches In Anacostia Park (DCist)
| | Whether you’re local or just visiting, your DC adventure awaits. Allons-y! | | | | | |
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