It Is Beginning to Look Like Christmas
Thanksgiving is still a week away, but it is already beginning to look like Christmas in the DMV. We had our first snow yesterday, several ice skating rinks open today, ICE! at National Harbor opens this weekend and A Christmas Carol begins its holiday run at Ford’s Theatre. It is going to be chilly again this weekend with highs around 50 degrees, but luckily there is plenty to do indoors.
Red Line trains single track Farragut North and Judiciary Square with trains running every 20 minutes. Orange and Silver Line trains single track between Eastern Market and Stadium-Armory with trains running every 24 minutes. Blue Line trains single tracks between Pentagon City and Arlington Cemetery with trains operating every 24 minutes between Franconia-Springfield and Eastern Market ONLY. Yellow Line trains single track between L’Enfant Plaza and Pentagon City with trains every 24 minutes between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square ONLY. Green Line trains operate on a regular weekend schedule.
ICE!
ICE! returns to Gaylord National Resort beginning Friday. This year’s display is a retelling of A Charlie Brown Christmas featuring two million pounds of hand-carved ice sculptures, four two-story tall ice slides, a live carving area and full nativity in crystal clear ice. The display was hand-carved by 40 artisans from Harbin, China. Be sure to bundle up if you go, the walk-through holiday attraction is a chilly 9 degrees Fahrenheit. While you are at the hotel, visit the Christmas village (where the entrance to ICE! is located) in the atrium and watch the nightly lighting of the Christmas tree; see a laser light show, a dancing fountain and indoor snowfall; shop in the Christmas shoppes; see more than 2 million holiday lights; watch Cirque Dreams Unwrapped with limited free seats; visit Santa; join Mrs. Claus for a story, carols and cookies and milk (additional fee); or build a gingerbread house (additional fee).
Nov. 16-Jan. 1 from 1-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday through Sunday through Dec. 19 then 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily except 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Dec. 24 and 25, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 at Gaylord National Resort, 201 Waterfront St., Oxen Hill. Advance tickets are $17-$32 Monday through Thursday through Dec. 18 and $27-$38 Friday through Sunday and Dec. 19-31. Children 3 and younger are FREE!
Recent Acquisitions
During its 50th anniversary, the National Portrait Gallery acquired numerous prized artworks, including the Obama portraits by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald. In Recent Acquisitions, which opens Friday, the museum will display both historical and contemporary pieces that have recently come into its possession, including subjects such as Oprah Winfrey, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Maurice Sendak, Edwin Hubble and Helen Keller. Artists featured include Andy Warhol, Brigitte Lacombe and Charles Willson Peale.
Nov. 16 through Nov. 3, 2019, from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Ice Skating
‘Tis the season to strap on the skates and glide at the DMV’s ice rinks. Rejoice in riverfront views at Washington Harbour in Georgetown, the area’s largest ice skating rink, even larger than the one at Rockefeller Center in New York; skate among the sculptures at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden; and savor the Canal Park rink, which offers a winding track set against an alluring cityscape in the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood. All three open this weekend.
Nov. 18 through Mar. 1 from noon-7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, noon-9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, noon-10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday at Washington Harbour, 3050 K St. NW. Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for children, seniors and military. Skate rentals are $6.
Nov. 19 through Mar. 10 from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is $9 for adults and $8 for children and people 50 and older. Skate rental is $4.
Nov. 18 through early March from noon-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon-10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday at Canal Park, 200 M St. SE. Admission is $9 for adults and $8 for children, seniors and military. Skate rental is $5.
Garden of Lights
The Garden of Lights annual holiday light show at Brookside Gardens has been delighting area residents since 1997. More than 1 million lights are crafted to form flowers and other designs in a winter wonderland in Wheaton. Afterward, head inside the conservatory and watch G-scale model trains wind through a seasonal landscape. As always, visitors of all ages can partake in some holiday gift-shopping, nightly live musical performances and food and drinks available for purchase.
Nov. 16 through Jan. 1 from 5:30-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallen Ave., Wheaton. Closed Nov. 19-22 and Dec. 24-25. Admission is $30 per vehicle on Fridays and Saturdays; $25 per vehicle the rest of the week.
A Christmas Carol
Acclaimed actor Craig Wallace returns to play the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in a lavish Victorian-style musical production of Charles Dickens’ timeless classic A Christmas Carol, the staging of which is a time-honored holiday tradition in the nation’s capital. Scrooge’s riveting journey alongside the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future is a joy even if you have experienced it a hundred times before – especially in one of the world’s most historic theaters.
Nov. 15 through Dec. 30 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (except. Nov. 22) and 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday at Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St. NW. Tickets are $32-$105.
Cry It Out
Jessie and Lina are neighbors, each on maternity leave. Jessie works as a lawyer in Manhattan, while Lina dropped out of community college after being raised in Long Island. They don’t seem to have anything in common, but marooned at home with infants, they strike up a fast friendship. In the yard between their houses – as far as their baby monitors will reach – they bond over a lack of sleep, childcare issues and any number of other parental concerns. The comedy Cry It Out will have you pondering parenthood, class and who gets to make choices in modern-day America.
Nov. 14 through Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday (except Nov. 17) and Sunday, and 7 p.m. Sunday (except Nov. 18) at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20-$104.
Beetlejuice: The Musical
Based on the beloved Tim Burton film, Beetlejuice: The Musical is ruder, raunchier and more repellent than the original. We highly recommend that you leave the kids at home for this hilarious excursion into the dead and demented. Teenager Lydia Deetz is an outcast, obsessed with death. In a twist of fortune, she has a ghostly couple living in her house, as well as a degenerate demon who has the perfect plan to scare off Lydia’s father and his finance. Singing, dancing and belly laughs are on the docket for this one, which wraps up its run this weekend.
Nov. 16 and 17 at 8 p.m., and Nov. 17 and 18 at 2 p.m. at The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $64-$204.
Flickering Treasures
The work of photographer Amy Davis from the Baltimore Sun colors this fascinating review of the place of movie theaters in the history of American culture, particularly their significance in the nearby city of Baltimore. The Charm City was at the epicenter of the cinema scene during the 20th century, featuring more than 240 theaters since its first nickelodeon opened in 1905. Only a handful still function as theaters, but many survive in some form – ghosts on the gritty main streets of Baltimore. Flickering Treasures explores how movie theaters serve as experiences, marvels of architecture, material culture and so much more using photography, oral histories, architectural fragments and theater ephemera.
Nov. 17 through Oct. 14 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for seniors ages 60 and older, youth ages 3-17 and students. Children 2 and younger are FREE!
Hopi Tribal Festival
The National Museum of the American Indian continues its celebration of Native American Heritage Month with a two-day Hopi Tribal Festival. The Hopi tribe, located in northeastern Arizona, will lead artist demonstrations including weaving, pottery, basket making, silversmithing, carving and paining; perform music and dance; and share the history of the Hopi Code Talkers. Visitors can also make Hopi gourd pendants and listen to stories.
Nov. 17 and 18 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Washington National Opera: Silent Night
On Christmas Eve in 1914, World War I is underway, but an unexpected ceasefire leads to bonding and merriment between soldiers from the French, German and Scottish armies. Based on the true story and 2005 film, Silent Night features Pulitzer Prize-winning music in multiple languages, capturing humanity and hope amidst a devastating war. This uplifting tale fits the season perfectly.
Nov. 17 at 7 p.m., Nov. 20 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 18 and 25 at 2 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $35-$199.
Ongoing events
1968: Civil Rights at 50 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 2 at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Admission is $21.21 for adults, $16.96 for seniors 65 and older, and $12.71 for children ages 7-18 in advance or $24.95, $19.95 and $14.95, respectively, at the door.
LAST CHANCE! Actually at 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. Tickets are
$30-$69.
The Agitators at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Nov. 25, plus 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 4 and 25 and 11 a.m. on Nov. 7 and 15 at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $50-$65.
Alexander Hamilton: Soldier, Secretary, Icon from 10a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Mar. 3 at the National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Admission is FREE!
The American Revolution: A World War from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through July 9 at the National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Americans from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through 2022 at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Anastasia at 7:30 p.m Tuesday through Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Nov. 25 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $49-$175.
Anything Goes at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday through Dec. 23 at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. Tickets are $51-$105.
Baseball Americana from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday through June at the Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE. Admission is FREE!
Between Worlds: The Art of Bill Traylor from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Mar. 17 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Billy Elliot at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday through Jan. 6 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $40-$104.
Black Out: Silhouettes Then and Now from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. through Mar. 10 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Bound to Amaze: Inside a Book-Colleting Career from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 25 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older and students, and FREE for youth 18 and younger.
Charline Von Heyl: Snake Eyes from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 27 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Churchill’s Shakespeare from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 6 at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Admission is FREE!
Community Policing in the Nation’s Capital from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 15 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for seniors 60 and older, students with valid ID and youth ages 3-17 Children are FREE!
Corot: Women from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 31 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Daguerreotypes: Five Decades of Collecting from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through June 2 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Dawoud Bey: The Birmingham Project from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Mar. 17 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Diane Arbus: A Box of Ten Photographs from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Jan. 21 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Disrupting Craft from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through May 5 at the Renwick Gallery, 1661 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice across Asia from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Nov. 29, 2020 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Evicted from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through May 19 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Admission is FREE!
Eye to I: Self-Portraits from 1900 to Today from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Aug. 18 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Fabergé Rediscovered from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday through Jan. 13 at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, $10 for college student, $5 for children 6-18 and FREE for children younger than 6. Adults and seniors get $3 off weekdays and $1 off on weekends when purchased online.
The Fall at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Nov. 25 at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20-$55.
A Glimpse of Ancient Yemen from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Aug. 18 at the Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Good as Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Sept. 29 at the National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Gordon Parks: The New Tide, Early Work 1940-1950 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 18 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Intersections: Richard Tuttle from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Thursday and noon-6:30 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 30 at the Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. Admission is $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors 62 and older. Children 18 and younger are FREE!
Investigating Where We Live from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through mid-January at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for seniors 60 and older, students with valid ID and youth ages 3-17 at the door. Children are FREE!
Japan Modern: Photography from the Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck Collection from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 21 at the Freer|Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Japan Modern: Prints in the Age of Photography from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 21 at the Freer|Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
King John at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday through Dec. 2 at Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $42-$79.
Let’s Get It Right: Work Incentive Posters from the 1920s from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Jan. 6 at the National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Nordic Impressions from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Thursday and noon-6:30 on Sunday through Jan. 13 at The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors 62 and older, and children 18 and younger are FREE!.
No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 21 at the Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW. Admission is FREE!
One Year: 1968, An America Odyssey from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. through May 19 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Outbreak from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through 2021 at the National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Pictures of the Year: 75 Years of the World’s Best Photography from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 20 at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $24.95 for adults, $19.95 for seniors 65 and older, $14.95 for your 7-18 and free for children 6 and younger.
Playball and the National Pastime from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday through Apr. 30 at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Building 76, 736 Sicard St. SE. Admission is FREE!
Postmen of the Skies: Celebrating 100 Years of Airmail Service from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through May 27 at the National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Admission is FREE!
Rachel Whiteread from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 13 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Pulse from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Apr. 28 at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street & Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Remembering Vietnam from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 6, at the National Archives, 700 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Represent: Hip-Hop Photography from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through May 5 at the National Museum of African American History & Culture, 1400 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE. Timed tickets are required on weekends and for groups of 10 or more.
A Revolution in Arms: Weapons in the War for Independence from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-4 p.m. on Sunday through Mar. 24 at Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Rodarte from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 10 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. https://secure3.convio.net/nmwa/site/Ticketing?view=Tickets&id=101821 Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors 65 and older. Children 18 and younger are FREE!
Sea Monsters Unearthed, Life in Angola’s Ancient Seas from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through 2020 at the National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Sean Scully: Landline from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Feb. 3 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Secret Cities from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Mar. 3 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for seniors 60 or older, students with ID and children 3-17. Children younger than 3 are FREE!
Sense of Humor from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 6 at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Shaping Clay in Ancient Iran from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through September 2019 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Subodh Gupta: Terminal from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through 2020 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Trevor Paglen: Sites Unseen from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Jan. 6 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
UnSeen: Our Past in a New Light, Ken Gonzales-Day and Titus Kaphar from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Jan. 6 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Watching Oprah: The Oprah Winfrey Show and American Culture from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through June 2019 at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, 1400 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE, but timed passes are required.
Water, Wind and Waves: Marine Painting from the Dutch Golden Age from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 25 at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Welcome to the New World from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Spring 2019 at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $24.95 for adults, $19.95 for seniors 65 years and older, $14.95 for youth from 7-18 at the door with a 15 percent discount when purchased online. Children 6 and younger are FREE!.
What Absence Is Made Of from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through the summer of 2019 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Editor-in-Chief Mark Heckathorn is a journalist, movie buff and foodie. He oversees DC on Heels editorial operations as well as strategic planning and staff development. Reach him with story ideas or suggestions at dcoheditor (at) gmail (dot) com.