Have a Holly, Jolly Weekend in the DMV
If you aren’t in the Christmas spirit yet, there is plenty this weekend that will bet you ready to address your cards and head to the malls to do your shopping. There is something for everyone from Christmas fireworks at Mount Vernon to the story of how the donkey came to carry Mary to Bethlehem to a dance party with DJ Frosty the Snowman. There is also a lot of holiday music from pops to 16-century English carols to Puttin’ on the Holiday Drag. But don’t worry, there are things for you Scrooges to do too!
Metro’s Red Line single tracks between Van Ness-UDC and Friendship Heights with trains running every 18 minutes between Shady Grove and Glenmont, and every 9 minutes between Farragut North and Silver Spring during daytime hours. Blue and Yellow Line trains single track between Pentagon City and National Airport after 10 p.m. Saturday and all day Sunday. Blue Line trains operate on a regular weekend schedule before 10 p.m. Saturday and every 20 minutes late Saturday night and Sunday. Yellow Line trains run on a regular weekend schedule until 10 p.m. Saturday, when the will run between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square ONLY. On Sunday the Yellow Line will run every 20 minutes between Huntington and Greenbelt. Orange, Silver and Green Line trains operate on regular weekend schedules.
The Lion, the Unicorn and Me
The Washington National opera’s The Lion, the Unicorn and Me takes on the nativity story from a new perspective. The holiday family opera focuses on the animals in the nativity story. A young angel ponders which animal should lead Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. The fearsome Lion, the gorgeous Unicorn and the humble Donkey compete to determine who can get the couple to Bethlehem for the birth of their son. But with the birth of a very special king on the horizon, Donkey is in for some surprises and discovers that miracles can happen anywhere. The WNO originally premiered the opera based on an award-winning children’s book in 2013. Solomon Howard, who portrayed the Lion in its original 2013 run, will reprise his role this year. This year’s cast also includes member of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program and the WNO Children’s Chorus.
Dec. 14-16 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec 15-16 at 2 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $49-$79.
Portraits of the World: Korea
The centerpiece of this second entry in the National Portrait Gallery’s Portraits of the World series is wood assemblage portrait of her mother by Yun Suknam, a groundbreaking feminist artist from Korea. Other portraits from American artists will also be showcased, including Nancy Spero, Louise Bourgeois and Marisol. The exhibit highlights shared themes and artistic approaches that have activated women artists from around the world.
Dec. 14 through Nov. 17 from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Christmas Illuminations
George Washington’s estate showcases its holiday grandeur during its annual Christmas Illuminations. Fireworks choreographed to holiday music begin about 8:15 p.m. Before that, enjoy being serenaded by local choirs, visit re-enactors from the First Virginia Regiment, learn 18th-century dance moves and meet George and Martha Washington. You can also watch colonial artisans demonstrate the 18th-century process of making chocolate, hang out by a bonfire, visit the blacksmith shop or enjoy some hot chocolate or cider.
Dec. 14 and 15 from 5:30-8:45 p.m. at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon. Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for youth ages 6-11. Ticket does not include a mansion tour.
Miss Saigon
The creators of Les Misérables also masterminded this hit Broadway musical. Miss Saigon tells the tale of Kim, a Vietnamese woman who meets an American G.I. in a seedy bar run by a villainous character known as The Engineer. After this chance encounter, Kim’s life changes forever. Featuring riveting songs and scenes filled with spectacle, this will be one of the season’s biggest draws.
Dec. 12 through Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and Dec. 31 (except. Dec. 25 and Jan. 1) and 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $49-$175.
Magical Musical Holiday Step Show
Step Afrika!, the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping, puts on its annual Magical Musical Holiday Step Show at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. The family-friendly show will combine clapping, stomping and stepping for a dazzling array of percussive dance. Furry friends from the animal kingdom and a dance party hosted by DJ Frosty the Snowman are also on the docket.
Dec. 14-30 at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 and 29, 2 p.m. Dec. 15, 22, 27 and 29, and 4 p.m. Dec. 16, 23 and 30 at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $45 for adults and $25 for children.
A Christmas Messe: A Banquet of Seasonal English Music
Strings, harp, organ and a voice ensemble will perform traditional Yuletide music during A Christmas Messe: A Banquet of Seasonal English Christmas Music. Students at Oxford wrote A Christmas Messe, a holiday play in which the characters were components of a Christmas dinner – Trencher and Tablecloth, Bread and Salt, and King Beef and King Brawn – arguing over who should be served first, framed by soliloquies from the hungry Belly and ended by intervention by the Cooke. In conjunction with the Folger Shakespeare Library’s Churchill’s Shakespeare exhibition, the Folger Consort will take on English carols and arrangements of later favorites, including Greensleeves by Vaughan Williams. The music will be accompanied by a reading of A Christmas Messe by actor Rick Foucheux.
Dec. 14-23 at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday at the Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $35-$57.
An Irish Carol
The Irish have something to say about that “Carol” of yours, Mr. Dickens. The Keegan Theatre stages An Irish Carol, an original play that subs pub-owning David for Scrooge. He has distanced himself from his family through his profitable bar, but a visitor from the past, along with present figures and the prospect of a sad future could turn David around. With searing wit, fast-paced dialogue and a classic Irish sensibility, Matthew Keenan’s play is perfect for holiday laughs – and intended for audiences 16 and older.
Dec. 13-31 at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and New Year’s Eve, and 3 p.m. Sunday at Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $20-$50.
A Holiday Pops! Under the Mistletoe with Ashley Brown
The National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington Chorus (and perhaps Ol’ Saint Nick himself) present A Holiday Pops! Under the Mistletoe with Ashley Brown, a program of holiday carols and seasonal sing-alongs that the entire family can enjoy. Hear the musical stylings of Brown, the player of the title role in Mary Poppins on Broadway, who will be making her NSO debut.
Dec. 14 and 15 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $24-$99.
Udvar-Hazy Center 15th Anniversary Celebration
The National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is celebrating its 15th anniversary on Saturday with activities, talks and live music. Visitors can nerd out in the center’s helicopter collection, chat about the SR-71 Blackbird with pilot Buz Carpenter and explore the space shuttle Discovery. Kids can enjoy story times and “Mars Experience” bus rides. There will also be free screenings of To Fly in the IMAX theater, make buttons and take a the Race to the Moon TechQuest. As an added bonus, even the parking will be free on Saturday.
Dec. 15 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly. Admission is FREE!
The Joy of Christmas
The Washington National Cathedral is a beautiful place to celebrate Christmas, as it is adorned with themed-lights and elaborate decorations each year. The Cathedral Choral Society’s The Joy of Christmas is the Cathedral’s marquee event, featuring renditions of Christmas classics performed by chorus, organ and brass, and a carol sing-along. This year’s event also boasts a new carol from composer Paul Moravec.
Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Dec. 16 at 4 p.m. at the Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $16-$81.50.
The Holiday Show
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington’s Holiday Show takes over Lincoln Theatre with three weekend performances of Christmastime classics, like Jingle Bells, Puttin’ on the Holiday Drag, I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing and I’ll Be Home for Christmas. The group is promising all the staples of the season: nutcrackers, reindeer, tap dancers, drag queens and a visit from Santa Claus — you know, the usual.
Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. at Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are $25-$65.
Light Up the Season
The Four Seasons Hotel and the Children’s Health Board team up for this event to support Children’ National Hospital. The fundraiser features designer-decorated trees, mantle pieces and wreaths, each one a collaboration between a Children’s National patient and a local designer. Light Up the Season also includes cookie decorating, ornament making, visits from Santa and Dr. Bear, live music, seasonal lunch fare, holiday-themed libations for adults and pop-up boutiques. Winning bidders will have their trees delivered Dec. 20.
Dec. 16 from noon-4 p.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel, 2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $85 for adults and $50 for children 16 and younger.
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.
Alexander Hamilton: Soldier, Secretary, Icon from 10 a.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!
Ambreen Butt — Mark My Words from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Apr. 14 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 seniors 65 and older and students older than 18, and youth 18 and younger are 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!
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!
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!
Christmas at Mount Vernon from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. through Dec. 31 at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon. Advance tickets are $18 for adults, $17 for seniors 62 and older, and $11 for children 6-11 and $20, $19 and $12, respectively, at the door. Children 5 and younger are FREE!
A Christmas Carol at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday through Dec. 30 at Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St. NW. Tickets are $32-$105.
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!
Cry It Out at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 7 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 16 at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20-$104.
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!
Downtown Holiday Market from noon-8 p.m. daily through Dec. 23 centered at Eighth and F Streets 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.
Flickering Treasures from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 14 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!
Game Change: Elephants from Prey to Preservation from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Feb. 1, 2020, at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Garden of Lights from 5:30-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Jan. 1 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 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!
Georgetown GLOW from 5-10 p.m. nightly through Jan. 6 throughout the Georgetown business district, primarily along M Street and Wisconsin Avenue NW. 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!
Holiday in the Park from 2-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and Dec. 21, 26, 27, 28, 31 and Jan. 1 through New Year’s Day at Six Flags America, 13710 Central Ave., Woodmore, Md. Tickets are $41.99-$44.99 in advance and $69.99-$49.99 at the park.
ICE! 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 through Jan. 1 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!
Indecent at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday through Dec. 30 with noon matinees on Dec. 18 at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. Tickets are $82-$105.
An Inspector Calls at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday through Dec. 23 at Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW. Tickets are $44-$125.
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!
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!
Love, Factually at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Dec.31 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW. Tickets are $59-$85.,
Motown: The Reprise at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 23 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $38.
Nature’s Best Photography from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through September at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue 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!
The Nutcracker at 7 p.m. Wednesday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 28 at the Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. Tickets are $32-$168.
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!
The Panties, the Partner and the Profit: Scenes from the Heroic Life the of the Middle Class at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday through Jan. 6 at Lansburgh Theatre, 450 Seventh St. NW. Tickets are $44-$118.
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!
Recent Acquisitions from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Nov. 3 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. 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. 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!
Season’s Greenings from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Jan. 1 at the United States Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. 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 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
She the People at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 3 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 6 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D St. NW. Tickets are $39-$105.
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!
Superheroes from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Sept. 2 at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Talley’s Folly at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and noon Wednesday through Dec. 30 at the GALA Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW. Tickets are $34-$64.
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 at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, 1400 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE, but timed passes are required.
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!
ZooLights from 5-9 p.m. nightly through Jan. 1 except Dec. 24, 25 and 31 at the National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. 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.