Many Activities on Tap This ‘Super’ Weekend
It is Super Bowl weekend, a no matter if you are rooting for the Los Angeles’ Rams or the New England Patriots (or just watching for the commercials), that will be the focus of most people’s Sunday. However, there are a few other things going on this weekend in the DMV, including Ice Yards at Yards Park, just in time for the Polar Vortex’s exit. And now that the government shutdown has ended (at least until Feb. 15), the Smithsonian museums, National Zoo, National Gallery of Art and other institutions have reopened.
It is another busy weekend for work crews on Metro. Red Line trains will single track between Medical Center and Friendship Heights with trains running every 16 minutes between Shady Grove and Glenmont, and every 8 minutes between Van Ness/UDC and Silver Spring during daytime hours. Blue Line trains single track between Pentagon City and Arlington Cemetery on Saturday. All weekend, Blue Line trains will operate between Franconia-Springfield and New Carollton with trains every 24 minutes on Saturday and every 20 minutes on Sunday. Silver Line trains single track between Stadium-Armory and Addison Road with trains running every 24 minutes on Saturday and every 20 minutes on Sunday. Orange Line trains also operate every 24 minutes on Saturday and every 20 minutes on Sunday due to work on other lines. Yellow Line trains single track between Pentagon City and L’Enfant Plaza on Saturday with trains every 20 minutes between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square ONLY. On Sunday, the Yellow Line will operate on a regular weekend schedule. Green Line trains are on a regular weekend schedule.
Groundhog Day
On Saturday, a rodent will pop its head out of a hole on a Bill Murray film set somewhere northeast of Pittsburgh and tell us how soon spring will arrive. Washington has its own prognosticating groundhog, who forecasts the political climate as well as the weather. (It will be a shocker if he predicts anything more than “six more weeks of political gridlock.”) Join Potomac Phil in Dupont Circle for the capital’s annual Groundhog Day celebration, which features live accordian music, polka dancers, a puppet show and coffee. The event starts bright and early, so you can still make it to brunch on time.
Feb. 2 at 8:30 a.m. at Dupont Circle. Admission is FREE!
Celebrating New American Gardens
Experience the latest and greatest in public gardens at Celebrating New American Gardens, which showcase plant collections, provide beautiful public spaces and highlight the changing of the seasons. Gardens created and renovated in the last five years are the focus of this display at the U.S. Botanic Garden, the oldest continually operating botanic garden in the country, which means you will see only the height of creativity and innovation in this exhibit. Featured gardens include Adkins Arboretum in Maryland, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Longwood Gardens and the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pennsylvania, the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park and more.
Jan. 31 through Oct. 15 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily at the U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Washington Dollar Days
In honor of George Washington’s birthday month, Tudor Place is offering Washington Dollar Days when you can tour for $1 throughout February. As D.C.’s only historic house museum with connections to Martha and George Washington, the property is the ideal spot for such a deal. You will be able to view standouts from Tudor Place’s Washington Collection along the way.
Feb. 1-28 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday at Tudor Place, 1644 31st St. NW. Admission is $1.
First Chefs: Fame and Foodways from Britain to the Americas
Just like today, getting food from farm to table in the early modern British world was hard work. And just like today, most of that hard work went unrecognized. First Chefs: Fame and Foodways from Britain to the Americas tells the stories of the named and unnamed heroes of early modern food culture. It focuses on five individuals who strongly influenced the development of the culinary arts, including Hercules, a slave of George Washington who escaped to spread his mastery of early American cooking, and Hannah Woolley, the first woman to earn a living as a food writer. The also highlights other early modern men and women whose lives were influenced by the food culture of the day, for better or worse.
Through Mar. 31 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Admission is FREE!
It’s Hip to Be Square: The Mint Family
The mint family of plants is larger than you think. While Mentha (peppermint and spearmint) and Salvia (sage) get a majority of the attention, rosemary and coleus are also prevalent members of the Lamiaceae species. In total, more than 230 genera and 7,000 species make up the mint family, which means you have a whole lot of plant-learning to do at It’s Hip to Be Square: The Mint Family.
Jan. 31 through Nov. 31 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily at the U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
&nsbp;
Long, Long Way: Race and Film
Few filmmakers have translated the fight for racial justice to the screen better than Spike Lee. During the Long, Long Way: Race and Film weekend, one of D.C.’s most solemn spaces will host screenings of two of Lee’s defining works, complemented by discussions about the struggles facing the black community. The two-day event kicks off Friday with Lee’s masterful 1989 film Do The Right Thing. Saturday’s programming starts with a discussion about race and law enforcement in the United States to prime attendees for a screening of BlacKkKlansman, which has earned multiple Oscar nods, including best picture. Panel discussions, led by NPR’s Korva Coleman and including guests such as the Rev. Yolanda Pierce, the dean of the Howard University School of Divinity, follow each film.
Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 2 at 3 p.m (workshop) and 6:30 p.m. (film) at the Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets for each session are $15 for adults and $10 for students and military.
Nell Gwynn
Nell Gwynn emerges from the streets of Drury Lane into the king’s court. The quiet orange seller steps onto the stage of the Restoration theater and dazzles none other than Charles II. Nell is then brought to court as one of Charles’ favorite mistresses, leading to a dazzling and funny tale of a woman discovering how amazing she truly is.
Jan. 29 through Mar. 10 at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday through Thursday (except Feb. 5 and 12) at the Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $42-$79.
Ice Yards
Celebrate our frigid temperatures at the fifth Ice Yards at Yards Park. Enjoy icy cocktails alongside live ice carving, an inflatable jousting pit and axe throwing. The afternoon will also feature D.C.’s largest group shotski attempt, interactive games, food vendors and live music. For the first time, Ice Yards has joined forces with the Special Olympics to host the fundraiser Polar Bear Plunge in two above-ground swimming pools.
Feb. 2 from 1-5 p.m. at Yards Park, 355 Water St. SE. Admission is $10.
Super Bowl parties
Whether you are cheering on former Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay’s Los Angeles rams, pulling for Tom Brady’s New England Patriots to take yet another title, or just sitting up and begging for the Puppy Bowl, Super Bowl Sunday is as good an excuse an any to spend more time indulging in pizza, chili and beer.
Estadio, 1520 14th St. NW, fuels you up before the game with an a la carte pre-game Pinxto Tailgate from noon-5 p.m. with an extensive spread of small Spanish bites priced from $3.50-$12.50. For those hosting their own Super Bowl parties, the restaurant is offering a selection of pintxos-to-go so you can spend more time watching the action than in the kitchen. (Order before 11 a.m.)
Jack Rose Dining Saloon, 2007 18th St. NW, hosts its annual Super “Chili” Bowl viewing party from 6-10 p.m. on the bar’s heated rooftop features five all-you-can-eat varieties of chili, such as pozole verde and Texas short rib, and unlimited ours of 15 beers on tap and in cans. Tickets for the bottomless food and drink are $50, but the rooftop bar is also open to the public with no cover charge, if you would rather purchase chili and beer a la carte.
Pizzeria Paradiso, 3282 M St. NW, is changing the focus of its Georgetown basement game room from Skee-Ball, pinball and shuffleboard to the big game for one afternoon. The restaurant will offer pies at a free pizza bar from 6 p.m. through the third quarter, and $20 buckets of craft beer until the end of the game.
Ongoing events
Admissions at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 7 p.m. Sunday through Mar. 3 at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20-$111.
Ain’t Misbehavin’ 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 Mar. 10 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $40-$114.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
Everything in Existence from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday through Monday and 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday (over 21 after 5 p.m.) through Mar. 10 at Artechouse, 1238 Maryland Ave. SW. Tickets are $8-$15 online or $10-$20 at the door.
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!
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!
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!
Kleptocracy at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday through Feb. 24 at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. Tickets are $56-$115.
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!
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!
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!
Portraits of the World: Korea from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Nov. 17 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. 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!
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!
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!
LAST CHANCE! 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!
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!
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!
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!
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.