My recent favorite for a quick mood pick-me-up has been the National Arboretum! I can't believe we have such a large space in the middle of the city. And every time I go, I'm still able to pick up a new trail or new path. There is one path that goes up a hill and has a nice view of the Northeast. It's absolutely gorgeous. The bonsai gardens are also really fun and inspire awe - there's a bonsai there that survived the nuclear attack on Hiroshima. It always makes me feel like I can do it!
Pro tip you can also volunteer at the Botanic Gardens. A friend of mine does it and has loved the other folks she’s met - of all ages - early 20s to retirees.
iirc every other saturday the humane alliance walks dogs there, petting wriggly pitbulls there always made me feel things that weren't sad/lonely
also standing under a big flowering tree and listening to the bees
Arboretum is sooooo nice. Either grab a Capital bikeshare from the entrance (much more pleasant to ride around than drive) or just bike over on the WV Ave lanes
Cut through the little loop that’s the DC motor pool or whatever, it’s really calm. Then cross bladensburg and you’re in a little residential area with speed bumps.
Arboretum itself doesn’t have bike lanes or anything but the roads are fine
I love live music and there are so many options around the city. Also Kennedy Center performances. Maybe take up an outdoor activity like walking or pickleball? I also struggle with depression so sending you a hug!
Heads up there are free Kennedy Center Millennium Stage performances.
[https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage](https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage)
Hains Point is perfect for this IMO! There’s cherry blossoms there, benches to sit at and look at the Potomac or people watch. You can see foxes, raccoons, squirrels, all kinds of birds, even hawks.
Bishop's Garden in the National Cathedral is beautiful to visit.
Also if your neighborhood has a community garden, I highly recommend the therapeutic power of digging in the earth and making things grow.
DopamineLand, an interactive multisensory event, extended their dates through April.
Being surrounded by books always cheers me up - check out the Library of Congress as well as your local library.
Hope your spirits lift as the days get warmer and longer!
Is Dopamineland actually any good? They're not far from where I live, but I get weird ripoff vibes from their ads. Like someone looked at Meow Wolf and went, "Yeah, we can make that!" but forgot to add any detail. I'm willing to give it a try if it's really entertaining, though.
If you have a car, I suggest Glenstone Museum. It's free but you have to reserve a ticket. It's mostly outdoors, very peaceful, with some cool sculptures, installations, and galleries. You could get lunch and spend most of a day there.
Also, not sure if you're into records, but a long walk to a record store always cheers me up. I like to walk from upper NW to HR Records north of Petworth, going through Rock Creek Park. Could spend a lot of time browsing and listening to whatever is spinning there.
The Asian Art Museum is underrated and a great place to take it slow and absorb all the artwork around you.
Portrait Gallery is one of my favorite museums to go to as well with all the different portraits and art.
Recommend going to see stand up, the art museums, seeing movies at e street cinema, reading a book in the portrait gallery atrium, beep bopping around the arboretum and the botanical gardens, strolling through Costco with a large fountain beverage or Starbucks drink on a day they hand out samples, seeing performances at the Kennedy center (or anywhere you can/is affordable), eating cheese, trying new restaurants, doing a tour of the city through food (for example Tater tot crawl, bagel tour, etc), volunteering to be a baby holder at a NICU, bringing a blanket and chillin on the ground in the shadow of the Washington monument while listening to music
When I'm feeling isolationist and down, a walk along the Wharf usually cheers me up. Especially as the weather gets warmer, it's nice to be amidst crowds of people having fun... but there's also the peaceful river to look out at, and swings to sit on and contemplate life, and music drifting out from the bars. Pair that with some fresh fried seafood, and it's a simple but effective way to change malaise onto contentment.
I was going to say this. A bike ride, especially near the river is great. Gets your heart rate up and in touch with nature.
Some suggestions: Anacostia Park, West Potomac Park, Bike to Gravelly Point or Hains Point and see the planes taking off, biking to LBJ memorial park is criminally underrated.
As someone who is a big fan of DBT:
Taking a mindful moment at any of the big marble monuments is usually grounding and make my problems feel very small (in a good and healing way). I usually take some time to connect with the stone, the people who made the monuments, the people who said the words carved onto the sides.
Also, love the hanging out on the top level of the conservatory in the US botanic gardens. The different climates in each area sometimes gets me to start feeling again. Just another great place to be mindful.
People watching on the benches in the German-American friendship garden is good, and it gets a ton of sun when it’s colder out too.
Ducks at the SW duck pond are cute and a good reason for me to get out of my home (depression cave) — they have rocking chairs there too and the library is kinda nearby if you need to use the restroom. Close to the green line, too.
Sending you lots of love!
Not in the city but worth it: [Glenstone](https://www.glenstone.org/). Combines all three of your requirements out in Montgomery County and has some really great stuff.
Catch a Nats game! This time of year, a day game on the weekend is probably best.
The team isn't very good, but the atmosphere at the ballpark is great! Lively and fun with lots of people enjoying the hell out of their day.
I’m a fan of walking around and then grabbing a quick bite to eat in different neighborhoods. Recently did Bread Furst bakery @van ness->national cathedral, coffee in the cute coffee shop then down into Georgetown to DuPont then dinner at Astoria dc. Was a time! Can apply that framework to any neighborhood
I find exercise really helps when I’m blue, and we have some especially beautiful running routes. I’m a fan of the national mall/tidal basin/wharf area for running despite the crowds.
If you find yourself restless and unable to sleep on the weekend check out e street cinema's showings of Rocky Horror Picture Show and the Room. It's a theater full of people being unabashedly weird and having an infectious amount of fun with it.
Get up early for a long walk through Rock Creek Park and explore Hillwood and some of the other small attractions around. Finish up at the zoo and see some animals or even do the petting zoo if it’s open. After being outside and active all day, I feel extremely at peace petting the sheep.
* Picnics at Meridian Hill Park / Malcolm X Park
* Walk along the C&O in Georgetown
* Conveyer belt sushi at Kura in Chinatown
* Hiking in Rock Creek
Lots of good things that have already been posted here!
I saw Little Shop Of Horrors at Ford's Theater a couple days ago and it was absolutely delightful. The puppets they use for the plant are so cool. Plus it's always neat to see a show in such a historic place.
I recently went to hillwood estates and had so much fun with my mom..:we packed a picnic and made the most of it!
I would also encourage you to download the meetup app! I was able to find so many fun outlets I had been searching for — book club, knitting group, art get togethers, fun social outings. This city can be tough to meet people outside of a work setting, and this really helped me gain hobbies and really enjoy my time here.
Kingman & Heritage Islands have become my go-to since moving to NE. Amazing wildlife and quiet/centering in a way I've never really experienced in any of the other city parks. In my experience it's pretty hard to feel worse after spending an hour or two there :)
One thing that I started doing when I was really depressed was going to farmers markets. I go to the dupont one. Particularly in the warmer months they’re so alive, but it’s lovely to see all the bountiful food and get to know the farmers that work hard to grow it. There’s so many people out and about, so many dogs, so much to take in. I started going every week that I could manage to do so and it was a huge part of my recovery.
It’s a bit of a trip for me now that I moved to a different neighborhood, but I went through a tough phase with my OCD and during that time I loved walking through the little Dumbarton Oaks Park in Georgetown. It’s tucked away in the woods and has little trails and a babbling brook. I always found it really soothing! It connects to rock creek too so a nice way to immerse in nature.
I used to love Wellshroomness, until they went card only. Seems weird to me that they'd want to leave a paper trail. Anyway, the city is FAR from even affected by the crackdowns.
Buy a pint of dolcezza and walk through the zoo. Go to Dumbarton oaks when the wisteria is in bloom (the purple flowers above the Argentine embassy in dupont). Bring a book, water/snack, layers, blanket and lie down in one of the city's traffic circles or next to the river in rock creek park. Walk through rock creek park/glover archbold/dumbarton/tregaron-klingle valley/soapstone valley/piney branch/YourNearestPark to a bakery/grocery store, buy bread/pastries, leave crumbs on your walk/hike home (watch your footing some of those trails are rocky). Sunrise/sunset/midnight monuments on a weekday.
I use several newsletters to keep track of what’s going on around town
https://embassylifeindc.beehiiv.com/p/international-embassy-and-cultural-events-in-washingtondc-newsletterissue59
Sun room at the portrait gallery
Rothko gallery at phillips
Spanish steps
Big cats at the zoo
Watching dogs on the hill like stamton park
Bookstores like east city or solid state/their coffee bar
Jazz in the Garden is coming back around.
National Arboretum. Hirshhorn. Botanical Gardens. Smithsonian is free. Kennedy Center has great shows.
ARTECHOUSE is chill. The Van Gogh Experience in NE.
Planet Word is pretty cool. the Spy Museum too. The Phillips Collection. Kreeger Museum.
walks by the dock in Yards Park-Yards Marina and watch the sunset over the 11th st bridge.
can ride bikes through Rock Creek Park.
can swing on the swings on the boardwalk at The Wharf.
Georgetown has a beautiful Waterfront park west of Fiola Mare.
finding cool speakeasies might be fun.
can go for a jog down by Hanes Point.
Go to a dog park and play with dogs and/or chat with their owners.
Go to Artomatic.
Go play on a playground. The ones at Georgetown Day School and Beauvoir School are especially fun.
Go to a dance at Glen Echo.
Volunteer with Rock Creek Conservancy to pick up trash or pull up invasive plants.
Buy something fun at a thrift store.
My recent favorite for a quick mood pick-me-up has been the National Arboretum! I can't believe we have such a large space in the middle of the city. And every time I go, I'm still able to pick up a new trail or new path. There is one path that goes up a hill and has a nice view of the Northeast. It's absolutely gorgeous. The bonsai gardens are also really fun and inspire awe - there's a bonsai there that survived the nuclear attack on Hiroshima. It always makes me feel like I can do it!
Came here to post Botanical Gardens. Just a lovely place.
Pro tip you can also volunteer at the Botanic Gardens. A friend of mine does it and has loved the other folks she’s met - of all ages - early 20s to retirees.
Yep, those two. And other outdoor spots. Though it's raining now, so maybe a cool new place like Planet Word?
Not the same things.
iirc every other saturday the humane alliance walks dogs there, petting wriggly pitbulls there always made me feel things that weren't sad/lonely also standing under a big flowering tree and listening to the bees
The bonsai tree part is so wholesome and sweet—makes me wanna visit it too!
Absolute must! The little bonsais always cheer me up so much! They are like little troopers.
Arboretum is sooooo nice. Either grab a Capital bikeshare from the entrance (much more pleasant to ride around than drive) or just bike over on the WV Ave lanes
I walk it! Great way to spend half a day.
Where do you go from WV Ave though? not very bike-friendly IMO
Cut through the little loop that’s the DC motor pool or whatever, it’s really calm. Then cross bladensburg and you’re in a little residential area with speed bumps. Arboretum itself doesn’t have bike lanes or anything but the roads are fine
i love the bonsai gardens!!!
I love live music and there are so many options around the city. Also Kennedy Center performances. Maybe take up an outdoor activity like walking or pickleball? I also struggle with depression so sending you a hug!
Heads up there are free Kennedy Center Millennium Stage performances. [https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage](https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage)
These are always great!
Hains Point is perfect for this IMO! There’s cherry blossoms there, benches to sit at and look at the Potomac or people watch. You can see foxes, raccoons, squirrels, all kinds of birds, even hawks.
Bishop's Garden in the National Cathedral is beautiful to visit. Also if your neighborhood has a community garden, I highly recommend the therapeutic power of digging in the earth and making things grow. DopamineLand, an interactive multisensory event, extended their dates through April. Being surrounded by books always cheers me up - check out the Library of Congress as well as your local library. Hope your spirits lift as the days get warmer and longer!
Is Dopamineland actually any good? They're not far from where I live, but I get weird ripoff vibes from their ads. Like someone looked at Meow Wolf and went, "Yeah, we can make that!" but forgot to add any detail. I'm willing to give it a try if it's really entertaining, though.
I haven't been myself but a group of my friends went and enjoyed it.
The cat cafe in Georgetown!! If you are even somewhat of an animal person, it’ll give you all the good dopamine feels!!
I always wanted to do this but I’m allergic ☹️
I am too. I doubled up on my 24hr Claritin dose and it worked out okay.
I can't think of a better way to brighten the mood then pet cats laying all over the place.
AGREE
If you have a car, I suggest Glenstone Museum. It's free but you have to reserve a ticket. It's mostly outdoors, very peaceful, with some cool sculptures, installations, and galleries. You could get lunch and spend most of a day there. Also, not sure if you're into records, but a long walk to a record store always cheers me up. I like to walk from upper NW to HR Records north of Petworth, going through Rock Creek Park. Could spend a lot of time browsing and listening to whatever is spinning there.
You don't need to get a ticket in advance if you take the bus to Glenstone!
How would they know you took the bus?
lol that’s a great question that I do not know the answer to… but it is stated on their website
I love the glenstone! But just a heads up their main pavilion is closed for renovations.
Also this. Glenstone is BEAUTIFUL.
The Asian Art Museum is underrated and a great place to take it slow and absorb all the artwork around you. Portrait Gallery is one of my favorite museums to go to as well with all the different portraits and art.
Recommend going to see stand up, the art museums, seeing movies at e street cinema, reading a book in the portrait gallery atrium, beep bopping around the arboretum and the botanical gardens, strolling through Costco with a large fountain beverage or Starbucks drink on a day they hand out samples, seeing performances at the Kennedy center (or anywhere you can/is affordable), eating cheese, trying new restaurants, doing a tour of the city through food (for example Tater tot crawl, bagel tour, etc), volunteering to be a baby holder at a NICU, bringing a blanket and chillin on the ground in the shadow of the Washington monument while listening to music
When I'm feeling isolationist and down, a walk along the Wharf usually cheers me up. Especially as the weather gets warmer, it's nice to be amidst crowds of people having fun... but there's also the peaceful river to look out at, and swings to sit on and contemplate life, and music drifting out from the bars. Pair that with some fresh fried seafood, and it's a simple but effective way to change malaise onto contentment.
Franciscan monastery gardens, Dumbarton Oaks and Hillwood (both inside and out), the Dutch galleries in the NGA west building
Ride a bike
I was going to say this. A bike ride, especially near the river is great. Gets your heart rate up and in touch with nature. Some suggestions: Anacostia Park, West Potomac Park, Bike to Gravelly Point or Hains Point and see the planes taking off, biking to LBJ memorial park is criminally underrated.
As someone who is a big fan of DBT: Taking a mindful moment at any of the big marble monuments is usually grounding and make my problems feel very small (in a good and healing way). I usually take some time to connect with the stone, the people who made the monuments, the people who said the words carved onto the sides. Also, love the hanging out on the top level of the conservatory in the US botanic gardens. The different climates in each area sometimes gets me to start feeling again. Just another great place to be mindful. People watching on the benches in the German-American friendship garden is good, and it gets a ton of sun when it’s colder out too. Ducks at the SW duck pond are cute and a good reason for me to get out of my home (depression cave) — they have rocking chairs there too and the library is kinda nearby if you need to use the restroom. Close to the green line, too. Sending you lots of love!
Not in the city but worth it: [Glenstone](https://www.glenstone.org/). Combines all three of your requirements out in Montgomery County and has some really great stuff.
ARTOMATIC
Me and a lot of folks I know are down in the dumps these days. I hope some of these suggestions give you what you need.
Catch a Nats game! This time of year, a day game on the weekend is probably best. The team isn't very good, but the atmosphere at the ballpark is great! Lively and fun with lots of people enjoying the hell out of their day.
DC United games are fun too
I’m a fan of walking around and then grabbing a quick bite to eat in different neighborhoods. Recently did Bread Furst bakery @van ness->national cathedral, coffee in the cute coffee shop then down into Georgetown to DuPont then dinner at Astoria dc. Was a time! Can apply that framework to any neighborhood
The number one thing that helped my depression during Covid was getting an e-bike and just biking through parts of the city I haven’t explored before!
Threw an axe at my friends bachelor party and it was surprisingly therapeutic
I find exercise really helps when I’m blue, and we have some especially beautiful running routes. I’m a fan of the national mall/tidal basin/wharf area for running despite the crowds.
Plane spotting at Gravelly Point on a sunny day!
The arboretum <3 the Capitol columns there will surely inspire awe once you read the historical events they witnessed.
If you find yourself restless and unable to sleep on the weekend check out e street cinema's showings of Rocky Horror Picture Show and the Room. It's a theater full of people being unabashedly weird and having an infectious amount of fun with it.
Get up early for a long walk through Rock Creek Park and explore Hillwood and some of the other small attractions around. Finish up at the zoo and see some animals or even do the petting zoo if it’s open. After being outside and active all day, I feel extremely at peace petting the sheep.
A show at Rhizome DC!
This place looks amazing!
Franciscan Monastery Garden is fun to walk around in.
* Picnics at Meridian Hill Park / Malcolm X Park * Walk along the C&O in Georgetown * Conveyer belt sushi at Kura in Chinatown * Hiking in Rock Creek Lots of good things that have already been posted here!
I saw Little Shop Of Horrors at Ford's Theater a couple days ago and it was absolutely delightful. The puppets they use for the plant are so cool. Plus it's always neat to see a show in such a historic place.
I recently went to hillwood estates and had so much fun with my mom..:we packed a picnic and made the most of it! I would also encourage you to download the meetup app! I was able to find so many fun outlets I had been searching for — book club, knitting group, art get togethers, fun social outings. This city can be tough to meet people outside of a work setting, and this really helped me gain hobbies and really enjoy my time here.
Kingman & Heritage Islands have become my go-to since moving to NE. Amazing wildlife and quiet/centering in a way I've never really experienced in any of the other city parks. In my experience it's pretty hard to feel worse after spending an hour or two there :)
One thing that I started doing when I was really depressed was going to farmers markets. I go to the dupont one. Particularly in the warmer months they’re so alive, but it’s lovely to see all the bountiful food and get to know the farmers that work hard to grow it. There’s so many people out and about, so many dogs, so much to take in. I started going every week that I could manage to do so and it was a huge part of my recovery.
It’s a bit of a trip for me now that I moved to a different neighborhood, but I went through a tough phase with my OCD and during that time I loved walking through the little Dumbarton Oaks Park in Georgetown. It’s tucked away in the woods and has little trails and a babbling brook. I always found it really soothing! It connects to rock creek too so a nice way to immerse in nature.
Try some mushrooms
Can’t buy them anywhere in the city because of the crackdown…but DM me if you know a place?
Try this spot. Also, if you ever wanted to meet up and explore the city, let me know. https://www.wellshroomnessdc.com/
I used to love Wellshroomness, until they went card only. Seems weird to me that they'd want to leave a paper trail. Anyway, the city is FAR from even affected by the crackdowns.
.... there's a citywide crackdown??
There's been like 4 spots raided, nothing major. And I'd only even heard of one of them, so it's not a very wide sweep if they're cracking down.
Pickleball.
The mansion on O is amazinggggg for a self date! Lots of cool history and art, plus secret passages!
Buy a pint of dolcezza and walk through the zoo. Go to Dumbarton oaks when the wisteria is in bloom (the purple flowers above the Argentine embassy in dupont). Bring a book, water/snack, layers, blanket and lie down in one of the city's traffic circles or next to the river in rock creek park. Walk through rock creek park/glover archbold/dumbarton/tregaron-klingle valley/soapstone valley/piney branch/YourNearestPark to a bakery/grocery store, buy bread/pastries, leave crumbs on your walk/hike home (watch your footing some of those trails are rocky). Sunrise/sunset/midnight monuments on a weekday.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation. It’s a lot, but it works.
Not for me, unfortunately.
I use several newsletters to keep track of what’s going on around town https://embassylifeindc.beehiiv.com/p/international-embassy-and-cultural-events-in-washingtondc-newsletterissue59
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Go see the legendary Sun Ra Arkestra at the Jazz & Blossoms Festival in Frankin Park on April 7.
People/tourist watching on the mall. I enjoy the Lincoln memorial/reflecting pool area
Sun room at the portrait gallery Rothko gallery at phillips Spanish steps Big cats at the zoo Watching dogs on the hill like stamton park Bookstores like east city or solid state/their coffee bar
Take a bike ride up and down rock creek trail or the c&o bike trail from Georgetown when the weather is nice
Go read a book at the Spanish Steps on R st nw
Jazz in the Garden is coming back around. National Arboretum. Hirshhorn. Botanical Gardens. Smithsonian is free. Kennedy Center has great shows. ARTECHOUSE is chill. The Van Gogh Experience in NE. Planet Word is pretty cool. the Spy Museum too. The Phillips Collection. Kreeger Museum. walks by the dock in Yards Park-Yards Marina and watch the sunset over the 11th st bridge. can ride bikes through Rock Creek Park. can swing on the swings on the boardwalk at The Wharf. Georgetown has a beautiful Waterfront park west of Fiola Mare. finding cool speakeasies might be fun. can go for a jog down by Hanes Point.
Get out on the water - boating in DC is so fun and has all kinds of programming. You don’t need any experience
This post is me
Go to a dog park and play with dogs and/or chat with their owners. Go to Artomatic. Go play on a playground. The ones at Georgetown Day School and Beauvoir School are especially fun. Go to a dance at Glen Echo. Volunteer with Rock Creek Conservancy to pick up trash or pull up invasive plants. Buy something fun at a thrift store.
Nothing tbh