Free (and Almost Free) Things to Do

Free (and Almost Free) Things to Do

It's actually hard to spend money on activities in D.C. All of the Smithsonian museums and national memorials are free, as are many other museums and attractions. Summertime is heaven for budget travelers when free outdoor concerts and festivals occur every week.

Museums

Anacostia Museum for African American History

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Bureau of Engraving & Printing

Corcoran Gallery of Art (free Thursday after 9 PM)

DAR Museum

Folger Shakespeare Library

Freer Gallery of Art

Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden

Library of Congress

National Air and Space Museum

National Building Museum

National Gallery of Art

National Geographic Society

National Museum of African Art

National Museum of American History

National Museum of the American Indian

National Museum of Health and Medicine

National Museum of Natural History

National Portrait Gallery

National Postal Museum

National Zoological Park

Navy Museum

Phillips Collection (free weekdays)

Renwick Gallery

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Textile Museum

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

Monuments & Memorials

African American Civil War Memorial

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

Jefferson Memorial

Korean War Veterans Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial

National World War II Memorial

U.S. Navy Memorial & Naval Heritage Center

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Vietnam Women's Memorial

Washington Monument

Attractions

Anderson House

Dumbarton Oaks (free from November 1 to March 14)

Ford's Theatre

Franciscan Monastery

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

Kennedy Center tours

National Arboretum

National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Old Post Office Pavilion

Old Stone House

Rock Creek Park

Supreme Court of the United States

U.S. Capitol

U.S. Botanic Garden

Washington National Cathedral

White House

Performances

The Kennedy Center hosts free performances every day at 6 PM on the Millennium Stage. Also, every September, the Prelude Festival kicks off the Kennedy Center's fall performance schedule with many free events. Choral and church groups perform at the National Cathedral, often at no charge.

Summertime is the season for free concerts. Folk, pop, and rock bands perform gratis on Monday and Thursday nights atop Fort Reno park. You can also hear free jazz in the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden Fridays in summer. The Carter Barron Amphitheatre in Rock Creek Park hosts free performances by the Shakespeare Theatre Company and free concerts throughout the spring and summer.

Performances of military music take place around the city. From June through August, the U.S. Navy Band, U.S. Air Force Band, U.S. Marine Band, and U.S. Army Band take turns playing free concerts on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol weekdays at 8 PM. You can also see the U.S. Marine Band every Friday night from May through August during the Evening Parade at the Marine Barracks. The event features music and precision marching.

Washington is a city of festivals, many of which are free to the public (food and souvenirs cost extra). When the weather turns warms, check the National Mall lawn and Pennsylvania Avenue for music and dance performances, concerts, talks, cooking demonstrations, parades, and more. For a complete list of annual events, visit the Washington, D.C. Convention and Tourism Corporation at www.washington.org.

TICKETPlace sells half-price tickets to Washington's theater and music events. If you're visiting in late October, reserve your seats early for D.C.'s Free Night of Theater.

Almost every day of the year, the Politics and Prose independent bookstore on Connecticut Avenue invites fiction and nonfiction authors to the store for book readings, talks, and Q&A sessions. It's a great chance to meet the faces behind the names on the New York Times Bestsellers' List.

Finally, if it's free flicks you're after, the Screen on the Green film festival shows movie classics for free on a giant screen on the National Mall. Screenings take place Monday nights in July and August.