There are so many things to see and do when you visit Washington, DC but most of the major sites are daytime activities. The museums, Capitol and National Archives are open daily until around 5:00 or 5:30. However, after that, there is still plenty to do. These are six of our favorite evening things in DC.

6 EVENING Things to do in Washington DC

1. Monuments and memorials

One of the most popular evening things to do in DC is visit the monuments and memorials. The cool thing about the monuments and memorials is that they are open 24/7. There really there is no bad time to see them, but because they are open all the time, it makes sense to plan your itinerary so that you see the daytime activities when they’re open and save the monuments for the after hours. Our most popular Trip Hacks DC tour is the evening monuments tour.

2. Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum

Most Smithsonian museums are open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. In the summer, a select number of museums on the National Mall do stay open a couple hours later, but only on a limited number of dates. Regardless, every day you can see two museums all the way up until 7pm: the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. There is also the Kogod Courtyard which is a cool place to relax and hang out. Aside from the courtyard, these two museums are actually pretty awesome and underrated. They are not on the National Mall. However, they are only a short walk away.

3. See a game 

For the most part, professional sports are evening things in DC. Baseball, soccer, basketball and hockey usually start around 7 PM and go late into the evening. Football is the one sport where this does not really apply since the games are usually on Sundays during the day. Sports games are great because they are family-friendly activities but you don’t need to have kids to enjoy going. Now of course, it is not free or cheap, but it is still an activity worth considering.   

4. Union Market 

Union Market calls itself the epicenter of culinary creativity in DC. Most people just call it a modern food hall. Regardless, it is a great place for food, drinks, coffee and all other foodie-related stuff. In 2019 Union Market is open 7 days a week 8:00am to 8:00pm Sunday through Wednesday and 8:00am to 9:00pm Thursday to Saturday.

5. Take in a show

If you are into theater, orchestra or opera and you can swing the price of tickets, the Kennedy Center is an awesome place to see a show. It might not be as famous as Broadway in New York City but the performances are top notch. If the Kennedy Center is out of range, then the good news is that DC actually has a thriving theater scene. The website Goldstar is a great place to look for tickets, especially if you are on a budget. You can get a taste of what shows are out there and maybe even get a discount on one if you find something you like.

6. Nightlife 

This is really more for the 21 and over crowd. When you think of evening things to do, nightlife is kind of the obvious one. The nightlife epicenter in DC tends to shift every few years. However, at least in 2019, a lot of it is around U Street and 14th Street NW, north of downtown. There is also a nightlife concentrated in the Adams Morgan neighborhood as well as Dupont Circle. You can find nightlife in just about every neighborhood. It might not hopping on a Wednesday night, but maybe that’s what you prefer. DC also has a thriving happy hour scene during the week.

Coming to Washington DC, and want us to show you around?

Trip Hacks DC was founded by Rob, a veteran tour guide in the Nation’s Capital. Trip Hacks DC provides tips, tricks and travel hacks for planning your trip; and guided tours to show you around once you get here. Our tours are family and school group friendly and our guides specialize in the major Washington, DC sites. Click here to check out the upcoming tour options and to book your tour here today! Feel free to contact us if you have any tour questions.