If you're coming to DC around the holidays I'm going to tell you about some of the lesser-known things you can do and see.
Hello! Welcome to Trip Hacks DC, my name is Rob.
I'm a tour guide here in the nation's capital.
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afterwards, to see the tours that I offer. Last year
I made a video about things to see and do around the holidays. All of those recommendations
still stand and you should go check out that video if you haven't seen it already.
It included things like the National Christmas Tree, ZooLights and Union Station. However
there are even more things that you can see and do in DC around the holidays and I'm going to tell you about some of
my favorites, and if you just can't get enough and want even more
holidays in DC content, I just posted episode 4 of the Trip Hacks DC Podcast. My guest Rebecca and I go
in-depth and tell you
everything you need to know about coming here during the holidays. If you want to check that out search for Trip Hacks DC in your
favorite podcast app or check out the video description where I will leave links to all of this.
And lastly, if you live in or have been to DC around this time of year and done any of these things
leave a comment on this video and let everyone know what you thought about it. Otherwise, let's get started...
First up is Georgetown Glow which is a massive public light
exhibition each year. It highlights different artists who create art out of glowing lights.
The lights are all over the Georgetown neighborhood
but they tend to be a little bit more off the beaten path than the M Street corridor that most tourists check out.
So it's a great opportunity to explore a historic neighborhood.
If you're a photographer
bring your best camera because the lights here are really rare and unique photo opportunities.
And if you're not a photographer just come and take it all in because it's a really cool thing to see.
Georgetown Glow typically runs for about one month starting at the beginning of December.
I will leave a link to the official Georgetown Glow website down in the video description
so you can double-check the dates for the year that you're coming. The next thing on
my to-do list is the Wharf. the Wharf only opened in 2017
so it's very new as far as Washington DC goes, and at least for now they go all out for the Christmas spirit.
Being a boat dock and all, it's fitting that they host the annual holiday boat parade where you can watch boats
decked out in holiday lights going up and down the Washington Channel, and stick around for a rare winter fireworks display
afterwards. The boat parade is usually in early December and the Wharf also has other festive events like Christmas caroling throughout the month.
I'll leave a link to the Wharf website in the video description so that you can check out all of this year's festivities.
Another place you can go around the holidays is CityCenterDC. I talked about City Center in my Instagram video.
It's an area downtown with a lot of high-end restaurants and high-end shopping
and the reason why it was on my Instagram video is because they go all out to decorate, not just around the holidays but year-round.
When you go in December, you'll see Christmas trees, window displays, and other holiday art.
This is not an area of the city where I personally tend to spend a lot of time. Now if you do have money to
spend this is definitely an area where you can spend a lot of money
but even if you have no money, just walking around and taking in the atmosphere can be pretty fun too. Another event
that's like Georgetown Glow is called Light Yards
located in the Yards Park near Nationals ballpark. The first year they brought in giant bunnies and
illuminated them and the second year they had glowing orbs set to music.
This isn't something that I would necessarily
go out of my way to see
but it's the kind of thing that you could come to the neighborhood and then make a whole evening out of it.
See the Light Yards then eat dinner at one of the local restaurants and have dessert at Ice Cream Jubilee, a
very popular local ice cream spot. And the last thing on my to-do list isn't
necessarily a holiday thing to do so much as it is a winter thing to do.
We have ice skating rinks all over the city, including two in places that I previously mentioned:
Georgetown and the Wharf. There's also a very popular rink right on the National Mall.
The reason I'm including this is because if you go skating in December
they'll often have Christmas music playing to get you in the mood. Whereas when you go in January or February
it's the more generic pop music. Plus people wear Santa hats and ugly sweaters and is generally just a festive time. And that's it!
Thank you for watching this video.
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that'll send you over to www.triphacksdc.com where you can see the tours that I offer. Enjoy your trip!