September is the perfect time to get outside and explore areas of D.C. usually swarmed with tourists. Here’s how to make the most out of your September in D.C.
Joust At the Maryland Renaissance Fair
Don your boots and corsets and spend a day at the largest renaissance fair on the East Coast. Of course, you have to see the jousting, but there is also dancing, minstrels, old-timey pubs, sword vendors, and everything else us nerds dream of. Tickets are $32 and are selling out quickly!
Stock Up On Fresh Apples
September is the start of apple season in D.C., which means the farmers markets and groceries are stacked with dozens of varieties of freshly picked apples. Or, if you’re feeling ambitious, head out to Butler's Orchard or Homestead Farm to pick your own.
Party At H Street Festival
D.C.’s largest neighborhood block party is returning on September 21 with 12 blocks of local food, performances, exhibits, games, and dancing. Check out one of the 15 stages, or just hang out in the makeshift beer gardens. Either way, bring your sunblock and get ready for crowds.
Crowds at H Street Festival. (Ted Eytan/Flickr)
Go To the Beach
My hot take is that September is the perfect time for the beach in D.C. The sweltering heat is behind us, the crowds are gone, and the wildlife is out. Head to Sandy Point State Park outside Annapolis, or drive up a little farther to Assateague Island National Seashore. Don’t forget to hit a crab shack while you’re there.
Discover the French Impressionism
See all your art world heartthrobs like Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, and Berthe Morisot at a new exhibit coming to the National Gallery on Sept. 8. The exhibit, “Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment” explores impressionism as the birth of modern painting and how it rebelled against social norms.
Get Your Covid Shot
No one wants to hear it, but Covid cases have been rising throughout the U.S. this summer, and D.C. is no exception. Do yourself, and your neighbors, a solid and make an appointment at your closest CVS to get the new booster targeting a strain called KP.2.
