Updated: Aug. 29, 2016 at 9:55 a.m.
Are you looking for some fun, free activities to keep you busy during Labor Day weekend? Here are 10 suggestions that don’t cost a penny to make the most of the three-day weekend.
1. Discover what lies beneath the tip of the monumental Icebergs exhibit at the National Building Museum before it closes Sunday. The museum is located across the street from the Judiciary Square Metro station. Admission to the museum is free, but you will have to pay to see the icebergs.
2. Visit a home away from home by touring a historic former residence. Take a self-guided tour of the Octagon, the three-story brick house where President James Madison and his wife lived after the White House burned down during the War of 1812.
3. The D.C. Blues Festival Saturday afternoon at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre will feature live local musicians.
4. For theater lovers, the free three-day Page-to-Stage Festival at the Kennedy Center will host more than 40 local theater companies for readings and open rehearsals for upcoming plays.
5. Prepare for sweeping Instagram-worthy views of D.C. from the 500-foot-high observation deck in the Washington Monument. After snapping your photographs, head to the museum and exhibits. Free tickets are handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis at 15th Street adjacent to the monument, so plan on arriving early to beat the crowds.
6. Get outside of the District to enjoy an outdoor movie night under the stars. Options include “Spotlight” Saturday in Arlington’s Penrose Square, “Tomorrowland” at National Harbor Sunday and “Up” in Rosslyn’s Gateway Park Monday.
7. Get festive and celebrate the holiday with an 8 p.m. concert by the National Symphony Orchestra at the U.S. Capitol.
8. Get your skateboard ready for the Kennedy Center’s “Finding a Line: Skateboarding, Music and Media” festival, featuring a giant skateboarding bowl on the plaza. Don’t miss the colorful exhibitions of skateboard memorabilia inside and the open skate sessions outside.
9. Escape urban life with some time in nature. For a refreshing hike or outdoor picnic surrounded by scenic greenery, head to Rock Creek Park, the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath or Theodore Roosevelt Island, all within walking distance from campus.
10. What do a Mark Rothko painting and an imperial Chinese dish made five centuries apart have in common? Find out at a new exhibit opening Monday at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.
