Winter break has almost arrived. While you may be counting down the days until you can cocoon yourself in your room and watch Netflix twenty-four seven, there may come a time when you find yourself trying to recall your family members’ faces. Or what the sun looks like. In those dark times, consider dragging yourself out of bed and trying one of the following activities with your family.
Visit the Renwick Gallery in DC. (Free) The Renwick is a Smithsonian art museum that is hosting “Murder is Her Hobby: Frances Glessner Lee and The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death” until January 28, 2018. Lee was an heiress who, starting in the 1940s, created incredibly detailed miniature versions of real crime scenes to train homicide detectives. Nineteen of these crime scenes are on display at the Renwick, and visitors can examine them and decide for themselves whether victims were murdered—and by whom. If you go, be prepared to test your wits. Since the “nutshells” are still used to train investigators, the solutions are kept secret; finding a solution is up to you.
Skate at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Ice Rink. ($9.00 for adults, $8.00 for students with IDs or children 12 and under) Until March 11, 2018, the fountain in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden is frozen and turned into an ice rink. Soar across the ice to the amazement of friends and family; or, if you’re terrible at ice-skating, get hot chocolate from the nearby café and laugh when they fall down. When you’re done, you can always wander the surrounding sculpture gardens or check out nearby museums.
Visit the Hillwood Estate. (Suggested donation—$18.00 for adults, $5.00 for children six to eighteen, free for children under six) Cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post not only bought a collection of fabulous clothes and jewels, but was also the wife of the US ambassador to the Soviet Union in the 1930s. While there, she purchased a massive assortment of Imperial Russian artifacts that makes her collection (at her former home, Hillwood, outside DC) one of the best in the country. View Fabergé eggs, the wedding crown of the last empress of Russia, and lavish porcelain. Also, her over-the-top mid-century mansion is noteworthy in itself.
Go to Great Falls Park. ($10.00 per vehicle) While it’s sometimes hard to remember, stunning scenic views and fresh air are just a short drive away. Walk along the Potomac at Great Falls Park and gaze down at the majestic Mather Gorge, where the river is funneled into a narrow chasm filled with razor-sharp rocks. Afterward, you can walk along the nearby cliffs or admire the remains of a Revolution-era canal.
Whether you prefer murders and museums or forests and fresh air, hopefully one of the above activities will appeal to you. However, don’t alarm yourself if they don’t. Before you know it, you’ll have the excitement of school to keep you plenty entertained.