hear | taste | smell | touch
Washington, DC
A ll eyes may be on Washington, D.C. in 2025, but the city has plenty to delight your other senses. Whether it’s that first bite into a gourmet meal or legendary local favorite, breathing in the springtime cherry blossom scent, hearing incredible music or sinking into a new hotel’s comfy bed, the nation’s capital makes sure your entire experience is a memorable one.
The best part is that many of these attractions are free or budget-friendly, which makes it less stressful for your mind as well. So, sit back, relax and read on to see how D.C. does its best to charm you in all ways.
Get ready for a chorus of “oohs” and “aahs” from children and adults alike as they meet the new giant pandas, Bao Li [Bow-lee] and Qing Bao [Ching-bow] at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. (The previous giant pandas in residence went back to China in October 2023.) China loaned this latest duo to the zoo for the next 10 years. Watch this video to see the pandas’ incredible journey from China to D.C. It's free to enter the zoo, but donations are always welcome.
Head down to the National Mall where the National Museum of American History has a feast for your ears. The entrance to the wing on American Culture begins with “America’s Listening.” This interactive exhibit not only has artifacts on view, but also allows visitors to hear recorded sound from each of the technologies featured. Displayed items include Thomas Edison’s phonograph (1877), Alexander Graham Bell’s graphophone (1886), Emile Berliner’s gramophone (1887), Ray Dolby’s noise reduction system (1965) and Apple’s iPod (2001).
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Giant panda | credit: Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Amparo Fondita | credit: Rey Lopez
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Tomahawk steak at dLeña
The Royal Sonesta Washington, DC Capitol Hill
Performance at DC JazzFest
Cherry blossoms at the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Performance at DC JazzFest
Gallaudet University
Ben's Chili Bowl
Georgetown P Street Mural | image courtesy of Washington.org
Cherry blossoms in Stanton Park
District Candle Lab
Fresh-baked bread
Indulge in a massage
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Water taxi on the Potomac River
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Drum circle
Colada Shop
Eastern Market
Kayaking on the Anacostia River
No matter what time of year you visit D.C., the city is full of music. The prestigious Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents more than 2,200 shows and events annually, including performances from the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington National Opera and Kennedy Center Chamber Players. Listen to world-famous headliners or up-and-coming acts at the iconic 9:30 Club or its sister venue, The Anthem. Close your eyes and let the electronic dance music move you at Echostage, which has attracted DJs like Calvin Harris and David Guetta.
When the weather is warmer, visitors can enjoy free concerts outside as well. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Transit Pier at The Wharf offers shows by local artists every Wednesday; expect to hear R&B, jazz, reggae, country and pop music. On summer Fridays, join the National Gallery of Art’s “Jazz in the Garden,” a favorite with locals. Reserve tickets in advance for these free concerts in the museum’s sculpture garden; bring your own picnic or partake in some of the signature sangria. Keep the jazz vibe going into late summer by attending DC JazzFest (Aug. 27–Sept. 1), an annual tradition that brings national and local musicians to venues all over the city.
D.C. also presents a learning experience to understand life without sound. The National Deaf Life Museum at Gallaudet University, a private university for deaf and hard of hearing students, focuses on their culture and history in the U.S. One exhibit “Deaf Difference + Space Survival” details how 11 deaf men gave an incredible contribution to NASA from 1958–1968. The men were subjected to various experiments that studied balance, motion sickness and prolonged weightlessness. As the men’s inner ears were damaged in a way that made them “immune” to motion sickness, these studies were invaluable for providing data on how the body’s sensory systems worked without gravitational cues.
When it comes to flavors, D.C. is the true melting pot of the nation. Foodie culture is so celebrated here that the city even has its own Michelin Guide to help navigate. (Only a handful of U.S. cities have their own guide.) In September, three new restaurants were added to the 2024 Michelin Guide Washington, D.C. With a name that means “shelter,” Amparo Fondita in Dupont Circle focuses on contemporary Mexican cuisine, featuring a changing menu of classic tacos, sopesitos and seafood. Another Mexican restaurant, Pascual, named for the patron saint of cooks, uses a live-hearth fire to create many of its dishes in Capitol Hill. (Pascual was also named to The New York Times Best American Restaurant List in 2024.) Cucina Morini, little sister to Osteria Morini, brings Southern Italian cooking to Mt. Vernon Triangle. Expect fresh seafood, homemade pasta, snacking plates, sharing plates and house-baked tomato focaccia.
Of course, it’s not just gourmet meals that folks rave about in D.C. Many of its mom-and-pop shops have also become part of the city’s culinary fabric. Bring cash to Market Lunch if you want to try the beloved blueberry buckwheat pancakes (available only on weekends and also gluten-free). Then there’s wood-oven Neopolitan pizza from 2Amys, which doesn't take reservations and whose pricing includes tip. Ben’s Chili Bowl is an iconic institution, whose half-smoke dish (a pork and beef sausage topped with chili, onions and mustard) is a must-try. Seat yourself at Stoney’s Bar and Grill, where the basic grilled cheese sandwich gets a starring role. Come early for the sugar fix from the crème brûlée doughnuts, but stay for the meat at Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken.
If you can never get enough doughnuts, consider the Underground Donut Tour, one of D.C.’s many food tours. As you sample the wares at a 19th-century food hall, a European-inspired bakery, a café and a gelato shop, you’ll also learn about the history of each neighborhood during this two-hour tour. Mangia DC offers two different food tours; the Italian Food Tour of Dupont Circle includes four local Italian eateries while patrons learn about Italian immigrant history. The Georgetown Foodie Tour explores up to five different food samples and one wine or spritz pairing in a neighborhood known for its embassies and notable residents like the Kennedys.
Come springtime, treat your nose to a walk among the cherry blossoms and their pleasant floral scent. One of the best tokens of friendship ever, the 3,020 cherry trees gifted by the mayor of Tokyo to the people of the U.S. in 1912 have since spawned—among other things—the nearly month-long National Cherry Blossom Festival (March 20–April 13). Check the National Park Service for the latest peak bloom prediction.
Even if you don't show up during peak bloom, you'll find that the trees look lovely throughout their namesake festival. Highlights include the Blossom Kite Festival on March 29, the music- and art-themed Petalpalooza on April 5 (complete with blossom-inspired fireworks), and the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade on April 12. Just don't forget your camera.
For more earthly scents, head to the National Herb Garden, which is on a 2.5-acre site within the U.S. National Arboretum; both are free to enter. Opened to the public in 1980, it’s the largest designed herb garden in the country. Here you can find plants that humans use to flavor food, but also those used for medicine, dyes, beverages and those with historical uses.
If you feel inspired to mix your own signature scent, you’re in luck. Olfactory NYC offers custom fragrance making in Georgetown. Walk into the “scent studio” to choose a core fragrance, then work with a “scentologist” to add some signature accents to it, before personalizing and naming your new custom perfume or cologne. Reserve a spot at District Candle Lab in Union Market District, where you mix and match your favorite scents with wax to create (and name) your creation. Candles are ready about two hours after being poured, but there are shops and restaurants to pass the time in this complex.
And then there are those scents that make your stomach rumble and (thankfully) you can sink your teeth into: baked goods. At Seylou Bakery & Mill in Shaw, a rotating wood-fired oven and granite stone flour mill (for making flour from scratch on-site) provide the tools to create bread, pastries and pizza from grains that are both organically grown and sustainable. Opened by two French expats, Un Je Ne Sais Quoi is a patisserie in Dupont Circle full of sweet scents from its pastries and cakes. Try the popular almond croissant or the decadent St. Honoré (made with golden puff pastry, cream puffs, crème Chantilly and salted caramel), named after the French patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs.
You don’t have to be a VIP to pamper yourself in Washington, D.C. Along with standalone salons, numerous hotels offer spa services so you can relax and let others knead, scrub, cleanse, massage and exfoliate your body. Located along the Wharf, Pendry Washington D.C.’s Spa Pendry offers treatments of up to 120 blissful minutes. (Plus any treatment that’s 90 minutes or longer grants you all-day access to the hotel’s outdoor heated terrace pool to really soak your muscles.) Lay on a “Mind Sync” treatment table at Four Seasons Washington D.C. and try a combination of sound and vibrational therapy. Treat your feet kindly with a pedicure from Hotel Washington’s extensive spa menu. After all, there’s a lot of walking to be had in this pedestrian-friendly city.
Open 24 hours a day, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial attracts more than five million people per year. The Wall contains more than 58,000 names on its two 200-foot-long sections of black granite, which reflects the faces of visitors. People are encouraged to touch or make a rubbing of the names to connect with the souls who were lost. (You’re welcome to bring your own rubbing papers and pencil; alternatively, a National Park Service volunteer stationed at the Wall can do this for you on official paper with charcoal.) While it’s a moving experience to do in person, if you would like the rubbing of a name on The Wall before you’re able to visit, you can fill out a request. A Wall volunteer will do the rubbing and send it free of charge; allow 90 days or more for the request to be completed.
For a different way to experience D.C.’s iconic landmarks, you can take to the water. There are various ways to sail around town, such as via a water taxi, a private boat tour or a yacht charter. For a bit of a workout, pedal around the river on a paddleboat with Potomac Paddle Club. Alternatively, go solo and power yourself around in a kayak or paddleboard.
After a full day of sightseeing, sometimes the best thing you'll touch is your pillow. Be one of the first to rest your head at a new hotel. This past November, Arlo Hotels opened its first D.C. property in the former site of the city’s oldest-known apartment complex; located four blocks from Union Station, it has a rooftop pool. Two hotels (Madison Hotel and Sonder the Quincy) were rebranded, respectively as Le Méridien Washington, D.C., The Madison and The Quincy Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection after extensive renovations. Grand Hyatt Washington also renovated all 902 of its rooms, including enhanced lighting. It’s okay to switch it off and rest your eyes for the next day of exploring.
Grand Hyatt Washington
Arlo Washington DC
