About Perfect Saturdays
Looking for something to do this weekend? These great day trips are within a two-hour drive of DC.
Impressive galleries, unconventional sculptures, and leafy landscapes: This day trip destination is a peaceful escape full of art.
Potomac, Maryland
Drive time from DC: 35 minutes.
We’re spoiled with world-class museums in DC, but there’s another drive-worthy option nearby: Glenstone, the massive temple of contemporary art and sleek architecture in Potomac. Like Smithsonian Institution facilities, the complex is free to access (though you must reserve tickets in advance), with an incredible collection of mind-bending works from legendary artists (think: Alexander Calder, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Yayoi Kusama). You’ll want to see the grounds—especially Jeff Koons’s living sculpture “Split-Rocker”—as much as the galleries, but the indoor/outdoor aspect of the museum offers some flexibility if it’s hot or raining. Guided nature walks are a lovely half-mile stroll across streams and structures, leaving from the Pavilions Overlook at 1 PM.
The museum has a breezy cafe and patio that serves a mostly vegetarian menu of brunch and lunch dishes—summery frittatas, verdant tahini kale salads, and cooling sorbet. Otherwise, it’s a 15-minute drive to Kema by Kenaki, a sushi spot ranked in our annual list of 100 Very Best Restaurants. Washingtonian food editor Ann Limpert’s recommendations: “The crispy rice topped with spicy tuna and the truffle-laced Black Magic roll.”
Looking for more day trip ideas? Check out our Perfect Saturdays series.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Takoma.
