Make new memories with your sweetheart this summer or get inspired to plan a creative outing for your next first date with these romantic ideas.
Gaze at the stars
926 F St., NW; 655 Water St., SW
Prepare to be starstruck at the Smithsonian’s new 3D virtual reality experience through deep space. Go on a 40-minute digital adventure with your date across the Earth’s observatories and the starry universe (Thurs-Mon through September 28, $24.65+). Or head to the Pendry’s romantic rooftop, Moonraker, for passed hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and an up-close telescope view of the moon and night sky (July 2, 30, August 27, September 24, October 22, $65 per person).
Go dancing on the waterfront
3200 K St., NW
A great way to get to know someone is through dance lessons. Grab your partner and learn how to salsa or bachata while overlooking Georgetown’s serene waterfront. After the lesson, get down with African dancing, Latin tunes, square dancing, and more social grooves (weekly through July 28, free).
Explore a museum after hours
12100 Glen Rd., Potomac; 1600 21st St., NW; 925 13th. St., NW
Spend quality time with your special someone at an artsy after-hours museum party or gallery event. The limited-run Summer Evenings at Potomac art complex Glenstone return this month, allowing guests golden-hour access to outdoor sculptures, drinks and live music on the patio, and a cool respite indoors to view exhibitions until 8 PM (every Sat through August 30, free with a timed-entry pass). For live music, craft workshops, gallery talks, and refreshments, you can spend a Thursday evening at Phillips After 5 at the Phillips Collection in Dupont Circle (every first Thurs, $20). Or play word-themed puzzles and sing karaoke at Planet Word’s Wordplay Wednesday museum parties (every first Wed, $5+).
Jazz up your outdoor plans
Seventh St. and Constitution Ave., NW; 1010 Butternut St., NW; 1234 Marion Barry Ave., SE; 2401 Foxhall Rd., NW
Visit the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden with your boo on select Fridays throughout the summer to listen to Creole jazz, country blues, and more music inspired by the theme “American Sounds.” The outdoor Jazz in the Garden sessions are known to fill up fast, so be sure to snag tickets the week before each concert when the lottery opens (every Fri through August 14, no concert July 3, free). Share a blanket and a picnic at Jazz in the Parks at the Parks at Walter Reed and listen to local musicians Rockwell Shapiro, Langston Hughes II, and others (July 11, August 22, September 26, free). At the Kreeger Museum, bring a picnic and snap your fingers to live music in the Sculpture Garden (July 18, August 15, September 19, October 17, $35). For daytime tunes, Jazzy Sundays in Anacostia has a lineup of outdoor music shows where you and your date can share bites from DCity Smokehouse’s food truck (every Sun, July 12 through August 30, free).
Taste sushi at a listening bar
2940 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA
Pair creative hand rolls and sashimi with live music and cozy ambiance for a memorable date night. Oasis Sushi: The Listening Bar has a calendar full of daily live acts, including patio jazz sessions during Sunday brunch (free entry).
Catch the sunset on a cruise
3000 K St., NW; 580 Water St., SW
Capitol River Cruises and City Cruises are great options for sunset boat tours and sightseeing. On City Cruises, you can have a three-course meal and dance to a live DJ while overlooking the Potomac; there are firework shows on special occasions, too. Capitol River Cruises cast off around 8 PM for 45-minute journeys past Roosevelt Island, the Jefferson Memorial, the Capitol, and the Lincoln Memorial. Outings are backed by historical narration (daily, $30 for Capitol River Cruises; daily, $19+ for City Cruises).
Briana A. Thomas is a local journalist, historian, and tour guide who specializes in the research of D.C. history and culture. She is the author of the Black history book, Black Broadway in Washington, D.C., a story that was first published in Washingtonian in 2016.
