Bars & Parties

Your next vacation is a Metro stop away

Visit the city’s many parks, markets and sports venues

Published

16 years ago

July 8, 2010

(Photo by Steve Kilar)

Time and money are short. Here are some ideas to use both effectively when you have a bit of each this summer. Washington offers plenty for people who cannot get away to Rehoboth. Start at the Smithsonian Metro station. Pretend you’re a tourist and walk toward the Jefferson Memorial. Take a Tidal Basin paddle-boat break, if you like.

But hang a left before the memorial, walk beneath an underpass and behold more than 300 acres of recreation.

Hains Point, also known as East Potomac Park, is a man-made island that offers golf, tennis, a public pool and mini-golf all within the District’s limits.

Although the mini-golf course is no frills, a game can be followed with a pitcher of brew at the Potomac Grille, inside the club house. There are tables outside that look out onto the practice green and a driving range.

If you would actually like to play golf, instead of just putt-putting, take a lesson from Capital City Golf School. For $99, you can enroll in the “Get Golf Ready in 5 Days” group class, six hours of instruction that will teach you the basics of driving, putting and course etiquette.

The price includes the use of clubs and range balls. No equipment investment needed.

If golf does not suit you, the East Potomac Tennis Center offers individual lessons year-round on its indoor and outdoor courts.

When you finish enriching the athlete within, head back toward Southwest and stop off at the Maine Avenue Fish Market for a bite.

Vendors at the Wharf, as it is also known, have been selling fresh seafood in nearly the same place for more than 200 years. The storefronts are actually floating barges and a live blue crab on ice can quickly tip toe over the edge and drop into tidal waters.

Crabs can be bought by the bushel and sellers will season and steam them on site, while you wait. If you would rather not go home with bulk seafood, some stores also sell lunches you can eat on location, overlooking the river.

While you’re near the waterfront, walk south by the docks until you reach Cantina Marina, a watering hole for sailors who have weighed anchor alongside D.C.’s famous boathouse colony.

The restaurant’s colorful upper-deck boasts views of the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument and marinas crowded with yachts.

If the Cantina’s margaritas make you want to raise a jib, then take a sailing lesson next door at the National Maritime Heritage Foundation. Beginner lessons for adults, which can be completed in two consecutive weekends, cost $350.

Prefer your ship to have a motor? Then take a cruise on the Spirit of Mount Vernon, a two-hour river tour that ends at George Washington’s homestead. You’ll have three and a half hours to enjoy the estate before you cruise back to Pier 4, about three blocks from the Waterfront Metro stop.

Round-trip cruises run Tuesday through Sunday until Aug. 22. They leave Washington at 8 a.m. and return at 3 p.m. The cost is approximately $45 per adult.

Spokes and spandex are also welcome at George Washington’s home. The Mount Vernon Bike Trail allows for comfortable car-free pedaling almost all of the way from Roosevelt Island to Mount Vernon.

The only portion of the trail where bikers share the road with motorized vehicles is passing through charming Old Town Alexandria.

The bike path is 36 miles round trip but bike time can be shortened by starting at either the Braddock Road or King Street Metro stations.

If the outdoors don’t agree with you, check out the house that cereal built, the Hillwood Estate. Marjorie Merriweather Post, of Grape-Nuts fame (and fortune), amassed an impressive collection of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century decorative arts that are now on display in her Washington home, east of Van Ness. The house is surrounded by manicured gardens and ornate statuary.

When you’ve finished examining Hillwood’s Fabergé eggs, stop into the nearby Acacia Bistro, sip wine and learn from the knowledgeable staff about each bottle you enjoy.

If you have a day and want to get out of town, try these options: kayak or tube down the Potomac or Shenandoah Rivers from Harpers Ferry, W. Va.; hike or mountain bike in Lost River State Park, W. Va.; taste local flavors at one or more of Virginia’s vineyards near Monticello; or visit the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore.

Bars & Parties

Mid-Atlantic Leather kicks off this week

Parties, contests, vendor expo and more planned for annual gathering

Published

5 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

A scene from the 2025 Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather competition. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend will begin on Thursday, Jan 15.

This is an annual three-day event in Washington, D.C., for the leather, kink, and LGBTQ+ communities, featuring parties, vendors, and contests.

There will be an opening night event hosted the evening of Thursday, Jan. 15. Full package and three-day pass pickup will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Hyatt Capitol B. There will also be “Kinetic Dance Party” at 10 p.m. at District Eagle.

For more details, visit MAL’s website.

a&e features

Your guide to D.C.’s queer New Year’s Eve parties

Ring in 2026 with drag, leather, Champagne, and more

Published

2 weeks ago

December 26, 2025

Evan Caplan

Trade leans into a shark motif with its NYE plans. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

With Christmas in the rear view mirror, we can turn our attention to ringing in a much-anticipated New Year with a slew of local LGBTQ parties. Here’s what’s on tap.

Pitchers

This spacious Adams Morgan bar is hosting the “Pitchers’ Perfect New Year’s Eve.” There will be a midnight Champagne toast, the ball drop on the big screens, and no cover, all night long. The bar doesn’t close until 4 a.m., and the kitchen will be open late (though not until close). All five floors will be open for the party, and party favors are promised.

Trade

D.C.’s hottest bar/club combo is leaning into the Shark motif with its NYE party, “Feeding Frenzy.” The party is a “glitterati-infused Naughty-cal New Year’s Even in the Shark Tank, where the boats are churning and the sharks are circling.” Trade also boasts no cover charge, with doors opening at 5 p.m. and the aforementioned Shark Tank opening at 9 p.m.. Four DJs will be spread across the two spaces; midnight hostess is played by Vagenesis and the two sea sirens sensuously calling are Anathema and Justin Williams.

Number Nine

While Trade will have two DJs as part of one party, Number Nine will host two separate parties, one on each floor. The first floor is classic Number Nine, a more casual-style event with the countdown on TVs and a Champagne midnight toast. There will be no cover and doors open at 5 p.m. Upstairs will be hosted by Capital Sapphics for its second annual NYE gathering. Tickets (about $50) include a midnight Champagne toast, curated drink menu, sapphic DJ set by Rijak, and tarot readings by Yooji.

Crush

Crush will kick off NYE with a free drag bingo at 8 p.m. for the early birds. Post-bingo, there will be a cover for the rest of the evening, featuring two DJs. The cover ($20 limited pre-sale that includes line skip until 11 p.m.; $25 at the door after 9 p.m.) includes one free N/A or Crush, a Champagne toast, and party favors (“the legal kind”). More details on Eventbrite.

Bunker

This subterranean lair is hosting a NYE party entitled “Frosted & Fur: Aspen After Dark New Year’s Eve Celebration.” Arriety from Rupaul Season 15 is set to host, with International DJ Alex Lo. Doors open at 9 p.m. and close at 3 p.m.; there is a midnight Champagne toast. Cover is $25, plus an optional $99 all-you-can-drink package.

District Eagle

This leather-focused bar is hosting “Bulge” for its NYE party. Each District Eagle floor will have its own music and vibe. Doors run from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. and cover is $15. There will be a Champagne toast at midnight, as well as drink specials during the event.

Kiki, Shakiki

Kiki and its new sister bar program Shakiki (in the old Shakers space) will have the same type of party on New Year’s Eve. Both bars open their doors at 5 p.m. and stay open until closing time. Both will offer a Champagne toast at midnight. At Kiki, DJ Vodkatrina will play; at Shakiki, it’ll be DJ Alex Love. Kiki keeps the party going on New Year’s Day, opening at 2 p.m., to celebrate Kiki’s fourth anniversary. There will be a drag show at 6 p.m. and an early 2000s dance party 4-8 p.m.

Spark

This bar and its new menu of alcoholic and twin N/A drinks will host a NYE party with music by DJ Emerald Fox. Given this menu, there will be a complimentary toast at midnight, guests can choose either sparkling wine with or without alcohol. No cover, but Spark is also offering optional wristbands at the door for $35 open bar 11 p.m.-1 a.m. (mid-shelf liquor & all NA drinks).

Bars & Parties

Mixtape Sapphics hosts holiday party on Dec. 13

‘Sugar & Spice’ night planned for Saturday

Published

1 month ago

December 12, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

(Photo by New Africa/Bigstock)

Mixtape Sapphics will host “Sapphic Sugar & Spice: A Naughty-Nice Mixtape Holiday Party” on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 4 p.m. at Amsterdam Lounge.

This is a festive, grown holiday party for queer women and sapphics 35 and older at Revolt’s Christmas pop-up. There will be music, joy, and an optional White Elephant.

This is Mixtape Sapphics’ first-ever holiday party — a cozy, flirty, intentionally grounded night created just for queer women and sapphics 35+ who want real connection, festive joy, and a warm place to land at the end of the year.

Tickets start at $13.26 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.