I’m back in DC for the summer and I’m determined to make the most of it! I’m working on the weekdays but I have the full weekends to do all of the fun things in DC on my bucket list. I don’t know where I’ll end up next summer and after I graduate, so this may very well be my only summer in DC! I always have a long list of things I want to do in DC during the semester and I just never get round to doing any of them because it just gets so busy, so this is my chance!

Here’s my DC summer bucket list:

1. Jazz in the Sculpture Garden – every Friday there are free jazz concerts in the Sculpture Garden, but you do have to register beforehand. What could be better than grabbing a blanket, listening to jazz, and decompressing after a long week?
2. Visit the Dupont Circle Farmers Market – I actually went to this farmers market at the beginning of the fall semester, but I didn’t have a kitchen last year so I couldn’t take advantage of all the fresh produce there! The market runs from 8:30-1:30 on Sundays and I can’t wait to check it out this summer!
3. Spend a morning at Kramers – Kramers is a bookstore and restaurant in Dupont Circle. I love wandering around bookstores and would spend the perfect lazy weekend morning browsing books and grabbing a bite from the restaurant.
4. Scooter around the Monuments – I did this last summer, but I definitely want to do it again this summer! You can pick up a scooter from the National Mall and make your way around the monuments – so much quicker than walking!
5. Visit Union Market – Union Market is basically a huge food market and they also have a few stores there too. They have a bunch of outdoor seating, and I think it would be the perfect place to grab a meal with friends on the weekend.
6. Grab a matcha at Blue Bottle Coffee and read a book – it’s no secret that Blue Bottle coffee is one of my favorite places in the world (please sponsor me). The Georgetown location is right by the canal and I would love to grab a matcha on a sunny morning and sit outside by the canal and read a book!
7. Go kayaking or paddle boarding on the Potomac – I love running alongside the Potomac and seeing all the crew teams and people kayaking in the river. I think renting a kayak or paddle board and spending a summer afternoon on the Potomac would be so much fun, as long as you don’t fall in!
8. Visit the Georgetown Flea Market – every Sunday there’s a flea market in Georgetown full of antiques and other bits and bobs.
9. Visit the National Arboretum – the National Arboretum has the most beautiful gardens! I visited when I was here for a week last summer, and my one piece of advice would be to put bug spray on if you don’t want to get eaten alive by mosquitos and to take plenty of water because it gets so hot and humid!
10. Experience DC Restaurant Week – restaurant week is at the end of the summer from August 9-15 so it would be the perfect time to try some of the restaurants that are always on my list!
11. Go to an outdoor movie – there are a lot of outdoor movie spots around DC this summer and quite a few of them are free!
12. Visit the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens – I’ve seen so many photos of the water lilies at the aquatic gardens and I’m determined to go visit sometime this summer! The gardens have free admissions and free parking.
13. Visit a swimming hole near DC – who knows if I’ll actually end up doing this one, but I’ve always wanted to visit a lake or a swimming hole in the summer! It’s a very American-summer-movie activity, and I definitely want to try it sometime!
14. Picnic at the National Cathedral – maybe it’s the Brit in me, but I love a good picnic and a friend of mine had a picnic outside the National Cathedral a few months back, and ever since I’ve been inspired!

And that’s my DC summer bucket list! If you have any other recommendations of things that should be added to this list, leave them in the comments!

See you next week,