Staying Fit
A record 21.9 million Americans visited Washington, D.C., in 2018 and it's easy to understand why: Washington is less hectic than Manhattan, less expensive than San Francisco and it's loaded with free world-class museums, plus wonderful restaurants, theaters and parks. And 2019 offers more than ever, with the nation's capital unveiling these exciting new attractions:
International Spy Museum
The museum, formerly in a smaller space near Chinatown, now has a spacious new 140,000-square-foot facility on the south side of the National Mall. It still features longtime popular items — such as James Bond's Aston Martin and the KGB “lipstick pistol” — along with cool additions, from an underground spy tunnel that ran below Berlin in the 1950s to thought-provoking exhibits on interrogation and mass surveillance. But the star attraction may be the building itself, located at L'Enfant Plaza, within walking distance of the National Air and Space Museum and the Wharf. With its eerie nighttime lighting and pleated glass, the angular, ultra-modern facility looks like something from, yes, a Bond movie.
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National Museum of History Fossil Hall
After a five-year, $125 million renovation, the Fossil Hall has reopened this month with a big new resident: the Smithsonian's first Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. Discovered by a Montana rancher in 1988, the T. rex is posed with a triceratops skeleton, which it's, well … eating (hey — that's what a T. rex does). The renovated 31,000-square-foot hall includes over 700 animal, insect and plant specimens and a fossil lab where visitors can view scientists as they work. Want to see more dinosaurs? If you have little ones in tow, head to the Smithsonian's National Zoo, which has six life-size animatronic dinosaurs placed throughout the park from June 1 through Aug. 31. The zoo is also hosting dinosaur puppet shows.
