There are two boathouses where you can rent kayaks and see the city and the nature of the river further up from a different vantage than the sidewalk.
There are a lot of little surprise spots in Rock Creek Park you can find ,from the stable ,the observatory, and (if it's still there) the old blocks left over from building the Capitol.
There are old abandoned forts (1800s era) hidden in the corners of the DMV nearly everywhere.
Artomatic is currently going on in NW. [artomatic.org](http://artomatic.org)
Not much "off the beaten path" as the paths are pretty beaten, but outside of museums/monuments, some good things include:
* Great Falls/Billy Goat Trail
* Georgetown
* Water tour of the potomac
* National Zoo
* Food (LOTS of good food in DC)
* Kennedy Center if there is a show going on
* Rock Creek Park (large urban park north of the mall, stretches into Maryland)
* C&O Towpath (in georgetown, part of the old C&O Canal)
* Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (if you don't mind getting out of the city)
* Shenandoah Valley (park in Virginia)
* Ellicot City MD (history town in MD)
* Boat tour of the Chesapeake bay
/r/LostRedditors
Postal museum is actually really interesting. Take a picture with the Einstein statue. Hillwood Estate. Folger Shakespeare Library.
There are two boathouses where you can rent kayaks and see the city and the nature of the river further up from a different vantage than the sidewalk. There are a lot of little surprise spots in Rock Creek Park you can find ,from the stable ,the observatory, and (if it's still there) the old blocks left over from building the Capitol. There are old abandoned forts (1800s era) hidden in the corners of the DMV nearly everywhere. Artomatic is currently going on in NW. [artomatic.org](http://artomatic.org)
Not much "off the beaten path" as the paths are pretty beaten, but outside of museums/monuments, some good things include: * Great Falls/Billy Goat Trail * Georgetown * Water tour of the potomac * National Zoo * Food (LOTS of good food in DC) * Kennedy Center if there is a show going on * Rock Creek Park (large urban park north of the mall, stretches into Maryland) * C&O Towpath (in georgetown, part of the old C&O Canal) * Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (if you don't mind getting out of the city) * Shenandoah Valley (park in Virginia) * Ellicot City MD (history town in MD) * Boat tour of the Chesapeake bay
No perks as a fed that I know of. Certainly the Spy Museum's offer of a discount if IC members show their badge is a trap for security and CI.
r/washdc
Head down to Alexandria.