When you take a trip to the nation’s capital, you know you’re in for a lot of history, government buildings and museums. You’ll obviously spend some time on the National Mall seeing the monuments, walking through the awesome, free Smithsonian museums, maybe even going on a scheduled tour of the U.S. Capitol Building.

But what about the unconventional, non-touristy, things to do in DC — the things that might not make the list of top things to do lists (check out our 50 Things to Do in Washington DC list!), but will definitely add local flavor and a unique flare to your trip?

Savored Journeys writer, Laura Lynch, has you covered. Below you’ll find the best non-touristy things to do in Washington DC – things that locals do – that will get you off the National Mall and into the real side of DC.

Non-Touristy Things to Do in Washington DC.

These activities will get you off the beaten path and show you a side of DC most people don’t see. Most of these activities can be reached via metro, but some may be easier with a car, or a quick taxi ride.

When you’ve had your fill of monuments and history, take a break from the norm and go a brewery tour of some of the city’s best breweries. DC has enjoyed a burgeoning beer scene over the past few years and you can now find plenty of great breweries in the city, including the first brewery to brew and distribute here, DC Brau, along with Atlas Brew Works, Bluejacket Brewery, and Capital City Brewing. There are tons – look them up and try a few!

If you have time, head out to Port City Brewery in Alexandria, VA, one of the best in the area and super popular with the locals. Best to visit there on the off-peak times though. I can get packed! They have great beers to sample in their tasting room every day, and a brewery tour, available on Thursday-Sunday (reservations recommended!). The tour costs around $12 and includes 6 tasters of beer. To get there by public transportation, take the metro to King Street and catch an Uber.

Explore the Local (and Ethnic) Food Scene

Washington DC is a fantastic food city. There are so many new restaurants opening every day, including hot spots like Rose’s Luxury, where you might have to wait in a really long line to get in! Not only will you find hot restaurants by Top Chef contestants like Mike Isabella’s Kapnos and Graffiato (both of which I love), you’ll also find a plethora of ethnic cuisines. Ethiopian is especially popular and you can find an enclave of great Ethiopian restaurants in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. In Washington DC, you can easily eat around the world without ever leaving the city. To decide where to go, see this list by Maria Abroad for the best ethnic restaurants in Washington DC.

I’m also a huge fan of city food tours. It’s a great way to get to know the city, its culture and its restaurants, and can also provide you with a road map for eating during the rest of your vacation. Check out this food tour in the U Street neighborhood, which blends history and food in one of the coolest areas of town. You’ll be regaled with history, info about the food culture of the area and of course you’ll eat a ton of food. And don’t forget the cocktails. Check out this really fun evening cocktail tour!

National Monuments at Night

Okay, so this is a typical tourist activity, but it’s really fun and is a unique experience that you’ll remember and cherish a lot more than the usual way of doing it. Most tourists visit the monuments during the day, when there are huge crowds, daytime heat and very little ambiance. If you wait until night to tour the monuments, you’ll find way less people, a nice cool breeze (unless it’s winter, of course) and the monuments are all lit up at night, which makes the experience so much more amazing.

One of the things I love to do is take a blanket to the Jefferson Memorial and have a picnic or just hang out on one of the pillars at the corners of the stairs. You can stare out at the gorgeous night lights across the Potomac with the towering, illuminated presence of Jefferson at your side.

Logan Circle

If there is one neighborhood that has re-gentrified itself beyond recognition in a very short time, it’s Logan Circle. A new high-end restaurant, cafe or trendy specialty shop opens there seemingly every week. Speaking of restaurants, this is where you want to make all of your dinner reservations, at top spots like Birch & Barley, Masa 14, Churchkey and Le Diplomate (don’t miss weekend brunch here!).

It’s a busy area with beautiful old townhouses to gawk at, a lovely park and fountain in the center of the circle and lots of bar and restaurant hopping to do. You’ll almost feel like a local here. Just try to act like one and you’ll fit right in. There are metro stations nearby, but it’ll require a short walk, as Logan Circle doesn’t have its own metro stop.

Mitsitam Cafe at Museum of the American Indian

When you’re walking around the Smithsonian museums and hiking what seems like miles to get from one side of the National Mall to the other, you’ll work up a crazy appetite and then not find any restaurants in the vicinity for lunch. Don’t eat at a boring museum cafe, head over to the Museum of the American Indian (on the Capitol Building side of the mall).

The museum itself is worth a visit if you have the time, but it’s the Mitsitam Cafe here that will amaze you. Mitsitam features indigenous food from around the Western Hemisphere, divided into different regions. Each menu item reflects the food and cooking techniques from the region featured. You can eat entirely from one region or mix and match, plus they have a chef’s tasting experience.

Union Market

Located on 5th St NE in a busy warehouse area off New York Avenue, Union Market is a year-round local market featuring artisan products, food purveyors, and amazing food options from established and pop-up restaurants. Grab some food and relax at one of the communal indoor eating areas or cafe-style outdoor seating. It’s a fun place. to enjoy an afternoon.

Peruse the unique products and sampling food from each of the vendors, including fresh shucked oysters from Rappahannack Oyster Bar, creative sodas like the grapefruit rosemary or lemon lavender at Buffalo & Bergen, Korean kimchi tacos at TaKorean and homemade ice cream at Trickling Springs Creamery. Just make sure you go there hungry or you’ll regret it. The market is closed on Mondays, but open the rest of the week from 11am-8pm. There’s no metro in the immediate area, so you’ll need to drive or take a taxi.

Eastern Market

DC’s original food and art market, Eastern Market is now in its 31st year of service and still going strong. Located in the middle of the Capitol Hill neighborhood, the market features fresh food, community events, and on weekends, local farm-fresh produce and handmade arts and crafts that stretch into outdoor stalls and fills the neighborhood with activity. Like Union Market, it’s just a fun place to walk around and enjoy the local products and mingling with the locals.

H Street Corridor

I love the way the H Street Corridor has completely changed over the last decade. It underwent a major regentrification that turned it into a really fun place to hang out in the city.  Today it’s home to some of the best places to check out new art, with the growing number of art offerings, like City Gallery and Studio H Gallery. If you’re not into art, don’t worry, there’s lot of other things to do. The area has also become a hotspot for cafes and trendy restaurants, top music venues like The Rock and Roll Hotel, and a rowdy nightlife.

We recommend eating at Sally’s Middle Name, and there’s even a 3rd location of the iconic Ben’s Chili Bowl on H Street now. You can get there by way of the NOMA and Union Station Metro stops or by taking the DC Streetcar.

The Torpedo Factory Art Center

If you’re in to art – especially by local artists – you must make the journey to Old Town Alexandria for a look around the Torpedo Factory. The Torpedo Factory is three floors packed with over 80 local artists’ studios, many of whom will be hard at work on their latest creation while you’re visiting. It’s a rare opportunity to see the work in progress, talk to the artists themselves and peruse the art they have on display and for sale. They are open to the public most days from 10am-6pm.

The Torpedy Factory is located on the banks of the Potomac River in Old Town Alexandria (105 N Union St, Alexandria, VA). While you’re there, make sure you wander around Old Town Alexandria for a while (see below). There are tons of cool things to do there.

Old Town Alexandria

There is so much to see and do in Old Town Alexandria. While a bit removed from the downtown core, it’s definitely worth the trip. You can get to the beginning to the Old Town area by taking the metro to King Street (don’t expect to find parking) and beginning your walk south from there, or take the free trolley if you’d rather not walk. You’ll find dozens of shops to browse albeit expensive ones, plenty of sidewalk cafes and some great restaurants. I love Sonoma Cellar, especially for Taco Tuesday and Wine Down Wednesday.

At the end of the street is the Potomac River Harbor that’s packed full of boats and has amazing views and even a few restaurants where you can dine and enjoy the sunset. Chart House is an absolutely must!

Gravelly Point Park

There is a small grassy park less than half a mile from Reagan National Airport, along the George Washington Memorial Parkway, where you can hang out and watch the planes take off and land. It’s actually one of the best parks I’ve been to for this type of activity because it’s a nice park where you can spread out a blanket, have a picnic, hang out with friends, etc. It can get super noisy when the planes are overhead, and the ground shakes a little, but it’s definitely a one-of-a-kind experience worth having.

Kayaking on the Potomac River

If you’re hanging out in Georgetown, you may catch a glimpse of people kayaking on the Potomac River. You can rent a kayak from the Key Bridge Boathouse and take it along the waterway to get a unique glimpse at the Georgetown waterfront, Roosevelt Island (where many locals have never even been), and the underbelly of the Key Bridge itself.

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