Free Outdoor Concerts All Summer

The DC area is chock full of wonderful FREE outdoor concerts each summer. Outdoor concerts are a great way to relax with your family while exposing your kids to great music. Because you are outside, the kids don't have to sit still and be quiet. Of course, if you let them run wild you're likely to get the stink eye from other patrons, but they can get up and dance or walk around a bit while you sit back and enjoy a beautiful evening.

Be sure to pack a picnic basket and blanket! If the ground continues to be as saturated as it currently is, pick up one of those $1.99 shower curtain liners and put it down under your blanket to keep your bottoms dry.

Between Prince George's County and DC you can enjoy free outdoor music almost every day throughout the summer. The list below is arranged by day of the week.

Monday

The U.S. Navy Band plays on the West Front Steps of the U.S. Capitol each Monday at 8pm, weather permitting. Dates: June 22, 29; July 6, 13, 20, 27; August 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

Tuesday

The U.S. Air Force Band plays on the West Front Steps of the U.S. Capitol each Tuesday at 8pm, weather permitting. Dates: June 23; July 7, 14, 21; August 11, 25

Wednesday

Music on the Plaza takes place Wednesdays from 5pm-8pm at the University Town Center, 6500 America Blvd. in Hyattsville. Make sure you dress your kids appropriately so they can have fun in the shooting fountain--they won't be able to resist it on a hot evening! This series lasts through October.

The U.S. Marine Band plays on the West Front Steps of the U.S. Capitol each Tuesday at 8pm, weather permitting. Dates: June 24; July 8, 15, 22, 29; August 5, 12, 19, 26

Thursday

Watkins Regional Park, 301 Watkins Park Drive, Upper Marlboro, offers free concerts every Thursday from 7-8:30pm through August 13. Be sure to arrive early so you have time to take a ride on the fantastic miniature train or antique carousel as the rides end at 7pm.

Jazz-o-scope at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden begins Thursday, June 26 and continues through Thursday, Aug. 28 (no event Aug. 21), from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The concerts are held on the museum’s outdoor Plaza (weather permitting; otherwise Ring Auditorium), and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Friday

Montpelier Mansion (9652 Muirkirk Road & Route 197, Laurel) offers free concerts most Fridays through the summer on the west lawn of the mansion grounds. Concerts are offered at 7:30pm on June 26, July 10, July 24 and August 7. On Friday, July 17 at 8:30pm there will be a free family film (TBD) and on July 31 at 7pm you can enjoy a performance of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.

"Jazz in the Garden" Concerts take place every Friday from 5-8:30pm at National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden May 23–October 3, 2008 rain or shine!

The U.S. Army band plays on the West Front Steps of the U.S. Capitol each Friday at 8pm, weather permitting. Dates: June 19, 26; July 10, 24, 31; August 7, 14

Saturday

The town of Bowie offers free concerts on Saturdays at 2pm in the Town Green Park now through August 8. Genres include bluegrass, reggae, classic rock, jazz and folk/rock/country.

Sunday

The Bladensburg Waterfront Park (4601 Annapolis Road, Bladensburg) offers Arts at the Waterfront concerts with artists ranging from soul to African dance to jazz to Broadway each Sunday through August 16 from 6-7:30pm.


What did I miss? Be sure to add your favorite summer concert spot in the comments!


Pssst! Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY for 4 lawn seats to Bugs Bunny on Broadway at the Merriweather Post Pavilion!


Original post by Out by Ten. Thanks for reading!

Giveaway! "Bugs Bunny on Broadway" at the Merriweather Post Pavilion

Sure I get a kick out of Phineas and Ferb, have a little cartoon crush on Handy Manny and have a love/hate relationship with Elmo (aka toddler crack). But, they don't really hold a candle to characters like Bugs, Daffy and Elmer. You know, that whole Looney Tunes crew.

I can't think of a better way to introduce your kids to first-class classical music and the great cartoons of yesterday than Bugs Bunny on Broadway, performed by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the Merriweather Post Pavilion on July 11.

According to the press release:

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is going “Looney” on July 11, 2009 with “Bugs Bunny On Broadway,” the critically-acclaimed concert which showcases the world’s most beloved classic Warner Bros. Studios cartoons projected on the big screen overhead, while their original film scores are performed live, in perfect synchronization by The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Emmy Award-winning conductor George Daugherty will lead the orchestra as they take the stage at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Saturday July 11, 2009 at 8:30pm.

This unique concert will feature musical masterpieces of Wagner, Rossini, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, and others, as interpreted through the “hare-raising” cartoon scores of legendary Warner Bros. Studios composers Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn, in such iconic Looney Tunes as “What's Opera, Doc?,” “The Rabbit of Seville,” “Corny Concerto,” “Baton Bunny,” “Long-Haired Hare,” “High Note,” and many more.

Could it get any better? Why yes, yes it could! I've got 4 lawn tickets (an $80 value!) to give away to one lucky Out by Ten reader. Here's how to enter:

1) Leave a comment on this post by Thursday, July 2 at 5pm eastern time. To be a valid entry, you must include your e-mail address in the comment form (for my eyes only) or in your comment (public).

2) Earn an additional entry by leaving me a comment to let me know that you are a subscriber or follower of Out by Ten.

3) Earn yet another entry by tweeting about this contest and linking to your tweet in a comment. Sample tweet: Win 4 tickets to Bugs Bunny on Broadway at the Merriweather Post Pavilion! Enter here: http://tinyurl.com/mmyyzq

I'll use random.org to choose a winner from all valid entries. Good luck!


Congratulations to Kim of Passion and Art! Her comment was chosen as the winner by random.org.

Original post by Out by Ten. Thanks for reading!

Free and $1 Movies This Summer

Hopefully all this recent rain is behind us, but if it isn't I've got the perfect activity for a rainy June morning (or steamy hot July or August day!): free and $1 movies all summer!

That's right, beginning this week, AMC Theatres is offering Summer Movie Camp with $1 Wednesday matinees. And, next week, Regal Cinemas kicks off a summer of FREE G and PG films at 10am every Tuesday and Wednesday!

AMC Summer Movie Camp, $1 Wednesday matinees through August. Admissions proceeds benefit charity.

Here's the schedule:

June 17: Space Chimps

June 24: Kung Fu Panda

July 1: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

July 8: Tale of Despereaux

July 15: Horton Hears a Who

July 22: The Spiderwick Chronicles

July 29: Nim's Island

August 5: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

The Free Family Film Festival takes place at Regal theatre's across the county, but here's the schedule to our closest theatre. The listed G and PG movies play each Tuesday and Wednesday.

Bowie Stadium 14
15200 Major Lansdale Blvd.
Bowie, MD 20716
Phone 301-262-9133

06/23-06/24: The Tale Of Despereaux (G), Igor (PG)

06/30-07/01: Space Chimps (G), Alvin And The Chipmunks (PG)

07/07-07/08: Curious George (G), Inkheart (PG)

07/14-07/15: Horton Hears A Who (G), Madagascar 2: Escape To Africa (PG)

07/21-07/22: Kit Kittredge: American Girl (G), Spiderwick Chronicles (PG)

07/28-07/29: Everyone's Hero (G), Kung Fu Panda (PG)

08/04-08/05: Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (G), Star Wars: Clone Wars (PG)

08/11-08/12: Charlotte's Web (G), Barnyard (PG)

08/18-08/19: Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Veggie Tale Movie (G), Monster House (PG)

For additional theatres and show times click here.

And, I've got to give a big shout out to my getting-out-and-about blogging idol, Jessica at A Parent in Silver Spring, for first sharing this awesome free activity.

Original post by Out by Ten. Thanks for reading!

Kids' Restaurant Week, June 13-21

Abel and I love taking advantage of DC's restaurant week to return to old favorites or make a first time visit to some of area's best restaurants. But, we always have to book a sitter, making it an expensive night out on the town even with the fixed-price meals.

Thanks to a partnership between Cookie and Gourmet, however, we can save on the cost of the sitter without feeling like the other diners are looking on in horror that our 3yo is in the dining room! That's right, Kids' Restaurant Week is coming to DC June 13-21!

Here are the details:

Kids' Restaurant Week June 13-21, 2009

Select restaurants (see full listing here)

Fixed-price menus: Adults pay $29; Kids 11 and under pay their age (score for us with Lucas coming in at $3--that's cheaper than his usual favorite, Chick-fil-A!)

Early dinner seatings 5:00-7:00pm

A portion of local proceeds to benefit Eastern Market and Miriam's Kitchen

Original post by Out by Ten. Thanks for reading!

Cheverly Day!

Cheverly Day is just one of the many, many reasons that Cheverlites Cheveralians people who live in Cheverly believe that we live in the best town ever. Cheverly Day is an annual celebration of all things Cheverly and includes an East v West softball game, games for the young and old, amazing music, displays by town artists, and information tables from town organizations. Not to mention the incredible fireworks display that puts a fantastic cap on an fantastic day. (The word on the street is that the group that does our fireworks display is the same group that does the 4th of July on the National Mall. They use the Cheverly Day fireworks to practice some of the coolest new fireworks each year!)

If you live in Cheverly or nearby, Cheverly day is not to be missed! Here's the overall schedule of events and the schedule of live music.

Schedule of Events

8:30 Cheverly T-Ball Finals
10:15 T-Ball Awards Ceremony Main Stage
11:00 - 4:00 4 on 4 Basketball tournament Gym
11:00 Annual Cheverly East-West Softball Game field
11:00 - 6:00 PM Participant's Tables
11:30 Food Vendors Open
12:00 Obstacle Course near tennis courts
12:00 St. Ambrose Beer Garden Opens
12:00 - 4:00 Ultimate Game Party lower pavilion
1:00 - 5:00 Midway & Moon bounce Arena tennis courts
1:00 - 5:00 Watkins Park Live Animal Display: Raptors & Reptiles forest
9:00 Fireworks!

Live Music:

12:30 PM - 1:15 The Josh Taylor Band Jazz/Blues
1:30 - 2:20 Soul Revolver Rock 'n' Roll
2:35 - 3:20 Tuxedo Road Country/Folk
3:35 - 4:35 Hot Noodles Rock
4:50 - 6:00 The Alan Lewine Xtet Jazz
6:15 - 7:00 JohnStone Reggae Band Reggae
7:15 - 8:15 In Da Cut Jazz/Funk/R&B
8:45 Tuxedo Road


Original post by Out by Ten. Thanks for reading!

The National Arboretum

Multiple choice quiz: Where was this photo taken?
a) Greece
b) Italy
c) Washington, DC


The answer is c, Washington DC!


The United States National Arboretum in Northeast, DC is one of our most favorite places in the city. Located off of New York and Bladensburg Avenues, just a few miles from the Maryland line, the National Arboretum is yet another natural treasure in the city. We've been dozens of times and still haven't explored all that the National Arboretum has to offer. Our favorite spots, so far, are the koi pond just outside the visitor's center (we're always dying to feed the fish but without fail the food is always gone!) and the surrounding areas including the National Capitol Columns (pictured above), bonsai exhibits and boxwood and herb gardens. We also love to hike (really with a 3yo in tow, this is more like a leisurely stroll!) along the many paths.

Koi, you always seem so desperately hungry yet the sign says when the food
is gone you've had enough to eat. So sorry!

Amazing bonsai specimens

There many wonderful picnic spots and most of the grounds are shaded. We've never run into a crowd at the National Arboretum and often find ourselves in spots without another person in sight. The National Arboretum is also a great place to view some really lovely cherry blossoms in the spring--minus the massive crowds at the Tidal Basin.

If you've never been to the National Arboretum or if you haven't been there in a while, plan to visit soon. You won't be disappointed!

Additional information:

Website: http://www.usna.usda.gov/

Hours: The Arboretum grounds are open every day of the year except December 25 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.