What's Open, Reopening, Closed and Canceled in Washington, DC

Current Reopening Status
The city is currently in Phase Two of recovery, which allows many businesses to reopen. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that a recent pause during Phase Two has ended, which allows for indoor dining at restaurants to resume at 25% capacity (or no more than 250 people) and museums to reopen with no more than 250 people allowed per floor and no guided tours. The Mayor strongly encourages residents and visitors to be cautious and to limit their exposure to other people so as to limit the spread of COVID-19. 

The coronavirus pandemic has affected events, attractions and other businesses throughout the Washington, DC area.  Make sure to check out our list of reopened businesses and read below for more details on restaurants, attractions and museums, including helpful safety information.

Current Travel Requirements
The DC government currently requires visitors to test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of traveling (and to show results if asked by a business, hotel or restaurant); to avoid visiting if you are a close contact of a confirmed positive case; and to get tested within 3-5 days of arrival if you are visiting for more than three days. The city already requires individuals to socially distance and wear face coverings. Read more up-to-date information about traveling to the city to ensure the health and safety of visitors. 

Looking for upcoming events? While many in-person gatherings have been impacted, local businesses, museums and festivals are hosting virtual events, which we're tracking on weekdays and weekends.

Updated Jan. 22, 2021

What's Open/Reopening During Phase Two

Museums/Attractions

Many museums that have previously reopened have currently suspended operations, including eight Smithsonian museums, the National Gallery of Art and the Holocaust Museum. The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden and Enid A. Haupt Garden remain open. Outdoor spaces for museums may allow greater access. Employees and patrons should socially distance and wear face coverings at all times. Food service cafes and retail are allowed to open in line with industry standards. Guided tours and large group tours are not allowed. Read more. 

• The Hirshhorn has reopened its sculpture garden from 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. daily with two new sculptures. Make sure to review all safety protocols for visiting the garden. All Smithsonian Gardens will be closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 20.
• Dumbarton House's grounds are open every day from dawn to dusk for free. The museum is open Fridays-Sundays at limited capacity for self-guided tours. Guests must reserve timed tickets in advance and follow the museum’s updated safety procedures.
• George Washington's Mount Vernon is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., non-members should buy tickets online, guests and staff are required to wear face coverings and must social distance. 
• ARTECHOUSE is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Make sure to read its safety protocols before planning a trip.
• O Museum in The Mansion is open for lodging, outdoor dining and shopping; the garden is open for reservations as well.
• Lincoln's Cottage has reopened for exterior-only tours on Fridays through Mondays. Advance tickets are required.
• International Spy Museum will reopen on Saturday, Jan. 23. It will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. You must get advance tickets and abide by social distancing guidelines and mask requirements. Read more safety info.
• Museum of the Bible will reopen on Thursday, Jan. 28. It will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets, face masks and social distancing required. Use complimentary styluses on touchscreens. Read more "Thou Shalts".

Restaurants

Service is open for outdoor dining and carryout and delivery at restaurants, indoor dining will be suspended starting Dec. 23. Read more about the requirements for restaurants and check the status on outdoor dining options including beer gardens, patios and rooftop restaurants, as well as popular takeout and delivery options.

Parks/Gardens/Recreation

Dog parks, golf courses, parks, tennis courts, tracks and fields opened in Phase One. Capacity for public gatherings is at 50 people since the beginning of Phase Two reopening. Visitors should socially distance and remain 6 feet from one another. Recreation centers, bowling alleys, climbing gyms, squash or racquetball clubs, skating rinks and skateboard parks may open with a 50-person capacity or at 50 percent capacity in Phase Two. Playgrounds remain closed. Read more about the city's requirements and note that outdoor attractions like the National Park Service Sites, Monuments and Memorials at the National Mall and around the city remain open. You can also learn more about DC's parks and gardens and read details of currently reopened sites below.

• The Hirshhorn has reopened its sculpture garden from 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. daily with two new sculptures. Make sure to review all safety protocols for visiting the garden.
• The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has canceled all performances. The outdoor campus at THE REACH is accessible, including pop-up wine garden and cafe Victura Park, which is taking a short break for winter.
• Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with limited number of visitors, required social distancing and face coverings suggested. Onsite buildings and bathroom are closed. Learn more.
• National Museum of the Marine Corps remains closed, but its museum grounds, including Semper Fidelis Memorial Park and the playground, are open with safety measures. Learn more.
• The Smithsonian's Enid A. Haupt Garden and Hirshhorn sculpture garden are open from 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. daily with safety protocols in place. Learn more. Smithsonian Gardens will be closed on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, and Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2021.
• U.S. National Arboretum has reopened from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Learn more. 
• George Washington's Mount Vernon is open from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Read about the estate's safety protocols.
• The Fields at RFK Campus are open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends. Access includes the playground, fitness area and tables, but note occupancy is limited, visitors are asked to sanitize hands upon entry of the playground and all organized activities require a permit. Learn more.

Theaters/Cinemas/Entertainment Centers

These venues can open if granted a waiver to ensure social distance measures, contact tracing and other safety protocols by Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) to hold an arts, entertainment or cultural event. Read more about these requirements. Note that many area theaters are offering virtual programming - make sure to check our things to do for the week and weekend to review options.

Retail

Nonessential retail businesses are limited to 25 percent capacity as specified on their Certificate of Occupancy or 250 people including staff, whichever is fewer. Phase Two allows for personal services to open including hair and nail salons, massage and spas by appointment only and with strong safeguards and physical distancing in place. Many Made in DC shops offer online shopping with the option for curbside pickup. Barbershops and hair salons opened in Phase One with select services, Phase Two allows the reopening of tanning, tattoo, waxing, threading, electrolysis, cryotherapy, facial and other skin services and nail salons, requiring one client per employee, face coverings at all times and social distancing. Read more about the city's requirements for retailers and check out ways that you can support some of these local businesses in the District.

Hotels

If you find yourself in Washington, DC during this time and in need of a hotel, many DC-area hotels are open and ready to welcome guests. 

Transportation

The DC Circulator's National Mall route has been temporarily suspended, other routes will operate as normal. WMATA's enhanced cleaning measures include daily disinfecting of trains, buses and stations with mopping, wiping down high-touch surfaces or using electrostatic foggers. Metro has upped its deep cleaning of stations to four times that of the pre-Covid era. In addition, Metro launched new touch-free SmarTrip service for iPhone and Apple Watch devices, becoming the first rail system in the U.S. to offer a full service, touch-free payment option at every single stop.

Metro has restored most rail and bus service to pre-Covid levels across the region in the largest – and likely most complex – service change in the system's 44-year history. To support the effort, thousands of frontline Metro employees transitioned to new work schedules as the region continued its gradual recovery and attracted more customers.

Metrorail service changes took effect Sunday, August 16, including the restoration of Silver Line service for the first time since Memorial Day. Six Fairfax County stations reopened following planned summer work, resulting in 87 of 91 Metrorail stations open for customers. Wait times are reduced dramatically, with trains running every 8 minutes on each line during rush hours, and every 12 minutes on the Red Line and 15 minutes the Orange, Blue, Silver, Green, and Yellow Lines during off-peak times. Trains are arriving more frequently at stations served by more than one line.

On Sunday, August 23, new Metrobus schedules took effect across the region, including the restoration of bus service on routes that have not had service in months, adding significantly more frequent service on almost every line.
For more information, visit wmata.com. 

What's Closed

• 9:30 Club - Closed to the public until further notice.

• 9:30 Club Presents at U Street Music Hall - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Anderson House - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Arena Stage - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Atlas Performing Arts Center - Closed until further notice, but check its marquee for inspiring social justice messages. 

• Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Big Bus Tours' hop-on, hop-off National Mall tours are currently unavailable. 

• Black Cat - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Capital One Arena - Closed to the public until further notice.

• The Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum - Closed to the public until further notice.

• DAR Museum - Closed to the public until further notice.

• DC Armory - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Entertainment and Sports Arena - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Festival Grounds at RFK Campus - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Ford's Theatre Closed to the public until further notice. Virtual, live, interactive and on-demand distance-learning programs continue at Ford's Theatre's website.

• Gateway DC - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Glenstone Museum - Closed to the public until further notice. 

• Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens - Closed to the public beginning Dec. 24

• International Spy Museum - Closed through Jan. 22, 2021.

• The Kreeger Museum - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Library of Congress - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Lincoln Theatre - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Madame Tussauds - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Museum of the Bible - Closed through Jan. 27, 2021.

• National Building Museum - Closed to the public until further notice.

• National Children's Museum - Closed to the public until further notice.

• National Geographic Museum - Closed to the public until further notice.

• National Law Enforcement Museum - Closed to the public until further notice.

• National Museum of the Marine Corps - Closed to the public until further notice. The museum grounds, including Semper Fidelis Memorial Park and the playground, will remain open.

• National Museum of Women in the Arts is closed through March 2.

• National Portrait Gallery - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Old Post Office Tower - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Pentagon Tours - Closed to the public until further notice.

• The Phillips Collection - Closed to the public until further notice. 

• Planet Word - Closed to the public until further notice.

• R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Renwick Gallery - Temporarily closed as of Nov. 23 until further notice.

• RFK Stadium - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Skate Park at RFK Campus - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Smithsonian American Art Museum - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Smithsonian National Museum of American History - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Smithsonian's National Zoo - Closed to the public until further notice.

• The Anthem - Closed to the public until further notice.

• The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts - All performances are canceled. Access to the outdoor campus at The REACH and Victura Park pop-up.

• The National Gallery of Art - Closed to the public until further notice. 

• The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Tudor Place - Closed to the public until further notice. 

• U.S. Capitol Building, House and Senate office buildings - Closed to the public until further notice.

• U.S. National Archives - Closed to the public until further notice.

• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Walter E. Washington Convention Center - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Washington National Cathedral - Closed to the public until further notice.

• Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company - Closed to the public until further notice.

Canceled/Postponed Events & Festivals

• The Washington Ballet's Swan Lake - Postponed until May 2021

• Rock 'n' Roll Marathon - Canceled, returning in 2021

• Broccoli City Festival - Canceled, returning in 2021

• Funk Parade - Canceled this year

• Awesome Con - Canceled, returning in 2021

• Capital Pride - All events postponed, launched virtual #StillWe Pride

• By the People Festival - 2020 edition canceled

• Marine Corps Marathon - Will go virtual this year

• Enchant Christmas - Canceled for 2020