Ring In The Holidays DC Cool-Style: Washington Shines Throughout The Season

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Washington, DC dazzles throughout the holiday season. Destination DC, the official tourism and marketing office for the nation's capital, helps visitors and locals plan unforgettable holidays with ease. Find round-ups of must-try menus, holiday spectaculars and a full calendar of events on Washington.org. Get the insider scoop on cozy fireplaces, outdoor skating rinks and the newly reopened Renwick Gallery on DCcool.com. There's also a real-time concierge service (1-800-422-8644 between 9am-5pm EST) and lively social channels for trip-planners in need of tailored suggestions and inspiration for staycations, long weekends and more.

"The nation's capital is rich in holiday traditions like the lighting of the National Christmas tree, a visit with Panda Claus at the National Zoo, and a sing-along Messiah at the Kennedy Center," said Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC. "Everyone's seasonal favorites are unique and DC satisfies them all: blockbuster art exhibitions, celebrations on and off the National Mall and a shopping throughout our distinctive neighborhoods."

Visitors to Washington.org are invited to:

• Book hotel rooms and packages, including discounts up to 20% off hotels.
• Find 50+ festive events - more than one for every day in December!
• Connect with in-house experts, locals and soon-to-be travelers across our social channels for up-to-the-minute trip advice. Washington, DC's official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts are packed with inspiration and user generated tips compiled with #MyDCcool.
• Just in time for the holidays, users of the Emoji DC app will be gifted with 16 new stickers.

Whether visitors are planning family fun or a romantic holiday escape, the District's unique holiday line-up is sure to please.

Ice Skating: Try any (or all) of DC's three outdoor rinks, open November-March, weather permitting: Georgetown Harbour; Yards Park at the Capitol Riverfront and inside the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden.

Holiday Displays and Lights Galore: The District spruces up with boughs and bows, decorated trees and of course lights. Among the elaborate displays ZooLights at the National Zoo; candlelit tours of George Washington's Mount Vernon; the Capitol Christmas Tree on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol; the National Christmas tree on the Ellipse; Georgetown Glow, the city's only curated exhibition of contemporary light-art installations dot the historic riverfront neighborhood and the National Menorah will be lit on the Ellipse throughout Hanukah. 

Shopping: DC is a rich in world-class holiday shopping, from the luxury offerings in the Penn Quarter and Friendship Heights to the boutique-filled streets of Georgetown, CityCenterDC and 14th Street corridor, and the carefully chosen offerings inside the museums and galleries such as the National Building Museum, the Phillips Collection and the National Gallery of Art. The spirit of a traditional European holiday market imbues both the Downtown Holiday Market at 8th and F streets NW in front of the Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery and Parcel at Canal Park in Capitol Riverfront.

Music & Theater: Washington, DC's cultural calendar is studded with concerts, ballets, and holiday-perfect plays and musicals sure to keep audiences in a holiday mood. The season brings a host of festive favorites to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as well as the Washington Ballet's version of The Nutcracker at the Warner Theatre and A Christmas Carol at historic Ford's Theatre.

Hotels: The District's hotels get decked out for the season. Among the spectacular lobbies: Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown Hotel; the Willard InterContinental and the Marriott Marquis Washington DC which will debut a life-size gingerbread house. The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown is throwing cupcake decorating parties, Dec. 6 and 13 hosted by Katherine Kallinis Berman and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne, co-founders of Georgetown Cupcakes. For every dozen decorated, the hotel will donate one meal to Georgetown Ministries.

Find more upcoming events, exclusive hotel packages, special performances and values for wintertime visitors on Washington.org.

About Destination DC: Destination DC, the lead destination marketing organization for the nation's capital, is a private, non-profit membership organization of more than 850 businesses committed to marketing the area as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic communities. www.washington.org.

SOURCE Destination DC

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