The DC Traveler

The comedy troupe 500 Clown uses fast-paced improv combined with circus arts to create a “where the heck are they going?” action-based, highly-charged performance.  Lots of slapstick, planned and improved elements and audience inclusion that propels the performers into extremely physical and at times, high risk acrobatics.
The Elephant Deal explorers the gap between military life and civilian life in the United States. Taken from Man Equals Man and The Elephant Calf, it explores how the common man is transformed though the breaking and recreating of the recruit, from a civilian into the perfect fighting machine.

500 Clown and The Elephant Deal …read more

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When you mention a Parade of Lights to a pleasure boater, they know what exactly you mean.  You decorate your boat with lights and holiday decorations and take a slow harbor cruise so people can watch the brightly decorated crafts sail by.
This year, more than 50 power and sail boats should participate in annual Parade of Lights in suburban Alexandria, Virginia. Watch the floating parade along the Potomac River at the city’s historic waterfront.
Festivities also include pictures with Santa for small children. 
Holiday Boat Parade of Lights Alexandria’s Historic Waterfront at the foot of …read more

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Holiday shoppers dreaming of snow can find snow falling inside, yes…inside, Tysons Galleria shopping mall in Tysons Corner, Virginia, every day through Christmas Eve. 
In one of the areas “coolest” promotions to attract shoppers, from November 22 until Christmas Eve, “snow” will actually fall from the ceiling, inside the upscale shopping and dining mall.
The first “snow show” will begin daily at 11:00 a.m., falling from the top level and descend through all three levels of the mall. 
Santa is also on hand for kids to tell him what they want to see under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning.
And …read more

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Besides a three corn mazes spread out over 14 acres and over 6 miles of trails, Lawyer’s Winterbrook Farms, in suburban Maryland, offers something unique…a pumpkin cannon.
Using highly compressed air, the pumpkin cannon can project a pumpkin 100 yards at a target across a field. If you prefer something a little less deadly?  Try their double-barreled apple, small gourd and corn cannon.
And if you are looking for a few other Halloween ideas, check out some of my other family-friendly recommendations for Halloween, including a 9-acre corn maze in Midland, Virginia.

Lawyer’s Winterbrook Farms 13001 …read more

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Today, I’m writing about some ideas of fun Halloween activities for kid and the family, in and around Washington, DC.
Check back tomorrow for a list of some of the fun adult activities.
There are several great places for the kids. But be careful, some may not be appropriate for the very young. Check the links for address, directions, admission prices, and days and hours, which vary by venue.

First is the always popular and usually sold out Boo at the Zoo at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. Trick-or-treat along haunted trails, learn about bats spiders and other creepy and spooky …read more

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“Here’s a bold Cabernet Sauvignon I created last season. Can you taste the raspberries and the hint of lavender?” That might be something you proudly state at your next wine tasting or dinner party. 
But even if you don’t own your own vineyard or winery in the South of France, Tuscany or the Napa Valley, you can still serve friends a personally created wine from the micro-winery, Carafe Wine Makers in suburban Alexandria, VA.
The concept of a boutique micro-winery or “brew on premise” winery is big in Canada, where over 600 micro-wineries are operating. Carafe Wine Makers, a franchise company with …read more

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During my last trip to Las Vegas, I had the opportunity (thanks to my brother-in-law, Mac) to drive the super-fast Dodger Viper, with its 510 cubic inch, 600 hp engine.  It was an experience that still makes me smile.

And during a couple weekends over the fall, you too can experience driving not one high-priced super car, but four, all in one day. At the Capital Dream Cars – Power Driving Tour, get behind the wheel of four hot cars, that are out of reach to most drivers, for 3 hours of driving excitement.

The tour puts drivers behind the wheel of …read more

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Cross under the Lion Arch and listen for the Vietnamese pop music coming out of the shops, as you enter what’s called by many locals, “the heart and soul of DC’s Vietnamese-American community”.
The Eden Center is DC’s Vietnamese-centric shopping mall and community gathering place.  Located in suburban Falls Church, Virginia, about 20 minutes from downtown Washington, DC, it seems to caters almost exclusively to the Vietnamese community.
Close to 30 Vietnamese restaurants and phở soup shops, along with another 17 bakeries, delis and cafes, with not a Burger Kings or Subway in site, draw many people to come Eden Center for …read more

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The Bull Run Shooting Center in suburban Centreville, VA lets shotgun shooters looking to simulate the hunting experience and practice shooting targets without actually killing anything.
Skeet shooting and its related cousins, trap and sporting clays, is a competitive sport where participants try to break clay disks (pigeons). The neon colored “birds”  are flung into the air, at high speed, from a variety of positions on the shooting range. The shooter must quickly react, site and shoot at the pigeon with a shotgun.  The targets fly at different speeds, angles and trajectories, making it a challenging skill to learn.
The pigeons …read more

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Travel back in time to the period of King Henry VIII and watch non-stop entertainment on 8 stages, ranging from performances for children to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as well as swashbuckling pirate shows and William Tell…well…telling stories. 
All the the annual Maryland Renaissance Festival just out side of Annapolis, Maryland.  

Enjoy over 35 groups of musicians and dancers, or cheer for your favorite mounted knight during the exciting jousting match.  But don’t miss some of the faire’s classic Renaissance food – like the hot apple dumplings, steak-on-a-stake or a classic smoked turkey leg, fit for a king.
…read more

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