If you’re looking to be more adventurous in the new year, embrace activities that you wouldn’t do on a typical weekend.
Start off by sipping on a brand new brew, then get competitive during a scavenger hunt and close out the weekend by jamming out to a music genre formed in your backyard.
Friday
Port City Lager Release: Doppelbock
As temperatures continue to drop, warm up with a malty brew and fire pit at Port City Brewing Company just across the river in Alexandria. The brewery will kick off the weekend with a new lager release called the Doppelbock, a strong and complex bock style beer. Enjoy homemade Puerto Rican bites like alcapurrias, which are beef filled plantain fritters, and Cubano sandwiches from food truck Bourinquen Lunch Box starting at 5:30 p.m. Then stick around for the live music from singer songwriter Taylor Carson starting at 7 p.m. You can also take a tour of Port City, the oldest packaging brewery in the D.C. area, which includes a flight of tastings and a look behind the scenes at what goes into crafting the perfect pint.
Port City Brewing Company. 3950 Wheeler Ave., Alexandria, Va. 3 to 10 p.m. Tickets $12.
Saturday
Murder at the Museum of American History Scavenger Hunt
You’ve been to the National Museum of American History, but you probably haven’t solved a murder mystery there. On Saturday, Watson Adventures will bring their traveling scavenger hunt to the District and invite you to use clues to solve a string of killings of museum staffers. Along the way you’ll encounter a long-lost invention of Benjamin Franklin, an explosive kitchen ingredient and a secret code you’ll need to crack to stop the slayings. Combine your love of riddles with a dash of history and let this quirky adventure spice up your Saturday.
Smithsonian National Museum of American History. 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. 2 p.m. Tickets $24.
Sunday
Junkyard Band and Flex Matthews at U Street Music Hall
Check out Junkyard Band, a locally formed band that has evolved from a group of kids playing on street corners to seasoned Kennedy Center performers. The band is known for the go-go sound, an ode to the city they got their start in. Junkyard Band keeps the “relentless rhythm” of go-go music alive. The music used to saturate bars and clubs on U Street, but has since become less popular. The Junkyard Band has opened for, performed with and backed-up artists like Tupac, Lauryn Hill and Salt-N-Pepa. The District’s own Flex Mathews will join the group on stage for a show that celebrates local talent.
U Street Music Hall. 1115A U St. NW. Doors 7 p.m. Tickets $15.
