Family Program: (Ages 8 to 14) Go on an interactive exploration of the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. Then roll out your sleeping bag and dream away in the halls of one of the world’s most famous museums!

August 18 - 19, 2018, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.

Whether you’re looking for a trail that offers great scenery, history, family fun, or a challenge to your hiking skills, Renee Sklarew and Rachel Cooper, authors of 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Washington, D.C., know all the right spots for your fall excursions.

Wednesday, August 22, 2018 - 6:45 p.m.

Family Program: (Ages 8 to 12) Go on an interactive exploration of the Natural History Museum and participate in hands-on crafts projects and games. Then roll out your sleeping bag and dream away in the darkened halls of one of the world’s most famous museums!

August 24 - 25, 2018, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.

Family Program: (Ages 8 to 12) Go on an interactive exploration of the Natural History Museum and participate in hands-on crafts projects and games. Then roll out your sleeping bag and dream away in the darkened halls of one of the world’s most famous museums!

August 31 - September 1, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.

Regional historian Hayden Mathews explores the rich heritage of this lovely Eastern Shore town, focusing on both land and sea. The day includes a cruise on a replica of an 18th century vessel, as well as an historic-district walking tour guided by Chestertown’s mayor.

Sunday, September 9, 2018 - 8:00 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.

The rugged landscape of western North Dakota was the setting against which Theodore Roosevelt transformed himself from an asthmatic 24-year-old into a robust outdoorsman—and a passionate lifelong conservationist. Experience that corner of the West—filled with dramatic vistas, vividly colored canyons, and wandering herds of wild bison—on an extraordinary 5-day tour that brings you into the heart of Roosevelt’s Badlands and the national park that bears his name.

Depart from Bismarck, ND: Saturday, September 15, 2018 - 7:00 p.m.
Return to Bismarck, ND: Wednesday, September 19, 2018 - 1:00 p.m.

Hubble. Chandra. Spitzer. Kepler. Over the years, these and other space telescopes have revealed the wonders of the cosmos to scientists and other stargazers. Sam Quinn, an astronomer with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, tells us what new wonders might be revealed by those amazing eyes in the sky.

Monday, September 17, 2018 - 6:45 p.m.

For Smithsonian Associates members at the Promoter ($100) level or below: Join us as we feature the National Zoo’s Asian elephant herd—and welcome its newest member, Spike—at this much-anticipated annual event. Enter the zoo before it opens to the public, enjoy breakfast, get up-close looks at the animals, and take in the memorable sights and sounds of Smithsonian’s wonderful zoo.

Saturday, September 22, 2018 - 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

For Smithsonian Associates members at the Advocate ($175) level or above. Join us as we feature the National Zoo’s Asian elephant herd—and welcome its newest member, Spike—at this much-anticipated annual event. Enter the zoo before it opens to the public, enjoy breakfast, get up-close looks at the animals, and take in the memorable sights and sounds of Smithsonian’s wonderful zoo. This ticket option includes VIP access at the Mane Grill across from Lion and Tiger Hill from 8 to 9 a.m.

Saturday, September 22, 2018 - 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

For Smithsonian Associates members at the Advocate ($175) level or above. Join us as we feature the National Zoo’s Asian elephant herd—and welcome its newest member, Spike—at this much-anticipated annual event. Enter the zoo before it opens to the public, enjoy breakfast, get up-close looks at the animals, and take in the memorable sights and sounds of Smithsonian’s wonderful zoo. This ticket option includes VIP access at the Mane Grill across from Lion and Tiger Hill from 9 to 10 a.m.

Saturday, September 22, 2018 - 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

For Smithsonian Associates members at the Advocate ($175) level or above. Join us as we feature the National Zoo’s Asian elephant herd—and welcome its newest member, Spike—at this much-anticipated annual event. Enter the zoo before it opens to the public, enjoy breakfast, get up-close looks at the animals, and take in the memorable sights and sounds of Smithsonian’s wonderful zoo. This ticket option includes VIP access at the Mane Grill across from Lion and Tiger Hill from 10 to 11 a.m.

Saturday, September 22, 2018 - 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Regional historian Hayden Mathews explores the rich heritage of this lovely Eastern Shore town, focusing on both land and sea. The day includes a cruise on a replica of an 18th century vessel, as well as an historic-district walking tour guided by Chestertown’s mayor.

Sunday, September 23, 2018 - 8:00 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.

Ray Stanford, a self-taught fossil hunter, accidentally found the tracks of five dinosaur species in the parking lot of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. Stanford, who has tracked dinosaurs for 25 years, talks about the amazing diversity of fossils preserved within Maryland, from Ice-Age mammals to fossils hundreds of millions of years old.

Tuesday, September 25, 2018 - 6:45 p.m.

Kick off DC Outdoors, a new series of local hikes, by celebrating the centennial of Anacostia Park and the rich history of the riverfront community in Southeast Washington that borders it. The day includes hiking along some of the Anacostia’s most scenic spots.

Monday, October 8, 2018 - 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Described as a national treasure, the 15-mile stretch of the Potomac River from River Bend Park to Roosevelt Island is the focus of shooting assignments in this course. After a classroom orientation session, photographers record fall’s progress from both Maryland and Virginia locations in this beautiful and ecologically significant area.

Friday, October 12 to December 7, 2018 – 10:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. (no class Nov. 23)

Explore close-in sections of Virginia’s river-hugging Potomac Heritage Trail as you capture images of fall splendor on a series of outings for photographers who are experienced hikers.

Friday, October 12, 2018 - 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Morning hikes on Sunday, October 14 to November 11, 2018

Have you ever wondered why most alien life depicted on Star Trek strongly resembles us Earthlings? Come explore the possibility of humanoid or other forms of life on other planets with Mohamed Noor, a professor of biology at Duke University—and lifelong Trekkie!

Thursday, October 18, 2018 - 6:45 p.m.

As Halloween draws near, spend an evening with Christopher Skaife, the ravenmaster at one of the world's eeriest monuments. He’s responsible for the care of the Tower of London’s remarkable ravens, and he has some fascinating stories to share about one of the world’s most unusual jobs.

Wednesday, October 24, 2018 - 6:45 p.m.

British cosmologist, astrophysicist, and Astronomer Royal Martin Rees believes that, too often, our approach to what lies ahead is constricted by short-term thinking, polarizing debates, alarmist rhetoric, and pessimism. Drawing from his new book On the Future: Prospects for Humanity, Rees discusses how we can use science to solve critical problems while avoiding its dystopian risk.

Thursday, October 25, 2018 - 6:45 p.m.

Join an overnight tour to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, the 2,600-acre sanctuary that is the world’s first refuge for birds of prey and an international center for raptor conservation. Get a chance to see eagles, falcons, hawks, and osprey soaring high over a mountaintop preserve that glows with fall foliage.

Depart: Friday, October 26, 2018 - 7:30 a.m.
Return: Saturday, October 27, 2018 - 6:00 p.m.

Join Rachel Cooper and Renee Sklarew, authors of 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Washington, D.C., as they lead a fall excursion to the Lorton, Virginia, area to explore a trio of distinctive sites in Fairfax County: Mason Neck State Park, American statesman George Mason’s mansion Gunston Hall, and Lorton Workhouse Art Center.

Saturday, November 3, 2018 - 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Find out why Virginia’s caves never fail to dazzle visitors during a visit to realms of wonder eons in the making in the scenic Shenandoah Valley. With Gregg Clemmer as your guide, explore two of the region’s great caverns—Shenandoah Caverns and Luray Caverns—from their stone columns and draperies to jagged helectites and dog-toothed spars. 

Saturday, November 10, 2018 - 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.