National Harbor

The Gaylord Lights Up At Night

The Gaylord Resort in National Harbor had officially been open 25 days when I visited to get some updates for this column. If you are a regular reader, you will remember that we published information garnered from the marketing team at the resort in June with what we could expect when they re-opened the doors on July 1st and the majority of their plans came to fruition.

#Potomac Lights

The most impressive, in my opinion, is the Potomac Lights illuminated river walk that is running through the 18th of this month. I am hoping they keep it going all summer but they may have other fun plans for the beautiful waterfront space up their sleeves. The photos that are featured here don’t do the “show” justice since 90% of the displays have moving parts. (Check out the Old Town Crier website/blog for some video footage.)

There are 11 locations along the self-guided walk with interactive giant glow stones, an illuminated puzzle, and lots of lighting art. The light show that appears on the exterior of the Atrium is very impressive but way too technical for my photo taking capabilities so you will have to check it out in person. Even though the display is at its most impressive at night, it is well worth checking out during the day. There are some really interesting and beautiful new works of art throughout the grounds and lots of comfortable seating areas where you can spend some down time just taking it all in. One of my new favorites is the BIG BLUE CHAIR! It is a perfect place for a photo op!

Replay at Pose Rooftop Lounge

Pose was initially set up to be the Harbors “Night Club” when the resort first opened, however it never really took off and it has gone through more than one “make over” in the last 10+ years. This last revamp may be a good concept since they have turned the space into a place for the popular “Pop Up” concept. At the moment it is home to REPLAY - a retro themed 80’s pop up that is family friendly by day and adult friendly by night! You will find some pretty ramped up milkshakes (both kid and adult versions) and other “boozy beverages” along with some retro arcade games – think Pong, Rubik’s Cube, etc. The décor is pretty clever as well. Who doesn’t want to sit in a bright red lip shaped love seat? REPLAY has a wrap-around balcony that offers great views of the riverfront and it was touted that you could view #Potomac Lights from said balcony but it appears that unless you are a VIP guest with access to the top floor, that isn’t the case. I was there on a Sunday night so that may have had something to do with not having access to the VIP section. Regardless, it is a fun stop by day or night.

It is so good to have the Gaylord back up and running even on a limited basis. As of this writing there are still only two food options – the very casual Market Place (open daily) and the upscale Old Hickory Steakhouse (open ThursSun). At the time of this writing, neither National Pastime nor Pienza are open but it is my understanding that both locations are being renovated and will open later in the year. The Belvedere Lounge is up and running and that is probably my favorite place in the hotel. Still the best place to take in the nightly fountain and light show and to have an adult beverage while doing some serious people watching. I also have it on “good authority” - don’t you just love when someone says that - that Christmas on the Potomac is coming back BIGGER and BETTER this year. My inside source says we will know more later in the summer.

Activities in the Harbor in general are getting back in the swing of things and that is a good sign. Let’s make sure we keep this pandemic under control so we don’t have to revert back to the situation we were in this time last year! Get vaccinated and wear a mask at all times if you don’t. You owe that to your community and your fellow visitors. Stay cool….