New Series – Museum Minute by Elle O’Flaherty Vol 1 – Hillwood Estate

Have you been to Hillwood Estate? This Friday night might be the perfect time to go when Hillwood hosts Divas Outdoors, a screening of Queen Bee in conjunction with Capitol Pride week.  Drinks will be for sale and competitive picnicking is on tap with a prize for the best/most lavish set-up.  Tickets are $15 ($10 under 18) and include entry to the mansion [4155 Linnean Avenue, NW]

Snuggled up against Rock Creek Park, Hillwood would make a great daytime date or interesting brunch spot as the cafe serves lunch and adult beverages.  I can’t vouch for the food, but it’d certainly be off the beaten path.  The lavish grounds and mansion are a photographer’s paradise with a 50’s era Mad Men-style putting green, Japanese garden, Russian house, and creepily elaborate pet cemetery, among many others.  Inside, the mansion is a monument to what a person buys when she’s run out of things to buy.  If super lavish gardens and Faberge eggs aren’t your thing, you might want to skip this one.  Otherwise, this is an often overlooked gem that’s worth it for a walk around the grounds alone.