DC tourism is in Panda-monium
With the return of Chinese pandas to the National Zoo, tourism is booming near the gayborhood.
Washington DC‘s most hotly anticipated tourist attractions aren’t national monuments, but they are a source of pride for the city. Bao Li and Qing Bao, three-year-old pandas on loan from China, are set to debut at the National Zoo later this month, and the town has been thrown into panda-monium.
Woodley Park, the neighborhood where the zoo is, is just north of the traditional gayborhood, Dupont Circle, and near Adams Morgan, one of the city’s nightlife strips. The pandemic shutdown severely hit it as businesses shuttered and tourism dropped when the zoo was closed.
Tourism plummeted even further when China took back the previous three pandas in 2023. A program between the two countries had been in place for 50 years to exhibit the beloved bears in the nation’s capital.
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“When they left, there was a notable decline, which is odd because there are so many animals at the zoo,” Yael Krigman, owner of the small sweetshop Baked By Yael, said. “But they’re iconic, a D.C. brand.” The bakery is directly across the street from the entrance to the zoo.
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Other businesses are also anticipating a tourism windfall. Duke’s Counter, a DC mainstay, is anxious for the rebound after years of slumped sales. The restaurant will offer a panda pop-up experience with green habitat-chic decor, panda-rita cocktails, photo-ready backdrops, and “bamboo everything,” like edible garnishes, sustainable straws and bathroom paper.
“We’re going top to bottom,” owner Daniel Kramer told Axios DC.
But hotels around the city are offering panda-themed packages to celebrate the return of the pandas, like the Watergate Hotel’s offering: panda-print pajamas, panda-themed treats, a panda stuffed toy, and round trip transportation to the zoo on the day the bears make their debut on January 24. The package costs $600 for a king-sized room.
If you plan on going out for drinks after a trip to the zoo, swing by Adams Morgan for the popular sports bars Pitchers and A League of Her Own, a two-story bar with the city’s only women’s bar. Both are within walking distance.
A little further away, but definitely worth a visit, is Thurst Lounge, one of the 2024 Best Bar nominees in the Best of Gaycities awards. Thurst is described as a “love letter to DC’s Black Queer community.”
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