Eat, Play, Win
At Maryland’s new $1.4 billion MGM National Harbor casino and hotel, you can bet on a weekend filled with fine food, good entertainment and—if you’re lucky—big winnings. Opened in December, the region’s first luxury gaming resort overlooks the Potomac River in Oxon Hill and has 308 guest rooms and suites and a 125,000-square-foot casino. The more than a dozen culinary offerings include Voltaggio Brothers Steak House, the first joint venture for brother chefs Bryan and Michael Voltaggio; a seafood restaurant from chef José Andrés called Fish; Pappas Crab Shack (on Oprah’s “Favorite Things” list); and Bellagio Pâtisserie, a European-inspired pastry shop with a 26-foot-tall chocolate fountain.
The resort’s 3,000-seat Theater at MGM National Harbor will host an array of entertainment, from concerts and comedy acts to Ultimate Fighting Club events and boxing matches. Additional draws include a spa, a conservatory with seasonal botanical displays, and an art collection that features “Portal,” a sculpted iron archway designed by Bob Dylan. A heated outdoor infinity-edge pool is scheduled to open this spring. 7100 Oxon Hill Road, Oxon Hill; 844-646-6847, mgmnationalharbor.com
Take the Kids
Stave off the winter blues with an Africa-themed swim and slide adventure. The 457-room Kalahari resort, which opened in 2015, brings the spirit of Africa to the Poconos through piped-in Cape Town music, morning brew made from Rwandan coffee beans, a gift shop full of original crafts and waterslides named after places in Africa. Whirl through the vortex-shaped Tanzanian Twister waterslide, or try surfing on FlowRider. Tiko’s Watering Hole has tamer, toddler-friendly slides. All are part of the 100,000-square-foot indoor water park, topped with a retractable roof. Kalahari’s offerings will expand this spring when the second phase opens and the resort becomes the largest indoor water park in the country, spanning 220,000 square feet. 250 Kalahari Blvd., Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania; 570-580-6000; www.kalahariresorts.com/pennsylvania
Revel in the Revolutionary War
American history buffs (and Hamilton: An American Musical fans) won’t want to miss the new American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. An investment of roughly $50 million transformed the site of the former Yorktown Victory Center into a new 80,000-square-foot museum complete with costumed interpreters, artillery demonstrations, some 500 artifacts on display and a Revolution-era farm. The film “Liberty Fever” tells the story of the Revolution from multiple perspectives (patriots, loyalists, women, soldiers, American Indians and African-Americans), while a 4-D theater immerses you in “The Siege of Yorktown,” complete with wind, smoke and the sound of cannon fire. Admission is $12; $7 ages 6-12. 200 Water St., Yorktown, Virginia; 757-253-4838; www.historyisfun.org