• Not to mention all the free Smithsonian museums, a godsend for getting visitors out of the house.

Here, five only-in-D.C. ways to make the most of your Thanksgiving weekend:

🦃 Get your turkey fried — for free!

Medium Rare's turkey fry draws hundreds of people to the Cleveland Park restaurant on Thanksgiving. BYO thawed bird (11am-4pm), sip cider and catch the parade while the chefs handle the hot oil.

• Bonus: Suggested donations benefit Feed the Fridge.

🐼 See ZooLights

Tickets go live Nov. 15 for one of the city's best holiday light shows ($9, free for members).

• The National Zoo glows nightly starting Nov. 21 with animal lanterns, music and cocoa.

🎄Tour "Season's Greenings"

The U.S. Botanic Garden flips the switch on Thanksgiving Day, filling the conservatory with poinsettias, twinkling lights and D.C. landmarks made from plants.

• This year's botanical choo-choo train theme: "Dino-mite."

🕯️Step back in time

Mount Vernon's candlelight tours ($33-$41) begin the day after Thanksgiving, offering 18th-century holiday stories and a peek inside George Washington's mansion after dark.

🍻 Go out until 4 am

Select D.C. bars and restaurants can pour until 4am Nov. 26–30, making for an epic Drinksgiving.

• Pro tip: Maybe save this one until after the family meal.