In the Crystal City Water Park’s first year post-renovation, it has “emerged as one of the most unique destinations” of the D.C. region.
That’s according to Tracy Sayegh Gabriel, the president and executive director of the National Landing BID.
A longtime community gathering spot, the water park underwent major renovations in 2022 to become an outdoor food hall. These added several restaurant kiosks, a cocktail and oyster bar, public art, a performance stage and more outdoor seating.
“Whether folks are coming for great food options, for a park respite, or to enjoy cultural programming… I think the Water Park has become a spot to linger and to enjoy an enhanced environment in National Landing,” Sayegh Gabriel says.
The new park debuted as “more of an active amenity for the neighborhood,” says Amy Rice, senior vice president of retail leasing for JBG Smith, the property’s owner. Its one-year grand opening anniversary is soon approaching.
Rice once described the park’s dining scene as an “18-hour offering” where visitors can enjoy a bite to eat throughout the day — breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks or a sweet treat. Gabriel says the busiest hours are typically during lunch and dinner.
The Water Park offers several cuisines and dining options, from Thai to pizza, to oysters and iced coffees. The restaurant kiosks also function as business “incubators” to assist owners and entrepreneurs in the local food and beverage scene.
“Getting into a brick and mortar store has a lot of barriers to entry, and significantly on the cost side,” Rice says.
Most kiosks are occupied by minority- or women-owned businesses — which is how JBG Smith originally envisioned the revamped park. Rice says the park has remained “100% true” to this vision in the past year. All of the original vendors are still operating, many receiving glowing reviewsonline, including Brij Coffeehouse and Phowheels.
Another one of those vendors is Queen Mother’s, the widely acclaimed fried chicken destination formerly serving out of Columbia Pike.
Owner and noted chef Rock Harper says it “wasn’t a hard sell” to relocate to the park — and it has paid off. The past year of business has been “better than we expected,” Harper says, noting not only the success of Queen Mother’s fried chicken sandwiches, but also increased demand for the restaurant’s duck fat fries.
“[Some] people are just coming for the fries,” Harper says. “I never expected that… so that was a pleasant surprise.”
Notably, some Water Park vendors “might be graduating” from their kiosks soon, Rice says, though she cannot yet reveal which ones are expected to move into more traditional brick-and-mortar spaces.
Alongside dining, the revamped park spent its first summer hosting free community events near its backdrop of various eateries. These will continue through August.
The programs include Fitness at the Fountain, which takes place Monday nights through Aug. 26, and longtime park tradition Fridays at the Fountain, on Friday nights through Aug. 23.
The former offers different instructor-led fitness classes each Monday, ranging from kickboxing to Zumba and yoga. The latter, Fridays at the Fountain, is a long-standing free concert series highlighting musicians across multiple genres.
Looking ahead, the Water Park’s fall programming schedule is coming soon with a fresh slate of new events, Rice says.
