What should I do for my sweet 16, besides have a party?

I'm thinking of having an alternative to having a sweet 16 party and instead do something big. For example, I'm going to apply to spend a summer in France. That is what I'm looking for. Well of course, if I get accepted and my parents let me. But I want to do something big for my sixteenth birthday! Like spend a weekend somewhere else, example a beach or a different city. I live in Northern Virginia, in the DC metropolitan area. So if you're going to say, go on a trip, then give me a place. And don't say like activities I can do any other weekend, examples are going to a mall, laser-tagging, movies, etc. Those are boring.