My List of Fun Things to Do with Kids in the
Washington DC / Northern Virginia Area
(it's a continuous work in progress. the last day I had time to update this was... 8/30/2009)
Feel free to send me (Kevin Chin) any suggestions/comments to:
kevinchin5 a_t g_m_a_i_l dot com (you know the right format right...)
Cox's Farm - Fall Festival
- http://www.coxfarms.com/
- I love taking the kids here... I make sure to do it every year! They have slides, farm animals, crafts, a hay ride, kettle corn (need I go on?), and kids get to pick out a kid-sized pumpkin on the way out. Over the years it's gotten a bit steep in price (IMHO), but I still look forward to it every year.
- Advice: Don't miss it!
Ice Skating - Reston Town Center
- http://www.restontowncenter.com/pavilion.html
- A popular outdoor pavilion for ice skating. They have skate rentals for kids, even double blade skates for those who are just learning. No time limits (any more). However, it's popular so the ice can get chewed up pretty quickly.
- Advice: I prefer going in the late morning on Saturdays, around 11am when they open. Easier to find parking, fresh ice, and not as crowded... plus then you can head over to Cosi for lunch and some s'mores!
Loudoun Fun Bounce- http://www.sportbounce.com/
- Imagine
a big warehouse sized room full of inflatable slides and moon bounces.
That's Sports Bounce! There are other similar places, but we like this
one the best... especially the Open Gym times. There's really only the
front door, so it's easy to play "zone defense" with little kids
(something we're constantly doing). There are picnic tables in the
middle of the room which is a good place for parents to hang out or at
least put your stuff down. Open Gym is unfortunately only available
during the weekdays...
- Advice: Open Gym is a great way to
help kids get some energy out! Two hours of running, jumping, and
climbing... oh yeah!! Remember to bring your socks!
Maryland State Fair- http://www.marylandstatefair.com
- A smallish, carnival atmosphere with a side of farming and agriculture. Great (and affordable) opportunity for kids to come face-to-face and even pet several farm animals -- cows (LOTS of cows), pigs, chickens, goats, etc.
- Parking was cheap ($3), admission was cheap for adults ($8), kids under 6 were free, games were cheap ($3), food was cheap ($6),... the only thing that wasn't cheap was the carnival rides (about $5 ea) -- that or my expectation on carnival pricing is WAY over-inflated. Our kids' favorite part were the pig races! It was only a short 10 minute show, but still a lot of fun to watch and cheer for pigs (motivated by Oreo cookies) running around in an oval... A good amount of walking for kids and adults, guaranteed to send your kids into nap land.
- Advice: Check the schedule for free concerts and other activities of interest. Don't miss the pig races!
National Aquarium in Baltimore MD- http://www.aqua.org/
- The best aquarium in the mid-Atlantic region, hands down. Cool shark exhibit, and an immersive architecture which lets the fish get in your face - and isn't that why you're there in the first place? Not the cheapest activity, but a great aquarium destination none the less. Plus after you've visited Nemo and his buddies at the aquarium, you can walk 100 yards over to Baltimore's Inner Harbor and eat some of Nemo's cousins.
- Advice: If you have access to discount tickets, that's a good thing. Don't bother to bring a stroller, because you can't bring it into the aquarium.
National Cathedral Flower Mart
National Zoo
- http://nationalzoo.si.edu/
- What little kid doesn't love to see real life animals? You can also check out the world famous pandas, rather than visiting them online. My family likes to go for a walk or a picnic in one of the grassy areas with friends. It's not the biggest zoo (nor the smallest), but it's all good. There are lots of special events and activities to take part in as well; I can't wait until my kids are big enough to do those things... They also have a little petting zoo portion of the farm area, if you're into that sort of thing.
- Advice: The zoo is kind of on a great big hill, so if you're not the most fit person in the world you may want to start at the top and go downhill. Of course, you're going to have to figure out how to come back up... It's also best if you get there early or take Metro. Parking is very limited. The only other option for parking is to park in one of the nearby neighborhoods, but then you've got a little hike to get to your car.
Port Discovery Museum- http://www.portdiscovery.org/
- Think interactive children's museum meets playground. It's okay for the younger crowd, but will be most appreciated by the slightly older set (4-8 yrs would be my guess). It's located in downtown Baltimore MD so you might pair it with a visit to the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
Sport Bounce of Loudoun- http://www.sportbounce.com/
- Imagine a big warehouse sized room full of inflatable slides and moon bounces. That's Sports Bounce! There are other similar places, but we like this one the best... especially the Open Gym times. There's really only the front door, so it's easy to play "zone defense" with little kids (something we're constantly doing). There are picnic tables in the middle of the room which is a good place for parents to hang out or at least put your stuff down. Open Gym is unfortunately only available during the weekdays...
- Advice: Open Gym is a great way to help kids get some energy out! Two hours of running, jumping, and climbing... oh yeah!! Remember to bring your socks!
Smithsonian Live Butterfly Pavilion- http://www.butterflies.si.edu/
- In the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History they have a new butterfly exhibit. Actually, it's really an enclosed butterfly garden kind of thing. There's a small per-person admission charge, but for that you can enter the butterfly garden and observe butterflies up close and personal. In fact, you might even get some to land on you -- or not, if you're my kids (not for lack of trying). There's no real time limit on how long you can be in there, but it is uncomfortably humid in the exhibit... how long can you stand a sauna? Apparently it's free on Tuesdays, although you need to get tickets. The couple times we've been there, it's never been so busy that we couldn't get right in. Maybe we're just lucky.
- Advice: Come prepared to sweat a little
Playground in McLean
Nationals Park
Celebrate South Riding
Celebrate Fairfax
Herndon Festival