Eggcellent Celebrations this Easter

Thank you, Easter Piggy! (oink oink)

You don’t have to wait until Easter Sunday to get the celebration started.  Many places around the area are hosting egg hunts, Easter bunny visits, and more spring fun early.  At least one big festival has already begun and even more will kick off festivities this weekend. Even if you’re not big on the holiday, there are attractions beyond bunnies and candy-filled eggs that will have the whole family jumping hopping with joy.  Here’s where you can find them, listed in order of start date.

Spring Easter Festival
Where: Ticonderoga Farm
When: March 17 – April 15, 10am – 5pm daily
Admission: $7.95/weekdays, $11.95/holidays & weekends
With spring comes a host of seasonal activities at Ticonderoga. You can visit with the spring farm animals, do some bird watching and animal tracking, and pick daffodils along with their myriad year-round attractions – think swings, hayrides, a maze, and much more. On weekends, the farm takes the celebration up a notch with egg hunts, face painting, children’s games, and visits from the Easter bunny.

Bunnyland
Where: Butler’s Orchard
When: March 31 & April 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 15; 9am – 3pm
Admission: $8.50/child, $6.50/adult
One of the more popular spring festivals in the area, Butler’s has all the trappings for seasonal fun: bunnies, eggs, and other Easter-related treats to get young guests in the holiday spirit. Other attractions include hayrides down the Bunny Trail, egg hunts, the Rubber Ducky Derby, giant slides, and a small petting zoo. There will also be face painting and pony rides for an extra fee. Food vendors will offer hotdogs, veggie pitas, soup, popcorn, and more. There are also plenty of picnic tables if you prefer to pack a lunch. The Farm Market will be open, too, selling preserves, honey, home-baked fruit pies, and other local goods.

Easter Egg Hunt & Marshmallow Harvest
Where: Great Country Farms
When: March 31 – April 1, 10am – 5pm
Admission: $10/kids, $12/adults, children 2 and under are free
Celebrate springtime amidst rolling hills, friendly animals, and special Easter activities. There will be four separate aged-based egg hunts both days with over 7,000 treat-filled eggs hidden around the farm! Visitors will enjoy the mysterious Marshmallow Harvest, which always blooms on or around April 1st and can be eaten straight off the tree or roasted over the bonfire. Visit with the Easter bunny, then lunch at the Farms’ signature Roosteraunt. Along with all this, the farm’s permanent attractions — the giant jumping pillow, pedal carts, rope mazes, and more — will also be open. Note: Due to popular demand, advanced Egg Hunt tickets are recommended and are available for purchase online.

Easter Eggstravaganzas
Where: Various locations around the DC-Metro
When: March 31 & April 1
Admission: Free
These festivals held in several neighborhoods around the area will offer all kinds of Easter fun and more – egg hunts, Easter bunny visits, face painting, yummy treats, games, prizes, and more. They’ll take place on March 31 in Alexandria and Columbia Heights, then on April 7 in Ballston, Capitol Hill, and Georgetown. Visit the National Community Church website for more details, including specific locations.

Fabergé Egg Family Festival
Where: Hillwood Museum
When: March 31, 10am – 7pm & April 1, 1-5pm
Admission: $6/ages 6-18, $15/adult, $12/senior, free for 6 and under
Celebrate spring’s arrival in Russian style! Enjoy festive folk music and storytelling, meet historic character Tsar Nicholas II, and take part in a centuries-old egg-rolling game. Step into Fabergé’s Workshop to decorate your own Fabergé-inspired egg.

Egg Hunt & Bounce
Where: Pump it Up in Lanham
When: April 6, 10am – 12pm, 2-4pm, 5-7pm
Admission: $15/child, $5/adult
Grab the kiddos and hop on down to Pump It Up for an jumpin’ Easter Egg Hunt. Search for eggs hidden in and around the huge arenas filled with giant inflatables. Looks for special golden eggs, visit with the Easter bunny, and have a bouncy good time. Admission includes pizza, beverages, and goodies for everyone. Don’t forget socks!

Eggstravaganza at Tudor Place
Where: Tudor Place
When: April 6, 10am – 12pm
Admission: $3/adults, $6/member child, $7/non-member child
Celebrate spring and Easter at the historic Georgetown estate. Children of all ages can enjoy the largest egg hunt in Washington, DC, and a thrilling egg roll contest. After the games, spend the morning decorating festive eggs, playing games from the past, and taking picture with the Easter Bunny. Visitors can also enjoy a self-guided tour of Tudor Place’s 5+ acres of glorious gardens. The egg hunt begins at 10:45am, and the egg roll follows at 11am. Guests should bring their own basket and spoon, plus one hard-boiled egg per child. Tickets can be purchased through the website here.

Joyeuses Pâques
Where: Alliance Française de Washington D.C.
When: April 7, 10:30am
Admission: $5
Celebrate Easter with the Alliance Française! The morning will kick off with a special story time, followed by an Easter egg hunt in the park. Children who find a special Golden Egg will have an extra surprise. The egg hunt will be followed by a special treat from Paul Bakery. Call 202.234.7911 to RSVP.

Easter Egg Hunt and Basket Decorating
Where: Hill Center
When: April 7, 1-3pm
Admission: $15
Kids of all ages are welcome to join a class at the Hill Center to decorate baskets then fill them up with their gatherings from an egg hunt. To register, email: karen@alewter.com.

Presidents Gallery Easter Egg Hunt
Where: Madame Tussauds
When: April 7, 8-10am
Admission: $10/ages 13 and up, free for ages 12 and under
In celebration of Easter and a White House tradition started by the 19th President of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes, The Presidents Gallery by Madame Tussauds is hosting its first annual Easter Egg Hunt offering a fun and educational “eggs-ploration” through American history and pop culture. more than one thousand eggs will be hidden throughout the attraction, waiting to be uncovered by guests as they interact with and enjoy the wax figures. Various trinkets and prizes will be contained in every egg, including one Golden Egg that will award its finder a personalized wax hands souvenir, an Oval Office photo shoot or a family V.I.P. package. Additionally, live bunnies provided by the Be With Me Playseum will be on-hand for special Easter photo-ops in the attraction’s replica Oval Office.

Easter Monday: Celebrating the African American Family Tradition
Where: National Zoo
When: April 9, 11am – 4pm
Admission: Free
Easter Monday at the National Zoo has been an African American community tradition for over 100 years, and the Zoo proudly commemorates it annually with special festivities that all families in the metro area are welcome to enjoy. An Easter egg hunt, animals demos, activities highlighting African animals, live entertainment, relay style games, and visits from the Easter Panda will be part of the fun-filled day.