Hop for Joy: Easter & Spring Celebrations Around the DC Area

Don’t put your eggs all in one basket when it comes to Easter celebrations. Numerous 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 hopping with joy. Here’s where you can find them, listed in order of start date. (And if I’ve left out any good ones, feel free to let me know in the comments!)

Spring Easter Festival
Where: Ticonderoga Farm
When: March 9 – April 7, 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. Be sure to check the website for timing of specific activities. And for an idea of what’s there, see this post about their Winter Festival, which is much of the same, but with Easter instead of Christmas festivities.

Bunnyland
Where: Butler’s Orchard
When: March 23, 24, 28-30 & April 1, 6-7 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. Face painting and pony rides are also usually offered 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.

Tea with the Easter Bunny
Where: Tudor Place
When: March 23, 1-2:30pm
Admission: Members: $15/child, $20 adult | Non-Members: $20/child, $25/adult
Take tea with the Easter Bunny!  Families will sample spring tea blends, sandwiches, scones and petite desserts while visiting with the Easter Bunny.  After tea, families will partake in a scavenger hunt through Tudor Place’s 5.5 acres of gardens in search of the Easter Bunny’s favorite flowers and animal friends.

Easter Eggstravaganzas
Where: Various locations around the DC-Metro
When: March 23 & 30
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 23 in Alexandria, Georgtown, and Ballston, then on March 30 on Capitol Hill. Visit the National Community Church website for more details, including specific locations.

Easter Make-and-Take
Where: Little Loft
When: March 23, 10-11:30am
Admission: $15
Kids ages 4-8 can drop in to decorate an ostrich sized papier mache Easter egg, perfect for storing jelly beans or other treasures. While you’re there, shop the retail section for art supplies for Easter baskets — they have paintbrushes, watercolors, crayons, pencils and more. Get inspired for spring!

4th Annual Easter Egg Hunt
Where: Pump it Up in Lanham, Md
When: March 29-30
Admission: $15/child, $5/adult
Grab the kiddos and hop on down to Pump It Up for an inflatably great Easter Egg Hunt! Search for Easter Eggs hidden in and around our huge inflatable arenas. Who will find the Golden Prize eggs this year?  Maybe you’ll see an Easter bunny too. Four time slots are available each: 10am – 12pm, 2-4pm, and 5-7pm on Friday, and 9-11am on Saturday. Friday sessions include pizza and beverage, plus lots of goodies for everyone. Sunday includes continental breakfast with the Easter Bunny. Everyone must have a ticket to enter – visit the website to purchase online. This event is expected to sell out!

2nd Annual Easter Egg Hunt
Where: Madame Tussauds
When: March 30, 7:30-9:45 AM
Admission: Free for 12 and under, $10/ages 13 and up
If your kids are early risers, then keep this event in mind: Over 5,000 eggs will be hidden throughout our Presidents Gallery, containing a variety of goodies and prizes, including a handful of ‘Golden Eggs’ filled with a chance to win a personalized wax hand, Oval Office Photo, or family V.I.P package. All children must be accompanied by an adult and there is a maximum limit of 4 children for every 1 adult. Easter baskets will be provided and there will be photo-op’s with live bunnies in our Oval Office, as well as furry friends and companions for you to meet! Tickets can be purchased online.

Pâques: Storytime & Egg Hunt
Where: L’Alliance Française Washington, DC
When: March 30, 10:30am – 12pm
Admission: $10, $5/members
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. Guests will also enjoy a special treat from Paul Bakery. Purchase tickets online here.

5th Annual Eggstravaganza
Where: Tudor Place
When: March 30, 10am – 12pm
Admission: Members: $7/child | Non-Member : $10/child | $5/adult
It’s Washington’s other Easter egg hunt and the largest in Washington, D.C.! Children of all ages can take pictures with the Easter Bunny and go wild for eggs – egg rolling, egg hunting and egg decorating – at the Fifth Annual Tudor Place Eggstravaganza. After “egging themselves on,” young guests can play games from the past on the expansive South Lawn. And all visitors will enjoy roaming the estate’s 5 ½ acres of glorious gardens. (Self-guided tour maps available.) Note: The Egg Hunt starts at 10:45 a.m. and the Egg Roll follows at 11:00 a.m.  Bring your own basket and spoon, and one hard-boiled egg per child. Festive or casual attire is appropriate.

Spring Fest
Where: McLean Community Center
When: March 30, 10am – 12pm
Admission: $5, free for 2 and under
Spring Fest is a special event that includes self-guided arts and crafts projects, entertainment and the opportunity for your children to get a professional photo with Bunny. Remember to bring your Easter basket for our parent/child Easter egg hunt. Registration is required for all participants; walk-ins will not be accepted. Register early! Space is limited. For ages 3-8.

Egg Hunt & Marshmallow Harvest
Where: Great Country Farms
When: March 23-24, 10am – 5pm
Admission: $10/child $12/adult at the gate
After a long cold winter, nothing chases away the chill like a visit to the farm. Head to Great Country for the first “crop” of the spring– Marshmallow Picking!! Do marshmallow peeps grow on trees? Be sure to check it out and harvest a few to roast on the bonfire with Farmer Bob. You can even purchase a s’more kit to melt away that chocolate craving.What? The Easter Bunny also hid some eggs? Help find them! There will be multiple egg hunts with over 7,000 eggs filled with treats. Plan to visit spring chicks and baby animals, check out the spring plantings in the greenhouse, take a hayride and rejoice in the new season. Don’t forget to bring your camera for photo ops with the Easter Bunny. Buy advance tickets online for only $10/adult — visit the website to purchase, and look for the schedule of events there, too.

Easter Fun at the Mayflower
Where: Mayflower Hotel
When: March 24-31
Admission: See rates below
If you’re visiting the area or have guests who are, check out The Mayflower for great rates and special Easter fun. The “Stay for Breakfast” package includes overnight accommodations, breakfast buffet for two, and rates starting at $159 per night from March 24 -31. With a location close to the White House, it’s easy to “roll” on over to the Lawn on Monday, April 1 if guests have tickets to the festivities. During that time, the Mayflower will yield more than an elegant getaway — guests can get EGGcellent prizes too. Honoring the hotel’s 88th Birthday, a total of 88 decorative Easter Eggs will be hidden in randomly selected guest rooms, up to 12 eggs each day. Before unpacking, be sure to give a quick look around the room because an Egg could be hidden on the bed, on top of the guest towels, on one of the couch pillows, etc. If you find a Mayflower Easter Egg, visit a hotel Navigator at the front desk to redeem a prize. Guests draw from either an Adult or Kid-friendly Easter Basket. Prizes include Marriott Rewards Points, a complimentary cocktail at the new Edgar Bar & Kitchen, a milk and cookie turndown, bag of candies and chocolates and more. During the course of the Easter Egg Hunt week, five golden eggs will be hidden and these qualify for complimentary future two-night weekend stays. For reservations, visit www.MayflowerRenaissance.com or call 888-236-2427.

Easter Monday: Celebrating the African American Family Tradition
Where: National Zoo
When: April 1, 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, field and relay-style games, and visits from the Easter Panda will be part of the fun-filled day.

White House Easter Egg Roll
Where: White House Lawn
When: April 1, 8am – 5pm
Admission: Free, tickets required
The mack daddy of Easter events in DC, the annual White House Easter Egg Roll requires tickets won through lottery for admission. You should know by now if you were “successful” or not; but if you haven’t, you can check your status on recreation.gov. Unofficial tip: I heard from a friend who was lucky enough to go last year that people were giving away extra tickets at the entrance. While I can’t confirm that is always the case, if you’re going to be in the area and really want to go, it wouldn’t hurt to stop by and see if folks are being so generous again this year. Note that entries are timed, so while it goes all day, guests only stay for their designated amount of time.