Monkey around on the Hains Point playground
Monday – Play, picnic, and enjoy the surrounding scenery at Hains Point. Drive all the way down, almost to the tip, to reach the playgrounds. They’re set amid a large grassy area with picnic tables and bathrooms right there, too. And the spot offers great views of the rivers and airplanes taking off and landing at DCA. Admission is free.
Tuesday – Make it a beach day at Flag Ponds Nature Park. The water may not be quite warm enough for swimming, but there’s still plenty to enjoy. Build sandcastles on the Chesapeake shore, visit the nature center, have a picnic, spot wildlife in the woods, and definitely do some fossil hunting — the park is a great place to search for shark teeth and other prehistoric remnants. Hours are 9am – 4pm (beach closes at 3:30pm), admission is $6/car.
Wednesday – Get a dose of Holland in Haymarket, VA, at Burnside Farms’ Festival of Spring. The blooming tulips are absolutely stunning, stretching along acres of fields in a striking array of colors and varieties. Even better, you can pick your own to bring the beauty home ($1 per stem). Hours are 10am – 6pm. Admission is $6.
Thursday – Experience WONDER at the Renwick Gallery while it’s still on view — the galleries on the second floor of the exhibit are only on view for a few more weeks. Even if you’ve already seen it, a repeat look is just as enchanting. And if it’s your first time, well, you’re in for quite a treat. Hours are 10am- 5:30pm. Admission is free.
Friday – See a show on strings at The Puppet Co., where Sleeping Beauty is the current Main Stage production. Show time is 10:30am. Tickets are $10. If weather permits, plan to stay for picnic lunch (BYO) and play time on the Glen Echo Park playground.
Hi there, thank you for the great recommendations! I just looked on the website for the Flags Pond Nature Center and it looks like they are closed tues-thurs until Memorial Day. Excited to check this place out!