Peep the peak
So, winter is starting to feel like those last party guests who are too trashed to realize that everyone else left like two hours ago (totally guilty of that, btw). But in an attempt to stay positive despite the crummy forecast: 1) I bet the cherry blossoms look beautiful in the snow. 2) We’ll appreciate the nice weather that much more when we finally get it. 3) There are a bunch of great indoor events going on this weekend that we might otherwise overlook on a pretty spring day. 🙂 Happy Weekend!
(PS: Be sure to check that events are still on, especially if they’re outdoors, on Saturday!)
Peak Time
Where: Tidal Basin & Washington Monument, DC
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Free
I’ve been by the Tidal Basin, and the predictions are correct: The cherry blossoms are peaking this weekend. The Saturday forecast (snow?!) might not make for the best viewing conditions, but Friday and Sunday will be better. Expect crowds and be prepared — this post has tips for families viewing the blossoms.
Garden Party
Where: National Postal Museum | Union Station Area, DC
When: Saturday & Sunday, 11am – 4pm
Admission: Free
Who cares what the weather is like outside when thee’s a Garden Party indoors? Join the Postal Museum for one and enjoy all kinds of hands-on activities. Learn about the U.S. Postal Service’s stamp design process, gardens, and the Greater DC area’s native flowers and plants. All of it is designed to create awareness and appreciation of the beauty around you.
USA Science & Engineering Festival
Where: Washington Convention Center | Mount Vernon Square, DC
When: Saturday, 10am – 6pm & Sunday, 10am – 4pm
Admission: Free
If your child has any inkling of interest in science and engineering, likes to do hands-on experiments, see fascinating live demos, or talk first-hand with the experts, then chances are very good that they will dig this event. (And so will you, parents.) Over 3,000 interactive exhibits and 30 stage shows will highlight all kinds of science-related topics in fun, engaging, exciting ways.
Nats Are Back!
Where: Nationals Park | Capitol Riverfront, DC
When: Saturday, 1:05pm & Sunday, 8:08pm
Admission: Ticket prices vary
Baseball season has begun, and the Nats are playing their first weekend at home, hosting the Mets. Sunday is Pups in the Park, so yu can bring along Fido with the purchase of a special ticket. And before you go to any games, be sure to check out these KFDC tips for doing a Nats game without breaking the bank.
Jazz Family Day
Where: Smithsonian American Art Museum | Penn Quarter, DC
When: Saturday, 11:30am – 3pm
Admission: Free
Jam at SAAM during Jazz Appreciation Month! The museum is celebrating jazz’s influence on artists with activities and performances for all ages. Improvise with your own jazz-themed crafts, complete a swinging scavenger hunt, and bop to jazz performances throughout the day. Read more about the museum and get a glimpse in this KFDC post.
Japanese Culture Day
Where: Library of Congress | Capitol Hill, DC
When: Saturday, 10am – 4pm
Admission: Free
Get an introduction to Japanese culture at day full of hands-on activities in th eyoung Readers Center! Create origami artwork, try on kimonos, make tiaras with Cherry Blossom princesses, and more. At 11am and 1:30pm, Tad Hills, a New York-based children’s book author and illustrator, will read his books, do a book signing, and give a demonstration of his illustration technique. At 12:15pm, the Japan-America Society of Washington, DC, will present “Japan-In-A-Suitcase,” a program about Japanese life and culture. While you’re there, check out the Spring Fling, pop-up exhibition at the Library of Congress explores the sights, sounds, and smells of the spring season through treasures from the Library’s vast collection items. Read a KFDC write-up about the LOC.
Shake Up Your Saturday
Where: Folger Shakespeare Library | Capitol Hill, DC
When: Saturday, 10am – 12pm
Admission: Free, but registration required
Join the Folger’s family program that takes place the first Saturday of every month. Kids can try their hand at stage fighting in this “Will You Walk?” session. Ages 5-7 go at 10-11am, and ages 8-14 at 11am – 12pm. Go here to sign up. And be sure to read more about the Folger Shakespeare library in this KFDC post.
Open Studio: Cherry Blossom Festival
Where: Freer|Sackler Gallery | National Mall, DC
When: Saturday, 10am – 12pm
Admission: Free
Celebrate the National Cherry Blossom Festival with the Freer|Sackler! Take a family-friendly tour and learn about nature in Japanese art (10:30 am). Then, continue to explore the Freer for pop-up art-making activities and artist demonstrations inspired by the spring season. All ages welcome with adult companions.
Free Soccer League!
Where: Walter Pierce Park | Adams Morgan, DC
When: Saturday, 11am – 1pm
Admission: Free
Join the Volo City Kids Foundation on Saturday as they begin their free soccer program for kids ages 6-12. No previous experience necessary, and all materials, including a t-shirt for practices, will be included along with healthy snacks and drinks. The league will run for 6 weeks at Walter Pierce Park, located at 2630 Adams Mill Rd NW #208 in Adams Morgan and. Register your child here.
Potted Potter
Where: Sidney Harman Hall | Penn Quarter, DC
When: April 3-15
Tickets: $59-95 (look for a discount)
Potted Potter takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books (and a real life game of Quidditch) into seventy hilarious minutes. This fantastically funny show features all your favorite characters, a special appearance from a fire-breathing dragon, endless costumes, brilliant songs, ridiculous props and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic! Even if you don’t know the difference between a Horcrux and a Hufflepuff, Potted Potter will make you roar with laughter. This brilliant family entertainment is perfect for ages six to Dumbledore (who is very old indeed).
Show Time
Where: Theatres around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by venue
* Reserve free tickets for Theatreworks USA’s Dragons Love Tacos and Other Stories, this week’s Saturday Morning at the National performance
* Ease on down the road to Ford’s Theatre for The Wiz
* Little ones will love Balloonacy at Imagination Stage
* Catch a fairytale classic as The Puppet Co. presents Little Red Riding Hood & the 3 Little Pigs
* And Jellybean Circus is the Tiny Tots performance for littles there on Saturday
Cherry Blossom Kids
Where: Room and Board | 14th Street NW
When: Saturday, 10am – 12pm
Admission: Free
Join Room and Board for a morning of creative activities celebrating the National Cherry Blossom Festival and Japanese culture. Kids of all ages can make candy sushi, listen to story time, and have an anime caricature drawn of them. Parents are invited to enjoy beverages from a special tea station.
Children’s Art Workshop & Storytime
Where: House of Sweden | Georgetown, DC
When: Saturday, 12-3pm
Admission: Free
Swedish artist Karin Lithell will lead children ages 3-10 in expressing themselves through art! Attendees are set up with everything they need to participate free of charge and are able to paint on their own easels for the day. Also, plan on hanging out in Room for Children, a library and arts studio for families, and staying for storytime at 2pm.
TechQuest: Race to the Moon
Where: Udvar-Hazy Center | Chantilly, VA
When: Saturday, 10:30am – 4pm
Admission: Free, but parking is $15
Join this free alternate reality game at the Chantilly arm of Air & Space. Set in the thrilling era of early spaceflight, the game explores the exciting race to space by the first American astronauts. Your mission in this installment: Develop a rocket to launch into space, travel over 200,000 miles to the Moon, and land safely. It’s 1969 and national pride and prestige are on the line. The U.S. is in a tight race with the Soviet Union to see who can be the first to land humans on the Moon and return them safely to Earth. NASA needs engineers and scientists with real problem-solving skills.
Fairies in the Garden
Where: Annmarie Sculpture Garden
When: Friday/Saturday/Sunday, 9am – 5pm
Admission: $5/adult, $4/senior, $3/child
Annmarie’s magicalicious exhibit of fairy and gnome houses opens this weekend. As if the sculpture garden near Solomons, MD, wasn’t already wonderful, this annual display adds extra delight to a visit there with more than 50 handmade fairy and gnome homes scattered through the grounds. Visit the Arts Building to borrow a costume (or purchase one in the Gift Shop) to get into the fanciful spirit, grab a guide, and start your journey to locate them all. Read more about Annmarie Sculpture Garden and get a glimpse in this KFDC post.
Weekend Walk-In: Cosmic Egg
Where: American Visionary Art Museum | Baltimore, MD
When: Saturday, 1-4pm
Admission: $5
Join the museum for a hands-on, drop-in, art-making workshop in the AVAM classroom! Their Education staff will help you make your own mini version of artist Andrew Logan’s Cosmic Galaxy Egg sculpture with a special clay-like material and sparkly bits! Supplies & boundless inspiration provided.
Root (root, root) for the Baysox
Where: Prince George’s Stadium | Landover, MD
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Ticket prices vary
The Nats aren’t the only baseball team in town. The Bowie Baysox, one of the local minor league teams, are hosting the Harrisburg Senators all weekend, and there’s extra fun and special promos to enjoy, too — giveaways, a visit from the Easter Bunny, a pony and petting zoo, and more. Plus, there are always fun and games especially for kids. Read more about Baysox games in this KFDC post.
Street Fest
Where: Union Market District | Northeast DC
When: Saturday, 10am – 5pm
Admission: Free
The Union Market District is kicking off spring with a street fest! Join and hang with the diverse collection of businesses, both old and new, that call the area home.The day will include, food and fun, creativity and community, and lots of live entertainment. This includes activates for kids! Go here for more details about the day.
Petalpalooza
Where: The Wharf | Southwest DC
When: Saturday, 2-9:30pm
Admission: Free
Formerly known as the Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival, Petalpalooza will include interactive art installations, larger-than-life games and activities, live music on three outdoor stages, a roller rink, a beer garden, a spectacular fireworks show by Pyrotecnico, and much more along the piers of the Southwest Waterfront, the “home of the cherry blossoms.”
Lattes with Lambs
Where: Piskatoway Park | Accokeek , MD
When: Saturday, 10am-2pm
Admission: $10/adults, $5/kids & members
The baby lambs at Accokeek are excited to meet you! Spend your Saturday with the newest additions to our barnyard while enjoying coffee and donuts. Bring the whole family to enjoy other activities on our farm including sheep shearing, wool crafting, face painting, and kids games. Plus – everyone’s favorite lamb, Nigel, will have a special announcement! Most activities are included in the price of ticket. Concessions will be available for purchase.
Opening Day for Trails
Where: Trails around the DMV
When: Saturday
Admission: Free
It’s Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s sixth annual Opening Day for Trails, when people across the nation will kick off the spring trail season by hitting their favorite trails for a walk, run, ride or special event. In the DC area, you can join the official Opening Day 5K, a free, family-friendly event in Arlington. In addition to walking or running the 3.1 miles on theW&OD Trail and Four Mile Run Trail in Bluemont Park, you can also enjoy giveaways, food, and entertainment — including live music from the Capitol Hillbillies!
Poe Show
Where: Walls of Books | Petworth, DC
When: Sunday, 11am
Admission: Free, but donations welcome
Walls of Books is freeing their space up for an hour or so and turning it into a neighborhood theatre. Pocket Change Theatre Company will present “Once Upon a Midnight Cheery,” a family-friendly performance in which Edgar Allan Poe is trying to write a spooky story and keeps receiving happy suggestions from his cheerful pet raven.
STORYTIME: A Trip to the Hirshhorn
Where: Hirshhorn Museum | National Mall, DC
When: Sunday, 11am
Admission: Free
STORYTIME explores contemporary art through stories and movement. Museum staff will read aloud a book, introduce children to an artist in the collection, and lead a hands-on activity. Nursing moms welcome, and stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn lobby. Note that snacks are not allowed inside the Museum, but you can eat outside on our Plaza before or after the program.
Bubble Guppies Live!
Where: National Theatre | Downtown DC
When: Sunday, 2pm & 6pm
Tickets: $29-59
What time is it? It’s time for Bubble Guppies! Jump into a bubbly world of learning and laughter with Nickelodeon’s Bubble Guppies Live! – “Ready to Rock.” Put on your water-wings and dive in to a swimsational musical underwater adventure! The Bubble Guppies are getting ready to rock n’ roll with everyone’s favorite tunes, but when a special band member goes missing, the show can’t go on! With help from Mr. Grouper and giggly little fish, Molly, Gil, and the whole gang embark on a musical expedition as they search every corner of their bubbly world for their friend!
Cathay’s Connected World
Where: Washington Cathay Future Center | Rockville,MD
When: Sunday, 3-6pm
Admission: Free
The DMV community is invited join this free arts and cultural activities fair and community service event. It will feature, interactive educational stations, demonstration lessons from center instructors, live performances from celebrated cultural artists, community centered art projects, and more.
Lantern Lighting & Cherry Blossom Princesses
Where: Tidal Basin | Southwest, DC
When: Sunday, 3pm
Admission: Free
Cherry Blossom Princesses dressed in their pink kimonos will light 8.5-foot-tall Japanese stone lantern at the Tidal Basin as part of a truly spectacular celebration of the festival and the enduring friendship between Japan and the United States.
***MORE GOOD STUFF TO KNOW***
* DC Public Library is now offering library card holders access to Kanopy, a film streaming service with more than 30,000 titles — for free!
* Warm weather is right around the corner, so this post about the best outdoor spots in the area will be a good one to keep on hand.
* A few weeks ago I mentioned wanting to read this book
* Who can (or should that be can’t) relate to this? (Thanks to Darcy of No Monsters for sharing it!)
