Scene from this year’s lotus & water lily bloom at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
Happy Weekend!
Easy links to posts full of ideas for fun activities:
* Best Outdoors in the DC Area
* Off-the-Beaten-Path Museums
* Swim Spots
* On the Water
* Local Hikes with Kids
* Bike Rides
* The Great Indoors
* Peaceful Places
Afterhours @ NMAA: Summer Festival
Where: National Museum of Asian Art | National Mall, DC
When: Friday, 5-9pm
Admission: Free
Join the National Museum of Asian Art (aka Freer|Sackler Gallery) outdoor festival to celebrate summer! Enjoy art and music from across Asia with performances, artist demos, and exclusive curator talks. Experience the museum galleries open late, taste food from local vendors, and purchase signature cocktails. At 7:30pm, catch a special outdoor screening of The Way of the Dragon, a classic Hong Kong action film starring Bruce Lee, to kick off the annual Made in Hong Kong Film Festival.
King Bullfrog Family Concert
Where: Hill Center | Capitol Hill, DC
When: Saturday, 10:30am – 12:30pm
Admission: $5/adult, $10/child
Kick off your weekend with live music perfect for all ages! Featuring Mr. Jeremiah and Mr. Steve, both Capitol Hill-based dads and music teachers, the duo’s roots-and-blues tunes are tailored to get children dancing while delighting grownups. Their musical stories, amusing wordplay, and close attention to all of their audiences makes them a family music sensation in the DC area. The concert will be outdoors in the Hill Center’s West Plaza, perfect for little ones to run, dance, laugh, and play to the beat of their favorite songs. Cheese and pepperoni pizza will be for sale, or BYO picnic.
Songs of Lin Manuel Miranda
Where: Olney Theatre | Olney, MD
When: Saturday, 10am & 12pm
Admission: $15
You’ve heard the kids singing in the backseat, now bring them to Olney Outdoors for a fun family performance including plenty of earworms and sing-alongs from Hamilton, Moana, Encanto, and more. Da’Von Moody, Sarah Anne Sillers, and Adelina Mitchell will perform Miranda’s hits from film and theatre — and the whole family is invited to sing along with them! Purchase tix for 10am here and 12pm here.
Just Peachy
Where: Area Farms
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by place
It’s peach picking time at many local farms. If you want to get them at their peak, check out this list of area farms that offer pick-your-own (note that not all of them have peaches, so be sure to read descriptions… one that definitely does and we love to go to is Homestead Farms). And it’s always a good idea to check websites or call for updates to confirm availability when you plan to go.
Bike to the Best Bloom
Where: Kenilworth Aquatic Garden | Northeast DC
When: Daily, 8am – 4pm
Admission: Free
The annual lotus flower and water lily bloom has begun at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, and it’s one bloom that is always spectacular! You can add some adventure to an outing to see it by biking the Anacostia River Trail there, and this post and this one have details on good routes to take. No matter how you go, I highly recommend seeing it during the peak. And the Lotus and Water Lily Festival returns in person this year, but will be split into four weekends, each with a specific focus and activities, including some this weekend. See scenes from a past bloom here and read more about Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens here.
More Bike Rides
Where: Around the DC area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Free
There’s a quick link to bike rides up top as well as a specific one above, but here’s a stronger recommendation just to get out for a family ride. There are a bunch of great routes for the whole crew to ride all around the area. This one on the Anacostia River Trail includes the lotus and lilies at Kenilworth and another park for some play. Cycle the Mount Vernon trail and stop at Gravelly Point to watch the airplanes. Another fun ride is down the National Mall to Georgetown then onto the Capital Crescent Trail. You can find even more recs for good two-wheel trips here.
HBD, Alexandria!
Where: Oronoco Bay Park | Alexandria, VA
When: Saturday, 6-9:45pm
Admission: Free
The City of Alexandria will celebrate its 273rd (and the USA’s 246th) birthday on Saturday, with a performance by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra ending with a Grand Finale fireworks display at 9:30pm. To limit crowds,the fireworks display will be visible from multiple vantage points along the Potomac River waterfront from Canal Center Plaza to Jones Point Park.
The Playhouse
Where: National Building Museum
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: $10/adult, $7/age 3-17
The Building Museum’s annual Summer Block Party features The Playhouse , an Elizabethan-inspired festival stage in the cool comfort of the museum’s Great Hall. Along with marveling at the installation (and the rest of the museum), you can enjoy Shakespearean activities like stage combat demos and hands-on fun during the day, and in the evenings, there will be performances of the enchanting A Midsummer Night’s Dream from the Folger Shakespeare Theatre. (PS: If you think Shakespeare and kids don’t mix, think again! Read about some of our experiences with it here and here.)
Summer Staples
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
Get your summer on this weekend with a host of activities exclusive to this time of year. Kick it off with an outdoor concert or free fishing. Make a splash at an outdoor pool, sprayground, or go big at a waterpark. Cool off indoors at museum exhibit or program. Do some crabbing (the feasting kind). Catch a movie under the stars, and so much more. See the 2022 KFDC Guide to Summer in DC for the full scoop on these and even more summer favorites.
Let’s Skate DC
Where: The Wharf | Southwest DC
When: Saturday & Sunday
Admission: Free (rentals $10 for kids)
The Wharf is bringing an old school activity to DC this summer: Roller skating! There’s a new rink offering our free outdoor roller skating on the Transit Pier. It’s open this weekend and will be again the second weekend of August. Skate outdoors for free, vibe out to great music, and watch incredible skate performances by professionals. The rink will operate on Saturday from 10am-2pm and 7-10pm, and on Sunday from 3-7pm. Admissions are free for all ages, and no pre-registration is required. Skate rentals are available for children only (size 12 junior – 6). Adults must bring their own skates.
Romanian Weekend
Where: The Wharf | Southwest DC
When: Saturday, 12-9pm & Sunday, 12-8pm
Admission: Free
Also at The Wharf this weekend… Join the Embassy of Romania and the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York for a two-day extravaganza on District Pier celebrating the great Romanian-American friendship with live music, traditional dances, craft shows, exhibitions, and wine & food sampling.
Author Book Reading
Where: MLK library | Penn Quarter, DC
When: Saturday, 2-3pm
Admission: Free
Politics and Prose is teaming up with DC Public Library to present this children’s book reading. Author Cynthia Cliff will read excerpts from her latest book, The Wild Garden, and discuss what inspired her to write it. The first 50 people to register for the event will receive a complimentary copy of the book for their home library! Filled with charmingly rustic illustrations of people, plants, and animals., the story about community and biodiversity introduces children to the variety of ways things can grow and flourish in nature.
Bubble Days
Where: Maryland Science Center | Baltimore, MD
When: Saturday & Sunday, 12-4pm
Admission: $26.95/adult, $20.95/child
Join the best bubble party of the summer! Bubble Days are back at the Maryland Science Center and creating bubbles in many unique ways! Test your bubble making skills to make giant bubbles and see if you can put a hole in a bubble without popping it. Create your own bubble solution and more. See the world-renowned bubble artist Casey Carle in his suds-tacular show, Bubblemania! Be sure to explore the rest of the Maryland Science Center while you’re there — it’s awesome! Read more about it here and here.
City Ridge Celebration
Where: 3900 Wisconsin Avenue | Northwest DC
When: Saturday, 9am – 9pm
Admission: Free
City Ridge, a new 10-acre redevelopment that includes nearly 700 new apartments, is hosting a day fun, free activations to welcome the community to come see it for the first time. Throughout the day, all are invited to enjoy a Wimbledon Watch Party on the Great Lawn, live music, delicious bites and refreshing drinks, ice cream and more from local vendors, tours of the residences and a preview of what’s to come, giveaways, and more. They’ll close the night with a movie under the stars on the Great Lawn. RSVP to let them know you’re going.
Tsimshian Celebration: Git Hoan Dancers
Where: National Museum of the American Indian | National Mall, DC
When: Saturday and Sunday, 12pm & 2pm
Admission: Free
Celebrate with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian the 10th anniversary of the creation of the Eagle and the Young Chief totem pole! Its carvers, David A. Boxley and his son, David R. Boxley (both Tsimshian), plus the Git Hoan Dancers will be there for two dance performances in the Atrium that tell the history of the Tsimshian First Nation, featuring stunning hand-carved masks by David Boxley Sr. and colorful handmade regalia emblazoned with symbols of Tsimshian culture. While you’re there, take the kids to play in the imagiNATIONS activity center, which recently reopened for the first time since Covid.
Potted Potter
Where: Sidney Harman Hall | Penn Quarter, DC
When: June 29 – July 11
Admission: $49-100 (look for discount)
Just opened! 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, 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. Read a KFDC review of the show!
Much Ado About Nothing
Where: Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park | Ellicott City, MD
When: Through July 24
Admission: $54/adult, $27/age 19-25, free/kids
See a Shakespeare play in the park! The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company is bringing back its annual Shakespeare in the Ruins at the picturesque Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park. This summer, see Much Ado About Nothing under the stars. Note that one kid is free with every adult. Bring along a picnic to enjoy as you watch the play — there are no food vendors, but you can BYO fare, beer, and wine.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: Through July 10
Tickets: $49-199
This show based on the classic book closes after this weekend. All rise for Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork. The New York Times Critic’s Pick To Kill A Mockingbird is “the most successful American play in Broadway history” (60 Minutes).
Six
Where: National Theatre | Downtown DC
When: Through September 4
Tickets: $65-150
From Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the mic to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an exuberant celebration of 21st century girl power! This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over.
UniverSoul Circus
Where: National Harbor | Oxon Hill, MD
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: $27.50+ (look for discount)
Now running! The world-class, live entertainment attraction is back at National Harbor through July 24. The production celebrates the unique and familiar aspects of global cultures and ethnicities, blending circus arts, theater, and music — a fresh, cool, and hip approach to live family entertainment!
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Where: Synetic Theatre | Crystal City, VA
When: Through July 24
Tickets: $20-60
Synetic Theater, the home of American Physical Theater, presents this playful adaptation of Shakespeare’s timeless comedy. This fantastical, darkly playful game of love, mistaken identity, and the supernatural was honored with nine Helen Hayes Award Nominations when it was first produced in 2010, taking home the award for Outstanding Ensemble and Outstanding Resident Play. Side note: I can’t wait to see this — Synetic’s shows are always wonderful!
Fantastagirl and the Math Monster
Where: Adventure Theatre | Glen Echo, MD
When: Through August 21
Tickets: $25 (look for discount)
On stage at Adventure Theatre…. Fantastagirl, a second-grade superhero who uses words to save the day, comes face to face with her worst nightmare: the Math Monster! When confronted with problems too big for words alone to solve, Fantastagirl must accept help from her friendly, furry, fraction-loving foe. While Fantastagirl and Math Monster use words and numbers to help her friends and scientist moms, something far more sinister than Math brews on the horizon. Use code JULY4 to get 25% off a July 4th performance!
Little Red Riding Hood & the 3 Little Pigs
Where: The Puppet Co. | Glen Echo, MD
When: Throughout the weekend
Tickets: $15 (look for discount)
It’s the final weekend to see this show on string at The Puppet Co… We all think we know the Big Bad Wolf from the classic fairytales, but what if it’s the same Wolf in both stories? What if there’s been a big mistake? What if the Wolf isn’t so big or so bad? Recommended for ages 4+. Run time is approximately 45 minutes. Read a KFDC review of the show from a bunch of years back.
Riggs Park Art Crawl
Where: Coffee Culture Too | Northeast DC
When: Saturday & Sunday, 10am – 3pm
Admission: Free
Join the Riggs Park community for the 5th Annual Rigs Park Art Crawl. The two days will include all kinds of activities for families to enjoy — live painting, spoken word performances, a youth dance troupe, local vendors, music, and more. Performing live on Saturday and 2pm, Live to Love Family is a positive girl musical group with a mission to inspire family and communities to stick together.
Spirit of Soccer
Where: Sagra Field | Leesburg, VA
When: Sunday, 5pm
Admission: Tickets start at $20
Our local women’s pro soccer team is playing the Kansas City Current on Sunday evening. Enjoy some amazing soccer play while supporting women in sports! Note that this match takes place on their home pitch out in Leesburg. Purchase tickets here.
Stop & Smell
Where: US Botanic Garden | Capitol Grounds Area, DC
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Free
Stop and smell the stinky plant at the U.S. Botanic Garden. Another corpse flower in the conservatory is now blooming (ie, open and letting off its stench). The odor is at its strongest in the first hours after it opens, but you can still smell it later, and the bloom is unique and interesting to see. While you’re there, be sure to tour the rest of the USBG’s lovely collections and make time for play in the Children’s Garden.
***MORE GOOD STUFF***
* This Monday & Tuesday evenings, July 11-12, ARTECHOUSE is hosting Pay What You May Nights for Ase: Afro Frequencies. There is a limited number of tickets and a $1 cash/$5 credit card minimum.
* A beginner’s guide to camping from the Washington Post.
* REI is offering some good classes and activities, including “How to Ride a Bike for Kids.”
* The 50 best things to watch on Disney+.
* Love an easy, breezy, inexpensive summer dress.
* Had been hearing great things about this book for awhile and finally started it… really enjoying the stellar writing and cultural insight.
* These Swimsuits Need Good Homes 🙂
* Are you traveling this summer? If so, comment below to let us all know where your adventures will take you!
