KidFriendly DC is the go-to resource for the scoop on the best recreation, events, entertainment, and activities with kids in the Washington, DC-Metro area. From the tried and true to the new and cool, find out where to go and what to do with the kiddos in the nation’s capital.
Have a recommendation for an upcoming event, place to visit, new activity, or great service? Or just want to say hi? Email linda@kidfriendlydc.com.
Love your site! If I lived in DC with kids, I would use it ALL the time. Super informative!!
Hi, I just learned about your blog through DC Urban Moms and it’s wonderful. I recently started my own DC-based blog, which also has some posts on kids’ activities, though mostly the information is more personal and not half as well-researched as what you offer. Thanks again for all the great ideas and suggestions, what a wonderful resource.
http://bedtimemonsters.blogspot.com/
I recently discovered this site, and it’s now one of my favorites. Great stuff. Thanks! I will be sure to do my part to forward any good kid events I see.
Can you recommend any kid-friendly (toddler) places to stay in walking distance to the museums/mall? Or resources to find apartments to rent for the weekend? thanks.
For hotels within walking distance to the Mall, try the JW Marriott, Hotel Monaco, and the L’Enfant Hotel. But keep in mind that the Metro, DC’s subway system, is excellent, offering quick and easy transportation around the city. Many other family-friendly hotels are close to Metro lines, so you can hop on and arrive at the Mall within minutes. With that in mind, you should also consider the Park Hyatt Washington, Omni Shoreham, and Grand Hyatt hotels.
For short-term apartment rentals, check VRBO.com and homeaway.com, and I’d recommend looking for places in Capitol Hill. It’s a charming neighborhood and just a 10-15 minute walk (or 5-minute Metro ride) to the Mall if you stay close in to the Capitol. Many of the row homes have English basements available for rent, both short and long term. There are also several family restaurants nearby and parks where kids can play.
Hope that helps. Have a great trip!
Try Roomorama.com. We’re currently renting an apartment on DuPont Circle (it takes us about 10 minutes with public transportation to get to all the sights, which is not much at all!) for a week. Hotels here run about $500/night, and we’re renting for $150/night – and we have a couple rooms, kitchen, laundry access – very nice with a child! There are tons of DC properties listed on the website.
Thanks so much for putting out this valuable info! I find it extremely useful
What took me so long to find you?! This is hands-down the best resource for kid’s activities in the DC area. Thank you!
looking for performances that children can watch that incorporate American Sign Language
The Puppet Co. offers ASL interpreted shows, as well as Adventure Theatre. Both are located in Glen Echo Park. On Sunday, Feb. 5 at 1 p.m., “Peter and the Wolf” will be ASL interpreted at the Puppet Co.
Awesome Blog! Very useful resource for parents, it’s one of our favorite websites! We dedicated a special page at DCJourney.com for your blog (http://dcjourney.com/kidfriendly), Great work!!
THANK YOU!! I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to find your blog!! There is nothing like it–the most helpful, informative resource I’ve seen. Exactly what I’ve been searching for!
Great site! Thanks for all the posts …
This is hands down one of the most valuable resources on kids activities in the DC area! Thank you SO MUCH for doing such wonderful work and keeping us all informed! Greatly appreciated, keep up the good work!
I’ve just recently discovered your wonderful blog .. and wonder whether you know of the best pools in DC for a 21 month old (and her pregnant mother) – now and in the summer?
Hi, I love your blog. My toddler and I have found heaps of fun stuff to do through reading it.
As it is fringe festival time again in DC I was wondering if you know if the festival has kid friendly events?
Perusing their website it doesn’t seem that they specifically target kids (too bad!)
Thank you!
Good question, Jess Generally, I’ve always thought that the Fringe Festival was not really for kids. I just had a look at the website, too, and while some events are deemed “appropriate for all ages,” they seem like they might be over the heads of young children. If you do end up going, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
This site is a wonderful resource of all the happenings in the city. I loved it. Kids have already bookmarked this site on my laptop.
I don’t know how you find, keep up with, and have time to write all this great info, but I hope you keep your website going for as long as I live in the DC area. It is always my first go-to resource (weekly!) to find what’s new and cool to do with my five year old. As a single mom who is working full-time and going to grad-school online (but wishes she could just be a full-time mom instead) your website is a time-saver and life-saver for me. Thanks for posting and writing about (from a mom’s perspective) so many great resources – and saving me the time to do so – which means more time I can enjoy spending w/my daughter!
Susan – Thank you so much for this feedback… it made my week, and it’s only just starting! 🙂
Thanks for this amazing resource. I work with military families and have been referring my clients to your website as most are new to the area.
You have made my return to the D.C. area, which I was honestly dreading after 5 years in German, so much easier. I thought I knew D.C. because I had lived here for 10 years before, but coming back with a tiny person in tow was eye opening. Your site has provided me with a wealth of information to keep my very curious 5 year old thoroughly engaged. I am especially thankful for the activities that you highlight in areas in and around Baltimore, as trips into D.C. are not always possible.
Thanks for the nice comments, Tanya. So happy KFDC has helped you rediscover the area! Hope you continue to enjoy it.
KidFriendlyDC continues to be my favorite stop on the DC mommy blog carousel. I recommend it frequently! Lots of concrete, up-to-date recommendations for things to do for families visiting AND living in Washington.
Thanks, Jen!
I can’t believe it took me this long to find your website, given that I’ve been wishing this exact thing existed for years (I’m a SAHM of a 3 and 6-year-old, and we are serious consumers of kid activities here in MoCo and all over the area). Let me just say: I LOVE THIS WEBSITE. Thank you so much! Keep up the great work! It is just what I was looking for, and I’ll tell all my friends.
Thanks so much for the feedback, Megan! And for helping spread the word.
🙂
Thank you very much for adding Hiking Along to your blogroll! I have enjoyed your site as a source for great things to do with my kids.
Love these things to do. I am a native of Northern Virginia and my family is still there so we go back all the time to visit. We look at your list for ideas when we’re in town. Do you ever post things to do that are a couple of hours away from D.C.? I work at Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library in Delaware. It’s only a two and a half hour drive from D.C. and there is a lot of great family stuff to do here.
Hi Allison – Thanks for your comment. I used to live in Chadds Ford, so I am familiar with Winterthur! I have thought about doing a post about things to do up that way – there are quite a few great places, and it’s a beautiful area – so feel free to send info if you’d like. You can email kidfriendlydc@yahoo.com.
What would I do without this site??
A friend told me about KidFriendly and I’m glad she did. Such a helpful resource! Thanks to your Weekend Round Up April 4-6, I visited the Ticonderoga Farm and had so much fun, I’m sure we will be visiting many times in the future. I wrote about it and included pictures on my blog http://darlenesphotography.com/blog/2014/4/spring-weekend-fun
thank you!
Darlene
Dear Kidfriendly DC – I’m a huge fan of your website and weekend lists. I have a toddler/preschooler who gets up very early and am always looking for places that are kid-friendly open early. Would love to see a blog post on this if you’re ever in the mood.
Thanks for considering,
Sarah
I am a huge fan of yours! Thanks for such an informative website. We’re a family of 3 without a car in NoVa. Could you do a posting on “what to do without a car” sometime? Thank you! 🙂
We are having a family reunion this summer in DC. I am the only one with children – 5 kids with ages ranging from 13 – 2. Any suggestions of kid friendly opportunities between June 28-July 7?
I didn’t know how soon you post future events.
Thanks for your help!
Hi Aimee – Stay tuned for the Guide to Summer in DC, which will be posted very soon! Something I highly recommend, though, that will be happening during the time you’re here is the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. It’s a wonderful and really fun cultural event that takes place annually on the National Mall: http://www.festival.si.edu/
Join us at Sibley Memorial Hospital’s Family Fun Festival on Saturday, July 16, from 9 a.m. to noon. All are welcome to enjoy games, mini golf, face painting, health screenings, entertainment, snacks, giveaways and more. Chilli from WASH-FM will be there to provide music and fun. This community event will mark the era of the New Sibley, re-imagining what a community hospital can be. Set to open on Sept. 26, Sibley’s vision is to be the role model for innovation in health care and wellness for all. Learn more at Sibley.org.
Have you all considered doing a post on all the weekly free options of the Smithsonians for kids? Waltzed into air and space today to discover a weekly story time that I didn’t know about. We love the natural history Butterfly exhibit on Tuesdays! Etc. I feel they aren’t consolidated anywhere very well.
This is a good suggestion, Rachel. I mention these free options from time to time in the Weekdays and Weekend posts, but don’t have them listed all in one place. most of the programs are fantastic. I’ll find some time to put a listing together, or perhaps bring back the calendar. 🙂
Thanks for all that you do with this site. I just had one minor correction – for the AfAm Museum event this evening you wrote that In Living Colour would be there. In Living Color was a tv show, Living Colour is the band.
Oops! Thanks for pointing that out…just corrected. 🙂
Hello! I just wanted to send you a huge thank you for this fantastic website! I took my family out to the Annmarie Sculpture Garden by Solomon’s Island this weekend — which I have been meaning to do forever, motivated by your posts about it — and we had such a wonderful time. The sculpture garden is really a gem — as is your site! I was telling my family that I have been relying on your site for all of the years (now, coming up on 6 🙂 that I have been a parent in DC — you have helped me plan great birthday parties, find suggestions for fun things to do on the weekends, and been like a great, very knowledgeable parent friend for our family as we have gone through stages from newborn to kindergartener — and I have never said thank you! So, I’m finally doing this today. Thank you so much for this site! I am amazed at your energy and very grateful!
Wow, reading this made my day, Jennifer. Thank you so much for such nice feedback and for taking the time to tell me. It’s always so gratifying to hear that KFDC helps families discover the DMV and, even better, enjoy quality time together. 🙂 And isn’t Annmarie awesome? Love it there!