Happy Weekend! And a very Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms! 💐
Quick links for loads of fun ideas for local activities:
* Spring Things
* Best Outdoors in the DC Area
* Local Hikes with Kids
* Indoor Outings
* Off-the-Beaten-Path Museums
* Bike Rides
* Stunning Spaces
* Peaceful Places
* Baltimore with Kids
Mom’s the Word
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
If you’re still in need of plans to celebrate Mother’s Day, there are lots of last-minute ways to make the occasion special. This round-up has ideas ranging from fairly mellow to very active, totally free to a total splurge – there’s sure to be something to make every mom’s day.
Flower Mart
Where: National Cathedral | Glover Park, DC
When: Friday 10am – 6pm, Saturday 10am – 5pm
Admission: Free
The annual festival, running for over 80 years at the National Cathedral, is a wonderful way to spend a spring day. While plant sales, floral and horticultural displays, and boutique booths will likely be of more interest to grown-ups, there is also music and entertainment, games and carnival rides, tasty foods, the All Hallows Guild antique carousel, and many more fun activities to delight kids. While you’re there, be sure to visit the awesome Beauvoir playground. Admission is free, though concessions and some activities will cost a fee. Read about one of our experiences at the event.
The Great Indoors
Where: Around the DC Area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
With lots of rain ion the forecast for the weekend, this list of over 100 activities and places to go around DC that are inside will come in handy. Some offerings at places mentioned may have changed a bit, but there are updates to reflect the current statuses. And something to note about the list: We have been to nearly every single place on it (and if we haven’t been to an actual place, like one of the roller skating rinks or indoor tennis courts, we have at least done the activity at one of the others). This is all to say the recommendations come from tried and true experience!
Mystics Tip Off
Where: Entertainment and Sports Arena | Congress Heights, DC
When: Friday, 7pm
Admission: Tickets start at $16
The Washington Mystics, our local women’s pro basketball team, begins its season this weekend with a game against Indiana Fever on Friday evening. The team plays at the Entertainment and Sports Arena located on the St. Elizabeths East Campus, in southeast DC. And KFDC readers can get a special discount on tickets using the code KIDFRIENDLY here!
Around the World Embassy Tour
Where: Multiple Embassies | Embassy Row & Dupont Circle, DC
When: Saturday, 10am – 4pm
Admission: Free
Journey from Indonesia to Peru to Ethiopia to Egypt — all in one day! Cultural Tourism DC presents its annual Around the World Embassy Tour, an open house to embassies from Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania. The free event showcases art, music, traditional dress, and culinary delights from nations across the globe. (It’s also your chance to check out the interiors of those mansions along Mass Ave & International Drive that you usually just admire from the street.) A heads-up that there could be lines to get in some embassies, so be prepared to exercise patience. Admission is free, but bring identification, as some embassies might conduct security checks. Read about one of our globetrotting-in-DC experiences and get a glimpse of what to expect.
Maker Morning: Performance Party
Where: Hirshhorn Museum | National Mall, DC
When: Saturday, 10am – 1pm
Admission: Free
Maker Mornings are back at the Hirshhorn! The free monthly Saturday morning program series invites kids of all ages to experience contemporary art through interactive hands-on making activities. During this session, meet in the Sculpture Garden for a morning filled with performance and celebration. Create a bold accessory, dance in a performance art parade, and make your own crown to take home, and join friends from DC Public Library to celebrate books and reading.
Bonsai Festival
Where: National Arboretum | Northeast DC
When: Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
Admission: Free
Celebrate the tiny trees at one of the prettiest places in the city this weekend. There will be bonsai activities to entertain everyone, from the interested observer to the accomplished artist. Each day features demonstrations, exhibits, vendors, and the renowned collection of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. While you’re at the Arboretum, be sure to see the beautiful, blooming azaleas, too!
Patterns: Here, There, and Everywhere
Where: National Building Museum | Judiciary Square, DC
When: Saturday, 11:30am – 12:30pm
Admission: $7/member, $15/non member
The National Building Museum is offering a Youth Drop-In Program for kids in grades 1-3 on Saturdays throughout May. This session will focus on patterns… Patterns are everywhere! They help us remember what comes next and organize things in the spaces we use. Learn to understand patterns that make up the built environment and decode information about the world around you! There will also be a free Story Time. Plan to stay and explore the awesome museum — tickets include access to all of the Museum’s exhibitions on this date.
Running of the Chihuahuas
Where: The Wharf | Southwest DC
When: Saturday, 1-5pm
Admission: Free
It’s DC’s cutest and funniest Cinco de Mayo celebration as The Wharf hosts the 10th Annual Running of the Chihuahuas! The day will include live music, family fun, cold Pacifico beer, and of course, the highlight of the afternoon, chihuahuas racing for fame and fun! The event benefits Rural Dog Rescue, a non-profit dedicated to saving the lives of dogs in shelters who are often overlooked for adoption or rescue. Go here for information and to sign your chihuahua up to race visit. And read more about The Wharf here.
Art Outside: Celebrate Eid
Where: National Museum of Asian Art | National Mall, DC
When: Saturday, 2-4pm
Admission: Free
Join the museum on the outdoor plaza of the Freer Gallery of Art for a festive afternoon of music, food, and art to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan. Watch master calligraphers at work, make your own calligraphy-inspired art, enjoy henna designs and music by the Syrian Music Preservation Initiative and the Zaynab Ensemble, and view art indoors in the galleries. Food from local favorite Fava Pot will be available for purchase. In case of rain, this event will take place inside the museum.
Racing Art
Where: Around the Inner Harbour | Baltimore, MD
When: Saturday, 9am – 7pm
Admission: Free
You might see giant pink poodles and other outrageous works of art “race” down Baltimore streets at the American Visionary Art Museum’s annual Kinetic Sculpture Race. Kinetinauts (the pilots of the moving sculptures) will compete for the Grand East Coast National Mediocre Champion, awarded to the competitor who finishes exactly in the middle (that is the BEST). Vehicles are wacky and whimsical, straight from a lunatic genius imagination and constructed out of all kinds of materials. They may be a small one-person machine or a 50-foot feat of engineering navigated by many. This is one of those spectacles you just have to see for yourself. Read more about the race presenter, the American Visionary Art Museum here.
Wonderful World of Watkins
Where: Watkins Regional Park | Upper Marlboro, MD
When: Saturday & Sunday
Admission: Free (but rides are a fee)
The Antique Carousel and Train at Watkins Regional Park open for the season his weekend! Plus, there are Old Maryland Farm, the Nature Center, Wizard of Oz Playground. and hiking trails. And it all makes for a fantastic place to spend a day with the fam. The train and carousel each cost $2/PG County resident, $2.50/non-resident.
More Places to Go for a Spin
Where: Several locations in the DC area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by locale
Other area carousels and trains have reopened for the season. Montgomery Park’s Cabin John Train and Wheaton Train and Carousel offer rides on weekends. The Dentzel Carousel at Glen Echo Park is whirling once again. Kids can also go for a spin on the Americana-themed carousel at National Harbor (the Capital Wheel is an option, too!). Read more about Cabin John here , Wheaton here, and National Harbor here.
NSO Pops: Disney Princesses — The Concert
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: Friday, 7:30pm | Saturday, 2pm & 7:30pm
Admission: $29-99
For generations, Disney’s Princesses have enchanted us with their courage and kindness. Their music has been the soundtrack to our lives. Now, for the first time in forever, that beloved music will be celebrated in Disney Princess — The Concert. Be our guest as the actresses who portrayed Broadway’s Belle, Jasmine, Nala, and Anastasia celebrate all the Disney Princesses in an unforgettable evening of songs, animation, and stories!
United vs. Dynamo
Where: Audi Field | Southwest DC
When: Saturday, 7:30pm
Admission: Tickets prices vary
Kick it at a DC United match on Saturday evening as they host Houston Dynamo FC. I recommend taking public transportation as parking can be difficult. Or park in the Navy Yard neighborhood and plan to walk from there (and maybe grab dinner before the match — El Bebe, All Purpose Pizza, The Salt Line, and Dacha are very convenient and my top recs for family-friendly spots to eat there).
Into the Woods
Where: Creative Cauldron | Falls Church, VA
When: Friday & Saturday 7:30pm | Sunday, 2pm & 7pm
Tickets: $40/adult, $25/child
Catch a performance of this just -opened show: With an imaginative book by James Lapine that skillfully intertwines the stories and characters from Grimm fairy tales, and a luscious score by Stephen Sondheim, this Tony Award-winning musical has become a timeless masterpiece. A baker and his wife wish for a child, Cinderella wishes to go to the King’s Festival and Jack wishes to sell his cow, so into the woods they must go in search of their prize. Happily ever after eludes them, however, as they soon learn the tangled consequences of getting exactly what you wished for.
The Fantastic Tale of Rumpelstiltskin
Where: The Puppet Co. | Glen Echo Park, MD
When: Friday, 10:30am | Saturday & Sunday, 11:30am & 1pm
Tickets: $15
In this production, the Puppet Co. gives you the full story of what happens after the gold has been spun and the day has been saved. This hilarious and smart comedy will be a great romp for adults and kids alike. Can you guess Rumpelstiltskin’s new name?! Recommended ages 4+. Run time approximately 50 minutes.
empowerHER Luminaria
Where: Lincoln Memorial | National Mall, DC
When: Sunday, 6-9pm
Admission: Free
empowerHER is on a mission to support, connect + empower girls who’ve lost their mothers. This Mother’s Day, empowerHER LUMINARIA will illuminate the night with a whimsical display of personalized luminaries (purchased for $25 from donors across the globe) and uniquely displayed on the beachfront at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in honor of and in memory of loved ones. Proceeds benefit empowerHER programs. Join empowerHER at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool on Mother’s Day – Sunday at sunset.
***MORE GOOD STUFF***
* Have you heard about the Mother’s Day Strike?
* “I Was Seeing the Same Look in Everybody’s Eyes” (Images of women at protests this week… and some of mine snapped at the Supreme Court)
* The Mormon Temple is open and welcoming the public for the first time in 50 years (through June 11). Tickets here.
* Looking forward to seeing this movie over the weekend…have been hearing great things!
* I’m finally going to organize that kitchen drawer (we all have one, right?) and just made this purchase to help.
* This article prompted me to find this playlist, which made for an awesome, nostalgic listen.
* Talking Heads lyrics or… 🙂
* A perfect Mother’s Day share… made me laugh and tear up.
* Haha.