Happy Weekend!
Link up to all kinds of ideas for local fun:
* Best Outdoors in the DC Area
* Local Hikes with Kids
* The Great Indoors
* Off-the-Beaten-Path Museums
* Kid-Friendly Dining
* Indoor Action
* Baltimore with Kids
* Peaceful Places
* Stunning Spaces
Spring Breakin’
Where: Around the DC area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
Spring Break for many DC area students begins this weekend, so you might be looking for extra activities to keep the kids (and yourself) entertained while they are off from school. This annual KFDC guide has plenty of ideas to help with that. Of course, you can also use it for finding more weekend fun, Spring Beak or not.
The Butterfly Experience
Where: Brookside Gardens | Wheaton, MD
When: Throughout the weekend, 10am – 4pm
Admission: $14/age 13+, $9/age 3-13, free/2 & under
Butterflies are back at Brookside Gardens! Formerly called Wings of Fancy, the exhibition just returned to the park’s conservatory for the first time since Covid. Numerous species of live butterflies and caterpillars from North America, Costa Rica, Africa, and Asia are not just be on display, but flitting about the space filled with plants and flowers — and it’s such a delight! Get a glimpse at what to expect in this KFDC post and this one about a couple of our past visits there. And see more about the wonderful Brookside Gardens here.
GR8 City Celebration
Where: Union Station | Capitol Hill, DC
When: Friday, 3-5pm
Admission: Free
Join a celebration in honor of Alex Ovechkin becoming the NHL’s All-Time goals leader! There will be a fan event in the main hall — and Ovi will be there along with some of his Caps teammates. There will also be photo ops, interactive stations, giveaways, alumni appearances, and more fun. Even better, it’s all free!
Egg-Cellent Adventures
Where: Around the DC area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by place
Egg hunts, bunny visits, and more Easter activities will be happening all around the area leading up to Easter. Visit Bunnyland at Butler’s Orchard, join an egg hunt at a fairytale of a farm, take a bunny train ride, search for Easter eggs in local parks,. There are also attractions beyond bunnies and candy-filled eggs for your whole gang. This post has a round-up of all the hoppy fun.
Root (root, root) for the Baysox
Where: Prince George’s Stadium | Landover, MD
When: Fri, 7:05pm | Sat, 6:35pm | Sun, 1:05pm
Admission: Ticket prices vary
The Nats aren’t the only baseball team in town. The Chesapeake (formerly Bowie) Baysox, one of the local minor league teams, are hosting the Erie SeaWolves all weekend, and there’s always extra fun and games especially for kids — read more about Baysox games in this KFDC post. And be sure to check the schedule for all of the promos going on each day.
National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade
Where: Constitution Ave, 7th – 17th St NW | Downtown DC
When: Saturday, 10am – 12pm
Admission: Free
The pinnacle of cherry blossom festivities just might be the parade. Thousands of people line Constitution Avenue to watch the procession of lavish floats, giant helium balloons, marching bands, and a variety of performers roll through the city. Tickets for grandstand seats are available for $25-40, but you can stake out a spot along the curb for free. Plan to arrive early to get a good view — the crowds come out for this one, especially if it’s a pretty spring day.
Sakura Matsuri
Where: Pennsylvania Ave, 3rd-7th St NW | Downtown DC
When: Saturday, 10:30am – 6pm & Sunday, 10:30am – 4pm
Admission: $15/advance, $20/day of, free/12 & under
Following the Cherry Blossom parade (or on Sunday), head over to Sakura Matsuri, the Japanese Street Festival that is America’s largest exhibition of Japanese culture. The annual event will feature live music and dance performances, all kinds of Asian and Western foods, martial arts demos, Japanese art, and much more.
Open Studio: Flower Frenzy
Where: Hirshhorn Museum | National Mall, DC
When: Saturday, 10am – 2pm
Admission: Free
At this session of the Hirshhorn’s weekly series, join an Open Studio inspired by Artist Giacomo Balla’s Futurist Flowers. Create your vision of the future and construct your own 3-dimensional botanical sculptures using rigid materials (corrugated paper, cardboard) and bright spring colors.
Show Time
Where: Around the DC area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by show
There’s a lot of entertainment on local stages this weekend. Here’s where you can catch it (and you can find show details and any discount links here):
* Annie atNational Theatre
* Mother Goose at Imagination Stage (all ages)
* Sister Act at Ford’s Theatre (age 12+)
* Sleepova at Olney Theatre (teens & older)
* A Room in the Castle at Folger Shakespeare Theatre (teens & older)
* In the Heights at Signature Theatre (age 8+)
* Bad Books at Round House Theatre (teens & older)
Earth to Space Festival Family Weekend
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
It’s the final Family Weekend during the Earth to Space Festival at the Kennedy Center when there will be extra fun for kids, including art activities in the Moonshot studio, a NASA info table, a martian spacesuit design workshop, and more free fun. Through April 20, the festival brings musicians and astronauts, poets and researchers, visual artists and engineers, actors and environmentalists, architects and astronomers, dancers and scientists, filmmakers and space designers to the performing arts center.
Open House
Peirce Mill | Rock Creek Park, DC
When: Saturday & Sunday, 10am – 4pm
Admission: Free
Explore the historic Peirce Mill, Rock Creek Park’s only remaining grist mill. Stop in to see and hear what life in the mill was like during the 1800s. Talk to a ranger, learn about local history, and get tips for suggested hikes in the surrounding area — maybe even hit the trail to the Nature Center, where you can explore exhibits and catch a planetarium show. See more about Peirce Mill in this KFDC post.
Park it in Moco
Where: Montgomery County Parks, MD
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
Montgomery Parks presents loads of special activities for visitors of all ages. Listen to a raptor caretaker chat at Meadowside Nature Center. Discover creepy critters at Locust Grove Nature Center. Go on an egg hunt (and train or carousel ride) at Wheaton Regional Park. Find details on these activities and more!
Fun at Fairfax Parks
Where: Parks throughout Fairfax County, VA
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
The Fairfax County Park Authority also hosts all kinds of events on weekends for guests of all ages. Join a family campfire at Lake Fairfax. Do some eggsperiments at Hidden Oaks Nature Center. And there are even more interesting adventures! Go on a spring discovery hike at Riverbend Park. Details and registration for activities this weekend and beyond are available here.
Spring Arts & Crafts Workshop
Where: Anacostia Community Museum | Anacostia, DC
When: Saturday, 12-2pm
Admission: Free
Bring the whole family for arts & craft reflective of spring — wooden tulips, butterfly suncatchers, bunny masks for children, and pinwheels. The workshop will be led by local artist Tamara Thomas. Reserve a spot in advance.
DC United Cherry Blosssom Night
Where: Audi Field | Southwest DC
When: Saturday, 7:30pm
Admission: Ticket prices vary
Not only will you watch some great soccer action as the United play Columbus Crew at this special themed matchday, you can enjoy a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the MLS season and the cherry blossom season. There’s always extra fun going on in the concourse, and there is sure to be plenty of pink, to boot.
Sunday Serenade
Where: Cabin John Regional Park | Bethesda, MD
When: Sunday, 10-11:30am
Admission: Free
Start your Sunday off right with Montgomergy Park’s new weekly series that features easy-listening music and concessions to end your weekend on a high note. This Sunday, relax on the lawn and enjoy a performance by Zachary Smith & the Mardi Gras Kings. Note that their regular snack vendor will not be there this week, but you can BYO and have a little picnic. After (or before if you’re early birds), plan for a mini train ride and/or playground time at the park, too!
Happy Emancipation Day, DC!
Where: Freedom Plaza & Pennsylvania Ave. | Downtown DC
When: Sunday, 2pm
Admission: Free
There will be a second parade in DC on Sunday to celebrate DC Emancipation Day! The procession will be led by Mayor Bowser, and it will be followed by a concert featuring local and national artists, and a fireworks display to end the night! Emancipation Day honors President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862, which freed over 3,100 enslaved persons in the District of Columbia. The parade begins at 2pm, a concert of the plaza at 4pm, and there will be fireworks later at 8:30pm.
Caps vs Blue Jackets
Where: Capital One Arena | Penn Quarter, DC
When: Sunday, 5:30pm
Admission: Look for tickets here
See Ovie (hoepfully) extend the just broken goal-scoring record as the Capitals play at home on Saturday evening, hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Make a longer outing of it and visit the Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum before the game or grab a bite to eat in the Penn Quarter neighborhood after — this post about kid-friendly eats in DC has suggestions for places to go.
***MORE GOOD STUFF***
* With rain in thforecast this weekend, you’ll likely be looking for places to hang inside, so why not make it a stunning one?
* National Children’s Museum has extra offerings this spring including extended hours this weekend through next!
* There are still spots available in RDUTennis Spring Break Camp — and it’s not just a tennis camp.
* There’s going to be a pink moon this weekend, the first full moon of spring… here’s how to see it.
* A good read about kids’ obsessions with the Titanic. (I remember when Owen went through his.)
* Anthro is offering 50% off sale items right now, both clothes and home items.
* Gap’s Peter Rabbit for babes is so sweet — and just in time for Easter.
* Stocked up on our favorite sunscreen for Spring Break in the sun.
* 20 Best Family Vacations in the U.S. That Offer Something Fun for Every Age
