A Halloween scene at Washington Harbour in Georgetown
Happy Weekend!
Link up to fun with these posts full of inspo for things to do:
* Best Outdoors in the DC Area
* Local Hikes with Kids
* Indoor Outings
* Pick-Your-Own Ops
* Bike Rides
* On the Water
* Peaceful Places
* Baltimore with Kids
Scarea 51: Haunted Car Wash Experience
Where: Splash In ECO Car Wash | Clinton, MD
When: Friday, Saturday & Sunday, 6-10pm
Admission: $29
“Scarea 51” is a Prince George’s County first! Haunted car washes are a trend coming out of the pandemic and are created to provide car owners and their families with a socially distanced haunted house experience — all while getting their car scary clean. Splash In’s custom-designed experience of surprising and startling moments is sure to deliver an evening of family-fun and spooky (splashy) scares. Splash In is located at 7509 Old Branch Avenue in Clinton, MD. (On a personal note, I am so intrigued by this and plan to go. Will report back!)
Witchwartsmith’s Halloween Spooktacular
Where: The Puppet Co. | Glen Echo Park, MD
When: Saturday & Sunday, 11:30am & 1pm
Admission: $15/age 2+
The wonderful Puppet Co. has reopened and is celebrating the season! Witch Wartsmith (the sister of Witch Wartsmith from their Legacy show Rapunzel,) hosts the annual Halloween Spooktacular and you get to vote on the winner! Part contemporary competition show, part vintage telethon, and part punpalooza, this spooky variety show will tickle your funny bone. Don’t miss this year’s performances, because some of the contestants change year to year!
Books & Beer Family Story Hour
Where: City-State Brewing Co.
When: Saturday, 11am – 12pm
Admission: Free
Enjoy food, bevies, and stories for the whole fam at City-State Brewing Co., the DC-centric brewery and taproom. This editor of the Books & Beer family story hour will feature Northern Virginia children’s book illustrator Zara González Huong celebrating her latest book, “Mi Casa is My Home.” Flights and pints of City-State beers will be available, as well as non-alcoholic beverages and free juice and snacks for kids. Signed books will be available for pre-order and purchase on-site — guests who pre-order a book will get $5 beers during the event.City-State Brewing is located at 705 Edgewood St. NE. This event is free but reservations are required!
Community Day & One Year Celebration
Where: Planet Word | Downtown DC
When: Sunday, 10am
Admission: Free
It’s Planet Word’s first birthday! Help celebrate with a day full of the joy and wonder of words and language. It’s also a great opportunity to visit the museum (one of my newer faves) that usually requires a wait to go. Enjoy crosswords and crafts under the Speaking Willow. Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the historic Franklin School building. Join visiting linguists to learn about how animal sounds vary around the world, and marvel at the extraordinary engineering of our giant LED globe. Read more about the fantastic Planet Word in this KFDC post.
Family Bike Ride
Where: Around the DC area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Free
There’s a quick link to bike routes above, but this is a stronger recommendation to get out for a family ride — looks like weather will be great for it! And you’ve got your pick of good rides around the area. Take in the kinda-fall scenery, get some exercise, and have fun, all while easily social distancing. This post has a bunch of pedal-worthy recs, with something for riders of all levels, and this route is particularly ideal with kids.
Take a Hike
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by locale
The nice weather this weekend also makes it a great time to hit the trail on foot. Enjoy the cool temps, walk in places with scenic views, see the start of fall foliage, and savor a sunny day outdoors. This post has a a bunch of recommendations for places to walk in the woods with the kids. Some specific recs for right now: Riverbend to Great Falls, Rock Creek Park, Patapsco Valey State Park, Tukery Run Park, and Sky Meadows State Park.
Halloween in the Garden
Where: Annmarie Sculpture Garden | Solomons, MD
When: Saturday, timed-entry
Admission: $5
Dress the whole family and enjoy a day of trick-or-treating, art activities, and more! Timed-entry tickets and activities spread out across the park’s 30 acres will make this a fun and safe event. More than 50 local businesses and organizations will be here handing out treats for the kids, plus there will be fun and games, a DJ dance party, food trucks, and lots of other festivities. Masks are required for all guests over the age of 2 (more safety info here). Read more about Annmarie here and here.
More Wicked Fun
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
There are even more ways to get the Halloween party started early all around the area. See what else is happening this weekend and and coming up over the next week leading up to the day. This annual post has details on where to find the tricks and treats.
Dance Your Style Finals
Where: Howard Theatre | Shaw, DC
When: Saturday
Admission: Free – $17.55
The world’s largest street dance competition Red Bull Dance Your Style will conclude its U.S. tour with the Red Bull Dance Your Style Washington D.C. National Final on Saturday, October 23rd at the historic Howard Theater. the nation’s top 16 street dancers will battle it out to claim the National Final Championship title. The audience will play judge, ultimately deciding which dancer will advance onto the next round. With no panel of judges, no planned choreography, and no pre-chosen music, it’s all about embracing the moment, wowing the crowd, and moving to the beat.The competition and a series of free dance workshops taught by internationally renowned dancers will be open to the public — check them all out and register to join here. And get tickets to watch the dance finals here.
Kingman Island Family Day
Where: Kingman Island | Northeast DC
When: Saturday, 10am – 2pm
Admission: Free
Experience all the things to do on the Anacostia River islands next to RFK Stadium. Paddling, nature walks, restoration plantings, yoga, and more will be part of the day’s activities, and all are welcome to join! Read more about Kingman and Heritage Islands here. Register for free in advance.
Fall Haul
Where: Around the DC Metro
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by locale
Celebrate the season — fall festivals are in full swing at locales all around the area! From pumpkin patches and apple picking to corn mazes and hayrides to giant slides and jumping pillows, there are activities GALORE to help folks embrace the autumn spirit. galore that let you relish in the fun autumn brings. This post has details on where all the fall funn is happening.
Fall Harvest Festival
Where: Mount Vernon Estate | Mount Vernon, VA
When: Saturday & Sunday, 9am – 5pm
Admission: $20/adults, $12/kids 6-11, free/under 6
Enjoy fall activities with the whole family at George Washington’s old digs. Explore the farm and watch 18th-century cooking, candle making, surveying, and coopering. Learn about horseshoeing and other trades. Meet General Washington! Bread baked 18th-century style and beer tastings will also be available.
Last Call for Merriment
Where: Revel Grove | Crownsville, MD
When: Saturday & Sunday, 10am – 7pm
Admission: $28/age 16+, $13/age 7-15, free/under 7
It’s the final weekend of the Maryland Renaissance Festival, the annual faire that recalls medieval times with an English Tudor village full of fun and entertainment for the whole family. I highly recommend going if you haven’t been yet. Tickets must be reserved in advance online, and they likely will sell out since it’s the last weekend. Huzzah!
Chevy Chase Art Walk
Where: | Chevy Chase, MD
When: Saturday & Sunday, 12-5pm
Admission: Free
Take a walk around Chevy Chase as you browse and shop works from more than 40 artists exhibiting and selling from 23 homes and studios in the area. There will be art from a wide range of media, including abstract and representational painting, sculpture, jewelry, pottery, ceramics, photography, fabric art, mixed media and video. Brochures with the artists’ names and a map of the locations will be available at most local businesses on Connecticut Avenue and throughout the community, or you can view an interactive map here.
LuminoCity
Where: Roer’s Zoofari | Vienna, VA
When: Through January 2
Admission: $5-66
It doesn’t have to be the holiday season to experience a light display. This new one is already open and immersing visitors in a world lit up with towering luminescent sculptures. Guided by Lumi, LuminoCity mascot, see unicorns and other glowing characters and scenes throughout the experience. The event is all outdoors and timed-entry.
Opera Starts with Oh!
Where: Opera Lafayette Online
When: Saturday, 11am
Admission: Pay what you can!
Introduce kids to the magic of opera through Opera Lafayette’s online program. Journey to an enchanting land with this opera-ballet filled with fairies, gnomes, and muses through dance and costume design with professional costume designer Anna Kjellsdotter. Learn more about the virtual series that run will this fall and winter here.
Día de los Muertos
Where: The Wharf | Southwest DC
When: Sunday, 2-5pm
Admission: Free
Celebrate the Day of the Dead at The Wharf! Head to the District Pier for a free afternoon of activities, including live music, street food, a beer garden, and more. If the season has your creative juices flowing, decorate a sugar skull or get your face painted! Read more about The Wharf.
Luchadora!
Where: Adventure Theatre | Glen Echo Park, MD
When: Saturday, 2pm
Admission: $20.50
See Adventure Theatre’s production about a teen tomboy who trains to become a wrestler with the help of a magic mask maker. This production will take place outdoors in the grassy field next to ATMTC and the Irish Inn (BYO blanket!).
Hadestown
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: Through October 28
Tickets: $45-175 (look for a discount)
Welcome to Hadestown, where a song can change your fate. Intertwining two mythic tales—that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone—Hadestown is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go. It’s a love story for today…and always. Recommended for age 8+.
The Madness of Poe
Where: Synetic Theatre | Crystal City, VA
When: Through October 31
Tickets: $20-60
Join Syentic back in the theater for an evening Edgar Allan Poe’s classic stories envisioned as a kaleidoscopic tapestry of terror. It’s dark and dramatic and highly entertaining with Synetic’s signature physical theatre keeping the audience rapt. Recommended for teen ages and up.
Autumn off the Farm
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
Farm festivals may be the go-to autumn outing, but there are lots of other fantastic ways to enjoy the season around the area. This KFDC post lists 10 great places to for fall adventures.
The Ins & Outs of DC
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by adventure
Want even more options for fun things to do with the kids around the area? If you’re looking for activities outdoors or inside, depending on the weather or simply your preference, these posts are chock full of ongoing pursuits:
The Best Places in the DC Area to Enjoy a Beautiful Day Outdoors with the Kids
The Inside Scoop
***MORE GOOD STUFF***
* Holiday season heads-up! Enchant Christmas will be returning to Nationals Park this year, and tickets are already on sale. Read a review from when it was here in 2019.
* In case you missed this week’s Five Things, check it out here.
* The Washington Post in conversation with Jane Goodall.
* School lunch options have expanded greatly with this thermos (think pasta and soup that actually stay warm). The built-in spoon is key.
* I just mentioned The French Dispatch, here’s a good review.
* Some thoughts on apple picking.
* Because it’s a cute, timley pic and because he brings us so much joy and because he is 1 today! ❤️
