A 2021 Halloween message
Happy Halloweekend!
Quick links to all kinds of ongoing activities around the DC area:
* Best Outdoors in the DC Area
* Local Hikes with Kids
* Indoor Outings
* Bike Rides
* On the Water
* Peaceful Places
* Baltimore with Kids
Halloweekend!
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
Celebrate Halloween all weekend long! A scary amount of events and activities that embrace the spooky spirit are to check out through Sunday. Some are detailed below, and this post has info on even more happenings where you can find all the tricks and treats.
Haunted Mini Golf
Where: Upton Hill Regional Park | Arlington, VA
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: $5/12 & under, $6/13+
Putt around and enjoy some Halloween fun all at once. Upton Hill Regional Park has added spooky delights to the mini golf course to get into this weekend’s holiday spirit. Kids 12 and under that show up in costume get $1 off admission, and on Sunday from 4-7pm, they’ll also receive a treat bag.
Victura Park Fall Fest
Where: The REACH | Kennedy Center
When: Saturday, 12-4pm
Admission: Free
Celebrate fall at the lovely, family-friendly wine garden and café on the grounds of The REACH! The spot has grown from a summer pop-up to year-round fixture for hanging outdoors in the city. On Saturday, enjoy BBQ, beers, s’mores, hot chocolate, and a face painter along with great views, picnicking, and more outdoor areas of the Kennedy Center. (And, FYI – the Grand Foyer and Hall of States are open inside, too!)
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.
Lil’ Pumpkins Festival
Where: Black Rock Center for the Arts | Gaithersburg, MD
When: October 30, 11am-5pm
Admission: Free
BlackRock Center for the Arts, providing opportunities to explore, celebrate and engage in the arts, is hosting a day of spooktacular celebration! Family programming includes free pumpkins, improv workshops, exhibits, trick-or-treating, visual arts, haunted hip-hop, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and more. All guests must be masked when entering BlackRock’s facility, and all persons above the age of 12 entering the facility must show proof of vaccination status.
“Eye Spy” Halloween Trains
Where: Cabin John & Wheaton Parks | Bethesda & Wheaton, MD
When: Saturday & Sunday, 10am – 6pm
Admission: $6
Hop on board the Halloween Trains! All ages can take a ride through “Trainslyvania” on Montgomery Parks’ Cabin John Miniature Train and the Wheaton Miniature Train. Purchase tickets in advance online to guarantee a ride, as only a limited amount are available onsite. Plan on more play at the parks — see more about Cabin John here and Wheaton here.
Brick Fest Live!
Where: FedEx Field | Landover, MD
When: Friday – Sunday
Admission: $25-50 (look for discount)
The nation’s largest LEGO Fan Festival is back and will be enthralling guests of all ages this weekend. BrickFest brings together LEGO enthusiasts from across the country to showcase their amazing brick constructions, from tiny intricate works to elaborate, towering creations. Hundreds of exhibitors will be there to display their designs, along with vendors selling all things LEGO. Other activities will include live interactive stage shows, LEGO building, life-style models, games, and photo ops.
Nightmare on Elm Street Urban Park
Where: Elm Street Urban Park | Bethesda, MD
When: October 30, 1-4pm
Admission: Free
You won’t find Freddy Kreuger there, but Montgomery Parks’ FREE Nightmare on Elm Street Halloween event at Elm Street Urban Park will have spooky, silly fun for everyone! Go on a “Trick or Treat Trails” scavenger hunt, play lawn games, enjoy clices and scoops from O’Boy Pizza & Ice Cream, get into the spooky groove with a Halloween DJ. There will be also be lots of Halloween props and decorations for snapping pic and plenty of picnic seating.
Skaters Gonna Skate
Where: Ice rinks around the DC area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by rink
Ready to glide under the sky? A few outdoor ice skating rinks are welcoming guests to skate the day (and night) away starting this weekend! (The rest will follow by mid-November.) This guide has details on all of them (indoor venues, too), including extra activities to enjoy while you’re there.
Fall Festing
Where: Around the DC region
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by locale
Fall festivals are in full swing at locales all around the area to celebrate the season 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.
Autumn off the Farm
Where: Around the DC Area
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 check out for fall adventures.
Leaf Peeping Hikes
Where: Around the DC area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by locale
Take in the brilliant color spectrum of autumn and get a little exercise, to boot, on a family hike. From right here in the city to country locales, you’ve got your pick of places where you can enjoy the fall foliage and some time outdoors. This post about good area hikes with kids started in the early KFDC days, and with many new recommendations added since, there are lots of great suggestions for trails that will make for happy trampers. A few specific suggestions for this weekend: National Arboretum, Huntley Meadows, Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, Pohick Bay Regional Park, Prince William Forest Park.
Halloween at the Harbor
Where: National Harbor | Oxon Hill, MD
When: Saturday & Sunday
Admission: Free
National Harbor is celebrating Halloween with several family activities. The Prince Georges County Memorial Library System will present Spooky Storytime at 2pm on Saturday in the Potomac Play Area on American Way at National Harbor. On Sunday, from 12-2pm, kids age 10 and under in costume get a free ride on The Capital Wheel and Carousel with the purchase of adult admission. (Limit two free children per one adult admission.). Later at 4pm, catch a showing of Goosebumps on the waterfront screen (151 National Plaza) — bring a chair or a blanket and pickup food at any of the large number of restaurants.
Drive-In “Spooky” Movie Night
Where: DC Party Box | Rockville, MD
When: Saturday evening
Admission: $15/adult, $10/13 & under
Enjoy Spooktacular theater at this drive-in, featuring an LED screen, FM broadcasting, and spooky surprises. There are a few family-friendly movies in the line-up on Saturday: Coraline at 5pm, Paranorman at 7pm, and Gremlins at 9pm. A Family Movie Bundle is available that includes 2 adult tickets, 2 child tickets, popcorn, drinks, and priority parking. Reserve in advance online, one reservation per car. There are also Trick 0r Treat opportunities on Saturday & Sunday.
Vamos United!
Where: Audi Field | Southwest DC
When: Saturday, 7:30pm
Admission: Tickets start at $23
DC United is home this weekend with a match against Columbus on Saturday. I recommend taking public transportation since parking can be difficult. Idea: Take Metro to the Navy Yard and have a pre-game bite to eat, then it’s an easy walk to the stadium. All Purpose, The Salt Line, and El Bebe are very convenient and my top recs for family-friendly spots to eat there. Look for a deal on a Family Four-Pack of tickets.
We’ve Got Spirit, Yes We Do…
Where: Audi Field | Southwest DC
When: Sunday, 2pm
Admission: Tickets start at $25
The Washington Spirit, our local women’s pro soccer team, is also playing at Audi field this weekend, as they take on the Houston Dash. Enjoy some amazing soccer play while supporting women in sports! Purchase tickets here. And see my recs for transportation/dining above.
Laurie Anderson: The Weather
Where: Hirshhorn Museum | National Mall, DC
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Free
The recently opened exhibition at the Hirshhorn is fantastic. Beautiful abstract paintings, captivating stories, interesting photography, original instruments, spoken word video sculptures, and an entire black and white gallery hand painted by Anderson with sketches, quotes, poems, and passages are among the collection of multimedia works. I’d recommend the exhibit for tween ages and up, though younger children could definitely tag along — there are visual elements that would appeal to them, too. (Plus, art can always be presented to them as something that was in someone’s imagination that they have made real… that is what I did, anyway, when my kids were younger and we encountered art that was over their heads.)
Family Dance Party
Where: Hi-Lawn @ Union Market | Northeast DC
When: Sunday, 11-1pm
Admission: $10
The Rumpus Room, DC’s only daytime dance party for families, returns for Halloween! They’ll be getting (slightly) spooky outdoors under the sun, so put on your costumes and go boogie! Get ready for dance floor filled with little ghosts, goblins, witches, dragons, and pumpkins of all ages. Adults can relive their night-life glory days and show off those rusty moves with little ones in tow. The soundtrack for the day will be a family-friendly mix of dance floor and Halloween classics, all at a kid-friendly volume.
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 loaded with ideas for ongoing pursuits:
The Best Places in the DC Area to Enjoy a Beautiful Day Outdoors with the Kids
The Inside Scoop
***MORE GOOD STUFF***
* The latest Five Things in case you missed it earlier this week.
* Last minute ideas for Halloween costumes from Jen at Kid Up and Go.
* DCist also has some DC inspired suggestions.
* Two years ago Saturday, THIS happened! (And wasn’t it just the best?)
* Last year I posted about the perfect outdoor set up for the Covid winter, and I still recommend all of it. With cooler weather finally here, it’s time to start prepping.
* Some really good off-the-radar recommendations for movies to stream (most are not for kids).
* Halloween costumes we already have in our closet. (haha)
* What really scares adults. (spot on!)
