Celebrate National Parks and Earth Day at Shenandoah (and cross fingers for no rain!)
Earth Day celebrations, the March for Science, a math festival, National Parks Week, dinosaurs! It sounds like a STEM sort of weekend. Except there’s also a birthday bash for Shakespeare, lots of live entertainment, a literary fest, an extravaganza of fairies and gnomes, and much more. It’s a well-rounded selection of fun. Happy Weekend!
Earth Optimism Day
Where: National Zoo | Woodley Park, DC
When: Saturday, 10am – 2pm
Admission: Free
A great way to spend Earth Day: Celebrating conservation success stories at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo! The family-friendly event will feature fun activities and interactive demos, including a conservation scavenger hunt. Plan to bike there and get free valet bike parking – register for it here.
March for Science
Where: Starts north of Washington Monument | DC
When: Saturday, 9am
Admission: Free
Celebrate science and join the “first step of a global movement to defend the vital role science plays in our health, safety, economies, and governments.” Well-timed to take place on Earth Day, the DC event will start with a teach-in and rally, then a march through the streets will follow.
Shop & Celebrate
Where: 529 Kids Consign | Alexandria, VA
When: Friday, 3-6pm
Admission: Free
The go-to upscale children’s and maternity consignment boutique is celebrating five years of business and you’re invited to the birthday bash! During the festivities, get 10% off all full-price items, plus there will be balloon animal art and a photo booth with a chance to win a FREE mini photo session. Party goers will also have the chance to score raffle prizes from local shops. And no party is complete without treats, so adults can enjoy rosé and Popped Republic will be on-hand with popcorn goodies for all. Local lifestyle and family blogger Angelica Talan (who is awesome!) of ClarendonMoms.com and AngelicaInTheCity.com will serve as the guest host for the party.
Juggle Jam
Where: Capitol Hill Arts Workshop | Capitol Hill, DC
When: Friday, 6-7:30pm
Admission: $5 suggested donation
Throw caution to the weekend! Conquer the thrilling challenge of juggling with veteran juggler Christian Kloc. This workshop begins with a short demo, moves into some goofy warm-ups, then puts juggling props in your hands and offers pro tips to jumpstart your newfound circus habit. After practicing controlled chaos, put on a show with your fellow jugglers and get the thundering applause you deserve! All ages are welcome. Equipment is provided. Wear comfortable clothes that allow relaxed movements.
National Math Festival
Where: Washington Convention Center | Mt. Vernon Square, DC
When: Saturday, 10am – 7pm
Admission: Free
The National Math Festival brings together some of the most influential mathematicians of our time to inspire and challenge participants to see math in new and exciting ways. Through a day of lectures, hands-on demonstrations, art, films, performances, puzzles, games, children’s book readings, and more, we bring out unexpected sides of mathematics for everyone, from toddlers to adults of all ages.
Earth Day Family Day
Where: Smithsonian American Art Museum | Penn Quarter, DC
When: Saturday, 11:30am-3pm
Admission: Free
The American Art Museum is going green for the 47th annual Earth Day! Follow the rhythms of Bash the Trash as they perform with instruments made from recycled and reused materials, or make artworks inspired by Mother Nature. From trees to oceans to critters, come celebrate the many gifts this planet has to give us.
Discover the Dinosaurs
Where: DC Armory | SE DC
When: Saturday & Sunday
Admission: $14-52
Venture back to a time when the dinosaurs roamed the earth at the ALL NEW Discover the Dinosaurs UNLEASHED! Experience up-close encounters with a lifelike Stegosaurus, Velociraptor, and the king T-Rex in this thrilling walk-through exhibit. Kids can meet a baby dino, take a spin in the Jurassic Jeeps on the Dino Raceway, and visit the Kids Adventure Zone filled with themed bouncy houses, crafts, face painting, and more. It’s family fun of prehistoric proportions!
Musical Morning with Uncle Devin
Where: Room & Board | 14th Street, DC
Whne: Saturday, 10am – 12pm
Admission: Free – RSVP here
Kids can get their groove on with the Uncle Devin Show, a DC-based musical experience featuring percussion instruments and vocals. All ages will love learning about percussion and can create their own musical instrument-themed craft to take home. Two sessions will take place at 10:20am and 11:20am. Room & Board is located at 1840 14th Street NW.
Anatomy of Sports
Where: National Museum of Health & Medicine | Silver Spring, MD
When: Saturday, 10am – 12pm
Admission: Free
Bones and muscles need to work together for optimal performance. Athletes of all ages should know how their bodies work in order to compete and stay healthy. During Anatomy of Sports, athletes will demonstrate their sport while medical illustrators and physical therapists reveal how muscles and bones work together. This session is perfect for families with children playing sports, the recreational athlete ,or the practiced sports enthusiast. Read more about the National Museum of Health & Medicine in this KFDC post.
Show Time
Where: Local Theatres
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by show
* Your wish for all-ages entertainment has been granted: Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp is at Adventure Theatre
* TreeHouse Shakers: Hatched brings family puppetry to Black Rock Center for the Arts
* It’s opening weekend for The Jungle Book at Imagination Stage
* The Three Billy Goats Gruff is on the Main Stage at The Puppet Co.
* And Baby Bear’s Birthday is this week’s featured Tiny Tots show
* Gala Hispanic Theatre presents Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights – En Español!
* Ragtime is running at Ford’s Theatre, a historic DC etertainment venue
* Make it a date night at Fun Home running at National Theatre through May 13
A Raisin in the Sun
Where: Arena Stage | Southwest DC
When: Through May 7
Tickets: $40-111
Take older kids or make it a date night for this play. The story follows an African American family in the 1950’s as they yearn for a better life from their Chicago tenement and have the opportunity to realize it. With stellar performances by the cast, the show is emotional and thought-provoking as it spotlights struggles and issues that our society still grapples with today. Read the full KFDC review of it here.
Holland in Haymarket
Where: Burnside Farm | Haymarket, VA
When: Saturday, & Sunday, 9am – 6pm
Admission: $8/day
Tiptoe, stroll, frolic through the tulips! Burnside Farm’s annual Festival of Spring showcasing the season’s flowers is open and blooming. Wander through the giant fields that contain over 50 different varieties of flowers in a rainbow of colors and pick your own to enjoy at home: $1 for 2 daffodils, $1 per tulip.) Be sure to have your camera handy for some brilliant photo ops.
Run of the Mill
Where: Peirce Mill | Rock Creek Park, DC
When: Saturday, 11am – 2pm
Admission: Free
All ages are welcome to see the 2,000-pound millstone convert corn to cornmeal using good old-fashioned renewable energy of water. Miller Jeanne and Friends of Peirce Mill invite you to see DC’s only gristmill in action. Be sure to stop by Peirce Barn next door to explore the exhibits and enjoy children’s crafts. They will also be celebrating Rock Creek’s spring herring run with a special obstacle course for kids. Read more about Peirce Mill in this KFDC post.
Weekend Tudor Tots: Earth Day
Where: Tudor Place | Georgetown, DC
When: Saturday, 10-11am
Admission: $5/child, free for adults
It’s a special weekend session of the (usually) Tuesday program for little ones to celebrate Earth Day. Read, sing, and play as Tudor Place celebrates spring while learning to reduce, reuse, and recycle in the picturesque gardens. Tots will take home a craft they’ve made themselves.
White House Spring Garden Tours
Where: White House Grounds | Downtown DC
When: Saturday, 10am – 4:30pm & Sunday, 10am – 2:30pm
Admission: Free, but tickets are required
Here’s a chance to see the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, Rose Garden, Kitchen Garden, and South Lawn at the White House. The annual Spring Garden and Grounds Tours are being held on Saturday and Sunday — and gaining admission to the event is as easy as picking up tickets the day of. Go here for more details and info on how to get tickets.
Earth Day Campfire
Where: Meadowside Nature Center | Rockville, MD
When: Saturday, 7:15-8pm
Admission: $6
Celebrate Earth Day around the campfire! Craft some handy take-care-of-the-planet reminders for your home and wind down the evening with s’mores. All participants must register in advance.
Hop on the Eye Spy Trains
Where: Montgomery County Parks | Cabin John & Wheaton, MD
When: Saturday & Sunday
Admission: $4/ride
Montgomery Parks recently started offering Spring Eye Spy Train rides at Cabin John and Wheaton Regional Parks for the first time! (The mini trains run during summer, too, but the Eye Spy fun is usually reserved for Halloween.) Hope on board and look for hidden figures in the woods as you ride around the park. Of course, stay to play at the park, too. Read KFDC write-ups about the Cabin John playground and the Wheaton playground.
All Aboard for a Model Train Open House
Where: Historic Vienna Depot of the W&OD Railroad | VA
When: Saturday, 1-5pm
Admission: Free
Chug on down to Vienna to watch model train and trolley activities that realistically depict an actual railroad that existed in North Carolina in the 1950′s, the Western North Carolina (WNC). Every hill, town, building, locomotive, rail car, and industry in this layout is modeled after those places and things as they looked in that era. Well, almost everything. To satisfy popular demand, expect an occasional sighting of Thomas the Tank Engine (and a few of his friends) chugging around among the bigger steam and diesel locomotives. The Vienna Depot is located at 231 Dominion Road NE in Vienna, VA.
Happy Birthday to the Bard!
Where: Folger Shakespeare Library | Capitol Hill, DC
When: Sunday, 12pm
Admission: Free
‘Tis Shakespeare’s 453rd birthday, and the Folger Shakespeare Library is celebrating with its annual Open House on Sunday afternoon. In true Renaissance fashion, there will be song and dance, Elizabethan crafts, and theatrical performances. Guests can also enjoy sword fighting demos, special tours, a giant birthday cake, and an appearance by Queen Elizabeth I. The free event takes place rain or shine. Food trucks will be stationed in Puck’s Circle The Folger Shakespeare Library is located at 201 East Capitol Street SE.
Earth Day Festival
Where: Brookside Gardens | Wheaton, MD
When: Sunday, 12-4pm
Admission: Free
Join Montgomery Parks at Brookside Gardens for a celebration of their wild animal friends and learn how you can help them. Fun crafts, games, nature walks, and talks will are some of the festivities to enjoy. And you’ll also have opportunities to see and meet the animals who live at Brookside up close!
Fairy & Gnome Festival
Where: Annmarie Sculpture Garden | Solomons, MD
When: Sunday, 12-4pm
Admission: $5, free for member and under 2
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This annual festival at one of the most enchanting places will delight the whole family — and we know from experience. Festivities are scattered throughout the beautiful grounds, creating a charming journey of discovery for young (and old) guests. Search for hidden fairy and gnome homes and use them as inspiration to create your own special pieces. Climb, explore, build, and dream in the lovely Fairy Lolly. Get faces painting, and enjoy music, dancing, games, crafts, food, drink, and more. Oh, and don’t let little ones miss the unicorn (yes, unicorn!) rides and a petting zoo. Read more about Annmarie Sculpture Garden in this KFDC post.
Park It
Where: National Parks
When: All weekend long
Admission: Free
It’s the tail end of National Park Week, so there’s no entrance fee to national parks that usually charge admission this weekend. If weather permits, hit the trail at Shenandoah, Prince William Forest, Great Falls, Harpers Ferry, or head up to Baltimore to explore Fort McHenry. Find even more parks to visit here.
HERtime2shine
Where: Silver Spring Civic Center
When: Saturday, 10am – 1pm
Admission: Free
Join Montgomery County Recreation at the second #HERtime2shine Sports & Fitness Event in celebration of girls and women in sports. The event aims to empower girls to get involved in sports and live healthy, active lifestyles by bringing the county’s sports and fitness organizations together to showcase new opportunities. The fun, carnival-style day will include demonstrations, entertainment and informational booths,cool prizes, and activities for the whole family.
Bethesda Literary Festival
Where: Throughout downtown Bethesda, MD
When: Friday – Sunday
Admission: Free
The 18th annual festival celebrating reading and writing begins Friday night and runs through the weekend. Both local and national authors, journalists, and poets will be there to present their works, lead discussions, and sign books. While most of it is geared toward adults, especially for the younger set will be family storytime on Saturday morning. View the schedule for event times and locations.
Falls Church Feeds the World
Where: Christ Crossman UMC | Falls Church, VA
When: Sunday, 1-4pm
Admission: Free
Volunteer with the community to assemble and package 30,000+ meals to combat hunger around the world — kids aged 4 and older can help with meal packaging. There also will be a children’s festival with games and fun activities that will teach children about food insecurity in our community and the world.
The Great Indoors
Where: Around the area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
Rain is in the forecast, so you might need extra ideas for indoor outings. Burn some energy at an indoor playground, visit a museum, explore a historic place, catch some live entertainment, bring the outdoors in at a nature center. This post listing over 90 ideas for activities inside that will get your fun started.
***BONUS BITS***
* The Chime giveaway to celebrate moms is still running – enter for your chance to win a $200 gift card to Bliss Spa and $100 in free babysitting!
* How about a fun — and yummy — day date? Hank’s Oyster Bar is hosting it’s 10th Annual Oyster Fest on Saturday!
* This weekend may be too rainy for it, so plan ahead for some recreation on the water with this new round-up places to paddle, pedal, sail, and go with the flow.
* Looking for summer activities? Kids can kick it at DC Way Soccer Camp!
