Tag Archives: National Air & Space Museum

May 7, 2010 · 8:00 am

This Weekend, Mom Has Dibs

On this very special of weekends, there are several kid ventures that moms will enjoy just as much as their babes. (For the stuff that’s geared toward little ones, let dad take the helm, while you go get a mani-pedi.) Here’s a quick run-down of this weekend’s family fun. And to all the moms: Happy Mother’s Day!

National Train Day
Get on board for the 3rd Annual National Train Day. Saturday, May 8, Amtrak is celebrating with a day full of events for train enthusiasts of all ages. From 11am – 4pm, there will be exhibits, activities, and live entertainment throughout Union Station.

Flower Mart
Do some pre-Mother’s Day celebrating with the kids at Flower Mart, an annual spring festival to benefit the gardens and grounds of Washington National Cathedral. There will be plenty for both children and grown-ups to enjoy: an antique carousel, live music, puppet shows, plant & book sales, rides & games, delicious food, and more. This free event is happening Friday, May 7, 10am – 6pm and Saturday, May 8, 10am – 5pm.

EU Embassies Open House
Channel your inner Clark Griswold with this European tour! On Saturday, May 8, Cultural Tourism DC presents “Shortcut to Europe” as part of Passport DC, a month-long celebration of international culture and heritage. Join the Embassies of the European Union for a day of music & dance, art exhibits, childrens activities, food & drink tastings, and more. (Come on, you know you want to don some lederhosen and dance with the best of ’em!) Free shuttle buses with two routes will drop visitors off at various embassies. Visit the website for a full schedule of events.

Garden Fest
The Smithsonian Castle will be buzzing this Saturday, May 8, as Garden Fest brings people and plants together for an annual celebration. Kids will dig the insect release, plant-inspired art activities, stilt walker, tattoo station, and live music by the Richmond Indigenous Gourd Orchestra. Adults can enjoy the same, plus floricultural demos, gardening book sales and signings, orchid displays, and many other plant and gardening exhibits. The event is from 10am – 4pm. Admission is free.

Space Day
If the National Air & Space Museum ranks high on your kid’s list of favorite places, then take note: Saturday, May 8, is Space Day at the museum. Guests will have the chance to meet astronauts and space experts, communicate with the International Space Station, learn how to build a flyable model rocket, create Lego s…pacecraft, design a satellite, and enjoy more cool astro-related activities. The free event runs from 10am – 3pm.

Truck Touch Silver Spring
If you couldn’t make it to Truck Touch in Cheverly last weekend, you can get in on it this Saturday, May 8, at Silver Spring Nursery School. Construction vehicles, a fire engine, motorcycle, recycling truck, the Book Mobile and more cool vehicles will be open for exploration from 10am – 1pm. Food, live entertainment, facepainting, crafts, and a book fair will also be part of the fun. Admission is $3, kids under 2 are free.

Babies, the Movie
Babies, the documentary that follows the first year of four infants from different parts of the globe, opens this weekend, just in time for Mother’s Day. The E Street Cinema is having a Special Rattle and Reel Screening (babies welcome!) on Saturday, May 8, at 10:30am.

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April 30, 2010 · 6:39 am

May Day Weekend

You’d think there would be May Day festivals galore this weekend to usher in the new month, yet there seems to be everything but. Which is why kids won’t miss ribbons wrapped around poles—they’ll be too wrapped up in all other kinds of fun. Here’s a round-up of it all, a recap of what’s already been posted here and on Facebook plus a few more happenings to keep on your family activity radar.

Live Music
Several kids music faves are playing this weekend, and you can still score tickets to see all of them. Laurie Berkner will be at Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore on Saturday at 2pm (tickets start at $20). Also on Saturday, The Sippy Cups are playing at the National Geographic’s Grosvenor Auditorium at 12pm ($16/adults, $12/children 12 and under). And on Sunday, Dan Zanes and Friends will be at Strathmore in North Bethesda (tickets start at $15).

Truck Touch
Here’s an opportunity to make many a young motorhead dream come true: Truck Touch! On, Saturday, May 1 from 10am – 2pm, kids will have the chance to get up close and personal with their favorite road warriors — fire engines, big rigs, dump trucks, and more. The vehicles will be on display and open for exploration at Cheverly United Methodist Church in Cheverly, MD. Admission is $5/child, free for adults.

Family Day at Glen Echo Park
The Dentzel Carousel is opening for its 90th season, and the park is celebrating with a Family Day festival. There will be lots of free activities for kids—face painting, magic shows, dancing, T-Ball Extreme, and a youth art exhibition. The only thing you will have to pay for are rides on the carousel: $1.25/person.

DC United Special Autograph Session
Does your kid want to kick it with the DC united? If so, head to the game against the NY Red Bulls on Saturday, May 1. After the match, there will be a special autograph session for the Youth Fan Club. Anyone 16 and under can join the YFC, and registration is free.

Around the World Embassy Tour
Hear live Australian didgeridoo music, sample tasty Korean dishes, take in a Bangladeshi dance show, and enjoy the rich tradition of Nepalese storytelling all in one day! On Saturday, May 1, Cultural Tourism DC presents the Around the World Embassy Tour, an open house to embassies from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania. The free event will showcase art, music, traditional dress, culinary delights, and more. It’s also your chance to check out the interiors of those huge mansions along Mass Ave that you usually just admire from the street. The tour runs from 10am – 4pm. Visit the website for the complete schedule of events.

Telescopes Family Day
Bring out your child’s inner Galileo. Saturday, May 1, is Telescopes Family Day at the National Air & Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar Center, the facility near IAD. From 10am – 3pm, visitors can check out all kinds of cool telescopes, talk shop wth amateur astronomers and museum staff, and be among the first to experience the Portable Planetarium, which makes its debut this weekend. Solar observing and story time will also be part of the fun. Admission is free, but parking is $15.

Cinco de Mayo Festival
The 18th Annual Cinco de Mayo Festival is this Sunday from 12pm – 6pm at the Washington Monument grounds. Hosted by the Maru Montero Dance Company, the celebration of Latino culture will include live music, traditional food, dance performances, childrens activities in the Kids Pavilion, and free giveaways.

La Maison Française Street Performance Festival
Transport the family to a European street fair at the French Embassy’s La Maison Française. Jugglers, clowns, acrobats, musicians, and comedians will be among the en plein air entertainment on Sunday, May 2. Take in the shows and savor French treats (croissants, quiche, crepes!) as you enjoy the garden party. Tickets are $5, children 10 and under are free.

Curious George Live!
The musical about kids’ favorite inquisitive monkey takes the audience on the same kind of fun and intriguing adventures as the adored books. Curious George, the man in the yellow hat, and friends will take the stage at The Lyric Opera House all weekend, and seats are still available to all of the shows.

Audubon Nature Fair
Okay, so there just may be a maypole in the vicinity, after all. This annual celebration of the outdoor world will have plenty for the family to enjoy: hands-on nature activities for kids, live music, wildlife viewing, plant sales, handmade crafts, face painting, and—if tradition continues—a maypole. The fair runs from 11am – 5pm, tickets are $5/adults, free for children 12 and under.

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April 9, 2010 · 9:55 am

A Grand Welcome to the Weekend

It’s time to say sayonara to the cherry blossoms, and it feels like they just arrived. But as we wind down the festival that welcomes spring, the seasonal fun is just getting started.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is coming to an end, but not before its grand finale, the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. The procession of giant balloon characters, marching bands, and a mix of performers traveling through the city is easily a highlight of the weekend. On Saturday from 10am – 12pm, catch the spectacle on Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Streets. Word has it that Elmo and Kermit will be floating overhead along with air-filled cherry blossoms and Japanese lanterns. On ground, catch entertainment by the cast of Ford Theatre’s “Little Shop of Horrors,” Justin Guarini (from American Idol Season 1), The All-Star Tap Team, high school marching bands, Irish danceers, and Japanese drummers. More than 100,000 spectators show up for the parade each year, so get there early to stake out your spot along the route if you don’t have tickets for grandstand seats.

After the parade, head over to 12th and Pennsylvania Ave. NW for Sakura Matsuri. Part of the Cherry Blossom Festival, this annual Japanese street festival is a celebration of Japanese culture, with everything from traditonal food and drink to martial arts and samurai swordsmen. There will be arts and crafts, live performances, karate and sumo demos, and more. At the Children’s Corner, kids can take part in activities like origami, storytelling, and traditional games. The festival runs from 11am – 6pm. Admission is free.

If your kids like their entertainment in the form of sports, the Harlem Globetrotters will score big with them. The comical hoopsters are playing/performing at the Verizon Center this Saturday at 1pm. Ticket prices vary depending on seat location. Check the Ticketmaster website for availability.

We can’t discuss weekend activities without mentioning museums, and there are several cool events happening in the coming days. On Saturday, the National Air & Space Museum presents “Explore the Universe” as part of its Hertiage Series Family Day. From 10am – 3pm throughout the museum on the National Mall, visitors can check out the sky through telescopes, build an astrolabe and pocket solar clock, learn about different cultural significances of the sky, and enjoy stories and astronomy-related activities. Admission to both the museum and event is free.

Young sleuths will love the KidSpy Festival, part of the annual Spy Fest at the International Spy Museum on Sunday. Here’s their chance to see if they have the chops to be the next James Bond or Mata Hari. Experts will be on hand to demo tricks of the trade like cracking codes and secret writing. Participants can then put their spy skills to the test during mini-missions. Program times are 11am and 12:30pm. Tickets are $10. Recommended for children ages 7 and up.

In other museum event news, the Newseum is hosting Junior Journalist Family Day on Sunday. Children ages 6 and up can learn tips from the pros through a variety of journalistic activities that incorporate everything from reporting and broadcasting to cartooning and editing. And the event coincides with the Newseum’s 2nd birthday when tickets are buy-one-get-one-free (be sure to mention the “Second Birthday Deal” to get in on it).

Finally, if you just want to go at your own pace and enjoy the spring weather, Great Falls Park, about 20 minutes of outside of the city, is always good bet. With miles of trails and spectacular views of the Potomac’s waterfals and churning rapids, the park is great place for hikes, picnics, and family bonding time. On the Maryland side, the Billy Goat Trail guarantees a good workout and great scenery. The Virginia side has more open space to run and play and more tables to eat al fresco. Great Falls is open from 7am until dark. Admission is $5 per vehicle, $3 per individual on foot, bike, or horse.

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