A paddling excursion is a great way to enjoy the first weekend of summer!
Happy Weekend!
Summer Time
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
Summer officially starts this weekend, so celebrate by doing something seasonal! Enjoy a concert in the fresh air or watch a movie under the stars. Jump in at an outdoor pool or splash around at a spray park. Take a ride on a mini train or a spin on a carousel. Go paddling on local waterways. Eat some crabs. Details on all of these summer treats are in 2019 Guide to the Best of Summer in DC.
Pop-up Putt-Putt
Where: 1401 Wilson Blvd. | Rosslyn, VA
When: Friday, 5-9pm & Saturday, 10am – 6pm
Admission: $3
The Rosslyn BID is bringing a favorite summer pastime for all ages to the heart of the neighborhood’s urban core. The pop-up will be open Fridays and Saturdays from June 21 through the end of August/beginning of September. Children and adults can enjoy the outdoor nine-hole mini-golf course decorated with recreations of Rosslyn landmarks including Dark Star Park, Key Bridge, Potomac Tower, and others. An indoor cafe includes classic full-size video and carnival games, as well as a vintage-inspired Candy BAR with penny candy, novelty ice creams and more. Alcoholic beverages including craft beer, wine and sangria will be available for purchase.
Community Weekend
Where: National Gallery of Art | National Mall, DC
When: Saturday & Sunday, 10am – 5pm (& 6-10pm on Saturday)
Admission: Free
Explore Japanese culture and animals in Japanese art with activities for all ages! Drop in the National Gallery of Art’s East Building for an array of artistic and cultural activities, including Taiko drumming, origami lessons, hands-on art making, Japanese folktales, DJ performances, and more! The museum will also stay open late on Saturday for a special evening program with a sake tasting, sketching, kimono demonstrations, and a live scoring of Japanese short films.
Barbeque Battle
Where: Pennsylvania Avenue NW | Downtown DC
When: Saturday 11am – 9pm & Sunday, 11am – 7:30pm
Admission: Start at $12/adults, free/12 & under
Join one of the biggest summer barbeques around as the Giant National Capital Barbeque Battle returns to pit some of the nation’s best barbequers against each other to compete for big prizes. The reward for attendees: Samples from all the entrants (plus, more food), 30 bands on three stages, cooking demos, kids’ fun, and more. It all takes place along Pennsylvania Avenue NW, from 3rd to 7th Streets.
Kidchella
Where: Badlands | Rockville, MD
When: Saturday & Sunday, 9am – 8pm
Admission: $20/age 3+, $12.50/under 3, $5/adult
Badlands is celebrating its second birthday, and all are welcome to join for some “Kidchella” fun. Special festivities will include live bands and DJ’s, face painting, hair wraps and accessories, flower crowns, tattoos, sweet treats, games and prizes, and even more fun surprises. Enjoy this, along with its regular offerings and play space.
Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods
Where: Wolf Trap | Vienna, VA
When: Saturday, 10:30am
Admission:
It’s the first weekend of Wolf Trap’s summer entertainment series for kids that takes place outdoors in the woods. At this show, Experiential Theater Company creates a hands-on dramatic adventure of Aesop’s Fables — if you’re “in the room,” you’re in the show! Bring along a picnic to enjoy after the performance.
The Cat in the Hat
Where: Adventure Theatre | Glen Echo, MD
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: $20
It’s the opening weekend for Adventure Theatre’s summer production, an adaption of a childhood classic. From the moment his tall, red-and-white-striped hat appears around the door, Sally and her brother know that the cat in the hat is the funniest, most mischievous cat they have ever met. With the trickiest of tricks and craziest of ideas, he is certainly fun to play with. And he turns a rainy afternoon into an amazing adventure. But what will mom find when she gets home…?
Matilda the Musical
Where: Olney Theatre | Olney, MD
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: $54-99
Starting on Friday, Matilda Wormwood is coming to Olney Theatre for month-long run. Born to parents who prize their own ignorance and disdain books, learning, and any information they can’t get from television, Matilda somehow manages to emerge…a genius. Maybe even a magical one. However, she and the rest of the school are under the tyrannical rule of a deliciously devious villain, principal Agatha Trunchbull. Matilda embraces the fearful and terrifying moments of childhood with humor, hard-earned optimism, and astoundingly witty musical numbers. Songs like “Miracle,” “Naughty,” and “Revolting Children” will ring true to adults, and belong in the survival kit of any child making their way through pre-adolescence and beyond.
UniverSoul Circus
Where: National Harbor | Oxon Hill, MD
When: Throughout the weekend
Tickets: $18+ (look for a ticket deal)
The world-class, live entertainment attraction that has captured the hearts and imaginations of a new generation of families is celebrating its 24th year of FUN. UniverSoul connects with progressive, upwardly mobile, urban pop cultures from around the world, embracing and celebrating the unique and familiar aspects of global cultures and ethnicities into a stellar production that blends circus arts, theater and music. A fresh, cool, and hip approach to live family entertainment!
Shows on Strings
Where: The Puppet Co. | Glen Echo, MD
When: Throughout the weekend
Tickets: $12
This weekend is the last chance to see a puppet version of the fairytale classic, Cinderella. Set in the elegance of 17th-century France, the show combines elaborate costumes of the Comédie-Française and Offenbach’s “Gaiety Parisian” to adorn the tale of the cinder girl who captures the heart of the handsome prince. Recommended for ages 5+. On Sunday, really little onescan enjoy Old MacDonald’s Farm, this week’s Tiny Tots show where the lights on and doors open and makes it a gentle experience for the youngest theatre-goers.
Kids Pizza Making Class
Where: Matchbox locations around the DMV
When: Saturday, 10am
Admission: $32/child
Round up your mini chefs for a kids pizza party at Matchbox, featuring a hands-on pizza making class (complete with chef hat), a tour of a kitchen, and a round of mimosas for parents. Tickets are $32 per child, and are available for most of the local Matchbox locations.
Kids Book Signing
Where: Little Birdies Boutique | Georgetown, DC
When: Saturday, 11am – 1pm
Admission: Free
Bring the kiddos to Little Birdies Boutique in Georgetown (1526 Wisconsin Ave) to meet author Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara for a special in-store signing of her little people big dreams book series. Plan to do some shopping while you’re there, too!
Taste the Phillipines
Where: The Wharf | Southwest DC
When: Saturday, 12-6pm
Admission: Free, but tasting tickets are $4.50-$5.50
Head to the scenic District Pier at The Wharf to feast on delectable Filipino cuisine from celebrated chefs!
This fun, family-friendly foodie fest includes cultural performances, martial arts demonstrations, music, giveaways, prizes, and activities for kids. (Note: Each tasting portion is a couple of bites.)
Solstice Saturday
Where: Smithsonian Museums in DC
When: Saturday — until midnight!
Admission: Free
The Smithsonian is marking the first Saturday of summer — Solstice Saturday — by staying open late and hosting parties, programs, and performances. The National Museums of American History, Natural History, African American History & Culture, the American Indian, Arts & Industry, African Art, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Freer|Sackler Gallery will be open until midnight welcoming visitors to the free festivities. Air & Space will be open until 7:30pm then hosting a star party at 11:30pm. And there will be a kid-friendly dance party and more activities at the National Zoo from 6-10pm. Visit the website to see where and when all of the festivities are happening!
Astronomy Festival
Where: 12th and Jefferson Dr. SW | National Mall, DC
When: Saturday, 6-11pm
Admission: Free
Presented in association with the Smithsonian Solstice Saturday events, get an eyeful of the night sky and a chance to mingle with astronomers at the 9th Annual Astronomy Festival on the Mall. This free public stargazing event features solar, optical, and radio telescope observations of the Sun, Moon, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. You can also enjoy hands-on activities, demonstrations, hand-outs, posters, banners, and videos. There will also be planetarium show with a portable blow-up dome and speakers from scientific and educational organizations.
Well Ray Del Ray Fitness Festival
Where: Mt. Vernon Ave. | Dely Ray, Alexandria
When: Saturday, 9am – 1pm
Admission: Free
The free, family-friendly event is a celebration of the health and wellness lifestyle movement. Over 75 health and lifestyle inspired vendors will provide a variety of activities to allow festival-goers the opportunity to explore, heal, taste and move in achieving a healthy life. Wellness and holistic health practitioners will offer services ranging from therapeutic treatments such as massages to acupuncture, physical therapy and nutritional counseling, health screenings, meditation, and more.
Nats vs. Braves
Where: Nationals Park | Capitol Riverfront, DC
When: Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
Admission: Tickets prices vary
There are a couple of home games for the Nats as they host the Braves. Catch them on Friday (7:05pm) and Sunday (1:35pm). Get a Max Scherzer Bobblehead on Saturday if you’re among the first 25,000 fans on Friday and a Screech Hooded Towel for the first 10,000 fans ages 12 & under on Sunday. And before you go, get some KFDC tips on doing Nats game without breaking the bank.
Airborne: Kids Free Play Workshop
Where: Two Merriweather | Columbia, MD
When: Saturday & Sunday, 9:30-11:30am
Admission: Free
Join an art-filled morning with your children among AIRBORNE, the MD AIR Program Exhibition. Enjoy coloring and paint tables, a reading library, touch and feel stations and an augmented reality showcase. RSVP and find more information on programming throughout the entire weekend. This will take place on the 5th floor of Two Merriweather located at 10960 Grantchester Way in Columbia, MD.
Create your Own Hero: Comics Character Design
Where: Bonjour Books DC | Kensington, MD
When: Sunday, 11am – 12pm
Admission: $15.99
Kids aged 8-12 are invited to this special workshop with visiting French artist Karim Friha, creator of Rise of the Zelphire, a super-cool steampunk fantasy story about a group of young people with strange powers, newly translated to English by Lion Forge (originally in French from Gallimard). Friha will share how he sketches and creates characters, and help the young artists design their own heroes, and inspire them to dream up new, fantastical worlds. The artist will inscribe book copies at the end of the event! Tickets required.
Mud Day
Where: Annmarie Sculpture Garden | Solomons, MD
When: Sunday, 12-4pm
Admission: $5, free/members & kids under 4
Celebrate International Mud Day with an afternoon of family-friendly muddy mayhem. Explore squishy art projects, play in the mud kitchen, create a terrarium, paint with mud, and cavort in a giant mud pit! Snack vendors will be on site. Rinse-off stations will be available, but bring extra clothes and prepare for a muddy car ride home!
Kidz Graffiti Party
Where: ArtJamz | Dupont Circle, DC
When: Sunday, 12:30-2:30pm
Admission: $15
Get messy like a street artist at a Kidz Graffiti Party. Children of all ages are invited to paint their very own master pieces on the ArtJamz walls.The lounge will be open for accompanying parents, and they’ll be playing jamming tunes to inspire all the little artists. Afterwards, your family can purchase additional studio time and canvas and let your vision come to life off the wall.
Go With the Flow
Where: Around the DMV
Admission: Varies by locale
Paddle your way into summer! A bunch of places around the area rent kayaks, canoes, rowboats, and pontoons. Fletcher’s Boathouse is a popular place to go, and you can also row from the Ballpark Boathouse next to Yards Park. Quiet Waters Park showcases beautiful nature in Annapolis that you can view from the South River. Bladensburg Waterfront Park also has vessels for rent along with pontoon boat tours on weekends from 5-5:45 ($2-3). See this round-up for even more places to put in and flow.
Get the Blues
Where: Homestead Farm | Poolesville, MD
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: $3
Blueberries are currently ripe for the picking at Homestead Farm (along with tart cherries, too!). While admission to the farm is free, it’s $3 to access the patches. BYO container or purchase one there. Be sure to visit the goats and pigs while you’re at the farm. Read more about Homestead here, and for more places to PYO, see this post.
***MORE GOOD STUFF***
* Don’t miss the chance to enter two ticket giveaways going on right now, for Matilda the Musical at Olney Theatre and The Cat in the Hat at Adventure Theatre.
* This summer’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival is going to be very different from previous year.
* The Washington Post has launched By the Way, featuring travel tips from locals in 50 destinations around the world.
* Just bought this for Sasha to bring to sleep away camp (and kind of want a set for myself, too 🙂 ).
* Bombay Street Food just opened a second location on Barracks Row (8th Street SE) on Capitol Hill, and it is yummy!
