Weekdays August 12-16 | KidFriendly DC

Fun in the trees at the Adventure Park at Sandy Spring

Monday – Go see the dinosaurs at the National Museum of Natural History. If you haven’t been to the recently reopened David H. Koch Hall of Fossils-—Deep Time (or even if you have), it’s a must-do. The exhibition is full of skeletal beasts plus hundreds of smaller prehistoric remnants and cool installations that present 3.7 billion years of life on Earth. Of course, plan for time to explore the rest of the museum, too! I always recommend the Insect Zoo, where kids love opportunities to hold live creatures and the Hall of Human Origins where they can see what they’d look like as a Neanderthal in a special face morphing photo booth. The museum is open 10am – 5:30pm, and admission is free.

If you have time for another museum on the National Mall (or want to enjoy an evening activity), stop by the National Gallery of Art, where The Life of Animals in Japanese Art exhibit is in its final week! It’s on view through August 18 and open until 8pm. Admission is free.

Tuesday – Head north to Charm City for a time trip through Baltimore’s early business days at the Museum of Industry. The Inner Harbor attraction highlights the trades and people that helped build the port city. It’s full of fun and interesting exhibits and installations, many with hands-on elements, that appeal to children and adults alike. Hours are 10am – 4pm (Tuesday – Sunday). Admission is $12/adult, $7/ages 7-12, free for 6 and under. Look for a deal here.

Wednesday – Bring little ones to Canal Park for some Midsummer Magic. Shakespeare for the Young brings the entertainment to this week’s installment of the Kids in Canal series. The fun begins at 10:30am and lasts for an hour. After, head over to the dancing water fountains for a refreshing splash. Admission to all of it is free.

If you’re with older kids, enjoy some recreation on local waters. There are a bunch of places around the area to rent kayaks, canoes, stand up paddle boards, and pedal boats. See this KFDC post for details of where you can go with the flow in DC. And check out one of our recent kayaking adventures here.

Thursday – Enjoy the day roaming the enchanting gardens at Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown. The grounds don’t open to the public until 2pm, but you can play at nearby Montrose Park or grab a bite to eat on M Street beforehand. I promise, it’s worth waiting for the afternoon visit. Admission is $10/adult, $5/child to the gardens, but there’s never an entry fee at Montrose.

Friday – Hang out in the trees at the Adventure Park at Sandy Spring. Kids as young as 5 years old can experience fun and challenges on the ropes courses and ziplines in the park’s aerial adventure forest, the largest in North America. Hours are 9am – dusk, and admission is $12/age 5-6, $47/age 7-11, $56/age 12+. Read more about the Adventure Park here.

And if you’re looking for fun with littler ones (or a cheaper/free option), play the day away at Clemyjontri. The sprawing, vibrantly colored playground in McLean, VA, accommodates kids of all abilities with all kinds of climbing structures, swings, and other apparatuses that encourage activity and imagination. Hours are 7am to dusk, and admission is free.

See llamas at Old Maryland Farm when you visit Watkins Regional Park

Monday – Visit the Wings of Fancy butterfly exhibit at Brookside Gardens. Showcasing nearly 20 species from Central America, North America, and Asia, there are literally hundreds of butterflies flitting about the conservatory. It’s truly worth checking out, as noted in this post about our experience there last year. Even better, Certifikid currently has a deal on admission: $6 for one adult and one child (regularly $10). Hours are 10am – 4pm daily. The exhibit will be open through September 22.

Tuesday – Go for a spin on the Chesapeake Carousel, take a train ride through the woods, play mini golf, hike the trails, and visit the Old Maryland Farm animals at Watkins Regional Park in Upper Marlboro, Md. If it rains (or even if it doesn’t), take shelter and see the birds and reptiles at the Watkins Nature Center. The rides are open 10am – 7pm, the farm 9am – 4pm, and the Nature Center 8:30am – 5pm. Admission to the park is free; the rides cost $1.75/person and mini golf is $4.50/person.

Wednesday – Discover American Indian culture with all kinds of hands-on pursuits at imagiNATIONS, the family activity center at the National Museum of the American Indian. Weave a big basket, play in a teepee and models of native dwellings, do some arts & crafts, hear bird calls of the wild, read kids books in the library, and much more. Museum hours are 10am – 5:30p. Admission is free.

Thursday – Head on down to the county fair. Both the Montgomery and Prince William County Fairs are going on right now, with everything from carnival rides to farm animals to live entertainment. This post has more details on both of them, and this one has photos from our visit to MoCo over the weekend.

Friday – Cruise the Potomac from National Harbor to Old Town Alexandria (or vice versa) on a water taxi adventure. The Potomac Riverboat Company operates daily between the two destinations at various times throughout the day — see the schedule here. Tickets are $8/ages 12 and up, $5/kids under 12 each way (infants are free). Plan to hang out, have a bite to eat, shop, and play while you’re on land.