Weekdays August 27-31 | KidFriendly DC

Get to the Fun House before it closes in a week!

Monday – Go to a special summer exhibit or museum program while you can! Several around the area will come to an end after Labor Day. Explore the Fun House at the National Building Museum. Enjoy free admission for kids to the Newseum thanks to the Summer Fun Deal (and get a deal on adult admission here). Look for fairy houses and enjoy more artistic delights at Annmarie Sculpture Garden. Visit Yoko Ono’s Wish Tree for Washington, DC, at the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden. Find details on these and even more soon-to-be over activities in the 2018 Summer Guide.

Tuesday – Head up to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor to tour the historic ships. There are four vessels that welcome visitors to explore: The USS Constellation, USS Torsk, USCGC Taney, and LV116 Chesapeake. Admission to tour two ships is $15/adult, $7/ages 6-14, free for ages 5 and under, and you can add on for just a few dollars more per ship. Read more about the experience in this KFDC post.

Wednesday – Get artsy at All Fired Up, where you can walk-in and paint your own pottery. Right now on Mondays & Wednesdays, you can get 15% off select pieces from 12-3pm, and regular pottery prices range from $6-60. Locations are in Cleveland Park and Bethesda. All ages are welcome!

You can also play outside and get a taste of Tinkergarten! The program provides wonderful, outdoor, play-based early childhood classes for children 18 months – 8 years old and their parents/caregivers to come together weekly in local parks to play, discover, and learn together. Join a FREE trial class at Belle Haven Park in Alexandria, VA, from 9:30am-10:45am. Trial classes are a great opportunity to see what Tinkergarten is all about! Register in advance here. (Note: This was originally the Thursday listing, but I had the date wrong — oops! There will also be free trial classes this Friday, August 31, and next week, September 5 and 7.)

Thursday – Stay cool on the hot day at a public outdoor pool, which will only remain open daily through Labor Day. Even better, they’re free (or a small fee if you’re not a resident of the District or county where it’s located). Check out the 2018 Summer Guide for links to public pools in the area and be sure to note open swim times, as they may vary from pool to pool.

Friday – Spend what’s one of the last days of summer break for many local kids at the beach! Several places within day trip-distance from DC are great for sand and surf. Enjoy picturesque views of the Bay Bridge along with beach fun at Sandy Point State Park. Head out to Calvert County for a day at Flag Ponds Nature Park, including some fossil hunting. Head a little further out to North Beach or Brownies Beach (Bayfront Park). You can also play paleontologist and look for prehistoric fragments along the Potomac at Purse State Park in Charles County, MD.

Traversing the trees at the Adventure Park at Sandy Springs

School is back on for many area kids, but there are still some enjoying a last hurrah this week before returning to the classroom. These suggestions for weekday play have them in mind with several ideas specifically for older children. And for those of you with little ones, have no worries — for every big kid recommendation, there’s an alternate to accommodate younger tots, too.

Monday – See Titanic: 100 Year Obsession, the National Geographic Museum’s fascinating exhibit on display for just a couple more weeks. Admission is $8/adults, $6/members & military, $4/ages 5-12, free for children under 5. The museum is open 10am – 6pm daily. With little ones: See Savage Gardens, the U.S. Botanic Garden’s exhibit about carnivorous plants that features plenty of interactives and big, colorful displays. And be sure to stop by the Children’s Garden while you’re there. Admission is free, hours are 10am – 5pm.

Tuesday – Stroll the beautiful grounds, tour the plant collections, view wildlife in the ponds, and visit the new Korean Bell Garden at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna. Admission is $5/adults, $2.50/ages 7-17 and seniors, free for ages 6 and under. Hours are 10am – 8pm.

Wednesday – Take advantage of the Newseum’s Kids Free Summer Fun Deal while you still can — it’s over after Labor Day. The promotion, which waives the regular $12.95 entrance fee for youth with one paid adult admission, benefits kids ages 7 and up most, since children 6 and under always get in free, and much of the Newseum’s collection will be better appreciated by older children. With little ones: Head to the National Building Museum for fun in the Building Zone ($3/person). Entry to the play space is limited and timed, beginning every hour, so plan accordingly.

Thursday – Go apple picking, an activity that all ages can enjoy. The fruits are ripe at many local farms and orchards, and guests are welcome to come pick their own. See this post from last week with a list of places to go. I always recommend calling ahead to be sure the pickings are good that day.

Friday – Hang out in the trees at the Adventure Park at Sandy Spring Friends School. Kids as young as 5-years-old can now experience fun and adventure on the ropes courses and ziplines in the park’s aerial forest, the largest in North America. Owen and I went last week and had a BLAST! (Read a review here.) For $34, children ages 5-6 and an accompanying adult have access to two of the easier courses for 90 minutes. Older kids can do even more for longer time. Hours are 9am – 8pm, and admission is $38/ages 7-9, $43/ages 10-11, $48/ages 12 and older. With little ones: Experience adventure on a smaller scale at the Cabin John Regional Park Adventure Playland. Kids can climb, swing, jump, slide, and run amid the lovely wooded setting, and the miniature train that guests can ride ($1.75/passenger) is a fun bonus.