A view of the U.S. Capitol and National Mall from the Washington Monument
Monday – Discover the history of flight at the College Park Aviation Museum. It’s a great place for young visitors, with eye-popping displays and lots of hands-on fun. They can view early airplanes up close, dress up like aviators, create flight-inspired art, and much more. Keep an eye on the runway right outside the floor-to-ceiling windows — you might see planes take off and land at the College Park Airport, the oldest continuously operating airport in the world! Open daily 10am – 5pm. Admission is $5/adults, $2/children, free for ages 1 and under.
Tuesday – Take the littlest ones to Cultural Cuddles at the National Museum of African American History & Culture. The program invites parents and caregivers to bring babies ages 0 to 12 months to discover a rainbow of color through a close-looking activity led by a museum educator in the Visual Art gallery, then engage in sensory activities for further color exploration. It begins at 10:30am, and admission is free, but you must register in advance. If you’re with older children, explore the NMAAHC on your own — passes are not required from September through February. Be sure to check out the KFDC guide to visiting the museum with kids before you go.
Wednesday – Wander, play, and explore at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria. Be sure to stop in the Horticulture Building and pick up instructions for a kids’ scavenger hunt to add some extra fun to the outing. Grounds are open dawn to dusk, the Horticulture Building 9am – 4:30pm. Admission is free.
Thursday – Take of tour of the Washington Monument! After being closed for more than three years for renovations and repairs, DC’s tallest structure is once again welcoming visitors. Free, same-day are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 8:30am at the Washington Monument Lodge, located on 15th Street NW, between Madison Drive NW and Jefferson Drive SW. Tickets are timed-entry, so you may have time to kill before your tour, but you’ll be on the National Mall, where the many free museums will make that easy to do.
Friday – Catch a performance of Elephant and Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!” at Adventure Theatre. Showtime is 10:30m, and tickets are $25. Plan to stay and play at Glen Echo Park playground afterwards, and bring along a picnic lunch or grab food from the Praline Cafe on premises.
