Where to go this weekend with kids around Washington DC
In season now: Pumpkin patches and fall farms with kids around Washington DC →79 places for this weekend
Black Hill Regional Park (Little Seneca Lake)
5.0Boyds · 20 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots by the visitor center and the dock
Lake Needwood (Rock Creek Regional Park)
5.0Rockville · 10 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Several free lots at the dock and picnic areas, fairly full on fall weekend afternoons
Sligo Creek Trail
5.0Silver Spring · 20 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Several free lots along Sligo Creek Pkwy; some stretches close to cars on weekends, so check which section is open
Cabin John Regional Park playground and train
5.0Bethesda · 10 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot by the playground off Westlake Dr, plenty of room on weekend mornings
Hadley's Playground (Falls Road Local Park)
5.0Potomac · 10 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Falls Rd park
South Germantown Recreational Park (Adventure Playground)
5.0Boyds · 20 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Schaeffer Rd entrance, big free lot by the playground
Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm
5.0Gaithersburg · 10 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the S Frederick Ave entrance
Wheaton Regional Park train and carousel
5.0Wheaton · 15 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free lot at the Shorefield Rd entrance, by the train and playground
Glen Echo Park carousel and puppet theater
5.0Glen Echo · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free lot inside the park
National Capital Trolley Museum
5.0Colesville · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free lot
Brookside Gardens
5.0Wheaton · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Glenallan Ave visitor center; if full, park at Wheaton Regional Park and walk over
Meadowside Nature Center raptor aviary
5.0Rockville · 10 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free nature center lot
Rock Creek Park Nature Center and Planetarium
5.0Washington · 25 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free nature center lot, plenty of room on weekend mornings
Clemyjontri Park
5.0McLean · 25 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot, full after 10am on sunny weekends, street parking available
Smithsonian National Zoo
5.0Washington · 25 min drive
3.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
Free · Parking: Zoo lots $30/car and often full; Metro Red Line to Woodley Park or Cleveland Park and a 10-minute walk (downhill from Cleveland Park)
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
5.0Vienna · 30 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free lot inside the park; admission about $6 adults, about $3 ages 7–17, free under 6
NOVA Wild (formerly Reston Zoo)
5.0Vienna · 30 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free lot; the walk-through zoo and drive-through Safari are priced separately, about $15–25 per person each (check the website)
Butler's Orchard u-pick and Pumpkin Festival
5.0Germantown · 15 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
$$ · Parking: Free field parking; u-pick by the pound, fall Pumpkin Festival weekend admission about $15–20 per person (check the website)
Gravelly Point plane watching
5.0Arlington · 35 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot reachable only from the northbound GW Parkway, packed on sunny weekend afternoons
Centennial Park lake loop
5.0Ellicott City · 35 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots at the Centennial Lane main entrance and the west entrance
Ellanor C. Lawrence Park (Walney Visitor Center)
5.0Chantilly · 35 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Walney Visitor Center
Claude Moore Park
5.0Sterling · 35 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Cascades Pkwy entrance, next to the nature center and playgrounds
Frying Pan Farm Park
5.0Herndon · 35 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Big free lot, plenty of room on weekend mornings
Clark's Elioak Farm (Enchanted Forest)
5.0Ellicott City · 35 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free lot; admission about $8–10 per person, pony and wagon rides extra (check the website)
Green Meadows Petting Farm
5.0Ijamsville · 35 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free field parking; admission about $17–20 per person, free under 2, includes wagon and pony rides (check the website)
Blandair Regional Park playgrounds
5.0Columbia · 35 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Big free lot at the Oakland Mills Rd entrance
Van Dyck Park
5.0Fairfax · 35 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Old Lee Hwy entrance
Homestead Farm u-pick orchard
5.0Poolesville · 25 min drive
2.5 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: Free field parking; u-pick by the pound, no admission, October wagon rides extra
Rockville Memorial Library
5.0Rockville · 5 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Rockville Town Square garage, 2 hours free with library validation; 5-minute walk from Rockville station on the Metro Red Line
Bethesda Library
5.0Bethesda · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Small free lot behind the library and metered street parking on Arlington Rd
Silver Spring Library
5.0Silver Spring · 20 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: County garage on Wayne Ave, free on weekends; 8-minute walk from Silver Spring station on the Metro Red Line
Germantown Library
5.0Germantown · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot shared with the BlackRock arts center
Ride the Metro Red Line downtown (Rockville to Union Station)
5.0Rockville · 5 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free weekend parking at Rockville and Shady Grove stations; fares $2–6 per person, kids under 5 ride free with an adult (two per adult)
Oxon Hill Farm (Oxon Cove Park)
5.0Oxon Hill · 40 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot, never seen it full
Cox Farms Fall Festival
5.0Centreville · 40 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free field parking; admission about $20–30 per person (more on weekends, free under 2), buy online
Arlington Central Library
5.0Arlington · 30 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot beside the library; Metro Orange/Silver to Virginia Square and a 5-minute walk
Burke Lake Park train and carousel
5.0Fairfax Station · 45 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Lot inside the park; about $10/car for non-Fairfax County residents on weekends April–October
Watkins Regional Park train, carousel, and Wizard of Oz playground
5.0Upper Marlboro · 45 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free lot inside the park
College Park Aviation Museum
5.0College Park · 30 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free lot; admission about $5 adults, about $2 ages 2–17
Huntley Meadows Park wetland boardwalk
5.0Alexandria · 50 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Lockheed Blvd entrance, next to the visitor center
Chessie's Big Backyard (Lee District Park)
5.0Alexandria · 50 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Telegraph Rd entrance, free lot by the playground, full at midday on summer weekends
Kogod Courtyard (American Art Museum)
5.0Washington · 35 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Downtown garages about $15–25; Metro to Gallery Place-Chinatown puts you at the door
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (DC central library)
5.0Washington · 35 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Downtown garages from $15; easiest by Metro to Gallery Place-Chinatown or Metro Center, 3-minute walk
City of Fairfax Regional Library
5.0Fairfax · 35 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free garage under the library
United States Botanic Garden
5.0Washington · 35 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Street parking around the Mall is free on weekends but hard to find; Metro to Federal Center SW and a 5-minute walk
Robinson Nature Center
5.0Columbia · 35 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free lot; admission about $5 adults, about $3 ages 3–17, planetarium extra
Smithsonian National Museum of American History (Wegmans Wonderplace)
5.0Washington · 35 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Metro to Smithsonian or Federal Triangle and a 5-minute walk; street parking is free on weekends but hard to find
National Building Museum
5.0Washington · 35 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Metro Red Line to Judiciary Square puts you at the door; admission about $10–12 adults, about $7 ages 3–17, free under 3 (check the website)
Kinder Farm Park
5.0Millersville · 55 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Lot inside the park, about $6/car for non-Anne Arundel County residents (check the website)
Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
5.0Baltimore · 55 min drive
3.5 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free lot; admission about $25–30 adults, about $20 ages 2–11, cheaper online
Kenwood neighborhood cherry blossom tunnel
5.0Bethesda · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: No parking inside the neighborhood; park along River Rd or at the Capital Crescent Trail lot on Little Falls Pkwy and walk in
Garden of Lights (Brookside Gardens)
5.0Wheaton · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$ · Parking: About $30–35/car (more on weekends), reserve a time slot online, park inside the gardens
Yards Park canal and fountains
5.0Washington · 40 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Navy Yard garages about $10–15 on weekends; easier to take the Metro Green Line to Navy Yard-Ballpark and walk 5 minutes
Great Falls (Maryland side) and the C&O Canal
4.0Potomac · 20 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Great Falls Tavern lot, national park fee $20/car (good for 7 days, shared with the Virginia side); line to get in after 10am on weekends
Seneca Creek State Park (Clopper Lake)
4.0Gaithersburg · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Clopper Rd entrance, about $3 per person (MD residents) on weekends and holidays April through October, parking itself free
Great Country Farms
5.0Bluemont · 60 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free field parking; admission about $15–20 per person (more on weekends and festival days), u-pick extra
ZooLights (National Zoo)
5.0Washington · 25 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$ · Parking: Zoo lots $30/car; Metro Red Line to Woodley Park or Cleveland Park and a 10-minute walk
Winter Walk of Lights (Meadowlark)
5.0Vienna · 30 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$ · Parking: Free parking inside the gardens; admission about $15–20 per person (more on weekends), free under 2, timed tickets online
Great Falls Park (Virginia side)
4.0McLean · 30 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Big lot inside the park, national park fee $20/car (shared with the Maryland side); often full at midday on weekends with the entrance closed
Theodore Roosevelt Island
4.0Arlington · 30 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot reachable only from the northbound GW Parkway, full after 10am on weekends; or Metro to Rosslyn and a 10-minute walk
B&O Railroad Museum
5.0Baltimore · 55 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free museum lot; admission about $25 adults, about $15 ages 2–12 (check the website)
Riverbend Park
4.0Great Falls · 35 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot by the visitor center; fills on April bluebell weekends
Patuxent Research Refuge National Wildlife Visitor Center
4.0Laurel · 35 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Big free lot at the visitor center
Long Bridge Park plane and DC views
4.0Arlington · 35 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Park garage and street parking on Long Bridge Dr, free on weekends (check the signs); Metro to Crystal City and a 10-minute walk
United States National Arboretum
4.0Washington · 35 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Several free lots inside the grounds; driving from stop to stop is the easy way
National Aquarium (Baltimore)
5.0Baltimore · 60 min drive
3.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$$ · Parking: Inner Harbor garages $20–30; admission about $50 adults, about $40 ages 3–11, free under 3, discounted online
Port Discovery Children's Museum
5.0Baltimore · 60 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Nearby garages about $15–20; admission about $23 per person, free under 2 (check the website)
Lake Fairfax Park and the Water Mine
5.0Reston · 30 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free lot inside the park; Water Mine admission about $17–20 per person (more on weekends), free under 2, the park itself is free
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
4.0Washington · 35 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Street parking around the Mall is free on weekends but nearly impossible; Metro to Smithsonian or Federal Triangle and a 5-minute walk
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (National Mall)
4.0Washington · 35 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
Free · Parking: Easiest by Metro to L'Enfant Plaza and a 5-minute walk; street parking is free on weekends but almost impossible to find
Udvar-Hazy Center (Air and Space Museum at Dulles)
4.0Chantilly · 35 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Admission free, parking $15/car (free after 4pm); the lot is enormous and never fills
Mount Vernon
4.0Mount Vernon · 55 min drive
3.5 h · stroller-friendly
$$$ · Parking: Big free lot; admission about $28 adults, about $15 ages 6–11, free under 5 (check the website)
Wolf Trap Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods
4.0Vienna · 25 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$ · Parking: Free lot; show tickets about $10 per person, free under 2 (check the website)
Cunningham Falls State Park lake beach and falls
4.0Thurmont · 60 min drive
4 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: William Houck area lot, about $5 per person (MD residents) on summer weekends, closes when full
Montgomery County Agricultural Fair
4.0Gaithersburg · 10 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free parking at the fairgrounds; admission about $15 per person, free under 11 (check the website), rides extra
Scott's Run Nature Preserve falls
3.0McLean · 25 min drive
1.5 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Two small lots on Georgetown Pike (the east one is closer to the falls), free but full after 10am on weekends, no roadside parking
Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens lotus ponds
4.0Washington · 35 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot, fills on July lotus-festival weekends
Tidal Basin cherry blossoms and paddle boats
3.0Washington · 35 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Parking is essentially impossible during cherry blossom season; Metro to Smithsonian and a 15-minute walk, or Red Line to Blue/Orange to Smithsonian
Sandy Point State Park bay beach
4.0Annapolis · 60 min drive
4 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: Big lot inside the park, about $7 per person (MD residents) on summer weekends, entrance closes when full