Things to do with kids in downtown Washington DC
The easiest way to do downtown with kids is to cluster your stops in one area and ride Metro instead of driving: the big Smithsonians and the US Botanic Garden sit side by side on the Mall; the Kogod Courtyard, the National Building Museum and the MLK Library are all one stop at Gallery Place; the free National Zoo is a Red Line stop north; and the Yards Park canal is a Green Line stop south.
The 2-year-old version: an hour at Wonderplace in the American History Museum, then the Mall lawn and the carousel, then the Botanic Garden conservatory to cool off. The big-kid version: dinosaurs at Natural History plus the lunar module at Air and Space (book the free pass ahead). Pick a weekday dawn for the Tidal Basin blossoms in spring, wade at Yards Park in summer, and in winter see the Botanic Garden's holiday trains and ZooLights at the zoo.
- 16 places
- 15 free
- 16 stroller-friendly
- closest is 5 min away
16 places
Drive times from Downtown DC
Kogod Courtyard (American Art Museum)
5.0Washington · 5 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 · 5 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
Smithsonian National Museum of American History (Wegmans Wonderplace)
5.0Washington · 5 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 · 5 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)
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
4.0Washington · 5 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 · 5 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
Smithsonian National Zoo
5.0Washington · 10 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)
Gravelly Point plane watching
5.0Arlington · 10 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot reachable only from the northbound GW Parkway, packed on sunny weekend afternoons
United States Botanic Garden
5.0Washington · 10 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
Yards Park canal and fountains
5.0Washington · 10 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
Theodore Roosevelt Island
4.0Arlington · 10 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
Long Bridge Park plane and DC views
4.0Arlington · 10 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
Rock Creek Park Nature Center and Planetarium
5.0Washington · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free nature center lot, plenty of room on weekend mornings
Arlington Central Library
5.0Arlington · 15 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
United States National Arboretum
4.0Washington · 15 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Several free lots inside the grounds; driving from stop to stop is the easy way
Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens lotus ponds
4.0Washington · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot, fills on July lotus-festival weekends
💡 Good to know
- Weekend parking at the Rockville and Shady Grove Red Line stations is free, and the ride saves the hour you'd spend hunting for a space near the Mall; check WMATA for weekend track work before leaving.
- Be at the Mall museums for the 10am opening; by noon they are packed. One hall per visit, then out for fresh air.