Things to do with kids in Fairfax
Fairfax sits at the center of the Fairfax County park system, one of the best in the country: Burke Lake bundles a miniature train, a carousel, mini golf and a lakeside loop; the nature center at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly has live animals and an old mill; and Old Town has the Van Dyck Park playground and a big library. In fall, the giant slides at Cox Farms are 15 minutes west, and Meadowlark gardens and the NOVA Wild safari are a short drive north.
A perfect toddler day: the train and carousel at Burke Lake in the morning with a picnic by the lake, then storytime at the City of Fairfax Regional Library and the Van Dyck Park playground outside. Big kids see the space shuttle at Udvar-Hazy (20 minutes), do Cox Farms in fall and the Water Mine in Reston in summer.
- 3 places
- 2 free
- 3 stroller-friendly
- closest is 5 min away
3 places
Drive times from Fairfax
Van Dyck Park
5.0Fairfax · 5 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Old Lee Hwy entrance
City of Fairfax Regional Library
5.0Fairfax · 5 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free garage under the library
Burke Lake Park train and carousel
5.0Fairfax Station · 15 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Lot inside the park; about $10/car for non-Fairfax County residents on weekends April–October
💡 Good to know
- Burke Lake charges non-Fairfax County residents $10 to park on weekends from April to October; the train and carousel run weekends spring through fall, so check the schedule.
- On October weekends, arrive at Cox Farms before the 10am opening, and buy tickets online for the discount.