Where to take kids on a rainy day around Washington DC
Rain in DC is actually the best perk of living here: some of the world's best free museums sit along the Metro. These places work in any weather: the big Smithsonians, libraries with real play areas, Baltimore's children's museum and aquarium, rides on streetcars and the subway, and a couple of enormous glass-roofed halls.
Free first: the dinosaurs at Natural History and Wonderplace at American History need no reservation, the Kogod Courtyard lets kids run while you drink coffee, the US Botanic Garden conservatory stays at 75 degrees all winter, and the MLK central library has an indoor slide. For something more like an event, the Building Zone at the National Building Museum is built for ages 2–6, KID Museum in Bethesda puts tools in big kids' hands, admission at the National Capital Trolley Museum in Colesville includes a streetcar ride, and the Red Line from Rockville to Union Station is a train-watching trip in itself. Closest to home, the Rockville, Bethesda, Silver Spring and Germantown libraries fill a wet morning for free.
- 30 places
- 20 free
- 30 stroller-friendly
- closest is 5 min away
30 places
Drive times from Rockville
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
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)
Meadowside Nature Center raptor aviary
5.0Rockville · 10 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free nature center lot
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
Germantown Library
5.0Germantown · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot shared with the BlackRock arts center
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
B&O Railroad Museum
5.0Baltimore · 55 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free museum lot; admission about $25 adults, about $15 ages 2–12 (check the website)
National Aquarium (Baltimore)
5.0Baltimore · 60 min drive
3.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$$ · 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)
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
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
KID Museum
2.0Bethesda · 10 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$ · Parking: Free lot shared with the Davis Library; admission about $10–15 per person (check the website)
💡 Good to know
- On rainy weekends the Mall museums are mobbed: be there at the 10am opening, or choose less crowded ones like Udvar-Hazy or the Building Museum.
- Don't drive downtown: Metro often has weekend track work, so check WMATA before leaving, and parking at the Rockville and Shady Grove stations is free on weekends.