Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens lotus ponds

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Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens lotus ponds

Photo: bobistraveling · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

🌷 Garden · Washington

1.5 hours · Free · No reservation needed

age fit
0–1 yr
★ 4.0
1–3 yrs
★ 4.0
3–5 yrs
★ 4.0
5–10 yrs
★ 3.0
  • 🚗
    About 35 min drive
    From Rockville · Parking: Free lot, fills on July lotus-festival weekends
  • 🍼
    Stroller-friendly
    Flat surfaces — bring the stroller
  • 🌳
    Little shade
    Great on sunny days · Handles heat
  • ⏱️
    Typical visit: 1.5 hours
    Best seasons: Summer

The only site in the National Park system devoted to aquatic plants: in July dozens of ponds fill with lotus and water lilies bigger than a toddler's face, and the gravel paths between them and the boardwalk out into the Anacostia marsh are alive with frogs, turtles, and dragonflies. A 2-year-old can squat at the edge of a pond for half an hour.

💡 Tips
The lotus open in the morning and close by midday, so arrive before 9am; the Lotus and Water Lily Festival in mid-July has activities but big crowds. Lots of mosquitoes and almost no shade in summer, so bring repellent and hats.

What this place offers

✓free
✓lotus
✓water lilies
✓boardwalk
✓frogs
✓national park
✓restrooms
✓marsh

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This weekend's weather in Washington

Forecast at the destination itself (coast and hills often differ from home)

🌦️
Sat 10/17
Showers · 46–57°F · 63% rain
☀️
Sun 10/18
Sunny · 43–62°F · 10% rain

Location

Washington, Washington, DC

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