I’m a do-er and adventurer, so I love getting out of the house on weekends and going places. Most of the time, these are in the Washington D.C. area, although a fewer are farther-flung. Many of them are not kid-specific, but we’ve found them all to be kid-friendly in their own way. These write-ups aren’t quite reviews, but more descriptions of our overall experiences, often with some valuable lessons learned the hard way.

Locations in Washington D.C.

• Portrait of the Young Art Appreciator – Phillips Collection (art museum)
• A Tale of Two Day Trips – National Zoo in D.C. / C&O Canal National Park in Washington D.C. and Potomac, MD
• Spinosaurus, Pterosaurs, and Crocodiles, Oh My! – Spinosaurus exhibit at the National Geographic Museum
• Butterflies, Spiders, and Insects Galore – Insect Zoo and Butterfly Exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian)
• Bringing Peru to the National Mall – The Smithsonian Folklife Festival
• All Aglitter: Zoolights at the National Zoo
• Not Your Grandma’s Craft Fair – Crafty Bastards Cabin Fever

Locations in the Greater Washington D.C. Area (Montgomery, Arlington, and Alexandria Counties)

• The Family that Hikes Together, Stays Together – Rock Creek Park in Rockville, MD
• Along the Stream and Through the Woods – Croyden Creek Nature Center in Rockville, MD
• Faire Thee Well and Fun at the Renaissance Faire for All Ages – Maryland Renaissance Festival in Annapolis, MD
• Old-School Childhood – Cabin John Park in Cabin John, MD
• Hanging Out with my Favorite Little Guy – Meadowside Nature Center in Rockville, MD
• An Autumn Extravaganza – Butler’s Orchard for Halloween in Germantown, MD
• A Puppet Show for the Tiniest of Tots – The Puppet Co. at Glen Echo Park in Glen Echo, MD
• Very, Very Big Planes – The Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Chantilly, VA
• Reading It Up in the Suburbs – The Gaithersburg Book Festival, Gaithersburg, MD
• A Tale of Two Playgrounds – Sprayground and Adventure Playground at the South Germantown Recreation Area, Germantown, MD
• Montgomery County Had Some Farms – E-I-E-I-O – Montgomery County Farm Tour, Homestead Farm and Star Gazing Farm
• Night Magic: Aquarium by Imagination Stage – Bethesda, MD
• Ferris Wheels and Cherry Tomatoes: The Montgomery County Fair – Gaithersburg, MD
• A Nature Playground in the Suburbs: Constitution Gardens Park in Gaithersburg
• Eating Ethiopian with a Two Year Old – Sheba Restaurant, North Bethesda, MD

Locations Elsewhere in the U.S.

• Dolphins and Other Funny Creatures – The National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD
• Walt Disney World: What I Learned About Visiting with a Toddler – Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL
• A Day at the Museum – The New York State Museum in Albany, NY
• Won’t You Be My Visitor? – The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA
• Under the Sea – Revisiting the National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD
• Tips for Bringing Toddlers and Young Children to Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV
• The Highs and Lows of Camping with a Toddler – Shenandoah National Park, VA
• Camping Take Two (Year Old) – Harpers’ Ferry, WV
• Fun and Sun with a Toddler and Grandparents in Ocean City, MD
• Up, Down, and All Around: Baltimore’s Port Discovery – Baltimore, MD
• A Very Furry Christmas at Sesame Place – Langhorne, PA
• A Single Bell: The Saratoga and North Creek Railway’s Polar Express – Saratoga, NY
• Trains, Dance Parties, and Veterinarians – The Schenectady Museum of Science and Technology (Schenectady, NY) and the Saratoga Children’s Museum (Saratoga, NY)