Kid-friendly Weekend Activities in DC, Maryland and Virginia (9/20 - 9/22)
Fall kicks off on Sunday! Are you ready? I've been busy compiling lists so you're in-the-know of where to tow the kids (or not) for pumpkin patches, hayrides, apple cider donuts and much more! This past weekend Maryland Corn Maze opened their fall festival with appearances from a Taylor Swift lookalike, which was totally on-theme. Maryland Corn Maze has a bunch of things for kids to do including zip-line, petting zoo, hayride, pony rides, corn maze and more. They also have an amazing gift shop with locally made jams and butters that are divine! Stay tuned for the running list of farms to visit and more info on Maryland Corn Maze coming up. Now on to this weekend's activities and events...
Sarah Acors
Creator of 4DMV Kids & Founder of BCB DMV+
Events
Friday, September 20, 2024
Washington, DC
- 10:00 am | Opening Day: Suchitra Mattai: Myth from Matter Exhibit at the Nation Museum of Women in the Arts ($)
- 10:30 am | Story Time with Author: Else B. in the Sea at the Natural History Museum
- 10:30 am | Mr. Lilo Fiesta at West End Neighborhood Library
- 11:00 am | Race the District at Union Market ($)
- Unique go-cart racing experience
- 4:00 pm | Read and Create Alma Thomas Art at Parklands-Turner Neighborhood Library
- 4:00 pm | Art Attack! Kids Art Program at Georgetown Neighborhood Library
- 8:00 pm | Outdoor Movie Night featuring Disney’s Coco at the Kennedy Center
Maryland
Prince George’s County
- 3:00 pm | Tail Waggin’ Tutors at Beltsville Library
- Read to specially trained therapy dogs. Bring a book or choose one from the library. Each child will read for 15 minutes.
- 5:30 pm | Summer Jam: Hispanic Heritage Month at Driskell Park in Hyattsville
- 7:00 pm | Town of Riverdale Park: Screen on the Green at Riversdale House Museum Historic Site
Montgomery County
- 11:00 am | Dance Party at Long Branch Library in Silver Spring
- 6:00 pm | Pressed Flower Frames Workshop at Cabin John Villages ($)
More Maryland Events
- 10:00 am | Celebrate BATMAN’S 85th Anniversary at Central Branch Library in Columbia
- 10:30 am | Home School Day ~ The World Around Us: Animal Habitats at Port Discovery in Baltimore ($)
Virginia
Arlington County
- 6:00 pm | “Head Above Water” – Art, Awareness & Music Festival at National Landing Water Park
- 7:00 pm | Met Park Movie Nights featuring The Little Mermaid
More Virginia Events
- 9:00 am | PARK(ing) Day in Falls Church
- PARK(ing) Day is a global annual event where parking spots typically used by cars are transformed into temporary pop-up parks to rethink the use of urban spaces
- 4:30 pm | Salsa in the Park: A Celebration for Nature Conservation at Alabama Drive Park in Herndon
- 7:00 pm | Bats at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly
- Walk the meadows and forest edges to see bats feeding on insects. Use a bat detector to hear echolocation.
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Washington, DC
- 10:00 am | Reading All Stars at Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Library
- Elementary students work one-on-one with volunteer mentors to strengthen their reading and writing skills.
- 10:00 am | National Dance Day at the Kennedy Center
- 10:00 am | Anacostia Youth Media Festival at the Anacostia Community Museum
- 10:15 am | Crafty Tales: Isamu Noguchi at Merry Pins in NW
- 11:00 am | Race the District at Union Market ($)
- Unique go-cart racing experience
- 11:00 am | Back to School Family Storytime with Author Hanh Bui of “Ánh’s New Word” at MLK Memorial Library
- 11:00 am | Chuseok Family Festival at the National Museum of Asian Art
- Learn about both past and current traditions of one of the biggest holidays in South Korea. Enjoy this fall harvest festival with special performances, food, crafts, programming from local community groups, and more!
- 1:00 pm | Chevy Chase DC Day 2024
- 1:00 pm | Go-Go Music in the Park at Eastern Market Metro Plaza Park
- 2:00 pm | Accessible Movie Screening featuring Pixar’s Up at MLK Memorial Library
- ASL & open captions
- 2:00 pm & 4:00 pm | National Symphony Orchestra Family Concert: MO @ the NSO at the Kennedy Center ($) (Best for ages 5+)
- …New York Times best-selling author/illustrator Mo Willems introduces fun musical ideas, explores big emotions, and invites viewers to listen, play, and create in this world premiere concert for families.
Maryland
Prince George’s County
- 10:00 am | Family Zumba at College Park Community Center – Youth Sports Complex
- 10:00 am | Festival of Cultures: We’re all in: Many Cultures One Heartbeat at Oxon Hill Library
- Experience the rich diversity of our county through special performances, face paint and arts and crafts.
- 10:30 am | Cub Corner: The Fashion of Flight at College Park Aviation Museum ($) (Best for ages 0-5)
- 11:00 am | Festival del Rio Anacostia at Bladensburg Waterfront Park
- Enjoy hands-on activities, crafts, entertainment, delicious food, fishing demos, live animals, and free boat rides and giveaways.
- 11:00 am | Ready 2 Read STEM at Bowie Library (Best for ages 3-5)
- 11:00 am | The Art of Argentina at Tucker Road Community Center in Oxon Hill
- 12:00 pm | Dinosaur Park Open House in Laurel
- 12:00 pm | Hyattsville Arts & Ales Festival at Gateway Arts District
- 12:00 pm | Family Art Time at Laurel Library
- For children who have autism or other exceptional needs and their families
- 12:00 pm | Baden Block Party at Baden Community Center in Brandywine
- 1:00 pm | Mission: Experiment NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) at NASA Goddard Visitor Center
- Come celebrate ICESat-2’s sixth anniversary in orbit with ICESat-2’s outreach specialists leading participants in a variety of hands-on activities.
- [For Adults] 1:00 pm | The Story Starts at Home: Empowering Parents with Literacy Tools at Glenarden Library
- Special literacy event focused on helping our youngest learners become strong readers with the support of their biggest champions – parents! In this interactive workshop, parents will discover key aspects of the science of reading and learn practical ways to assist their children at home.
- 1:00 pm | Travel Buddies: Dancing through Latin America at Bowie Library
- 1:00 pm | STEM-tastics: Cubelets at Mount Rainier Library
- Participants can design and redesign robot constructions with ease, using the robot blocks to model real-world behaviors and to launch students into creativity and critical thinking.
- 2:00 pm | Learning Fun: Cursive Basics at Accokeek Library
- Learn a new skill (or just get a refresher) in the fun technique of cursive writing!
- 4:00 pm | Hands Across the Bridge Unity Rally in Edmonston
- 5:00 pm | Salsa Saturdays at National Harbor
Montgomery County
- 10:00 am | Children’s Day at Brookside Garden
- 10:00 am | Burtonsville Day 2024 at Marilyn J. Praisner Library & Community Recreation Center
- Stop by the Creative Outlets Arts Center’s table for arts and crafts
- 10:00 am | 2024 Taiwan Bubble Tea Festival at Rockville Town Center Park
- 10:00 am | 16th Annual Play Day! at 7611 Piney Branch Rd, Takoma Park
- 10:30 am | Farm Animal Fun! A Family Storytime at Aspen Hill Library
- 11:00 am | Touch-a-Truck at Westfield Montgomery
- Enjoy live music, face painting, balloon twisting, inflatables, juggling performance, and a Magic Show hosted by The Great Zucchini starting at 3:00PM. Quiet hour for more sensory-sensitive children (no sirens) will also take place from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm.
- 11:00 am | Mr. Jon and Friends at The Collection Chevy Chase
- 11:00 am | Learn Cumbia and Joropo Dances at Davis Library in Bethesda
- Learn two native dances, from Venezuela and Colombia, called Joropo and Cumbia.
- 1:00 pm | Salsa Dance Lesson with Grupo Fenix at Kensington Park Library
- 1:00 pm | Winnie the Pooh at Imagination Stage ($)
- 1:30 pm | Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration at Twinbrook Library in Rockville (Best for ages 6-10)
- Learn about Pelé, the Brazilian soccer legend with story time and STEM project.
- 2:00 pm | Pizza Box Solar Oven: STEAM at Germantown Library
More Maryland Events
- 9:00 am | 2024 Tree Savers Kick-off Event with the County Executive – Invasive Vine Cutting at Meadowbrook Park – EAST (Best for ages 16+)
- 10:00 am | Celebrate BATMAN’S 85th Anniversary at Central Branch Library in Columbia
- 10:30 am | A Time to Sew: Celebrating National Sewing Month at Miller Branch Library in Ellicott City
- 11:00 am | Dino Day at Lakeshore Learning in Towson
- 12:00 pm | Diesel Day at the B&O Railroad Museum ($)
- Attendees will ride the Mile One Express to the staging area, where there will be ample opportunity for photos, videos, and any questions about the B&O’s diesel fleet!
- 1:00 pm | Pirate Pool Party at North Point High School Indoor Pool in Bennsville (Southern MD) ($) (Best for ages 4-12)
- 2:00 pm | Taxidermy Stuffed Animals at Elkridge Branch Library (Best for ages 6+)
- 2:30 pm | Family Paint Afternoon at Savage Branch Library in Laurel (Best for ages 6+)
- 3:00 pm | Pirate Parrrty at Central Branch Library in Columbia (Best for ages 9-12)
Virginia
Arlington County
- 9:00 am | Amazon Community Day at Amazon HQ2’s Metropolitan Park
- 10:00 am | Crafty Kids Take-and-Make at Columbia Pike Library
- Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by learning to make tissue paper flowers.
- 11:00 am | Tree Huggers at Gulf Branch Nature Center (Best for ages 6-10)
- Learn about the different species of trees growing in the park & make a craft.
- 12:00 pm | Glencarlyn Library’s 101 Birthday
- 2:00 pm | Stream Science at Gulf Branch Nature Center ($) (Best for ages 12-17)
- 5:30 pm | Virginia’s State Bat at Gulf Branch Nature Center ($)
- Find out about the endangered Virginia Big-Eared Bat and create a bat craft.
- 8:00 pm | Sunstruck Planetarium Show at David M. Brown Planetarium ($) (Best for ages 9+)
City of Alexandria
- 10:00 am | 3rd Annual HalloWEIRD Art Market 2024 in Colasanto Park
- 10:00 am | Be a Tree at Winkler Botanical Preserve
- Interactive storytime event
- 10:00 am | Tons of Trucks at Chinquapin Park Recreation Center
- Sensory friendly hour at 10:00 am
- 10:00 am | Classic Car Show at the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum
- 11:00 am | Dino Day at Lakeshore Learning
- 11:00 am | Family Friendly Wood + Canvas Workshop at AR Workshop Alexandria ($)
- 11:00 am | Monarch Butterflies at Buddie Ford Nature Center ($)
- Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with butterflies! Participants will take part in community science projects to help the species, learn their natural history and unique needs, and discover how to participate in tagging butterflies.
- 1:00 pm | The Write Stuff for Aspiring Writers & Seasoned Authors Alike at James Duncan Jr. Branch Library (Best for teens & adults)
- Creative writing workshop
- 1:00 pm | Pokemon in Real Life at Winkler Preserve ($)
- Test your Pokémon knowledge in PokéJeopardy and learn how to use a real life Pokédex!
- 4:00 pm | Bilingual Family Concerts iMusicales bilingües para niños! at Patrick Henry Recreation Center
- 7:00 pm | Cinema Del Ray featuring Kung Fu Panda 4 at Mount Vernon Recreation Center
More Virginia Events
- 8:00 am | Sensory-Friendly Family Morning at George Washington’s Mount Vernon ($)
- 9:00 am | Farm Tour with Animal Meet and Greet at Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon
- 9:30 am | Family Fishing at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield ($)
- 10:00 am | 5th Annual National Dance Day at Old Town Square in Fairfax
- 11:00 am | Eisman Golf Academy’s Student Appreciation Day in Lorton
- 11:00 am | Reston Multicultural Festival at Reston Town Square Park
- 11:00 am | Taste of Thai Festival at Tyson’s Corner
- 12:00 pm | Reptile Show at Manassas Mall
- 1:00 pm | Hobby & Toy Exchange in Herndon
- 6:00 pm | Barbie-themed Family Skate and Dance Night: Come on Skaters, Let’s Go Party at Franconia Recreation Center ($)
Virtual
- 1:00 pm | Virtual Planetarium Show via the Air and Space Museum
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Washington, DC
- 10:00 am | Anacostia Youth Media Festival at the Anacostia Community Museum
- 10:30 am | Author Meet & Greet with Jeanne Walker Harvey of “Else B. in the Sea” at Politics and Prose at Conn Ave.
- 11:00 am | Race the District at Union Market ($)
- Unique go-cart racing experience
- 1:30 pm | Saxophone Hero at MLK Memorial Library
- Free program featuring three new works for saxophone quartet alongside selections of music from popular video games.
- 2:00 pm | Kiddough Decorating Party at Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe in SW ($)
- Doughnut decorating!
- 2:00 pm & 4:00 pm | National Symphony Orchestra Family Concert: MO @ the NSO at the Kennedy Center ($) (Best for ages 5+)
- …New York Times best-selling author/illustrator Mo Willems introduces fun musical ideas, explores big emotions, and invites viewers to listen, play, and create in this world premiere concert for families. The 2pm show is sensory friendly!
- 4:00 pm | Free concert: La Abuela Daira at Lamont Plaza (Mt. Pleasant Library)
Maryland
Prince George’s County
- 1:00 pm | Celebrate Africa at Fairwood Park in Bowie
- 2:00 pm | Fall 2024 Healthy Trees Family Day at Dietz Park in Hyattsville
- 6:00 pm | Movies on the Potomac: A Million Miles Away at National Harbor
Montgomery County
- 9:30 am | Storytime with Deepa Iyer for “We are the Builders!” at People’s Book Takoma
- 10:00 am & 1:00 pm | Winnie the Pooh at Imagination Stage ($)
- Meet the actors after the 1:00 pm show.
- 11:00 am | Peace Day Celebration at Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park in Rockville
- 12:00 pm | Build a LEGO Dots Creative Animals at Westfield Montgomery
- 2:30 pm | STEM at the Library: Cosmic Adventures presents A Brief Tour of the Universe at Damascus Library (Best for ages 4-10)
More Maryland Events
- 11:00 am | Fall Family Hike at Robinson Nature Center in Columbia ($)
- 1:00 pm | Celebrate BATMAN’S 85th Anniversary at Central Branch Library in Columbia
- 2:00 pm | Fall themed Cookie Decorating Class & Milkshakes at The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar in Ellicott City ($)
- 4:00 pm | Sunflower themed Cookie Decorating Class & Milkshakes at The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar in Ellicott City ($)
- [Limited Seats] 5:00 pm | Toby’s Dinner Theatre Presents: The Addams Family in Columbia ($)
Virginia
Arlington County
- 10:00 am | MoCA on the Move at Met Park: Fall Fun Family Series
- Decorative wooden leaf ornaments
- 11:00 am | Nature Walk at Theodore Roosevelt Island
City of Alexandria
- 1:00 pm | Miss Rachel Lookalike Hosts Kids and Family Day at Hops N Shine ($)
- 2:00 pm | Freedom to Read Key Chains at Charles Beatley Central Library
- Make a challenged book key chain for Freedom to Read Book Week 2024
More Virginia Events
- 12:00 pm | Kid’s Oktoberfest Kickoff Hosted by Petting Zoo at Shipgarten in McLean
- 2:00 pm | Puzzle Palooza 2024 in Herndon ($) (Best for ages 6+)
Halloween Activities
Start planning your Halloween excursions EARLY with this curated list of things-to-do for kids & adults during the month of October. Check back frequently as we'll be adding events as they're announced!
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