OK. So for the record, it is very much overpriced And they…read moredon't take ACM reciprocity for other museum members, so that was a huge let down. That being said, they have a decent amount of activities, and my kid was never bored. There were a lot of different activities for kids of varying ages. The little brothers and the younger brother won't be bored. On top of that it's right next to the National Mall, so... four stars.

We went specifically for the Curious George Exhibit. It was underwhelming at best…read more The Children's Museum is located downtown, so you can only imagine how parking can be. There is a garage underneath the building and no there is no discounts for attending the museum. In my opinion, the space isn't very big and I was a bit disappointed with how it is kept up. Some of the installations did not work and there didn't appear to be enough staff available to keep up with items that are running low. Can't say it was the best experience and I doubt we will be returning.

We were biking around the area looking for a fun neighborhood park that offered some low key fun…read morenearby! This park definitely hit all the high notes! It's conveniently located near all the popular stores without feeling like it's wedge unsafely or unnaturally in the area. We stayed on the playground portion but the water area also looks cool & refreshing on those hot days of summer! Highly recommend checking out this park with your little one.

this park appears to only be open if you participate in a paid preschool co-op. We are visiting. It…read morewas locked when we came at 8 AM on a Tuesday in May.

My cousin and I camebl here this morniing with a couole of kids she was baysitting and it was fun…read more Actually the kids had a better time than we did becaise we were hanging-out on the outdoor playground and it was quite brisk. I think mid 20's which was ok for a littke while. After about an hour into it my ears and fongers were starting to feel numb. The indoor recreation center had not opened yet and I think that would have been better fun for everyone. They do a great job in terms of the maintenace andnthere was also no trash around like what younwoukd see at some other parks in the city. Plus this park and rec center was ckose to where we were at. I wouldn't mind coming back here sometime to check out the actual recreation center.

This playground was ideal for my 4-year-old child. It offered a variety of climbing structures that…read morewere suitable for her age and also engaging. Next to it, there is a bigger playground designed for older children, providing a great mix of options for all ages.

I love the history of this carousel but it doesn't compare to the one at the zoo! Most of the…read morehorses need some serious cosmetic help - it's just so sad to see this bit of history on the Mall lacking the maintenance it seems to need. I don't know if or when the policy changed (as one of the photos here shows credit card signs for payment at the ticket booth), but when we were here after the Smithsonian Kite Festival last month, we were (rather rudely) told that it was strictly cash only. That is not listed anywhere, and much to our daughters' relief, we had enough cash to cover one ride ($3.50 per ride but littles need to be accompanied by an adult). This carousel also has an unfortunate policy of letting riders with multiple tickets just stay on instead of getting off and giving the next round of people first pick at the horses (as they make you do at the Zoo). This caused a fair amount of anguish for one of my daughters who had her heart set on the dragon - we were the first in line, but because a boy the turn before us had another ticket, he just stayed on and stayed on the dragon. Small potatoes in the long run, I know, but kind of an annoying policy.

If I were to collect something creepy it wouldn't be dolls, or clowns, or Precious Moments…read morefigurines...it would be carousel horses. But, I would not collect one from the Carousel on the National Mall. These poor phillies have seen better days. The only super cool one isn't even a horse, it's a dragon and it's pretty awesome. Despite the wear and tear, it's a carousel and it's on the National Mall so it wins on location, location, location! I had a grand ole time riding in a tea cup with one of my boys while the other rode the cool dragon. It only costs $3.50 per person and we walked away with cute pictures that are worth much more than that.

This place is incredible! As a kid, I was fascinated by little invertebrate critters. I came here…read moreexpecting to be disappointed, but I was surprised to find all of my childhood favorites here: Giant leaf insects, an orchid manis, giant water beetles, and even a black and orange centipede that was about 1 inch wide and 1 foot long. No goliath beetle, unfortunately....but they had a black widow spider and a brown recluse! These are secure enclosures, of course. The whole exhibit is free except for the butterflies which cost about $6 per person to see...it didn't seem worth it so didn't go in there. The 'zoo' is fairly small so make sure to stop by the rest of the museum while you're there. There are plenty of other neat things to see.

This place was amazing. It's a great museum for all ages. There is so much to see and I would plan…read moreto spend at least 2 hours or longer if you come with kids. Like all of the Smithsonian museums it was free. Parking around the area wasn't that bad either. Highly recommended.

What a cool museum! The various exhibits are very informative and cool to learn about. Especially…read morethe Covid-19 one. Very intriguing! There is a huge play in the middle for children to play in. Highly recommend. Staff was super friendly and the place was very clean!

The museum remains where other things have changed over the years. Notably, you can walk into the…read morebuilding without buying a ticket but most of the exhibitions require a wristband. I unintentionally stopped in on a day when they were offering free tickets. I don't think they ever open every room in the building for exhibition at the same time, so the amount of stuff on display is less than you'd think looking at it from the outside. However, my visit did yield some intriguing finds including a hall on contemporary southern architecture that hits much harder if you've actually been to the places (which by and large I now have), and a historical exhibition on schoolhouses for black people in the South, which provided an interesting window into history. I wouldn't count the Building Museum among the top tier of attractions, but it's a good landmark and worth visiting.

As a working parent of a toddler, I really wish more places like this existed! I was able to bring…read moremy daughter here to play, with supervision, while I got some work done and had a coffee on a day my nanny was not available. My daughter had so much fun with the employees and other kiddos! I opted to sit downstairs which is louder, but there is a quiet work/study space upstairs for additional cost. Before we left I also ordered food to go from Shorty's Deluxe. Childcare and food all in one Highly recommend Mulberry Lane for all the parents!

My fam travels a lot and we noticed play cafes in many other areas but not the DMV. It's clearly…read moremuch needed but we get why they aren't really here. But Mulberry Lane is a notch above bc not only is it a play cafe but there is staff there to watch your lils while you get to go elsewhere within the building whether that's in the lil tables visibly nearby or in one of their neighboring and partnering restaurants. I'd toootally get my kids memberships if we lived nearby. Since we probably would only go weekends for an hour or two, I'm glad there are the options for one time pay or multi hour passes for future use. Since we weren't sure if we'd be back, we gave it a try for one hour. Prices may change but our first time was $18 per child per hour. This may seem high for only one hour, but my kids had fun and my hour without worrying about them or being interrupted was very productive so it was worth it. Staff are friendly. I only wished they had gluten free options for the kiddos to enjoy after their play. Guess we can bring our own next time! :)

Craving an indoor pool during the December break, my eight-year-old daughter suggested this newer…read moreaquatic center in Arlington close to the D.C. border. After swimming during their "family time," we will definitely be back. Here's why. 1) Admission: Run by Arlington Parks and Rec, admission is required for everyone. It's slightly cheaper for Arlington residents. Our friends who went right when family time started paid $25 as D.C. residents. We got their with only two hours left and weren't charged anything. 2) Pools: One side has lap pools for adults and lessons. The other side has a large pool, lazy river, little kid space, and water slide for families. The water was clean and the lazy river was fun. (The current is stronger than expected making it fun.) 3) Space: They have family changing areas with showers with hot water, lockers (bring your own locks), and more. Upstairs is a gym and an outdoor terrace bleeding into Long Bridge Park with views of National Airport and Washington, D.C. 4) Parking: With such a large parking lot, you can usually find a space. Of course, parking is free. 5) Area: Afterwards, grab lunch or dinner at nearby Crystal City where you can find fats casual like Rasa and sit-down restaurants.

Been coming here for toddler swim lessons and just did my kiddo's birthday party. Booked a huge…read morecommunity room which was more than enough space for about 10 kids and 20 adults. Family swim passes are a great deal at $30 per family pass (covers 7 people). Everyone had a great time and were impressed with how new and shiny this facility is, and the kids loved the family pool area.

If there's one thing I love it's a Zoo! I have been to numerous zoos hundreds of times in my life…read moreand I love to see the different animals at each! It's incredible how they can keep such a large supply of a variety of animals from all different ecosystems here! This zoo was worth the wait I have been waiting years to finally check out. The huge draw of this zoo is the pandas and yes they were incredible! They have two pandas and the only other zoo in the country that has them is the San Diego zoo. When I visited both the pandas were indoors eating bamboo which was cool to watch. They were large pandas too! The zoo had so many other incredible animal exhibits like the elephants, beaver, lions, tigers, seals, different monkey variants and the orangutans. I could watch the orangutans for hours. It was memorizing how close you could be to them and seeing them do human like chores like folding and doing puzzles. This zoo is laid out so interesting as it's on a hill. You have to go all the way down a hill and all the way back up to explore it all which can be a walking challenge for some. Keep that in mind as it's definitely not flat at all. I definitely want to visit again and see all the animals I missed as I only had a few hours to visit. Oh and did I mention it's free!!! Well you have to pay to park if you drive there but still the entry is free which is unheard of for most zoos. If you are in DC and love animals you have to check this one out

I won't pretend otherwise: I came for the pandas…read more The national zoo one of the few locations with giant pandas within the US, and they are a huge draw! It was fun to observe them playing and gnawing on bamboo during our visit there. Otherwise I have to confess to being a little lukewarm on the zoo. The location on a steep hill made it kind of hard to navigate, and I found that the layout was a bit like a labyrinth in a few spots. Several exhibits were also closed while we were there, which was disappointing. It's still worth spending an afternoon going through if your schedule allows.

My daughter loves her weekly class with Mr. Tony, great confidence booster, skill development and…read moregreat in preparing my daughter on taking instruction and being in a class with other little ones like her before she starts school!

My five-year-old daughter and I attended a birthday party at the Little Gym and it was a fantastic…read moreexperience. The birthday family rented the space on a Sunday evening from 5-6:30 p.m. The first hour, the 12+ girls played in the gym space. The first few minutes was free play, but then the staff took over, creating obstacle courses, setting up a blow-up trampoline, etc. The staff created order where each girl patiently waited their turn to go throughout the space. The rings were especially a hit. After an hour of play, the kids moved upstairs to the birthday room. The birthday family brought in pizza, juice/water, and doughnuts. It was a blast!