My inner 12 year old enjoyed visiting the museum. It is located in the Ronald Reagan Building…read more Metro is close by. The museum has a few play/learning areas outside of the building. It is one of the few museums that charges a fee (just like The Bible Museum, Spy Museum & Museum of Illusions). All are worth a visit for different reasons. There are interactive exhibits and fun displays.

Luckily the two times we have visited we haven't had to pay for tickets (free museum days). I'm…read morebaffled as to how this can be the children's museum of DC!! For starters this place is so unkept, it's so incredibly dirty and the bathrooms are gross. I truly wonder if they ever clean this place? We visited 2 years ago and again this weekend, and I can tell they haven't updated a single thing. Including the nasty pom poms that have clearly seen better days and cost 2 cents a piece. This is the weirdest children's museum I have ever been to. Not even sure what the target age group is. They have like half of an exhibition appropriate for each different age group. The exhibitions are not cool, barely entertaining, half of them are broke or barely work, they are all dirty as can be. And the museum overall is tiny! I feel bad for the people that pay to visit this place. This was definitely the last time we visited, even with free tickets. Every single Smithsonian museum is 100000x better than this, and they are all free. So save your time and money and visit any of them, I'm sure your kids will be more entertained there and at least they won't catch a nasty virus from playing in this dirty place.

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 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.

Any place that allow free entrance, and that is educational and at the same time cool, is most…read morelikely to get a visit and 5 stars from me. I know it is bugs, not the coolest creature in our planet. Really? Not after you visit the insect zoo. I am shocked by how much I didn't know about bugs (and I am an animal lover and try to learn about them as much as I can). But after visiting this "zoo" I am going to look deeper into them. Fun place. Bring the kids here. If they will not be scared, they will learn a lot.

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.

The building is so beautiful that it was clearly not designed for this recent use case but had some…read moreother function - and indeed it was a post-Civil War pension office grander than any bureaucratic office building these days. The artistry isn't necessarily the best for a museum, but it works pretty well. The best part of the museum was the tour which is free because you aren't going into the exhibits but learn about the architect, his choices, and the history of the building from its inception to inaugural balls to now. Our tour guide was Gene who was incredibly knowledgeable and able to answer everyone's questions. On the tour you're also guided up to the upper floors that you would not typically have access to. The exhibits require a ticket but it's still pretty cheap and even though it's federally owned, it still requires funding, so it's worth the ticket. The exhibits range on topics from the types and reasons for different shelters including videos, dioramas, and artifacts. They are visually appealing and informative. There is also an exhibit on buildings made out of Legos which is fun for all ages. There are a large gift shop and a small cafe for quick bites. If you've hit all the big iconic DC museums, this museum is a great one to hit to fill out your learning experiences.

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! :)

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.

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.

I couldn't figure out how to get Google Maps to direct us to the entrance. One of the entrances is…read moreoff of Connecticut Ave NW on the west side of the Zoo. It's less than a 10 minute walk from the Woodley Park-Zoo Metro Stop. Coming here in February with snow still on the ground meant that many outdoor exhibits had no inhabitants. That being said, there are plenty of things to see outside and a ton of creatures to see inside buildings. Sorry in advance for these elementary schooler descriptions- The memorable ones: A Snake Neck Turtle with very long necks A gigantic tortoise A large group of flamingos (a flamboyance) Incredibly cute small bearded monkeys - tamarins Otters, who were catching small fish and scavenging for food on land The obligatory clownfish and anemone which I've seen many times but still fascinates me An adorable guinea pig in a mini home I'm a bit surprised to see lower ratings on this zoo. Maybe it's due to a few feedings and no traditional shows where employees talk about animals and have them perform a little. That being said it is free and there are lots of more unique animals to be seen. I definitely think the National Zoo is worth a visit.

Big zoo and took about 3 hours to cover everything at a quick pace. They didn't have many gelato…read moreflavors, but $5 for a big slice of pizza seemed reasonable. Again, tickets are free but must be reserved ahead of time. The pandas were definitely my favorite. Unfortunately, the African exhibit was closed so no zebras or giraffes or the bison and the elephant house closed early. I liked some things better at my home zoo (penguins, bigger reptile house, the apes being in more of a social setting), but overall was a nice way to spend the afternoon 2026 #22

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!