Top 5 weekend or daytrips from DC with kids

[Anonymous]

We recently moved here from Europe with our 4yo DS and 1.5yo DD and are very keen to start exploring this wonderful country. I would really appreciate any recommendations on places to go for weekend or daytrips so we can start planning a few excursions over the coming year. TIA!

[Anonymous]

I really hope you get some good responses to this post. We're new to the area, too!

[Anonymous]

Not sure what the top five are, but here are some fun things:

1. Ocean City, MD for the beach and boardwalk. If you travel on to Rehoboth, don't miss Grotto's Pizza.
2. New York City. If you go at Thanksgiving, you can see the Macy's parade. If you go at Christmas, there are the Rockette's show and Rockefellar Center for the tree and ice skating. Anytime you go, the Statue of Liberty is great, as is going up in the Empire State Building and seeing a show (your youngest might be a little young for this). In the spring or summer, Battery Park area is fun.
3. Pittsburgh, PA. If you plan it right in the summer, there are great art festivals and the regatta. Don't miss the incline.
4. Luray Caverns, VA.
5. Natural Bridges State Park and Caverns in VA. If you are into camping, there is a Yogi Bear Campground which kids just love. It's a little corny and pricey for camping, but worth it when you see how much your kids love it.
6. Sesame Place, NJ for your kids. They can see Elmo. Nothing so great for adults though except watching the kids have fun.
7. Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell.
8. Skyline Drive in the fall when the leaves change.
9. Biking on the C&O Canal.
10. Of course, all of the sites in DC - monuments, memorials, Chinatown for lunch or dinner, the zoo, Air and Space Museum, etc.
11. I hear there are some great indoor water parks in northern VA, but haven't yet visited them myself.
12. For a little longer than a weekend, there is Niagra Falls.

[Anonymous]

If you go to Pennsylvania (about 2-1/2 hour drive)

In Lancaster, there is Dutch Wonderland, an amusement park for kids under about age 5.

There's also the Crayola Factory
http://www.crayola.com/factory/

and the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia

Also you can do Amish buggie rides in the Lancaster area.

[Anonymous]

Second Shenandoah NP (for camping, hiking, etc.).

Baltimore has a ton to do for kids in and around the harbor (museums, acquarium, Camden Yards, water taxi ride/paddle boats)

[Anonymous]

Hershey, Pennsylvania.

By the way, Sesame Place is in Pennsylvania, not New Jersey.

[Anonymous]

I second Philly -- my kids loved the Children's Museum there and it has a really distinct feel different from DC. Good food, lots of historical sights, great museums for adults too.

Williamsburg is also fun. If you like amusement parks, Busch Gardens is really fun (much nicer than Kings Dominion) and there is the ever popular Great Wolf Lodge (bring your Advil and your wallet but your kids will love it.) The colonial stuff is worth seeing but probably for older kids.

Harpers Ferry WV is a nice little day trip, and I liked Berkley Springs WV too -- they have an Apple Festival in the fall which is a nice bit of Americana.

For winter activities, consider a skiing at Whitetail or Massanutten (they reportedly have a nice indoor waterpark too).

Check out the Washingtonian magazine website for other ideas--they often have articles on great weekend getaways.

Have fun!

[Anonymous]

PP here, I forgot the children's museum in Philly is the Please Touch Museum which someone mentioned.

[Anonymous]

There are some great farms in the area that are fun for kids. You can go to a place like Butler's Orchard in Germantown to pick fruit (there are lots of others, BO is just the first one I thought of). There's also a dairy farm near Frederick (South Mountain Creamery) where kids can help feed the calves each day. My kids though that was the most fun ever, and it's good for them to get an inkling of where their food comes from.

[Anonymous]

Winter: Baltimore Harbor. The aquarium is wonderful. You need to buy tickets. I would advise going early and getting tickets for 9:00 am. The ticket entries are timed but you can stay as long as you want. It gets VERY crowded in the afternoon because the morning and afternoon entry people are all still there. You can also buy tickets on0line to the Dolphin show. It takes about 1-2 hours to go through the aquarium so I would try for tickets at the 10:30-11:30 show. The aquarium has you check your stroller. A few blocks from the aquarium there is a great Children's Science Museum. Its a great day trip and depending where in the DC metro area a pretty short drive, no need to stay overnight.

Williamsburg: Is best around Christmas with the decorations or during the fall/spring months. I'm not a fan of Great Wolf Lodge but I have friends who enjoy it. It is basically a kid centric hotel with a water park inside in Williamsburg.

Other winter activities could be skiing. We have not gone yet but friends highly recommend this. Look for a place with kids courses, tube playgrounds etc.

Spring: Hershey park has some early openings in the spring around April. The Hershey amusement park is only open during the spring and summer. I recommend staying in the hotel not the lodge or surrounding hotels. The park is great for young kids because there are so many rides for the under 5 group yet most of the crowds are there for the big rides so no long lines.

We hated Sesame Place because the lines were long, it wasn't very clean IMO, the hotels in the area were all run down. it was overrun both times we went with older kids on preschool type rides and water stuff and the food was horrible. If you kids are not Elmo fanatics skip this one.

[Anonymous]

In addition to those things mentioned above.

Do a farm stay in Lancaster County. Very fun. My kids love it. Mt. Joy has a couple -- Green Acres and Rocky Acre Farm. Book in advance if you go on a weekend.

Tubing in the winter is fun -- Bryce, Whitetail and Liberty are all a daytrip away.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for all the great advice. Especially appreciated tips re the aquarium as we were thinking of going this weekend and I hadn't realised a strategy might be a good idea given the crowds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Winter: Baltimore Harbor. The aquarium is wonderful. You need to buy tickets. I would advise going early and getting tickets for 9:00 am. The ticket entries are timed but you can stay as long as you want. It gets VERY crowded in the afternoon because the morning and afternoon entry people are all still there. You can also buy tickets on0line to the Dolphin show. It takes about 1-2 hours to go through the aquarium so I would try for tickets at the 10:30-11:30 show. The aquarium has you check your stroller. A few blocks from the aquarium there is a great Children's Science Museum. Its a great day trip and depending where in the DC metro area a pretty short drive, no need to stay overnight.

Williamsburg: Is best around Christmas with the decorations or during the fall/spring months. I'm not a fan of Great Wolf Lodge but I have friends who enjoy it. It is basically a kid centric hotel with a water park inside in Williamsburg.

Other winter activities could be skiing. We have not gone yet but friends highly recommend this. Look for a place with kids courses, tube playgrounds etc.

Spring: Hershey park has some early openings in the spring around April. The Hershey amusement park is only open during the spring and summer. I recommend staying in the hotel not the lodge or surrounding hotels. The park is great for young kids because there are so many rides for the under 5 group yet most of the crowds are there for the big rides so no long lines.

We hated Sesame Place because the lines were long, it wasn't very clean IMO, the hotels in the area were all run down. it was overrun both times we went with older kids on preschool type rides and water stuff and the food was horrible. If you kids are not Elmo fanatics skip this one.

Hershey Park is also open at Christmastime. We went two weeks ago.

[Anonymous]

AAA has a good deal on Aquarium ticket. You get to skip the lines.

Skip Ocean City and Rehoboth.Grotto's pizza is absolutely awful. Try Lewes for a nice beach--and just a beach.

Philadelphia is great but pick your travel time carefully or you will spend all day on I-95.

We like Dutch Wonderland and Lancaster Country.

Watch out for the weekends in spring/early summer when the Corcoran Gallery and The Phillips Collections have their family weekends. We had a great time last year.

Check out the Krieger Museum for something off the beaten path.

[Anonymous]

Richmond has a great children's museum - definitely a good daytrip.