Activities for 4 1/2 year old?

[Anonymous]

We've just moved to DC with our 4 1/2 year old son.

On previous visits, we've gone to the zoo, Air & Space, and Discovery Creek. But we've got a long summer ahead, and I'm looking for enough good ideas to keep us busy for the next 90 days.

In addition to any activities that you can recommend, where are the restaurants with kids themes or playscapes?

Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

www.gocitykids.com and www.our-kids.com cover a lot of the local play areas/storytimes/etc.

[Anonymous]

Here are a couple of ideas:

- Smithsonians -- you mentioned air and space, the Natural History museum is also wonderful for kids (dinosaur and mammal exhibits in particular). The merry-go-round on the mall is also great.
- public swimming pools -- there are plenty in DC
- Glen Echo Park in Glen Echo, Maryland has a great carousel and puppet/theater shows
- Two suggestions in Baltimore -- the National Aquarium and Port Discovery Children's Museum
- Rent a canoe from the Georgetown Boathouse and paddle out to Teddy Roosevelt Island. You can also drive there and walk around the woods.
- Paddleboats on the tidal basin.
- check out North Beach in Southern Maryland. It's a great little sandy beach, about 40 minutes from Capitol Hill.

I live in Northern Virginia so here are some NOVA ideas:
- Lyon Village Park, right across the Potomac off Spout Run Parkway, has a wonderful water play area for kids
- Harrison Street Park (on Harrison just north of Glebe) is a GREAT park with loads of trucks and things for kids to play with. It's also always full of kids, so your son will have folks to play with
- Arlington County has some great nature centers -- one of them, on Military Road I think, has a very fun and easy "hike" that ends at an overlook of the Potomac.

Can't help you much on kid-themed restaurants in D.C. There's an ESPN zone downtown, and some kid-friendly places (Palisades Pizzeria) but most of the good ones I know are in NOVA.