Most overrated kid-friendly attraction in DC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish we had an actual children's museum. Most other cities have awesome children's museums and I don't understand why we don't!

I know! We drive to Fredericksburg to play at their branch of the children's museum of Richmond. It's in a strip mall and nothing great, but it's more than we have here for sure.

[Anonymous]

Remember the National Aquarium that was in DC. The little, dad one in a basement? Everything up high so toddlers couldn't see. The worst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish we had an actual children's museum. Most other cities have awesome children's museums and I don't understand why we don't!

I know! We drive to Fredericksburg to play at their branch of the children's museum of Richmond. It's in a strip mall and nothing great, but it's more than we have here for sure.

Are there any DC natives here who remember the Children's Museum in the 1980's? Oh my gosh it was amazing. It was in a rough-ish neighborhood. Either SE or NE? My grandmother used to drive me there from MoCo and it was so much fun. They had a gigantic indoor maze, a room with slanted floors, a firemen dress up room with climbing stuff, some sort of early washing machine with a crank. I think there was a Native American themed arts and crafts room. I miss it so much on behalf of my little kids. Luckily, we get to drive up to Pittsburgh every so often to visit my DH's family and they have a great children's museum too.

Never tried the Playseum.

[Anonymous]

Theres a new Childrens Museums being built in Fort Totten

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:The Playseum. Ick.

I was going to say this, even though I feel bad for the nice owner, and my kid still really likes it. But I'm not sure it counts as overrated, when so many people Yelp about its... umm... threadbareness. It does feel overpriced for what you get. But then again, my kid really does like it, so go figure.

It's $9/head for both kids and adults, but they are in Bethesda with high rents and do need to pay to keep the doors open.. so I don't really begrudge them that. We got about once every few months so it's more like a special treat.

Similar to Mila's Playland in Gainesville. It's $10/head, so we go as a special treat not on a regular basis.

My kid likes vets this place and would spend hours there. I don't mind it however when we were there a few weeks ago the owner yelled at my child for not putting the cymbals back in the right place in the library and then told him not to go in 2 of the rooms because she had just cleaned them. He really wanted to go in this particular room and it was what he picked as his last thing to do. The owner was totally rude. We paid to be there and when I mentioned to her that I'd put away whatever he took out she said when looking at her watch, "we have really been here for hours and done everything". This was at 2:30pm not exactly closing time. I always put stuff away with my child and make clean up part of our time there. I respect the space and others and was sad that she said that to us and refused to let him in the room.

I'm guessing you mean Playseum right? I think she started it back when her kids were the age to go there, and now they're teenagers. She was pretty friendly last time we went a few weeks ago. Must've caught her on a bad day.

I personally think the owner is over owning and maintaining it. At a birthday party she was equally snippy. I don't think she likes my child much either. He has some developmental delays and I don't think she enjoys when parents bring in children with delays. After seeing her act similarly to a child with ASD we avoid that place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For us it's the building museum!

This is kinda us, too. Building Zone has fallen into disrepair IMO (at least as of the fall), and skews a bit young anyway, and the other stuff isn't that interesting to my museum-loving preschooler.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish we had an actual children's museum. Most other cities have awesome children's museums and I don't understand why we don't!

I know! We drive to Fredericksburg to play at their branch of the children's museum of Richmond. It's in a strip mall and nothing great, but it's more than we have here for sure.

Are there any DC natives here who remember the Children's Museum in the 1980's? Oh my gosh it was amazing. It was in a rough-ish neighborhood. Either SE or NE? My grandmother used to drive me there from MoCo and it was so much fun. They had a gigantic indoor maze, a room with slanted floors, a firemen dress up room with climbing stuff, some sort of early washing machine with a crank. I think there was a Native American themed arts and crafts room. I miss it so much on behalf of my little kids. Luckily, we get to drive up to Pittsburgh every so often to visit my DH's family and they have a great children's museum too.

Never tried the Playseum.

Glad you like it! I worked at the capital children's museum when I was in college, it's always nice to hear people with good memories from the place. You're probably remembering the Mexico exhibit-- where I worked.

[Anonymous]

Website for the new Children's Museum that will be complete in 2019. Thank you PP who prompted me to google this.

http://exploremuseum.org/

[Anonymous]

I understand and appreciate that the zoo is free, but it's just kind of a bummer. I've gone at least once a year for 10 years, and it seems like half the exhibits are always empty. Not animals hiding, but totally empty. No hippopotamuses any more. It's not a very good zoo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish we had an actual children's museum. Most other cities have awesome children's museums and I don't understand why we don't!

I know! We drive to Fredericksburg to play at their branch of the children's museum of Richmond. It's in a strip mall and nothing great, but it's more than we have here for sure.

Are there any DC natives here who remember the Children's Museum in the 1980's? Oh my gosh it was amazing. It was in a rough-ish neighborhood. Either SE or NE? My grandmother used to drive me there from MoCo and it was so much fun. They had a gigantic indoor maze, a room with slanted floors, a firemen dress up room with climbing stuff, some sort of early washing machine with a crank. I think there was a Native American themed arts and crafts room. I miss it so much on behalf of my little kids. Luckily, we get to drive up to Pittsburgh every so often to visit my DH's family and they have a great children's museum too.

Never tried the Playseum.

Glad you like it! I worked at the capital children's museum when I was in college, it's always nice to hear people with good memories from the place. You're probably remembering the Mexico exhibit-- where I worked.

I too have such fond memories of that place. The Mexican hot chocolate in the Mexico exhibit was awesome! I grew up in MoCo and spent a lot of time there and lots of school field trips. I really wish there was something similar to it in the D.C. Area.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I remember making hot chocolate at the old museum! Also getting a Petrie dish of warm wax and pressing yarn into it to make a design. Was there a giant bee out front you could climb on?

[Anonymous]

This is just a craptastic area for kids.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:The Zoo.

That's crazy talk. It's a free, large wooded place for my crazy toddler to walk/run herself into a sleepy daze.

+1 Why is the zoo, of all places, overrated?

Because you have to pay $20 for parking and $6 for a basic hot dog!

^^Actual complaints I've heard.

(Never mind that there is no admission fee, saving you a bare minimum in other cities of $60 for a family of four-- maybe more than $80. Never mind that r/t public transport for four people anywhere in a major city is going to run you at least $15, and parking anywhere in a major city generally runs you at least $15 for six hours, if not much more. Never mind that same hot dog would still cost you $3 on the street and you're not forced to buy it anyway. Etc., etc.)

As a family of 5, we paid over $250 to go to the San Diego Zoo. Some people really don't know how good they have it.

I agree that calling the National Zoo "overrated" is ridiculous, especially since it is free & that the San Diego Zoo is a bit overpriced. That being said, however, you really can't compare the two. The San Diego Zoo is much, much bigger & is considered one of the best zoos in the world (& rightfully so, imo).

I'm not saying that the San Diego Zoo isn't better. I'm saying that in most places, you have to pay to go to the zoo and sometimes it's a lot of $$$$. In DC, there are many world class free museums, a great free zoo and tons of other free or nearly free things to do and yet somehow someone still wants to complain and say these things are "overrated". I find this kind of attitude annoying.

I'm the poster you were responding to & was basically agreeing with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Remember the National Aquarium that was in DC. The little, dad one in a basement? Everything up high so toddlers couldn't see. The worst.

That place was pitiful. You could see more fish on a shopping trip to Petsmart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish we had an actual children's museum. Most other cities have awesome children's museums and I don't understand why we don't!

I know! We drive to Fredericksburg to play at their branch of the children's museum of Richmond. It's in a strip mall and nothing great, but it's more than we have here for sure.

Are there any DC natives here who remember the Children's Museum in the 1980's? Oh my gosh it was amazing. It was in a rough-ish neighborhood. Either SE or NE? My grandmother used to drive me there from MoCo and it was so much fun. They had a gigantic indoor maze, a room with slanted floors, a firemen dress up room with climbing stuff, some sort of early washing machine with a crank. I think there was a Native American themed arts and crafts room. I miss it so much on behalf of my little kids. Luckily, we get to drive up to Pittsburgh every so often to visit my DH's family and they have a great children's museum too.

Never tried the Playseum.

Glad you like it! I worked at the capital children's museum when I was in college, it's always nice to hear people with good memories from the place. You're probably remembering the Mexico exhibit-- where I worked.

I too have such fond memories of that place. The Mexican hot chocolate in the Mexico exhibit was awesome! I grew up in MoCo and spent a lot of time there and lots of school field trips. I really wish there was something similar to it in the D.C. Area.

yes- I remember this. LOVED going there. Really loved the maze with the curtain thingies.