There’s lots to love about living in the DC area, but extreme weather is NOT one of them.
Luckily, DC, MD, and VA are home to many amazing indoor play places that hit the spot during our hot and humid summers, or when it’s too cold to be outside in the winter. Check out our favorites below that make kid-life in DC incredible!!
National Children's Museum
Discover science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (or STEAM) through hands-on play at National Children’s Museum! Located in downtown DC, the Museum’s interactive exhibits and programs empower innovators ages 0 to 12 to dream of new possibilities.
Big kids will love climbing through the Dream Machine, the three-story, cloud-inspired structure of colorful pods and netting pathways that lead to a thrilling slide; flexing their sports skills in Engineering Games + Play, where they’ll hit virtual home runs and send racecars hurtling towards a photo finish; and so much more. Meanwhile, your littlest ones will explore from the safety of two enclosed, toddler-specific spaces, Little Dreamers and Little Movers.
Hands-on programs, including pop-up learning stations and tinkering activities, complement the exhibits to extend learning. Weekly early learner programs on offer include STEAM Story Time (Thursdays at 10:30 am) and Baby Jam (Fridays at 10:30 am).
Bloombars | Columbia Heights, NW DC
Explore DC & Kogod Courtyard (National Portrait Gallery) | National Mall, NW DC
Gymboree | Woodley Park, NW DC
Library of Congress | Capitol Hill, SE DC
Little Ivies | Palisades, NW DC
Magic Ground | Columbia Heights, NW DC
National Museum of American History | National Mall, NW DC
National Museum of the American Indian | National Mall, NW DC
National Building Museum | Penn Quarter, NW DC
National Children’s Museum | Downtown, NW DC
National Postal Museum | NoMa, NE DC
National Zoo | Woodley Park, NW DC
The Lane | Ivy City, NE DC
United States Botanic Garden | Capitol Hill, SW DC
Chuckie Cheese | Various
Climb Zone | Laurel
District Jump | Hyattsville
Glen Echo Park Aquarium | Glen Echo
Kids Play Gallery | Gaithersburg
Launch | Capitol Heights
Monkey Joe’s | Germantown & Hagerstown
My Gym | Bethesda
Nook | Bethesda
Play ‘N’ Learn | Columbia
Silver Stars Gymnastics | Silver Spring
Sky Zone | Various Locations
The Little Gym | Silver Spring
The Little Towns Playseum | North Bethesda
Zava Zone | Rockville
Alexandria Soft Play Room (Chinquapin Rec Center) | Alexandria
Atomic Trampoline | Leesburg
Beehive Indoor Playground | Woodbridge
Billy Beez | Manassas
Chuckie Cheese | Various
Flight Adventure Park | Springfield
Jolly Yolly Kids | Fairfax
Kidz Plaza Indoor Playground | Ashburn
Luv 2 Play | Fairfax
Monkey Joe’s | Dulles
Pump it Up | Alexandria
Scramble | Alexandria
Sky Zone | Various Locations
The Little Gym | Arlington & Alexandria
Ultrazone Lasertag | Bailey’s Crossroads
Unplug & Play | Montclair
Zava Zone | Sterling
Book Stores (Walls of Books, Solid State Books, Politics & Prose) | Various
Explore DC & Kogod Courtyard (National Portrait Gallery) | Chinatown
Indoor Playground (Malls) | Various
Indoor Pools | Various
Libraries/Story Time | Various
Library of Congress | Downtown
National Museum of American History | Downtown
National Museum of the American Indian | Downtown
National Postal Museum | Capitol Hill
National Zoo | Woodley Park
United States Botanic Garden | Downtown
Wow