Some places manufacture fun. Children's Science Center manufactures core memories -- and after a…read moremembership and more visits than we can count, ours are stacking up fast. The space nails a sweet spot that's genuinely rare: engaging enough to hold older kids hostage at the slime bar or density tower, approachable enough that toddlers aren't melting down within ten minutes. STEM stations are thoughtfully designed, the staff are the kind of warm that doesn't feel like a corporate training module, and somehow the whole thing breathes -- no sensory overload, no bottlenecks, no chaos. The membership math borders on irresponsible. Bring guests. Unlock reciprocity at science museums across the US and Canada. Justify the cost embarrassingly fast. For a mixed-age family, it's one of the sharpest recurring buys in NoVA. The location is almost cheating. Attached to Fair Oaks Mall, so one parent gets to decompress like a human being while the other earns their stripes. Lunch is steps away. Dave & Busters is around the corner for when the kids announce they have more energy and you have exactly none. Do yourself a favor and just get the membership. The core memories are free.

Since my last review, I ended up purchasing a family membership to the Children's Science Center…read moreand it is the BEST purchasing decision I have made all year. It's close proximity means that I have a go-to spot to bring the kids on school breaks, rainy days, cold days, or whenever we simply have nothing to do. While there are a few standing exhibits, the staff does a really good job at changing things up (and keeping things topical) so each visit feels special. And the best part... SLIME. We've made slime conductors, spider slime, fluffy slime, snowflake slime, glow-in-the-dark slime .. basically alll the slime. The experiment lab always has a slime option and it is a highlight of every visit. My eldest daughter went from barely reading and needing help at the beginning of our membership to fully reading and creating experiments on her own. It is so much fun to see. For the littles, there is a small playroom with building blocks, magnatiles, books, and those large blue fort/construction material building materials. My two-year old loved spending time in this room but now that she is three she likes making her own hovercrafts and setting them sail in the wind tunnel. The staff is SO kind, SO helpful, and so passionate about what they do. I love how they offer volunteer/internship opportunities to teens and will also set up special traveling science labs to Title I schools. If you are a member you also get discounted or free visits to children's science museums all across the United States which has made this membership 100% worth it for our family. If you are looking for an experience gift to give a little one this year, I highly recommend the Children's Science Center!

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.

This location was so accommodating and made everything easy and fun. There were tons of activities…read moreto enjoy, and my child had a great time exploring all of them. The whole experience was positive, and I would definitely go back again.

We visited on a Tuesday afternoon. I actually ended up getting a Groupon deal which was really…read moregreat so I saved some money. We were there for a two hour play block. There was lots of rooms and things to do. They also had cars you could ride on. My 4 and 1 year old had a good time. There definitely was a lot of various ages of kids visiting. I do think it's good for younger ages but you do have to have a watchful eye on younger kids due to kids ridging those cars everywhere throughout the place and can get wild. They had tons of workers cleaning up while we were there as well.

Small kids play area located on the first floor of the American history museum. Nothing big or…read morefancy but a good spot that is enclosed with staff at the doors so kids can play freely in the area.

If you have littles, the Wegman's Wonderspace on the first floor of the National Museum of American…read moreHistory is a great place to get your wiggles out on a cold or rainy day. Concept wise, this place is tops! There is a special seating area for parents, a child-sized replica of Julia Child's kitchen, farm replica complete with a hen house, construction area, and the piece de resistance -- a discovery climbing station. There is a museum employee at the front door who helps check guests in, but I suggest having an actual play space attendant to make sure that things do not go array. It can get crowded quick and there are lot of really big kids mixed in with the babies/toddlers and I feel like if there is not dedicated eyes on all corners things could get pretty crazy. Bring a pack of sanitizer wipes, lower your expectations, and make sure you are keeping an eye on your child and you'll have a great time!

It was just ok for my littles…read more There was a groupon offer for $12.75 (regular $15 admission pp) so I took advantage. There's not a lot of guidance here so if your kids aren't self starters they may find themselves bored. Even when entering each room no one is guiding you on what the activity is and how to participate. Instead you're kid just does there on thing. Neither bad nor good just an observation. Outside of that there are 4 areas that are pretty intuitive. Making a beat - where kids can add layers to music to create new sounds. Circuit activity - create a pathway by connecting wrenches which turn on a light. - my son (8) thoroughly enjoyed this. Tipsy table - using 3 different pulleys you could guide balls into different outputs. This requires at least 2-3 people. Light play - using lasers to make imprints on moving disks. I could see myself coming back for more purposeful play but free play I wouldn't bother.

Fun place for kids and adults. Very clean and well maintained. My young companions (8 and 10)…read morecouldn't eat the pizza. And my sandwich was disappointing

Play Street Museum is a franchise that specializes in kids' play areas that encourages imaginative…read moreplay and fun settings. The one in Severna Park is one of my favorites to take the kiddos because it has a great mix of interactive toys and buildings. Just to name a few: - an area for crafts - one of those motorized air funnels that you can put a scarf in - ice cream store - grocery store - doctor's office - vets office - a recycling truck with slots to sort different recyclables - a play house with kitchen stuff - pretend firetruck and firehouse with hose and slide You can also opt into extra add ons that allow you to participate in crafts you can take home (think DIY activities like slime). I like that there's only a finite number of spaces for time slots so it never gets too crowded. You should check their website before going just in case they're sold out (I believe they do allow walk ins though). They also have punch cards for a slightly discounted rate. It's usually around $18 for a single visit, but comes out to like $15 a visit with a punch card at the time of this post. I would totally recommend for little ones, but they may start to get bored for any ages 5 or older.

We had an amazing time at Play Street Museum for our triple play date! We reserved our spot online…read morethe night before for a 10:30 AM to 12 PM session. When we arrived, we were greeted with an easy check-in process. If you haven't signed the waiver online, you can quickly scan and sign it on-site. The staff was friendly and explained how everything worked. The space itself is fantastic! It's an open playground where kids can freely explore and play to their hearts' content. There are fun zones for every interest--a craft area near the cubbies, a science section by the check-in counter, and a little shop filled with books and small activities at the entrance. There's even a food token system: you drop the token off when you leave, and each kid gets a free snack, which is such a thoughtful touch. The restrooms are conveniently located at the back near the slide area, so everything you need is nearby. Overall, this is a well-organized, kid-friendly spot that offers so much for little ones to enjoy. We'll definitely be back!

This museum is so magical!…read more Our group of nine had a blast weaving our way from room to room. The museum is equally fun for kids and adults with topics like language, reading, translation and karaoke to make a few. Everything was so well thought out and interactive. I couldn't get enough of the library room where books come to life with video-like illustrations building off the pages. It felt like we were transported into Belle's massive and dreamy library from Beauty and the Beast complete with a secret hidden room off the side (tucked behind a bookcase door). We had kids ages 2-5 and it was perfect for them. Note that you'll need to park strollers in the basement level. To top it all off, we had a fabulous lunch at Immigrant Food located on the lower level. Oh, how could I forget to mention that the museum is free? Amazing!

Funny story - I was looking for kid-friendly ideas of things to do in DC and asked ChatGPT for…read moreideas. One of the responses was the Planet Word museum, which I never heard of. I looked it up and decided to try it! They recommend you get timed passes online ahead of time; it's free but they do recommend a donation. This museum is SO COOL! As someone who loves different languages and words I loved everything about this place! My kids loved all of the interactivity. There is a room with an interactive word wall and you can interact and answer and request more info on the history of certain words. For example, I learned that "ketchup" was named after a Chinese sauce even though they are not similar. There is also a magical library room where you can pick a book off the shelf and place it on a book holder and the book is read to you. There are also mirror shadow boxes that come to life if you read the inscription. Finally, the kids loved the karaoke room - you select a song and as you sing along you see the types of parts of speech at play in the song. Great experience, would for sure recommend and go back!

Came to check out this amazing spot for families and the kids loved it! Large space with plenty of…read moreareas for kids to explore. Entire space was very clean and staff were attentive . Cute front room with great toys to purchase. Also another private room area for parties. Plenty of parking available in the shopping center. Will be back for more fun!

Pros: play street, I think one of the only ones in the area. (Although there is a cute one in WV…read morethat has a cafe with food too). It's clean, bright. I love that there are also crafting options, some tables with puzzles as well. In a shopping area so plenty of easy parking. Your child gets to pick a snack at the end which helps with the "I don't want to leave" tantrums Cons: The price is hefty $16 for 1.5 hours. It's hard to get behind this when I can go to a place like me land in chantilly for $10 and unlimited play time with a much bigger space and a lot more to do. The snack helps with that but still, at this price I'll come maybe every other month. At $10, I go every week sometimes multiple times a week. The space is small and they are cleaning while you're playing, in such a small space this feels rude/ puts unneeded pressure on the customer. Especially since they have a gap to clean before the next time slot. Overall: I would come again but not often due to the price. If you have a really crafty kid and only one younger kid I feel the price might become worth it. If you have kids in a spread out age range, or who don't like crafts, or you don't want to deal with the stress of having to be there at a certain time, and leave after just 1.5 hour. There are certainly better options both from an affordability standpoint as well as quality.

So adorable! Amazing service, everyone is so friendly. The used book store in the basement is…read morestocked!!

During the last sunny weekend, my family and I did a little Church street stroll and stumbled…read moreacross the Freeman Store & Museum which is located right next to the W&OD trail. Not only did it provide a nice, quiet respite from the heat we had tons of fun exploring the remnants of the old post office, ogling over the old-fashioned candy aisle, and browsing through the great used book store selection in the basement. Both of my girls found a current children's book to bring home, and at 25 cents a piece it was a steal! I loved browsing through all of the Vienna ornaments, stickers, and other home goods they sold from local artisans. The back opens up to the town green and I saw lots of people enjoying having picnics on the tables. The shopkeep was so nice! I truly felt like I was in an episode of Gilmore Girls or Hart of Dixie while walking around.

My kids enjoyed this so much they loved the paintings and candy it's so yummy I wish I could stay…read morethere forever.

Took my 3 and 6 years old to Candytopia on a Friday afternoon. We got there at a perfect time…read morebecause there was no line and it wasn't crowded inside. We also didn't purchase tickets ahead of time and it was fine. My kids enjoyed getting free candy in each room and the interactive rooms were the most fun for them. Tickets in my opinion were a bit expensive but what activity isn't now a days. It's great for a one time experience.