This small playground was a short walk from our airbnb. I have an almost three year old and almost…read moreone year old. It was the perfect spot for both of them to get out some energy. Not realizing this park had a splash pad (or spray park I guess is what it's called in DC), the first day my daughter only used the swing and slides. It was packed with kiddos that Friday morning (10am ish). The next day we went back with a swimsuit and had a blast! Went at the same time but only a few other families were there. I noticed on Friday everyone was there with a nanny and on Saturday it was all parents. The parents came armed with coffee, breakfast and bug spray. Bug spray is a MUST! Note you do not need to bring toys... there are tons of them provided by the park. Things to ride on. Things to collect water. Water tables. I wish we had something like this in the city we live in.

Westminster Playground is a small playground on Westminster in Shaw in between two rowhomes. It's…read moregated with plenty of seating for adults. For kids, there's a playground with swings, slides and climbing equipment. Throughout the park are mosaics and a large mural by local artists.

It located off the Democracy Blvd, and shared the same parking lots with the tennis center. Walked…read morepassed the main entrance and a bridge. The visitor center located on the left hand side, which offers the guide map. There were some outdoor seatings behind the building. There were a few bird feeders as well. The habitat hike was a relaxing walk.

Super cool place hiding out. Lived here for many years and I did not know it existed. Highly…read morerecommend you come here with your family. If you guys love the outdoors, there's even a cool river with a mini swimming area if you don't mind swimming in the river, it's pretty clean it's not downstream from anything I wouldn't wanna swim in. Get outside and get some fresh air!! Take a hike!

Halloween is my "Christmas.". I just love the feel of this holiday... Haunts and spooks, and an…read moreexcuse to dress up in costume that would never be socially acceptable any ore time of year. "Pardon me, ma'am, is that bleeding boil on your face part of your costume, or are you infectious to my horrified kids?" anywhooo, my bother came to visit and for 4 years, we have gone to markoff's haunted forest (love it) but decided to give a local haunted experience a try for something different. I was a bit disappointed. BUT... I think experiences like this are very individual... I LOVE Markoff's: the time and the meticulous artistry that goes into every scene. . I like more subtle scares... Less of the pop out and startle you type of scare. Hallow, Inc. Is more of the latter... Less meticulous with their scenes, although they are new so I gave them three stars for effort. It's a great haunt in the making. Things I really enjoyed: the entrance had a sampling of zombies in cages screaming at us while we walked in to get our tix. Nice touch... Made me excited for more. I liked the premise of the story and the short movie they showed at the entrance. Again... Whet my anticipation. I appreciated all the actors, even outdoors in the sobering strip mall... They did not break character and were very dedicated to the story of it all. My vote: more dedication to the scenery next year.

This place is really cool. Compared to the other 'big' haunted events in the area, this is by FAR…read morethe best. I was not expecting it to be so crazy, I forgot this was ethesda! Very realistic. Definately will be back!

I love the history of this carousel but it doesn't compare to the one at the zoo! Most of the…read morehorses need some serious cosmetic help - it's just so sad to see this bit of history on the Mall lacking the maintenance it seems to need. I don't know if or when the policy changed (as one of the photos here shows credit card signs for payment at the ticket booth), but when we were here after the Smithsonian Kite Festival last month, we were (rather rudely) told that it was strictly cash only. That is not listed anywhere, and much to our daughters' relief, we had enough cash to cover one ride ($3.50 per ride but littles need to be accompanied by an adult). This carousel also has an unfortunate policy of letting riders with multiple tickets just stay on instead of getting off and giving the next round of people first pick at the horses (as they make you do at the Zoo). This caused a fair amount of anguish for one of my daughters who had her heart set on the dragon - we were the first in line, but because a boy the turn before us had another ticket, he just stayed on and stayed on the dragon. Small potatoes in the long run, I know, but kind of an annoying policy.

If I were to collect something creepy it wouldn't be dolls, or clowns, or Precious Moments…read morefigurines...it would be carousel horses. But, I would not collect one from the Carousel on the National Mall. These poor phillies have seen better days. The only super cool one isn't even a horse, it's a dragon and it's pretty awesome. Despite the wear and tear, it's a carousel and it's on the National Mall so it wins on location, location, location! I had a grand ole time riding in a tea cup with one of my boys while the other rode the cool dragon. It only costs $3.50 per person and we walked away with cute pictures that are worth much more than that.

Amazing park with great playground, horses, and sports facilities. I am suprised I did not know…read moreabout this park until I was invited for a charity walk here.

Love this park and it's trails. Nice bit of nature hidden between residential areas and highways…read more Easy walking with nature views: trees, a little body of water and deer up close and personal. It's quiet and people walking the trail are friendly the couple of times I've been. Ample parking in the parking lot as well.

Meridian Hill Park is so underrated, far enough away from downtown that tourists either don't know…read moreabout it or is too far for them to get to it (not really a close by Metro stop). I held a birthday party here years ago. I have visited this spot dozens of times when I lived in DC and yesterday I visited again to see the flowing fountains! Definitely much more vibrant, clean, lively, and energetic now. People biking, walking, reading, napping, hammocking, and just hanging out. Great spot to meet with friends, plenty of sunny and shaded spots, with clean bathrooms up on the northeast side near Euclid St. If you have an opportunity to visit, visit!

Following many years of dilapidation, the fountain at Meridian Hill is finally working again. The…read morespace was hopping when I visited, and it's no surprise. A couple of individual stall bathrooms are working on the top level. Most people though, were sitting in the lower domain and enjoying the views.

For Arlington this is decent. Nice nature center. They have a host of amphibians and reptiles. This…read moreis family friendly. Super nice employees. Arlington County is highly populated, and I believe 24 square miles. This nature center and its trail are good. There's nothing that screams "must visit," but if close it works. Have seen some wildlife here. Mostly area residents. There are more exciting places, but am grateful developers haven't, done what they've done elsewhere in Arlington. If you're in the area, it'll give you an hour or two to explore.

While the nature center is closed during the COVID-19 pandemic , there is still a lot of fun to be…read morehad. We visited back in August and enjoyed hiking near the creek and roaming the woods. There is a small outdoor digging area for kids that had a few trucks in it as well. The highlight was splashing around in the creek for sure. We were able to also explore a beautiful garden with lots of different vegetation. I definitely want to revisit once the nature center is open, but just because it's closed, don't count out visiting to take advantage of the kid-friendly hikes and other outdoor programs.

Reston has a zoo?!?!?!?!…read more I love it! I'm from southern California. I've been to the LA Zoo. And I have to say that this small zoo was better! Too many animals to name. The safari is really cool. You get to pet the animals. They look happy and well cared for. Because it's a small zoo, parking is tough and it can be a maze to get through traffic. The staff here is wonderful. You can cover all ground within an hour. But it's worth the ticket price. Exotic you're local. I enjoyed my visit. I went twice so I can enjoy the safari without worrying about time. Stop by, support and check it out. Thank you for a great visit.

Visited Nova Wild for the Wild Nights event! It was a cute outing the ticket includes food and…read moredrinks (salad, chicken tenders, sliders and Brussels sprouts). There was a live band and some "extra special guests" - a few snake varieties, a baby kangaroo and a lemur. During the "safari" we took a lap around the property and saw the zebras, goats, camels, llamas, more lemurs, goats, sloths, flamingoes, and the grand finale was the cheetah showing.