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    Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum

    4.5 (37 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    Liz A.

    Such a cool place to visit! My kids school went there with a million second graders and the two women who were there were so patient and nice. The museum is mostly interactive stuff so kids had a blast. As did I!

    The museum, parking free sat and Sunday for 3hrs
    Ria P.

    The kids really enjoyed themselves at this museum. Best for kids 4-6 they have soo many different stations to learn things and the 4th floor is outdoors. My kids really enjoyed the apple station, the water play area and the kids reading area. My kids had to be dragged away from this place after 2 and 1/2 hrs, you could easily spend 3hrs here and not even realize it. Really great for rainy cold days in. During the weekend this place was packed, if you're the type that's still really worried about social distancing, and people wearing masks this may not be the best place for you.

    Front row parking.
    Taylor M.

    This is a fantastic place to take the kids when it's too cold or too hot outside. The first floor is body/medical themed with a real live ambulance they can play in. My kids love the Goldberg machine at the entrance, they'll play there for twenty minutes just watching the balls move through the machine. The second floor has the "apple place" with a bunch of foam apples they can toss around and place in buckets, move up pulleys and roll down ramps. There's also a water station, bee station, fish tank, and a roller-coaster-ball creation station. This is my son's favorite floor (he's 3). The third floor has a fun construction area with large foam blocks and a few tables with various magnetic activities. The 4th floor is the roof but there is an indoor area with a music mat, a cool scarf wind tunnel, and some legos. Outdoors there are various musical instruments - lots of fun and you can watch trucks drive by, too. The only negative point I have is that there are a lot of field trips that come here - I wish they would allow field trips only on certain days of the week and at particular times so that individual visitors could plan around them. Especially if you have smaller children. It's note a huge space, although there are four levels, but when you throw a couple dozen 2nd graders in there my 3 year old and 1 year old are ready to leave. Parking is street or lot metered, easy to pay via the Parkmobile App. It's a short walk from the Handley Library or the Walking Mall.

    The rooftop! Great view.
    Charming P.

    So excited to see this newly relocated and redesign museum! Four floors of ultimate fun for all ages. The rooftop was my favorite! My kiddo loved his surprise trip to end our spring break with a blast. Can't wait to go back. (FYI they're normally closed on Mondays)

    Free play soft building blocks. Great interactive play with many kids.
    Floyd T.

    This is the perfect place with grandkids for 2-3 hours. Next to the historic area and pedestrian mall it offers a super outing for family and couples strolling.

    Bee Exhibit on 2nd floor
    Lou D.

    I think we're going to need a special junior check in badge for my bebe and museums. We were in town visiting family and prior to arriving I had bookmarked the museum. I'd been to Winchester before, but never this area. Well what a quaint little 'hood! The museum is located on the street and has a city owned metered parking lot located to the left. I found the staff to be warm and friendly (that goes a long way with me) and I was particularly happy with a gentleman at the desk on the second floor. He was pleasant while strong and direct (my favorite combination) as he both assisted folks while reminding kids to share or not throw or not run...he reminded my bebe to wait for mum before running in...and was very helpful with a lunch rec. The museum was on a smaller scale than what I expected. That said, it was a lot of fun. The weather was nightmare cold so we weren't able to enjoy the rooftop but my rockstar enjoyed going through the levels of floors and going back and forth between exhibits. The museum was colorful and brightly lit and had nice, distinct stations. The Bee Station was particularly informative and very special. There is no snack/cawfee/some kind of something area which I always think is nice to have. But hey, I'm a Biracial Jew from Brooklyn. Food, Cawfee and Wine on the mind. We will be sure to visit the museum whenever we are around that part of the country!

    Molly R.

    We loved this museum and it was definitely worth the 50 minute drive. There is so much to do on each level and for children of all ages and interests. Areas for science exploration, literacy, dramatic play, indoor playground, and so much more. Very clean and staff very friendly.

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    8 years ago

    This was a wonderful place to take children of all ages. Lots of different activities. Everyone was very nice and helpful.

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    Ask the Community - Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum

    Review Highlights - Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum

    The first floor is body/medical themed with a real live ambulance they can play in.

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Children's Science Center

    Children's Science Center

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    (65 reviews)
    48.7 mi

    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!

    Had a great time with my toddler today. She's not quite two so her admission was free and there's a…read more$2 discount for purchasing tickets in advance. I was worried there wouldn't be enough activity for her age but she had a blast playing with exhibits and blocks in the interactive room. She also made "play dough" as an experiment. The staff were all friendly and helpful, we will definitely be back.

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    Children's Science Center
    Children's Science Center
    Children's Science Center

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    Play Street Museum - Ashburn

    Play Street Museum - Ashburn

    4.7
    (15 reviews)
    38.3 mi
    Locally owned & operated
    Kid friendly

    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!

    I brought my youngest here for their Easter event and she had a blast! The session was 90 minutes…read moreof play with opportunity to take pics with the bunny. This is hands down the cleanest indoor space we've been too and we've been to lots. The staff here were super friendly and regularly cleaning and putting things away. The play space has a town motif with a crafting and art area and then a vehicles, blocks, and dinosaur area. My daughter's favorite was the vet space, followed by the recycling truck. She spent a fair amount of time with the dinosaurs and at the grocery too. We never made it to the play areas on the left side. 90 minutes just really isn't enough time to cover it all if your little spends a long time in one area. I looked online to book play for another weekend and was shocked to see they only offer play 9-1030 on the weekends. I'm a working single mom, child in preschool, and we live in Springfield-essentially the weekend schedule means we won't be able to return without setting out super early. I love the imaginative play concept so I really hope they open a space closer to Fairfax or open up additional weekend play hours.

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    Play Street Museum - Ashburn
    Play Street Museum - Ashburn
    Play Street Museum - Ashburn

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    Play Street Museum - Gaithersburg

    Play Street Museum - Gaithersburg

    5.0
    (6 reviews)
    49.9 mi
    Locally owned & operated
    Kid friendly

    I came back to host a birthday party. For any parent, looking for a party venue for their child I…read morehighly recommend this place. I booked the option two party about three months in advance. What's great is that you just select a theme from the pictures they have they send you a digital invite to send out and as you get close to the party date, they'll confirm the theme and give you an idea of what the schedule is. That's it that's literally all you have to do. Honestly, if you were to just walk in the door without anything in hand other than a child, your 90 minute birthday party would go off without a hitch. They had the cupcakes, the utensils, the balloons, the beautiful room set up and they had the goodie bags. Honestly, a lot of the parents gave us a compliment on organizing the party and how much fun they had and I felt weird taking any credit for it. We had an assigned party planner that was very invested in making sure everything was running on time and that the room was set up perfectly to our needs. And at the end of the party, they packed everything up for you. What's wild is they actually packed everything back in the original containers organized and ready to go. And then these poor people had to re-organize all the toys that our party had demolished and dragged a different corners of the room all within 30 minutes. I hate planning, and hosting events gives me a lot of anxiety, so to have a party go off successfully with my minimal involvement is amazing.

    I'm at a stage in my life where I'm going to kids birthday parties every other weekend. Out of all…read morethe places I've been to, I think Play Street is probably ranked first. First of all, the concept of a pretend Main Street USA with shops with all kinds of props and working cash registers with play money inside is brilliant. I remember playing pretend shop keeper with my brother and cousins as kids and we would have loved this place. Secondly, the place is very well maintained and has plenty of space for the more active kids to just run around from shop to shop. My wife loved it so much she booked one of their other locations for our son's birthday which is many months away.

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    Play Street Museum - Gaithersburg
    Play Street Museum - Gaithersburg
    Play Street Museum - Gaithersburg

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    Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum - childrensmuseums - Updated July 2026

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