Places to Travel to This Summer

Dear A.,
All the responses have had wonderful ideas! Most of the places I have been to with my daughter age 3 and her older friends age 6. The place you should faveorite on your computer is www.our-kids.com They lists all the best parks and free activities to do in the summer. Also another way to cool off is that Kingstowne Consolidated Movies and most AMC movie theaters have kids movies for free during the week. Also ever heard of MOPS? its a moms support group. visit www.mops.org to find a group to join in yuor area. That way you can go to parks and meet other moms so you have some adult time too!
have fun this summer!
Pammy

Maybe we can help each other! Here are my ideas:
1)Wolftrap Theatre-in-the-woods programs are WONDERFUL!
2)Port Discovery in Baltimore (fun children's museum)
3)Library programs
4)Crayola in PA
5)hikes in local parks
6)wading/exploring in area streams
7)free movies at certain theatres in the area
8)DC museums

what about:
* the farm at frying pan park
* story time at the library or local bookstores (barnes and noble @Tysons corner does storytime on Friday mornings that are free -- then you can go to the indoor play area too)
* hiking at great falls in mclean
* catch a movie - there are "family" movies that play at local theaters usually on Tues/Weds mornings
* the water mine swimming hold at Lake Fairfax (fairly cheap entrance fee and if you take a picnic lunch it makes for an inexpensive day out)
* splashdown water park in Manassas (weekends are CRAZY!)
* for rainy days there is the inside water park at Cub Run Rec Center
* if you are willing to drive awhile (2.5 hrs) there is the sesame street themed amusement park in Langhorne, PA

I love our neighborhood pool, Hidden Oaks and Hidden Pond nature centers, Oxen Hill Farm (it's been a long time since we went there...) Frying Pan Park, Burke Lake Park (bring a little $ for the train, carousel and ice cream...) and Splashdown. (There are two large areas that are great for the smaller kids -- I would do the after 4 rate -- less sun, fewer people, and you don't feel as obligated to stay too long to get your $ worth. The Water Mine is a similar experience a little closer to Fairfax. For me, the neighborhood pool has been best because I got to know other mothers and kids in our neighborhood.

The Green Acres School book on Places to Go with kids in Metro Washington DC was awesome several editions ago. I'd bet it still is.

Heard great things about this children's museum:

http://www.discoverymuseum.net/index2.asp

Two otehrs I also am aware of -

http://www.vadm.org/
http://www.c-mor.org/

Please post feedback if you go to any of these.

http://www.skylinepaintball.com/

This is a web site for Half Moon Beach. Check it out. You can wade,swim, rent canoes, and feed a gazillion little fish. Don't go on a weekend though. It is CRAZY. Weekdays are the best and pack a lunch. And bring lots of buckets and shovels to play in the sand. Our whole neighborhood goes there throughout the summer.
Also Bull Run has a great pool.

Hi! You should visit http://www.JustSettling.com/Fairfax they have a special section on Getting Away, which includes Day Trips, Short Breaks with or without children, etc.

Hope this helps!