Brookside Gardens in Maryland

Brookside Gardens has a scenic nature garden with wide paths that are stroller accessible and offers a beautiful place to walk with children. Kids are fascinated by the colorful flowers, the wide open places to run, and the wildlife. There is a gazebo which is on a small lake filled with fish, turtles, and other creatures as well. There is also a butterfly garden, greenhouse, a formal garden (which is great for taking pictures), and a nature center . This botanical garden is free and is good for children of all ages.
Brookside Gardens frequently offers classes and has special events such as the festival of lights (Winter) which shows the park at night with small lights hanging throughout the park. During the winter, they also set up a big model train set near the butterfly house that is fun for younger kids. The only down side to this wonderful place is that you may not eat in the gardens. However, you can eat out in front of the visitors center on a small plot of grass. Brookside Gardens may not be appreciated by younger children, but there are many open spaces to run around.
(note: For young Children, a stroller is a good idea)
Website: http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/
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Wheaton Regional Park in Maryland

Wheaton Regional Park is a great place to go with children from ages 1.5-10 years old. The park is located just outside of Silver Spring, Maryland, and offers many different slides, swings, and things to climb on. However, what really makes this place fun is the merry-go-round ($1.75 per ride) and the 15 minute train ride($1.75 per ride). The train is not only fun because of it being on a train (who doesn't love trains!), but also fun because the route through the woods is scenic and makes the children have a greater appreciation for nature. This park also offers many gazebo's with areas to grill and spend time with family and friends.

Book Recommendations before going to a playground

Please Play Safe! Penguin’s Guide to Playground Safety (Margery Cuyler)

Manners on the playground (Carrie Finn)

King of the Playground (Phyllis Reynolds Naylor)

Website: http://www.montgomeryparks.org/enterprise/park_facilities/trains/wheaton.shtm
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Waterville Valley New Hampshire

Waterville Valley is one of my favorite places in New Hampshire...its about 2 hours from boston and has all sorts of fun family activities year round. I originally went up to Waterville Valley to ski and absolutely love it! Then in the spring and summer went back to hike and camp. There are several hiking options...some much harder than others. Right in the ski resort town is a snowboarding mountain that is used for mountain biking in the summer. You and your bike can ride up the lift and then you bike down the mountain. I dont mountain bike so we took the lift ride up and hiked down (which plenty of people do). It was an easy hike (all downhill of course!) and a lot of fun. My one recommendation would be to wait until mid summer when the snow has had time to thoroughly melt AND the ground has had time to dry. Although playing in the mud was pretty fun too...

The area has a TON of affordable hotel options too. Ive stayed in the waterville valley townsquare condos, which when divided among 6 people was extremely reasonable. And Ive stayed in the Black Bear Lodge right down the road. Most places offer great weekend packages that include ice skating, use of the fitness center, a free lift ticket, canoeing, paddle boating...all sorts of fun stuff. Come on the right weekend and they might have a chili cook off or some other festival going on.

http://www.waterville.com
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Flume Gorge in New Hampshire

Flume Gorge is a part of Franconia State Park in NH. It is a fairly easy hike, with clearly marked trails...some parts with handrails, steps, and even paved paths. There are incredible photo ops of waterfalls and covered bridges (which are very famous up here in New England although I have yet to really understand why!) I think there is also a bus that will take you to the top if you dont want to hike (or have little kids). We actually got there a little late, around 3pm on a Saturday and thought we'd be too late, but the park was still open and we had plenty of time to wander around. It actually worked out perfectly because the place is apparently extremely crowded on the weekends. It seemed we got there when most people were heading home for the day. The one down side is you do have to pay for tickets...although Im always happy to support state parts so I didnt mind too much. Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for children and kids 5 and under are free. For more info: http://www.visitnh.gov/flume/index.htm
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Mt. Washington in New Hampshire

In the year 2005 BK (before kids), My wife and I took a road trip up to New Hampshire. While we were up there, we got a chance to drive up Mt. Washington. Mt. Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at 6,288 ft (1,917 m). The mountain has beautiful views and is known for having erratic weather. While we took the car tour which can be fun for young children, there are also many trails to hike along the way for older children. The car tour comes with a CD to listen to, which guides you through the history of this wonderfully scenic experience.

The one thing that bothered me as a person who fears heights is the fact that there is no guard rail when driving. The ride up the mountain was very pleasant and there were several scenic stop-offs that overlooked many beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. However, being so close to the edge of the mountain on the way down was a bit nerve racking. However, if you do not mind being so high up without a guardrail this was an incredibly scenic and peaceful experience. Next time you are in the New Hampshire area, I highly recommend this beautiful mountain.
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Sandy Point State Park in Maryland

I decided I couldn't let the summer pass without taking my 2 year old son to the beach. I did some quick research, and picked the beach that seemed closest to DC, called Sandy Point State Park, in Annapolis (which of course means it's not too far from Baltimore either). The entrance fee is $4.00 for state residents, and children that come in car seats are admitted free (at least that's what the nice woman at the gate said, I'm not sure if there's an actual age limit). The beach was very clean, inhabited almost entirely by families and had 2 lifeguards per tower, and there were at least 2 towers. The beach was not rocky, the sand was great to play with using buckets and shovels and the water, while murky, seemed reasonably clean. The beach has a fantastic view of the Bridge that leads from Annapolis to eastern Maryland. There were also clean bathrooms with showers and a concession stand that also rented/sold(?) beach supplies. And there was a park with a large jungle gym. I highly recommend.

Read more about Sandy Point State Park here.
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The National Zoo in Washington DC

The National Zoo is a fantastic place to visit with children of all ages all the way through adulthood. It is a very large zoo that has many great exhibits that are both indoors and outdoors. They also constantly look for ways to improve the zoo and make it an experience that will be remembered for years to come. One of the parts that we particularly enjoyed was the petting zoo area. The animals were docile and it was nice to have a section in the zoo that was dedicated to allowing the children to get up close and personal with the animals. Be sure to enjoy your lunch in the shaded picnic areas and bring good shoes as it is a very large and hilly zoo.

The zoo is free and is conveniently located near the Cleveland Park metro station. There is parking on the streets if you have patience and are willing to walk a few blocks, or you can park at the zoo. Parking at the Zoo is $10 for the first hour, $15 for two to three hours, and $20 for more than three hours. If you are a FONZ member, you do not have to pay for parking.

Website: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/default.cfm
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South Germantown Splash Park in Maryland

This splash park is good for kids that can walk-8 years old. Its benefit is that it is not a huge park so the kids are easily accounted for. However, it does get incredibly crowded during the summer months. The park has a small cave that has a waterfall covering the entrance, circular fountains shooting up from the ground to form a maze, big plastic animals that spit water, a new slide, and small buckets that dump water on you (Only in certain areas). The staff was friendly, helpful, and accommodating when we had any questions or concerns. There are also several tables with umbrellas set up inside this play area so that you can bring lunch, eat, and then go back and play (no standing water means no 30 minute wait time to get back into the water after you've eaten).
One of the reasons that we loved this place is because there is no standing water anywhere in the park so there is no risk of drowning. It also costs only $5.00 per person so it is relatively inexpensive. Our kids had a great time standing on the streams of water coming out of the ground, jumping in and out of the cave, and splashing at the water that shot out of the frogs mouth. Additionally, this water park is also located right next to a mini golf as well as a really nice park with great equipment for children to run and play on. This will be an annual summer trip for our family!

Website: http://www.montgomeryparks.org/facilities/south_germantown/splash_announce.shtm
Hours:
10am-7pm during the summer months

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Jump Zone, Columbia, MD

Jump Zone is in Columbia, MD and is filled with 7 huge (about 25 feet) inflatables which have slides, wall climbs and small obstacle course type things to do. Check online ahead of time as this place has strange times due to being rented out for parties. This place also has times when it is restricted only to kids under 5 years old so that they don't get trampled by older kids. I recommend this place if your child is at least 3 years old as my 2.5 year old was just barely able to do it and the other children get very wild. This place was a lot of fun and my son is still talking about it, but it can be a dangerous place as the kids bounce into each other and could smack heads. The best ages for this place are probably 5-10 years of age. The cost is $7.00 per child, but adults do not have to pay for themselves, and parents can go on the inflatables to help their younger children (2-4).
Website: www.jumpzoneparty.com
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National Building Musuem in Washington DC

The building museum was an average destination in terms of comparison to other places that we went this summer. It has a special room called the building zone which is geared towards children ages 2-6 years old and is $3.00 per child 2 and older. They also have programs that run on different days for a fee (check their calendar for list of activities. This place was a watered down version of Storyville in Baltimore but was good for children who like to build with blocks, or play with trains. This is also a good alternative if you live in DC and do not want to drive into Baltimore. There also might be a wait list when you get there because they only allow a certain number of children in at a time. However, they put blocks out in the lobby for children to play with while the parents waited in line.
Website: www.NBM.org
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Clarks Eliok Farm in Maryland

Clarks Eliok Farm was fantastic for kids aged 1.5-6 years old. It's best attribute is the petting zoo. Children can pet and feed goats, horses, and chickens as well as seeing pigs and rabbits. Some parts of the petting zoo allow you to go into the pen and walk around with the billy goats. The animals are friendly and allow you to come right up to them without fear.
They also have a tree maze which has some enchanted character statues such as Jack and the bean stalk. The maze is hard to navigate with a stroller, but is doable. There is also a small jungle gym and a few other enchanted forest characters. Additionally, they had a shaded gazebo filled with toys so that the kids could play while the adults ate lunch. My son had a blast playing with the tug boat, the trucks, and the other toys at the table.
Several Enchanted Forrest characters were located throughout the grounds and getting to see the smile on my son's face as he slid down the slide belonging to the little old lady who lived in the shoe was priceless. He also enjoyed posing like Peter Pan in the room that was decorated like Never Neverland. It takes about 30-35 minutes to get to from Silver Spring, MD and is located in Ellicott City which is on the way to Baltimore. The best advice is to go on a day that is not too hot as there is a lot of walking, but this is a fantastic place to take kids and is near enough to Historic Ellicott City that you can also stop off and do some antiquing.
Website: http://www.clarklandfarm.com
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BCPL Storyville (Rosedale) in Maryland

Storyville in Baltimore county public library (Rosedale Library) was a fantastic place to take children ages 6 months-5 years old and was absolutely FREE. Kids over the age of 5 are not admitted to this place. This place is small enough that you can sit and watch your child, but don't have to chase them. Additionally, they have a restriction on the number of children (I think 50 kids at one time) that are allowed in the room at once so that it is not too crowded and stays enjoyable. They use a sign in sheet and if you have to wait to go in, you also get a vibrating buzzer that will go off when it is your turn to enter. They had a person in the room sanitizing the toys throughout the day to make sure that everything was clean and that everything stayed in very good condition. The staff also walked through putting things away so that it remained orderly.
Storyville has many small rooms that are set up like small work spaces for the kids to play in. The rooms include the construction zone, supermarket, mail room, a kitchen, a tree house loft, a theatre, and many other rooms. Our kids enjoyed a puppet show that other children put on, and loved putting the mail back in the mail room (each room had a mailbox with a number so that kids could deliver the "mail"). Our 4 month old enjoyed sitting with my wife in the separate room for children that are not yet walking. They had many Bumbo chairs to sit in, mirrored cirlces on the floor for children to look at themselves in, and many other small things that made the gated in (white picket fence) area fun and safe for our baby. Our 2.5 year old played for hours with the trains, the canoe, the supermarket, and a variety of other rooms, and could have played for longer had we not had to drive back from Baltimore. This place is about 50 minutes from Silver Spring, MD and a great destination for fun.
Website: www.bcplstoryville.org
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Let the blogging begin

I have created this website as a way to share ideas about fun things to do with children of all ages all along the east coast. Please email me if you have any questions, comments, or if you want to post fun trips that you went on. Additionally, I try to ask everyone in my pictures if they mind that I post the picture on the blog, but for larger crowd pictures where people are not really identifiable I can't ask everyone. If you notice yourself or someone that you know of in one of the pics, and don't want the picture up, just send me an email to the address listed at the top of the blog and I will take it down. I hope that this can be built up to a hub of knowledge of fun places to go with children all along the east coast!

-Brett