American Visionary Arts Museum, Baltimore, MD

 

Cooky! Bizarre! Fun!Extraordinary! These are just a few of the words that describe this museum (disguised as a fun house). Located in downtown Balitmore, the AVAM is the best starter museum for children in the DC/MD/VA region. All of the artists whose work is displayed in this museum have no formal art training and use a wide array of different mediums to create their works of art. Their out of the box thinking allows children to expand their thinking about the age old question, "What is art?". Pictures are not allowed to be taken in the museum but may be taken in the sculpture gallery as seen above. 

When we went to visit, they had fascinating exhibits in both the permanent and temporary collections which included, small hand made machines of every day chores, a sculpture of the city of San Fransisco made out of over 100,000 toothpicks (took over 35 years to make), and a sculpture of a man made out of phone wire.  Other artists had created faces carved out of common styrofoam cups and a fantastic 3D art exhibit (they provide glasses) as well. 

The museum is broken up into three buildings and a sculpture garden. The main building has 3 floors of fantastically wacky art, and one of the best and most affordable gift shops that I have ever seen. In the next building is a life sized metal chess set that kids can actually play a game of chess on (ala Harry Potter). Between the first and third building is also a small sculpture garden and a nice large hill area to bring a picnic. In the third building is bunch of small and large mechanical machines that can move with the push of a button. This facility also contains an art studio for artists to rent space and also an art camp that they run in the summer. 

I highly recommend this museum and we hope to go back there soon. The AVAM is perfect for kids starting as young as 7 and is intriguing for adults as well. Please visit their website to see pictures of art on display in their facilities.

Website: www.avam.org

Cost:

Adults: $15.95

Student/Child: $9.95

Children 6 and under are Free

Membership is available

Hours:

10:00am - 6:00pm, Tuesday - Sunday (Closed Mondays*)

Book Recommendations before going to an Art Museum

Beautiful Oops! (Barney Saltzberg)

Jack in search of Art (Arlene Boehm)

Ella's Trip to the Museum (Elaine Clayton)

Babar's Museum of Art (Laurent De Brunhoff)

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Great Falls, MD/VA

Great Falls can be accessed on both the Maryland side and the Virginia side. We visited the falls on the Maryland side (officially called the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal) and had a great time. This was a family-friendly outing, and we were fortunate to have good weather.

It costs $5 for a private vehicle, regardless of the number of people in the car, and parking is plentiful. There is a small snack bar that offers cold drinks and some ice cream treats and some water fountains to refill water bottles (there are also restroom facilities on-site). The visitor’s center features a museum about the history of the canal, and all of the rangers of the park are incredibly knowledgeable and ready to help.

The best part about this park is probably how stroller friendly it is as we were able to keep our toddler in his stroller while we walked on the paths. The park is mostly centered on the canal and offers miles of trails up and down the canal. There is also a path (about 1 mile) that leads to a falls overlook (also stroller-friendly). There are plenty of other hikes in the area for those looking for a bit more of a challenge.

The visitor center also sells tickets for the canal boat which costs $8.00 for adults (ages 15-61), $6.00 for seniors (ages 62 and over), and $5.00 for children (ages 4-14). Children aged three and under ride free. The boat rides were closed for the season so we were unable to take advantage of this opportunity. 

 This park was full of kayakers, runners, families, rock climbers, and others and made for a wonderful Sunday outing.

Website: http://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm

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Kiddie Crusoe, Timonium, Maryland

Kiddie Crusoe is a fantastic combination play area located in Timonium, Maryland. The largest focus is on three main rooms which include a large wooden climbing apparatus, several inflatable jumping toys and slides, and a small town designed for an active imagination.  The place was clean and well staffed, the equipment was in good condition, and there was plenty of room to run without feeling crowded.  The place is geared towards children 3-12 and is probably most fun for those aged 3-8 years old.

The small town contains stores such as a gas station, barn, fire department, supermarket, classroom, theater room, etc.  and offers a variety of imaginative play costumes to allow for role play. The inflatable room has some jumping equipment for younger children, slides for slightly larger children, and an inflatable two person basketball hoop which is perfect for a shootout. The climbing equipment is solid wood and has several slides of varying heights for different aged children. There are bridges and tunnels to run and climb through, as well as a few different swings for older and younger kids. There are also several small rock walls

designed for the little climbing enthusiasts. 

Also on the premises was two small rooms for athletics and gaming. One room had a basketball hoop up and the other had a Mario themed painting on the wall with a big TV and a Wii set up to play video games. Kiddie Crusoe also offers weekly classes in creative movement, art, and a variety of other learning groups. Additionally, there is a beautifully maintained cafe which offered both healthy and snack foods for kids and families to eat. Kiddie Crusoe was a great place for our kids to play and

we look forward to going back again soon.

Hours of Operation:

Monday: 10:00am to 2:00pm
Tuesday: 10:00am to 4:00pm
Wednesday: 3:00pm to 8:00pm
Thursday: 10:00am to 4:00pm
Friday & Saturday: 10:00am to 8:00pm

Sunday: 11:00am to 6:00pm 

Cost:

$12 dollars per child aged 1-12

Adults are free with paid child admission

                                                      

Website: www.kiddiecrusoe.com

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National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC

Located on the mall in Washington DC, the Air and Space Museum has been a favorite of mine for years. They have several changing exhibits, but they also have many permanent exhibits as well. The exhibit hall features include:
Explore the Universe (Herschel Telescope)
Looking at Earth (Lockheed U-2)
How Things Fly (great interactives for kids)
Early Flight (features the 1909 Wright Military Flyer)
Jet Aviation
Golden Age of Flight
Exploring the Moon (Apollo Lunar Module)
Moving Beyond Earth
Space Race (Missile Pit)
Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater
Milestones of Flight (which includes a piece of Moon Rock)                
                                                                             

 Gift Shop
America by Air (Boeing 747 Nose of plane and tour)
Flight Simulators
(This list is from their home page)

The museum is very large and will take several hours to see everything. Children as young as 3 can start to appreciate the exhibits, but I would say that 5 and up is the ideal age range. The museum is completely free, and is located in easy walking distance of several other great museums and national monuments. There are also several metro stations located nearby so that you can conveniently get to and from the museum very easily. Parking on the streets are very limited and garages will be expensive. There are many food vendors that sell snacks and there are a plethora of restaurants in the surrounding areas as well that cater to a variety of different dietary needs.

Free admission
Hours: 10am-5:30pm
Website: http://www.nasm.si.edu/

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Newseum, Washington DC

EXTRA, EXTRA, Read all about it! Newseum is a big hit in our nation's capital! From the moment you arrive at the Newseum, you are greeted by amazing exhibits. Every morning, along the outside of the museum, they have someone who posts the front page of a newspaper from each of the 50 states in America. Once you go inside, you are greeted by six floors of amazing current and historical news exhibits. News tickers continuously scroll up to the second information, news choppers are suspended overhead, and the museum provides a 3 minute introductory movie to tell guests what they will see.

On the concourse level is sections of the Berlin Wall and exhibit, changing exhibits, a comic hall, eatery, and a sports history theater. Level one has the Newseum store, the great hall of news, a 4-D news movie experience (3D movie with shaking chairs), and a really cool exhibit on Pulitzer Prize photos. Each one has an explanation that allows you to get a good grasp of the situation in the photo. Level two has an interactive newsroom and an ethics center, and level three has exhibits on world news, a tv studio, an internet, TV, and radio section, and a journalists memorial as well. On the fourth floor, is the big screen theater, a really cool first amendment gallery, five freedoms walkway, and the 9/11 exhibit which has the radio tower from on top of the World Trade Center. One of my favorite parts of the museum was on the 5th floor near the big screen theater and Great Books exhibits. News History had newspapers dating back 500 years with significant historical events. Hundreds of Newspapers were labeled and on display. The top floor was an observation spot and a great temporary exhibit on Katrina.

I loved spending time in this museum because it made history come to life, showed various ways that news is made, written, and the spins that are put on things. Throughout the exhibit, there were different questions being asked of visitors, which were thought invoking and fascinating. This museum is geared towards people starting from age 12 and up.


Pricing:
Children 6 and under are free
7-18 years old: $13
19-64 years old: $22
65+: $18

Hours:9am-5pm
Website: http://www.newseum.org/
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Monster Mini Golf, Jessup, MD

For a long time now, there has not been a decent mini golf place to go to in the Silver Spring area. Most are serviceable, but lack the appeal of the mini golf places that line the streets of beach towns. However, Jessup, MD (30 min from Silver Spring) is home to Monster Mini Golf, a totally cosmic, glow in the dark, indoor putting experience. We went during the day and it was very uncrowded, cool, and clean. The course is well maintained, has a variety of obstacles, and does not have a back at the end of each hole (which while narrow, was smartly built for wheel chair accessibility, yay!).

Each of the holes was fun, not too spooky, and challenging, providing us with about an hour of fun for the course (with no traffic). In addition to the mini golf, they also have a small arcade with prizes to be won. This place is perfect for kids 5 years old and up, assuming that the monsters are not too scary for them (there are fake monsters, but nothing that moves or jumps out at anyone). For mini golf, it is mildly pricey at 8 dollars per person for adults and 7 dollars each for kids, but it is indoors, and very well maintained. They also have great hours and offer several different discount deals (found on their website) such as Tuesday 12 dollar couple night, Pajama Thursday, etc... Definitely planning to go back soon!

(Note that they now also have a Gaithersburg location)

Cost:
Adults $8
Kids $7

SUMMER BUSINESS HOURS:
Monday - Thursday: 12pm - 9pm Friday: 12pm - 10pm
Saturday: 12pm - 10pm
Sunday: 12pm to 8pm

Website: http://www.monsterminigolf.com/fran-md-columbia/index.html
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Ocean Dunes Waterpark, Arlington, VA

Absolute perfection was achieved this week when we took a drive to Arlington, VA. for a visit to Ocean Dunes Waterpark. Located only 40 minutes from Silver Spring at Upton Hill Regional Park, we had a great time playing at this wonderful and splash-filled place. The most fun was had on the climbing aparatus which resembled something you would find at a regular park, except that it had water spouts, pipes, and slides to make it even more fun. Every few minutes, a large bell would go off and a big bucket of water would pour down the roof and shower the kids. The water got them wet but was not overpowering. This great park also had two big waterslides for kids that are older, a lap pool for adults, a pool with ramp entry that does not exceed 3 feet of water, and a baby pool which had many water toys to play with. Both kids (2 and 4 years old) had a great time at the park. Additionally, compared to other water parks, the prices were very affordable and they had staff at every part of the water. When it seemed like there was some sort of emergency, 5 lifeguards darted over immediately to check on the situation. Nothing was wrong and everyone was fine, but upon returning, the lifeguard told me that they are very cautious and take every situation seriously, which was really nice to see. My son also fell over and got a small scrape and the people in the first aid room were really nice and friendly to him. They also have a large snack area next to the pool area. This water park is just a part of several activities on the premises as they also have biking trails, a mini golf course, and batting cages. We can't wait to go back soon!!!

Pricing:
Ranges from $5(after 4pm)-$12(unlimited water park and mini golf) dollars per person depending on what you want to do and what time you go. This is a seasonal activity as it is an outdoor water park. Season passes can be purchased for a discounted price.

WATERPARK HOURS
May 28 – 30
Memorial Day Weekend: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
June 1 – June 16
Monday – Friday: Closed
Weekends: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
June 17 – August 2
Daily: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
July 4: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
August 22 – September 2
Monday – Friday: 11:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Saturdays and Sundays: 11:00 PM – 7:00 PM
September 3 – September 5
Labor Day Weekend: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Mini Golf & Batting Cage Hours

March 12 – April 24
Monday – Friday: 4:00 – 8:00 PM
Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
April 25 – June 16
Monday – Thursday: 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Fridays: 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Saturday, Sunday & Holidays:  10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
July 4th: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
June 17 – September 5
Monday – Thursday: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
September 6 – October 30
Monday – Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday – Friday: 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sunday & Holidays: 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Website:  http://www.oceanduneswaterpark.com/
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