Beltway Bambinos

(re) discover Washington DC through the eyes of your children

6 immersive exhibits for families in and around Washington, DC

The Dr. Seuss Experience

The Dr. Seuss Experience is a sensory spectacle that takes each guest on an awe-inspiring journey through nine different Dr. Seuss books, allowing each visitor a chance to step into the pages of each of the books and interact with its iconic characters!
Where: 7852U Tysons Corner Center, Tysons, VA 22102
When: Open Wednesday through Sunday, sessions available every half hour
Duration: Around 60 minutes
Admission: General Admission Adult (13+) $34.00, General Admission Child (1-12) for $29.00, additional add-on options available. Free entry for infants under the age of 12 months.

Van Gogh Exhibition: The Immersive Experience: Have you ever dreamt of stepping into a painting? Take an educational and awe-inspiring journey into the incomparable universe of Van Gogh. Explore his life and work as never before through cutting-edge 360-degree digital projections, a one-of-a-kind VR experience, and a uniquely atmospheric light and sound show. Make your own paintings and have them projected on the walls in an experience loved by grown ups and kids alike!
Where: 524 Rhode Island Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
When: Open every day apart from Tuesday, with time slots available every half hour
Duration: The visit will take around 60 to 75 minutes
Admission: Adult ticket $44.90, Child ticket $26.90, Family Bundle (4+ tickets, max. 2 adults) $28.90, additional VIP experiences available. Free entry for children under 4 years old.

Dinos Alive: The Immersive Experience: Prepare to be transported back in time for an adventure of a lifetime where you’ll meet over 80 animated life sized recreations of some of the largest land animals to have ever set foot on our planet. Check out the “Budding Experts” experience, where you can tap into your inner paleontologists, color dinosaur species and watch their creations come to life on screen! 
Where: 524 Rhode Island Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
When: Open Wednesday through Sunday, sessions available every half hour
Duration: The visit will take approx. 45–75 minutes
Admission: General Admission $25.40, VIP Admission (VR Experience included) $35.90, Family Bundle (4+ tickets, max. 2 adults) $21.60, additional add-on Kid Dinos Costumes available. Kids 3 and younger enter for free.

Dinos Alive: The Immersive Experience:

Jurassic Encounter: Join for an outdoor Dinosaur Walk-Thru Adventure! It’s a perfect outing for ALL Dino Enthusiasts – Young and Old! with over 45+ life-size animatronics and static dinosaurs. Meet our large and in charge T-Rex, our mighty Triceratops and her young, plus dozens of other species!
Where: 7700 Bull Run Dr, Centreville, VA 20121
When: May 4-14
Duration: The Pace of the JURASSIC ENCOUNTER Experience is up to you! Guests can spend an hour to all day! The suggested time is an hour to and hour and a half.
Admission: Weekday single admission ticket $15 and 4 admission ticket bundle $49.99.

Candytopia: Virginia’s most delicious museum, made up of your favorite treats! If you’ve ever dreamed of nibbling your way through Candyland or scoring a Golden Ticket, you’ve come to the right place. Explore the sprawling sanctuary of confectionary bliss, with over a dozen carefully curated and crafted rooms and enviornments.
Where: 7871 Tysons Corner Center, Tysons, VA 22101
When: Through the end of May
Duration: About 60 minutes
Admission: Adult $30, Kids 4-12 $23 and kids under age 3 free.

PIXELBLOOM: Timeless Butterflies at ARTECHOUSE: You are invited to step into a virtual world of cherry blossoms, discovering the ephemeral beauty of butterflies and thrilling exuberance of nature. A kaleidoscope of butterflies are awoken from their winter slumber and pixels burst into full bloom all in celebration of the coming of spring. Leveraging custom technologies, ARTECHOUSE Studio reimagines the potential of nature, both digital and organic in design, expanding on the world of PIXELBLOOM to create a one-of-a-kind family-friendly journey.
Where: 1238 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, DC 20024
When: Through June 11
Duration: The experience is up to you! Guests can spend an hour to all day.
Admission: General admission $25, children ages 4-15 $17, Children under 4 Free, Students & Seniors (65+) $20, Military & First Responders $20 and Weekday Family Pack $75 for 2 adults, 2 children.

A visit to Planet Word Museum

Planet Word Museum has become a favorite DC museum for our family. Planet Word will inspire and renew a love of words, language, and reading in people of all ages. Through unique, immersive learning experiences, they provide a space to explore words and language that is grounded in a solid understanding of language arts and science. You can read about the current exhibits here. See our sneak peek above which we also posted on Instagram. A few of our families favorite parts of the museum are the magical library, karaoke for one of my Bambinos, and the humor gallery for another Bambino. There is a 22-foot-tall wall of words called Where Do Words Come From? which dives into the story of the English language as well as the origin of many of the most commonly used words which I watched over and over.

At Planet Word, they strive to make the museum experience with 6 core values:

  • FUN
    Planet Word offers unique, participatory, changing, and innovative experiences with language and words.
  • PLAYFUL
    Planet Word engages participants in physical, social, and cognitive play to increase understanding of language.
  • UNEXPECTED
    Spontaneous learning takes place around every corner.
  • MOTIVATIONAL
    Planet Word builds confidence and encourages a lifelong interest in words and language.
  • MEANINGFUL
    Planet Word strives to have a measurable impact on literacy outcomes.
  • INCLUSIVE
    Planet Word strengthens community by celebrating and valuing all types of linguistic diversity.

Hours: Thursday-Sunday 10:00am-5:00pm
(March 21 – April 17, Open Wednesday through Monday, 10:00am – 5:00pm)

Address: 925 13th St NW, Washington, DC 20005

General admission is free, with a suggested $15 donation to support the museum’s mission-driven programs, exhibits, and educational outreach. Reserve your passes here.

There is a gift shop on the first floor and Immigrant Food + in the basement. As of now all visitors ages 12+ must show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination to enter the museum, along with a photo ID for visitors 16 and over.on cards for anyone over age 12.

Books come to life in the magical library. Can you find the hidden door inside this library?

Imagination Stage’s Hit Spy Adventure!

S.P.I.E.S. & The Lost Treasure of Atlantis* is back at Imagination Stage! Buy your ticket today for the hit immersive online performance November 13-28, 2021.

Full of surprises, fun, and memorable characters, each performance takes the cadets (audience) through a series of puzzles, codes, and challenges on a quest to help Spy Team 7 recover the stolen Heart of the Dragon from the evil Dr. Levinious. The experience is led by a hilarious improvisational actor  playing the role of Pat, who interacts with individual spy cadets in the Zoom room.

Part online escape room, part interactive game, this creative and immersive theatrical experience is a live virtual event perfect for ages 5+. Just $28 for the whole household!

*Formerly Spy Academy

Purchase your tickets here!!

“A fantastically entertaining conglomerate of action, adventure, suspense, and pure silliness perfect for ages 5 and up.”

– DC Metro Theater Arts review

For more information, please visit our website.

STEAM Family Days at ARTECHOUSE

ARTECHOUSE has been such a wonderful addition to the art scene in Washington, DC. It is unique in that each exhibit is mesmerizing and limitless with an interactive, technology component. The concepts are engrossing and unusual which makes it that much more appealing.

STEAM Family Days are back at ARTECHOUSE for a limited time. We got the chance to see the newest display at ARTECHOUSE; Life of a Neuron. Just like all of the exhibits they have, it was immersive and interactive. The main room allows guests to sit on cushions and just take in the bright, constantly changing art that is projected on the walls and floor. Our ten year old really found the topic fascinating and had lots of questions. Our six year old was a bit uneasy with the subject matter particularly as the display got closer to the end with faint ambulance noises- closing in on death (just an fyi). All other exhibits we have been to have captured both of my kids attention in a positive light.

When: Family Days are every Tuesday and Wednesday all day 

What: Families that book through this link will receive special pricing and an activity guide inspired by the exhibit Life of a Neuron. Through this limited offer all tickets are $17 and Family Packages are $60. Offer not valid the week of Thanksgiving .

About ARTECHOUSE: Started in 2017, ARTECHOUSE is on a mission to stimulate interest in the limitless possibilities of creative innovation and to push the boundaries of what is possible. Since founding we have expanded from our DC location to Miami and NYC—with more locations to come. 

About Life of a Neuron: Walk through a neuron—the “thinking cells” of the brain—and witness first-hand the beauty of one of science’s greatest mysteries: the human brain.

Life of a Neuron brings artists and scientists together for a groundbreaking collaboration to explore how the brain shapes the shared human experience. Through collaboration with the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s leading scientists and creatives, this immersive exhibit will allow us to experience a neuron—from pre-birth to death—providing an experiential view of life at a cellular level.

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