National Zoo

Farewell Celebration for Giant Panda Bei Bei

November 6, 2019

Join the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute “Bye Bye, Bei Bei” (BAY-BAY,) a series of online and on-site celebratory events to bid a fond farewell to giant panda Bei Bei before he departs for China from November 11 to November 18, 2019.

Fans can pick up a postcard memento at the Zoo and write their own notes to Bei Bei that will travel with him to China. For fans joining the festivities remotely, Panda Cam 1 will show Bei Bei 24/7. Bei Bei will receive special treats and toys twice each day. All three of the Zoo’s giant pandas will receive ice cakes at 9am on Nov. 16 and Nov. 17 in honor of Bei Bei’s farewell. In addition, free hot chocolate will be served on Nov. 16 and Nov. 17. Click here for a detailed schedule of events.

As part of the Zoo’s cooperative breeding program with the China Wildlife Conservation Association, all cubs born at the Zoo move to China when 4 years old to breed with other pandas, helping to keep the population genetically diverse. Learn more about Bei Bei’s trip to China in this FAQ.

In other Zoo news:
*Zoo Lights begins Nov. 29, 2019 and stays lit through Jan. 1, 2020
*International Cheetah Day Dec. 4, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
*Brew Lights at Zoo Lights is Dec. 12, 2019
*Become a FONZ member to support the Zoo as well as receive many perks and discounts

DinoRoars at the Smithsonian National Zoo

June 15, 2019

Travel back in time with “DinoRoars”—a self-guided safari around the Smithsonian’s National Zoo—and meet massive animatronic dinosaurs that move and roar. From June 1 to August 31, visitors will be able to look up and listen as the roar of a 39-foot-long T. rex joins the symphony of Zoo animal chirps, squawks and chuffs. On exhibit will be Compsognathus, Dilophosaurus, Parasaurolophus and babies, Stegosaurus and baby, Quetzalcoatlus and babies and T. rex. Each dinosaur is fitted with electronic brains to activate and control movements and produce the sounds. Admission to the Zoo and “DinoRoars” is free.

Also as part of the Dino Summer at the Zoo, get tickets to see “Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live” Theatrical Show. Visitors will embark on a prehistoric journey at “Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live,” an experiential theater production featuring a larger-than-life cast of dinosaur puppets, at Smithsonian’s National Zoo. From June 1 through Aug. 31, sophisticated, life-sized dinosaur puppets—brought to life by theatrical presentation and puppet mastery—will connect children to paleontology. This interactive production features 19 dinosaurs on stage including Triceratops, T. rex, Megneura, Leaellynasaura, Titanosaur and more.

“Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live” will perform 30-minute shows at 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (June 1-Aug 31) in the Zoo’s air-conditioned Visitor Center Theater. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for children; group tickets are also available. Discounts are available for Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) members. An exclusive “Dino Zoo Live” photo experience with a larger-then-life dinosaur is also available for purchase, tickets are $10.

Ultimate Guide to Halloween in and around Washington, DC

October 11, 2018

Saturdays and Sundays only– 10:00am-6:00pm-: Eye Spy Train at Wheaton
All aboard the Wheaton Eye Spy Halloween Train! NO LONGER HAUNTED! This “not so scary” train ride is fun for the whole family – it’s all about fun, not fright! Each child will receive an Eye Spy card before boarding the train. As you ride through the woods of Wheaton Regional Park, look all around to find Halloween friends hiding, and mark them off the Eye Spy card. They’ll have fun Halloween activities in the Train Station Party Room, where snacks will also be available for purchase. Costumes are encouraged! Please bring a canned food donation for your neighbors in need – they’ll donate them to Mid-County United Ministries in Wheaton. [Read more…]

Tricks and Treats around Washington, DC this Halloween

October 9, 2017

Post has been updated and can be found here for 2018

I can’t count the number of times our son wore his “Max” costume from Where the Wild Things Are. Between parades, school, special celebrations and on Halloween he got lots of practicing saying, “Let the wild rumpus start”! Here’s a guide that will help your child get mileage out of their costume(s) this year. Of course, check out our guide to Festivals and Orchards, as many of them have a special Halloween celebration as well as their day-to-day happenings. DC Library also will have a variety of Halloween celebrations, including Creepy Crafts & Pumpkin Decorating! Check out Facebook and Instagram for updated events.

[Read more…]

Your guide to getting outdoors this holiday season in and around Washington, DC

December 1, 2016

holiday-pollinationstation2

(Photo: Seasons Greenings at The U.S. Botanic Gardens)

Get outdoors and enjoy the chill of the air while sipping a good cup of joe and hot cocoa for the Bambino(s). Here are some festive places to visit all while being outside.

Outdoor Ice Rinks:

Canal Park Ice Rink– 202 M Street, SE Washington, DC 20003

Tyson’s Corner Center Ice Rink– 1961 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean, VA. 22102

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Ice Rink– National Mall at 7th Street and Constitution Avenue NW

Washington Harbour Ice Rink– 3050 K St NW, Washington, D.C. 20007

Silver Spring Veteran’s Plaza Ice Rink– 8523 Fenton St., Silver Spring, MD. 20910

Rockville Town Square Ice Rink– 131 Gibbs St., Rockville, MD. 20850

Pentagon Row– 1201 S Joyce St, Arlington, VA 22202

christmas_white_house_11
(Photo: Funzug)

Outdoor Festivities:

National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse– The National Mall
The National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony is the beginning of three weeks of celebration in holiday music in the nation’s capital. Musical groups from Washington D.C. and across the country provide holiday entertainment to the countless visitors for a one of a kind holiday experience set against the backdrop of the National Christmas Tree. Dec. 2-Jan.1.

Christmas at Mount Vernon– 3200 Mt Vernon Memorial Hwy, Mt Vernon, VA 22121
The holidays are full of delight at George Washington’s estate. Join for candlelight tours of the Mansion, a dazzling display of fireworks set to Christmas music (Dec. 16-17), dancing, fire-side caroling, Aladdin the Christmas camel, and so much more! Nov. 25-Jan. 6.

Holidays on the Harbor– 165 Waterfront St. National Harbor, MD. 20745
Each weekend, from Nov. 19 to Dec. 17, National Harbor 12:00pm-2:00pm you can see holiday performances and they show holiday movies on Saturdays at 2:00pm. Be sure and warm up inside the Gaylord Resort and then bundle up to check out ICE!. Get your tickets in advance though.

Holly Trolley Fest at National Capital Trolley Museum– 1313 Bonifant Road Colesville, MD 20905
Celebrate the season with toy trains and Santa aboard the streetcars from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 3-4, 10-11, 17-18.

Seasons Greenings at The U.S. Botanic Gardens– 100 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20001
Season’s Greenings opens on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24- Jan. 2. The best times to visit Season’s Greenings are weekdays early in December or on select Tuesday and Thursday evenings in December when the Conservatory is open until 8 p.m. with live seasonal music. Aside from these extended holiday hours, the Conservatory is open every day of the year, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free of charge.

Festival of Lights at the Mormon Temple– 9900 Stoneybrook Drive Kensington, MD 20895
As one of the D.C. area’s great community traditions, the Festival features free performances nightly in the comfortable, state-of-the-art theater located in the Visitors’ Center while the Temple grounds glow with 650,000 lights. Begins Dec. 1 and lasts through Jan. 1 from 10:00am-10:00pm.

Zoo Lights at The National Zoo– 3001 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
Join the thousands of visitors who make ZooLights a part of their annual holiday tradition. ZooLights includes live music performances, tasty winter treats, and plenty of opportunities for holiday shopping. More than 500,000 environmentally-friendly LED lights transform the Zoo into a winter wonderland. New this year will be a dazzling light show set to music, snow-less tubing, trackless train and ride the carousel! Nov. 25-Jan. 1 (exception: Dec. 24 & 25) hours are 5:00pm-9:00pm.

Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens– 1800 Glenallan Ave Wheaton, MD 20902
Step into a magical winter wonderland illuminated with more than one million dazzling colorful lights shaped into hand-crafted, original art forms of flowers, animals and other natural elements. Stroll from garden to garden enjoying twinkling tree forms, fountains, sparkling snowflakes overhead and more. Nov. 25-Jan.1 (closed Dec. 24 & 25) Hours and prices vary by night.

Bulls Run Festival of Lights- 7700 Bull Run Dr Centreville, VA 20121
Experience the Bull Run Festival of Lights, 2.5 miles illuminated by holiday light displays. Drive the festival route from the comfort of your car; turn out your headlights and just follow the magical glow. After viewing the lights, bring your family and friends to the holiday village to enjoy rides, refreshments, and of course, photos with Santa Claus. The festival happens annually at Bull Run Regional Park in Centreville, Virginia. Nov. 23-Jan.8 hours and prices vary depending on the day

Winter Walk of Lights at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens– 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court Vienna, VA 22182
Bring the family to enjoy the magical Winter Walk of lights in Vienna, Virginia. The garden is transformed into a half-mile, animated walk of lights. Revisit perennial favorites such as the Lakeside Lights, the Fountain of Lights, and the Holiday Nature Walk – and look for new displays each year. Put on your walking shoes and bring the family to experience a Northern Virginia festive tradition. Round out your visit by roasting marshmallows, and sipping on hot beverages by the fire. (Available for purchase at Light Refreshments). Nov. 18-Jan. 8 from 5:30pm-10:00pm.

Festival of Lights at Watkins Regional Park– 301 Watkins Park Drive (Route 193) Upper Marlboro, MD 20774
Bring a little twinkle to your holidays. Don’t miss this spectacular holiday drive-through event featuring more than one million twinkling lights! This year’s Festival features fun new displays. Nov. 25- Jan. 1 from 5-9:30pm. $5 ca/van, free on Christmas.

Winter Lights at Seneca Creek State Park– 11950 Clopper Rd., Gaithersburg, MD.20878
The wondrous display of lights at Seneca Creek State Park will be open nightly Nov. 25 through Dec. 31. (closed on Dec. 25). The 3.5 mile drive through the enchanted setting of Seneca Creek State Park takes you past more than 365 illuminated displays and 65 animated vignettes that light up the night. Themed areas include Winter Woods, Teddy Bear Land, Victorian Village, the North Pole, and much more.

Winter Classes and Camps in and around Washington, DC

November 13, 2016

kids-playing-soccer

Winter Classes:

Children’s Art Studio:
Anna Banana

Homerun Baseball: 2, 8 week sessions throughout winter for boys and girls ages 4-11 can be found here.

Imagination Stage: Theme-based Class Schedule for children ages 12 months-age 21 can be found here.

Just For Kids: Sports classes for ages 18 months-9 years old can be found here.

Montgomery County Recreation Department: You can find The Guide which is full of classes here or you can pick one up at a Montgomery County Library or Recreation Center.

My Gym Bethesda & My Gym Potomac: Winter classes for kids ages 3 months – 10 years old. Specialty classes for sports and tumbling, as well as mommy and me movement classes during the week and weekend. Also offering winter break camps and parent nights out which are themed drop-off programs. Check out my experience at My Gym!

Round House Theatre: Classes consist of 8-week sessions on Saturdays. Classes for children ages 2-Grade 8 can be found here.

Silver Stars Gymnastics: Classes for children ages 18 months and up can be found here.

Smithsonian National Zoo: Preschool classes and after school classes for children ages 6-10 throughout the year can be found here.

Tinkergarten: Classes for ages 18 months-8 years old can be found here. Refer to a previous post for more info.

Quick Feet: Soccer for 2-5 year olds in DC, MD and VA. Classes can be found here.

Edlavitch DCJCC: Classes can be found here.

Super Soccer Stars: 12 months to 12 years old. Classes can be found here.

**Don’t see what your Bambino may be interested in? Here is a running list of year-round classes and a Dance and Gymnastics list that may be helpful.

2018 Winter Camps:

Dec. 18-Jan.2: HoopED Sports Camp

Dec. 18-Dec. 22: Hopper Heroes Camp at Georgetown Day School

Dec. 27-30: Children’s Art Studio Winter Camp

Dec. 26-29: Snow Safari Winter Camp at The National Zoo

Dec. 26-29: School’s Out Day Camp at Adventure Theatre

Dec. 26-29: Bach to Rock Winter Camps

Dec. 26-29: Gymnastics Camp at Silver Stars

Dec. 26-30: Winter Camp at Little Loft

Dec. 27-29: Imagination Stage Winter Camp

Mom’s Groups:

Group for first and second time Moms PACE

8 Week New Mom’s Group at Lemon Tree

DC Parents of Multiples Group at Lemon Tree

Parent-and-me classes and experiences at Petite DC

A school for Toddlers and Parents and Caregivers at Intown Playgroup

Six Week Hook-Up with Mama’s Link

Indoor Gym Spaces:

My Gym Bethesda

BusyBees

Magic Ground

Gymboree

Kidville

Other helpful posts:

Yoga with your Bambinos

Dance and Gymnastics classes

Year-round classes

Weekend Picks

December 11, 2015

Washington Nationals will host Winterfest this weekend at The Convention Center. Test your skills at a variety of baseball attractions and game. Transform yourself into a human snowball in the Steal Home Challenge. Jump into a giant stocking and slide down the “The Slider”. Strike a pose at the life-size snow globe photo station. Take a photo with Santa. Donate a toy to a child in need*. And much, much more! Tickets are; Adults: $30 per ticket, Kids, ages 4-12: $20 per ticket, Kids, ages 3 & under: Free. Open to public 11:30am-4:00pm, other times for season ticket holders.

Ice! Featuring Santa Claus is Coming to Town is still going on at The Gaylord National Harbor. Guests can walk-through holiday attraction, kept at a chilly 9 degrees, marvel at two million pounds of hand-carved ice sculpture, have fun on five ice slides, walk and see the 7 individual rooms depicting the story of Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town and see The Frostbite Factory – a live carving zone. [Read more…]

Top Ten Spots in Cleveland Park for Families

November 5, 2014

Cleveland Park; where my roots really began in DC. Sure, I moved here and lived immediately in Arlington (what out-of-towner doesn’t do that?) and then rented an apartment on U Street for a year. But, it wasn’t until I was engaged that I moved in with my husband-to-be to a cute townhouse 5o steps away from the hustle and bustle of Connecticut Ave. on Ordway St. We lived there as we got married and then found out we were pregnant 7 months into wedded bliss and moved a block away (through the back alley) to Porter St. Now, about 200 steps away from Connecticut Ave. This is where our first child was born and it couldn’t have been a more perfect area of DC to have a newborn. I walked to Cacao or Palena to get a morning coffee and chocolate croissant with my newborn in the Ergo and then we’d stroll to the zoo. Sometimes we’d repeat this process in the afternoon but instead of Cacao we’d visit Vace for a sandwich or slice of pizza. Then, we decided to be adults and instead of renting a house we bought our own and now live in Chevy Chase, DC. It’s no Cleveland Park but it’s where we call home now as we await the arrival of our second baby, in 2 weeks.

This leads me to my first Top Ten post in which I will highlight (and sometimes just list or link) to 10 child-friendly restaurants, venues, playgrounds, etc in DC neighborhoods, starting with one of my favorite DC hoods– Cleveland Park.

1. Smithsonian National Zoo

2. Newark Playground (39th St NW and Newark St NW)- The concept for Newark builds on an accessible path through the site and under shady trees. Parents and caregivers will appreciate a new stroller parking area and new seating throughout the site. Both younger and older children will find exciting new equipment, including climbing equipment and small boulders to sit or play on. A new rubberized play surface brings additional color and accessibility to the site. It sits next to a dog park, an impressive, large community garden, and several tennis courts.

3. The Firehouse– because what child doesn’t like looking at the trucks? And if lucky enough a firefighter may come out and talk with you or give you a tour.

4. Cleveland Park Library

5. Macomb St Playground (3409 Macomb Street, NW)- The concept for Macomb linked the two separated play spaces, relocated the shaded gazebo to create a more pronounced entry to the space, and includes a new water feature. New stairs and an incline with ropes for climbing connect the upper and lower play area, and new equipment is included throughout the site. A new bright, rubberized surface has a fun herringbone pattern.

6. Firehook Bakery has a nice terrace out back with a fountain. Children can roam around as you enjoy a cup of joe and a croissant.

7. Uptown Theater is a historic, single-screen movie theater which opened in 1936. (Would love to see them host Family Matinees or events more often.)

8. Melvin Hazen Tributary Trail

9. NCRC Playground (3209 Highland Pl NW, Washington, DC 20008)- The playground is designed to provide multiple types of play opportunities for children ranging from 2-½ through 12 years of age. The playground includes three sandbox areas, climbing apparatus, swings, bike paths, a ball court, and garden spaces. Open during after school hours.

10. California Tortilla –Kid-friendly Cal-Mex menu with outdoor seating too. Cactus Cantina is up a few blocks from the strip of Cleveland Park but worth the walk and wait, if you want a more sit-down Tex-Mex meal.