FYI, (**) means I haven't been yet but have heard great things!
FREE
- Storyville in Woodlawn (Baltimore, MD), great dress-up area & more things for kids to do than I have time to list. The only drawback is that this is for 5 and under only, after that age, I'd recommend Great Kids' Village (below, under "At Cost").
- Chik-fil-A Play Place, We love the one on Gorman Road because it's rarely ever crowded and everyone's sooo nice!
- The Fountain in Downtown Silver Spring (hot weather activity)
- Picnic in Centennial Park by the boat slips/pavillion- there's some coveted spots up on the hill with a great overlook
- DC Zoo- park on the street for free or take the Metro
- Tiny Tot Time- Fairland Rec Center, for 5 and under, riding toys, sit-and-spins, balls, toy basketball hoops, and more, and plenty of space for the kids to run and play all on an open basketball court. Feel free to bring your own riding toys, whether it's a bike, trike or scooter. I'd recommend bringing a helmet if you have one.
- Storytime- Howard Co. Library, Savage Branch, with fun, interested staff, lots of movement incorporated into the story time and crafts to follow up the stories, this one's our favorite!
- Wheaton Library, great play area for the kids and their book collection is the best I've found in Montgomery County so far
- Wheaton Regional Park, we usually try to go here when we visit the Wheaton Library. They have a large park area for the kids to play, as well as a Carousel and Train ride, both at cost.
- Barnes & Noble at the Harbor, great to visit especially after seeing the Aquarium or if you just need a break. They have a great Thomas the Train train table and a great selection of books and toys for the kids to play with while you sip your tea with a friend or your spouse. It's a mini-vacation!
- Maple Lawn Turkey Farm** in Fulton, MD. You can take a short 20 min tour or set up a time and date to bring a large group for a longer period of time. Tours are free.
AT COST- Low
- Pump It Up (Elkridge), hard to find if you've never been, but worth it! A definite hidden gem.
- Calvert Marine Museum, we visited recently and fell in love with this. There's so much for kids and adults to enjoy. $7 adults/$6 seniors/$2 5-12/Free under 5
- College Park Aviation Museum, they have lots of activities for kids to do in addition to their usual exhibits. They have some cool monthly events, as well. Plus, you can't beat their admission prices: $4 adults, $3 seniors, $2 kids, Free 2 & under.
- Baltimore Zoo **(hear it's pretty good, and the animal habitats are more humane and realistic than the DC Zoo)
- Arundel Mills Mall Train
- White Flint Mall Train
- Publik Playhouse Tiny Tots Thursdays, $3/person
- Fairland Gymnastics Gym & Aquatics Center- year-round swimming & Gymnastics Open Gym
- PG Sports and Learning Complex- year-round swimming & Gymnastics Open Gym
AT COST- Med. to High***
- Port Discovery (but if you do dollar days or go on special event days, it's cheap or even FREE! get there early or prepare to wait an hour to get in)
- Great Kids Village, two locations, one in Downtown Silver Spring** & one in Columbia, this one we went to been to when it used to be Playwise Kids, and we've been back once since it changed over. I hear this one is better than the new one in DTSS, by the way. This is where we'll be when my 5yo is too big for Storyville, I guess;^)
- Baltimore Aquarium (far superior to the DC Aquarium), they have lots of activities for the kids to do outside of viewing the animal exhibits & we enrolled in September Homeschool Days as well as the monthly homeschool classes which are excellent.
***(these are things we go ahead and splurge on cuz it's worth it! Every other month, maybe;^)) A NOTE ON PARKING IN BALTIMORE: There's an early-bird special at most of the garages nearby for $9/day or so and there's parking for $7-$8 in Little Italy nearby, on President St. & Eastern Ave.
