GREAT PLACES TO GO

please scroll for playgrounds, parks, local attractions, nearby attractions, capital attractions

PLAYGROUNDS:

North Reston Park - fondly known as "Home Depot Park" due to it's location immediately behind Reston's Home Depot, this split level playground has lots to offer children of various ages, plus the convenience of being near-by.

Hadley's Park - complete a trip to the Dulles Town Center by visiting this colorful out door playground with rubberized turf and adjacent to a large sunken grassy soccer field for those abounding with extra energy (located near the Remington Apartments behind the mall)

Great Falls Grange - this fabulous playground will bring back memories from your own childhood. Complete with modern tire swing and good old fashioned merry go round plus all the other equipment you could desire is tucked in on a nice wood-shaded hill and completed with a picnic area. You'll have to go there to check it out, but you can get the directions from this link.

Clemyjontri - THE playground for every child!  You have to see it to believe it!  Perhaps the best playground in Northern Va!

Cabin John Park - Just off of 495, this wooded park will keep any child happy and busy with a huge array of equipment on multiple play areas and even a running miniature train offering rides in the summertime.

Bready Park - located next to the Herndon community center, offers two playground areas for various ages, bathrooms, picnic shelter, soccer, tennis, basketball courts and baseball diamond. 

PARKS:

Lake Fairfax - This nearby park with an 18 acre lake accessible through paddle boat and canoe rentals or tour boat ride and seasonal fishing, surrounded with picnic/party areas, trails, playground, and carousel provides tons of room for romping.  It's also home to the Water Mine waterpark.

Frying Pan Farm Park - favorite stomping grounds of ours, this kid-friendly park features Kidwell Farm with a variety of animals to see and sometimes pet, kid-sized tractors to play upon, wagon rides, playground, country store, picnic tables, and summer farmer's market plus other events.  We've even milked the cows ourselves!

Algonkian Regional Park - features Downpour! pool and aquatic play area, miniature golf, trails, picnic shelters and various events.

Great Falls - Take the family on an outing to explore nature and history where the Potomac river creates natural stunning falls as it pours through Mather's Gorge.  A great place for a picnic or to play frisbee with your family pooch.  And older kids can participate in Junior Ranger programs and camp.

Burke Lake - a great family destination complete with rowboat rental, camping, miniature train, carousel, ice cream parlor, miniature golf, trails, picnic area, 3 playgrounds, and more!

Glen Echo - located near Bethesda, MD this park is at a bit of a distance, but includes some unique features such as the Dentzel Carousel, Discovery Creek Children's Museum, and a true puppet theater.

Bull Run Regional Park - located in Centerville, features a playground, trails, mini golf, disc golf, camping, soccor fields and a water park located in a picturesque setting complete with loads of springtime flowers and meandering stream.  Great "festival of lights" display during winter holidays.

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS:

At Play Cafe -  Hunters Woods Shopping Center - hang out, play, grab a bite to eat, sign up for a class....

Reston Zoo - a small zoo with more opportunity to get up close and interact with the animals

Watermine: Family Swimmin' Hole - This park is awesome! totally designed with small kids in mind, it's the perfect way to spend a summer day.  I've never seen my girls more excited to return to any place and I was as anxious as they were.  It's big enough you'll want to have an extra hand with the kids, but not so big that you can't enjoy it all!

Frying Pan Farm Park - visit Kidwell farm to see a variety of animals, child-sized tractors to play upon, and wagon rides, or take advantage of the picnic areas, playground, country store, and summer farmer's market.  Checkout the preschool which meets on the premises or enroll your kids in summer camp at the farm!

Reston Library - you'll want to take advantage of the free resources our library can offer.  Check out the mural painted walls of the children's reading room and if you don't have much time, grab and check out one of the pre-assembled and categorized book bags for your kids.

Reston YMCA - what mom can't use a little work-out and wind-down time?  take your kids swimming even in the winter, or sign up for a great class.

Reston Community Center - offers a wide variety of activities, classes, events and opportunities for all ages, or rent a room for your child's birthday bash!

Walker Nature Education Center - take advantage of the extensive trails and resources to learn about the nature around us or visit one of the many programs available for preschoolers and older children.

NEAR-BY ATTRACTIONS:

Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum - interactive museum for kids: walk among old-fashioned farm equipment, shop for eggs and produce in an old country store, try grinding flour, play on kid-sized tractors, milk a real cow...and more of all things rural in Loudoun county.  Located behind Dulles Town Center Mall, admission fee required

Colvin Run Mill - a little bit of history, a beautiful scene....creates the raw ingredients for great bread! take a look at the events/workshops available here too, there's more to this quaint running mill than you might think.

Nat'l Air and Space Museum Annex - Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center - if your kids (or your husband) are into "things that go", they'll love roaming around the massive hangar looking at the thousands of aviation and space artifacts that cannot be displayed at the Mall in D.C.     Planes galore and still much more.....

Local PYO (Pick Your Own) - there are a variety of farms in and around the area which provide great opportunities for picking a variety of fruits and more. Favorites for apples in the fall include Stribling and Hartland orchards and for tons of pumpkin-ville fun Cox and Great Country Farms are sure winners. 

North Beach - Bet you didn't know that you could take a day trip to the beach! Bathrooms, snacks, and boardwalk, sand and surf are within your reach!

Leesburg Animal Park - Get up close and personal with exotic and domestic animals on 21 acres of fun. Seasonal events such as Pumpkinville in the fall

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens - located in Vienna, here is a sanctuary of beauty and nature.

Wolftrap National Park for the Performing Arts - the only national park devoted to the performing arts, Wolftrap offers a wide variety of performances for every age

CAPITAL ATTRACTIONS:

National Smithsonian Museum of Natural History - you'll definitely want to take your kids, they'll love the dinosaur bones, giant and colorful gemstones, bugs, animals, rocks, and so much more! 

National Smithsonian Air and Space Museum - your kid will love to touch a piece of real moon rock! Rockets, astronauts, space gear, planets, stars and more - what's not to love? Expand your child's imagination into the infinite realm of space. (also check out the awesome annex Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly)

Gravelly Point Park ("Airport Park" at Reagan) - large lawns for picnics, playing catch or frisbee, paved biking/running trails, along the Potomac river with a skyline view of D.C. - this park's best feature is the ability to watch planes take off right above you! 

National Zoo - you can't beat a trip to the zoo for a great family outing.  The panda bears, monkeys, and tigers are cute, but don't skip the octopus, reptiles, and spiders too!

Discovery Theater - live performances for young audiences - your kids will love a "grown-up date" to the theater to view something spectacular and meaningful to their own age.