Fun and Affordable (and Free!) Toddler Activities in DC
- dcstayathomeparent
- Nov 12, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Dec 4, 2024
Here are some great activities to keep your little one entertained while also staying within budget. Most of the programs listed are one-off, meaning that you don't have to buy a package of classes.
Information last updated November 2024.
Free Structured Activities
Free Unstructured Activities
Low-Cost Activities (under $10 per child per visit)
Activities that cost over $10 per person for single visit
In the Suburbs
Free Structured Activities
Rock Creek Park Story Time and Little Tyke Hike (Chevy Chase)
On alternating Fridays at 10:30am, Ranger Dani leads story times and nature hikes (very short walk on a paved path). You can also meet the resident box turtle, Pokey! Held every week at the Rock Creek Park Nature Center and Planetarium. Note:
Information here
How to get there:
Car: You’ll need a car to access this activity. There is plenty of parking in the Nature Center parking lot.
Bus: The closest bus line is the E4 line that drops you off at Military Rd NW and 27th St NW. You will have to walk 0.3 miles into the park.
DC Public Library (Various locations)
Information here
This is a schedule based on usual story times and play times. Note: The children's programming at DCPLs often have "breaks" and pause story times and/or replace them with play times. For the most accurate information, search DCPL's calendar here by age group (Birth-5) and location.
Monday:
Toddler play time:
Petworth: 10am-12pm
Northeast: 11am-12pm
Tenley-Friendship: 3pm-5pm
Toddler story time:
Cleveland Park: 9:30am-10am and 10:30am-11am
Bellevue: 10:30am-11:30am
Capitol View: 10:30am-11am
MLK Jr. - Central Library 11am-11:30am
Tuesday:
Toddler play time:
Southwest: 10:30am-11am
Toddler story time:
Benning: 10:30am-11:15am
Francis A. Gregory: 10:30am-11am
Parklands-Turner: 10:30am-11am
Anacostia: 10:30am-11am
Lamond-Riggs: 10:30am-11am
Petworth: 10:30am-11am
Union Market (1309 5th St NE): 10:30am-11am
Palisades: 11am-11:30am
MLK Jr. - Central Library: 11am-11:30am
Wednesday:
Toddler play time:
Petworth: 10am-12pm
Shepherd Park: 11:15am-12pm and 3pm-5pm
Tenley-Friendship: 11:15am-11:45am
Toddler story time:
Georgetown: 10am-10:30am and 11am-11:30am (No walk-ins, pre-registration only, registration opens on the DCPL site on Sundays)
Shaw: 10am-10:30am and 10:30am-11am
Takoma Park: 10am-10:30am and 10:45am-11:15am
Tenley-Friendship: 10am-10:30am and 10:45am-11:15am
Chevy Chase: 10:30am-11am
Mt. Pleasant: 10:30am-11am
Shepherd Park: 10:30am-11am
West End: 10:30am-11am
Lamond-Riggs: 5:30pm-6pm
Parklands-Turner: 6:30pm-7pm
Thursday:
Toddler play time:
Mt. Pleasant: 1pm-3:pm
Toddler story time:
Capitol View: 6pm-6:30pm
Cleveland Park: 6pm-6:45pm
Friday:
Toddler play time:
Cleveland Park: 10:30am-11:30am and 4:30pm-5pm (Every other week)
Southwest Library: 10:30am-11:30am (Every other week)
MLK Jr. - Central Library: 11am-11:30am (Every other week)
Takoma Park: 3:30pm-5pm (Every other week)
Toddler story time: N/A
Smithsonian Museum Story Times and Activities
Frequency varies. Confirm on each museums' website. More information on each can be found on the page Museum Play Times and Events
Monday: Portrait Gallery
Tuesday: Zoo, Natural History, Postal Museum, Udvar-Hazy Air & Space, ImagiNations Activity Center
Wednesday: Hirshhorn, ImagiNations Activity Center, Spark!Lab and Wegmans Wonderplace
Thursday: Zoo, Air & Space DC, Udvar-Hazy Air & Space, Building Museum, ImagiNations Activity Center, Spark!Lab and Wegmans Wonderplace
Friday: Portrait Gallery, ImagiNations Activity Center, Spark!Lab and Wegmans Wonderplace, National Gallery of Art (First Friday)
Free Unstructured Activities
Department of Parks and Recreation Pools (Various locations)
All DPR indoor pools are free for DC residents and require a free membership by creating a DPR account. Must show DC ID and sign in before using the facilities.
Find a pool near you here
Department of Parks and Recreation Playrooms (Various locations)
Playrooms at various DCPR playgrounds are free for DC residents and require a free membership by creating a DPR account
Find a rec center near you here
Dumbarton Oaks Gardens
Description: Explore sixteen acres of terraced gardens and vistas, orchards and kitchen gardens, and a vast wilderness of meadows and wooded pathways.
Hours: Open Tuesday – Sunday from 2om - 5pm (closed Federal holidays). Admission is free November 1 – March 15, no tickets required. During regular season, March 15 – October 31, gardens are open from 2:00pm –6:00pm. (entry will be allowed until 5:30 p.m.) and tickets are $7 per person (free for children 2 years and under).
Information here
How to get there:
Public transportation: Various bus routes
Car: Street parking in the neighborhood
Spray Parks (Various locations; Seasonal, usually June through Labor Day Weekend)
National Building Museum (Judiciary Square)
Description: This nonprofit museum showcases the impact of architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, construction, planning, and design
Tickets: Required, free admission if going to story time
Story time: Story time on Thursdays are free and packed full of reading, songs, and activities designed to promote language and literacy skills! Story themes vary weekly, but relate to current exhibitions at the museum
Information here.
How to get there:
Closest metro stops: Judiciary Square (Red line) or Chinatown (Green, Yellow, and Red lines)
Car: Street parking
Planet Word (McPherson Square)
Smithsonian Museums and Gardens (Various locations)
More information on each can be found on the page Museum Play Times and Events
Full events calendar can be found here. It is not always up to date, so be sure to check specific museums' websites
Hirshhorn
No passes required
Information here
National Air and Space Museum
Timed tickets required for entry, including for story time, free
Information here
National Gallery of Art
No passes required
Information here
National Museum of the American Indian
No passes required
Information here
National Museum of American History
No passes required
Information here
National Museum of Natural History
No passes required
Information here
National Portrait Gallery
No passes required
Information here
National Postal Museum
No passes required
Information here
National Zoo
Passes required, free
Information here
Renwick Gallery
No passes required
Information here
Smithsonian Castle Enid A. Haupt Garden and Moongate Garden.
No passes required
Information here
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (near Dulles)
No passes required
Information here
U.S. National Arboretum (Ivy City)
Information here
Great for: runners, indoor and outdoor exploration. While there are no food options on site or within walking distance, it’s a great place to bring a picnic!
Specifically for babies and toddlers:
The Washington Youth Garden is the first certified Nature Explore Classroom in Washington DC.: The classroom, located at the back extension of the gardens, is embedded in the midst of hemlocks and oaks. Perennial plants border the gardens and are accessible to the Nature Explore Classroom adventurers. Containers filled with fragrant herbs are available for touching and smelling
How to get there:
Car: You’ll need a car to access this activity. There is plenty of parking in multiple parking lots.
U.S. Botanic Garden (National Mall. Seasonal: May through October)
Information here
Great for: indoor and outdoor exploration
Specifically for babies and toddlers:
Get hands-on in our Children’s Garden, where kids can gently care for plants, dig in the dirt, use gardening tools and watering cans, climb through a kiwifruit vine tunnel, and more! Closed for the 2024 season. The Children's Garden is open seasonally, from Spring to Fall, approximately May through October
How to get there:
Closest metro stop: McPherson Square (Orange, Silver, and Blue lines)
Car: Street parking and various nearby garages
National Park Service Stables (National Mall, between the Lincoln Memorial and World War II Memorial)
Description: This milestone project created a state of the art, sustainable new home for the horses and officers of the Mounted Unit. Importantly this visionary project also created a new Education Center that will welcome the public for the first time to learn about the horses and their history on the National Mall. The horses are in the new stables and the Education Center is now open Thursday - Sunday from 9am to 3pm
Great for: kiddos who love horses
How to get there:
Closest metro stop: Smithsonian (Orange, Silver, and Blue lines)
Car: Street parking. There is also plenty of parking in West Potomac Park.
Low-Cost Activities (under $10 per child per visit)
Tudor Tots (Georgetown)
Information here
Tudor Tots is Tudor Place’s bi-monthly enrichment program (on Wednesdays at 10:15am) for children between the ages of 18 months and 4 years. Children and their caregivers are invited to join us for story time, crafts and songs, celebrating a particular theme. To register for upcoming programs, click here for dates and times.
Cost: Child: $6.50, Accompanying Adult: Free
How to get there:
Public transportation: Various bus routes
Car: Street parking in the neighborhood
Kidsinger Jim (Eastern Market)
Information here
Weekly events at Eastern Market! Shows include Puppet Show Tuesdays at 10:30am and Boogie Thursdays at 10:30am. Double doors on the 7th St NE/North Carolina Ave NE side of North Hall open at 10:15am
Cost: $8.00 each in advance and $10.00 each (cash or charge) on the day of the event. Parents/caregivers are free, siblings under 6 months of age are free
How to get there:
Closest metro stop: Eastern Market metro (Orange, Silver, and Blue lines), multiple bus routes
Car: Plenty of street parking in the neighborhood. You can also use Trader Joe's parking garage, enter on C St SE, free with validation
Zoo Carousel (Mt. Pleasant/Woodley Park)
Information here
Description: Smithsonian's Speedwell Conservation Carousel. Located across from the Zoo's Lemur Island, the carousel features dozens of custom-carved and hand-painted animals under a brightly colored, open-air pavilion.
Cost: $4 per person/ride (Budget $8 total for an adult and one child for one ride). Riders under 42 inches must be accompanied by an adult. FREE unlimited rides for members.
Activities that cost over $10 per person for single visit
National Children's Museum (Federal Triangle)
Information here. Closed Tuesdays
Cost: adults: $18.95 per person, children 1 and older: $18.95 per person, children under 1: free, members: free
Gymboree Play & Music (Woodley Park)
Information here
Cost: First class/"Preview Session Pass" costs $15. Must purchase a class package for subsequent visits
Little Gym (Capitol Hill)
Information here. Also close by: Bethesda Little Gym
Cost: First class free. Must purchase a class package for subsequent visits
Magic Ground Indoor Playground (Columbia Heights)
Information here
Hours: Monday – Thursday: 9am-8pm | Friday: 9am-9pm
Cost: $12 for one hour, $15 for full-day pass. Packages and family passes are available
In the Suburbs:
Montgomery County Public Libraries
Libraries closest to the city include Chevy Chase, Little Falls in Bethesda, Noyes Library for Young Children in Kensington (adorable, it looks like a fairytale cottage), and Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library in Silver Spring. Search here by Age Group: Babies and toddlers or Event Type: Story time
Cost: Free
Alexandria County Public Libraries
Story times in English and Spanish. Full schedule can be found here
Cost: Free
Arlington County Public Libraries
Story times in English and Spanish. Search for "family storytime", "pajama storytime", "cuentos para niños", or "tunes and tales." Full schedule can be found here
Cost: Free
Glen Echo Aquarium
Timed entry visits. Get tickets here. The Glen Echo Park Aquarium (GEPA) is a Chesapeake Bay Discovery Center based in Glen Echo Park. The Aquarium is open every day and includes live animal exhibits as well as marine artifacts that help visitors appreciate and learn about our nation's largest estuary
Cost: $8 entry fee for ages 2 and up. $4 admission for visiting only our outdoor exhibits (GEPA beach, pirate ship, water play areas, and “Sea Yourself” photo boards)
Glen Echo Dentzel Carousel
The carousel runs between April-September. During carousel season. tickets are available for purchase in person at the carousel's ticket booth during regular operating hours and online. Every person must have their own ticket, including babies and accompanying adults. Children under six must be accompanied by a paying adult to ride
Cost: $2.00 per ride, $5.00 for an all-day pass
The Little Towns Children's Museum
Information here
No membership required. Open play all day. Socks required.
Hours: Times vary. Check home page for daily schedule
Food: You can bring your own snacks. They are a nut free play space so everyone can enjoy safely
Parking: There is ample free parking in the lot in front of the building.
Cost:
Open Play: $25 per child
Early Bird: $12.50 per child
Happy Hour: $15 per child
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