I’ve been humming holiday songs since before Halloween. I can’t help it, I love the holiday season! I try to avoid malls and shopping centers whenever possible, but I love checking out holiday activities in the area. So check out 25 fun holiday things to do with kids in Washington, DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia this season. Enjoy and have a happy holiday season!

Christmas Wonderland at Adventure Park USA. Photo from AdventureParkUSA.com.

Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland at Adventure Park USA – New Market, MD
November 5 – January 1: 6 pm

Enjoy a mile of Christmas lights at this drive through light show! Hundreds of thousands of lights, see Santa, toast s’mores and enjoy attractions at the park. Fees: $25 per car. A portion of the proceeds to benefit the American Red Cross and Christmas Cash for Kids. Get your tickets online.

Adventure Park USA is located at 11113 West Baldwin Road New Market, Maryland (map it).

ICE! at Gaylord National Resort. Photo from GaylordHotels.com.

ICE! featuring How the Grinch Stole Christmas – National Harbor, MD
Thursday, November 18 – Sunday, January 9

Visit this 15,000-square-foot indoor winter wonderland at Gaylord National Hotel! This year, ICE! features How the Grinch Stole Christmas. See holiday scenes, Christmas icons and more ice sculpture maintained in a nine-degree facility. Dress warm, it’ll be 9 degrees in there! Winter coats will be provided. Weekend admissions: $29 for adults, $23 for seniors (62+), $18 for kids 4 to 12 and free for kids 3 and under. See my review of ICE! and get your tickets online.

Gaylord National Hotel is located at 201 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, Maryland (map it).

See more fun holiday things to do with kids >>

Oh my, Thanksgiving is next week! Ready for turkey time? Forget the turkey, I’m ready for the sides! Before you start camping out in your kitchen next week, take a break with the kids. Check out top ten fun things to do with kids in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland this weekend.

ICE! at Gaylord National Resort. Photo from GaylordHotels.com.

ICE! at Gaylord National Resort – National Harbor, MD
Friday, November 19: 10 am – 10 pm
Saturday, November 20 – Sunday, November 21: 9 am – 10 pm
(ICE! is open from November 18, 2010, to January 9, 2011)

Visit this 15,000-square-foot indoor winter wonderland at Gaylord National Hotel! This year, ICE! features How the Grinch Stole Christmas. See holiday scenes, Christmas icons and more ice sculpture maintained in a nine-degree facility. Winter coats will be provided. Weekend admissions: $29 for adults, $23 for seniors (62+), $18 for kids 4 to 12 and free for kids 3 and under. Get your tickets online.

Gaylord National Hotel is located at 201 Waterfront St, National Harbor, Maryland (map it).

Purple Friday Discount Day at the Maryland Zoo – Baltimore, MD
Friday, November 19: 10 am – 4 pm

Raven fans or not, take advantage of Friday Discount Day at the Maryland Zoo! You’ll get a discount of $1 off general admissions for every touchdown the Ravens scored against the Falcons on Thursday, November 11th. So since the Ravens scored three touchdowns on the 11th, you’ll get $3 off your tickets this Friday the 19th. This discount is good for tickets purchased at the gate only.

The Maryland Zoo is located at Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland (map it).

See more fun things to do with kids this weekend >>

Are you sad that Halloween is over? Or are you mad that you’ve been eating too much candy? Well, get out this weekend and move around! Check out top 10 things to do with kids in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Baltimore this weekend.

From Healthy Saturday at Port Discovery Children’s Museum to events at Smithsonian museums, you’ll find fun events that you and the kids can enjoy. If you prefer to enjoy more treats, swing by the National Zoo to get free cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes  or check out a Twittered Food Truck Muster at American History Museum.

Larry Yazzie of the Meskwaki Nation. Photo from DiscoveryTheater.org.

FREE: Larry Yazzie and the Native Pride Dancers at American Indian Museum – Washington, DC
Friday, November 5: 10:30 am and 12 pm

See performance by world champion fancy dancer Larry Yazzie of the Meskwaki Nation and the Native Pride Dancers. Show features free-style movement with lots of energy, spectacular costumes, and sacred songs from the Northern Plains. Both shows are now sold out! Call 202-633-8700 to be put in their wait list.

Rasmuson Theater at the National Museum of the American Indian is located at 4th St and Independence Ave, SW, Washington, DC (map it).

FREE: My Gym Grand Opening – Bethesda, MD
Friday, November 5: 4 pm – 7 pm
Saturday, November 6: 9 am – 2 pm
Sunday, November 7: 10 am – 4 pm

Have fun with games and kids’ activities at the grand opening celebration of My Gym in Bethesda, Maryland. You can also sign up for grand opening specials on Friday, November 5th. Free admissions.

My Gym is located at 5110 Ridgefield Rd, Bethesda, Maryland (map it).

Read full article for more fun things to do with kids this weekend >>

We’re taking it easy this Saturday morning since we’re still resting from last night’s Boo at the Zoo at the National Zoo in Washington, DC.

Elephant at the National Zoo, Washington, DC

The zoo was packed with princesses, monsters and all kinds of movie characters you can imagine. We also scored tons of treats without having to trick anyone. The weather was great; it was cold, but we kept ourselves warm by walking around everywhere and checking out several indoor exhibits.

If you’re planning on going to the event tonight or tomorrow night, here are a few tips from our trip last night:

1. Get there somewhat early
We got to the zoo around 5:15 pm, which gave us enough time to find a parking spot at the zoo parking lot, but we had to wait in line until they let us in at 5:30 pm. So if you don’t want to wait in line too long, don’t get there too early. We entered through the parking lot entrance while our friend took the metro and got in the front entrance. For some reason, he got in about 10 minutes earlier than us.

So many skeletons at Boo at the Zoo!

2. Eat dinner beforehand
Only the zoo’s main restaurant was open and it’s located all the way down the hill. We didn’t find it (we probably took a few wrong turns), so we ended up snacking on chocolates, candies, ice cream, chips, snack bars, juice and apples from the treat stations. We certainly didn’t win parents-of-the-year award last night for that!

There are restaurants in Cleveland Park, which are about 0.5 miles away from the zoo. It’s hard to find parking by the restaurants (you’ll most likely have to park on the street then walk to the restaurant anyway), so see if you can park at the zoo and then walk to the restaurant. I’m not sure how early they’ll let you park at the zoo, but you can drive by the zoo and ask one of the parking attendants. Bring a stroller for your little kids if you plan to walk from the restaurant to the zoo. Between the cold weather and the hike, it’s much faster if you put them in their stroller and walk.

3. Dress warm
Our daughter was in a Cinderella costume, but we made her put her long sleeve shirt, leggings and coat to make sure she stayed warm. It did get chilly last night, but it helped that we walked a lot and we checked out some of the indoor exhibits.

4. Leave your trick-or-treat bag at home
You’ll get an orange bag when you enter the zoo, so instead of bringing your own bag, leave it at home and pick one up at the zoo. You are technically not supposed to bring your own bag anyway.

Trick or treat station at Boo at the Zoo at National Zoo in Washington, DC

5. Keep a close eye on your kid
Yes, this is common sense, but it’s even harder to keep an eye on your kid when it’s crowded and dark! Plus, your kid will want to check out the various exhibits and treat stations. Stop by the FedEx trick-or-treat station to pick up a glow-in-the dark bracelets.

6. Expect to see more treats than animals
Most of the big animals were inside already, so we didn’t see too many animals last night. We did see an elephant since we got there pretty early, but I’m not sure how long the elephant stayed out there. They also let a tiger out and eat some meat that’s inserted in a pumpkin, which was delightful for the kids to see as the tiger was playing around with the pumpkin to get the meat out. If you want to see more animals, go to the indoor exhibits, such as the reptile house and the small mammal house.

Sounds like fun? Definitely, our daughter and her friend had a blast! If you don’t have tickets yet, check on Ticketmaster’s website or call 202-397-7328 to see if they still have tickets available for Sunday (Saturday event is sold out).

All parking passes are sold out already, so if you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, plan to take the metro. You can stop at the Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan station or the Cleveland Park station. It’s an uphill walk from the Woodley Park Metro station, so it’s best to arrive at the Cleveland Park station.

Have fun tonight or tomorrow night! See more pictures on my Facebook page.

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you’re enjoying this wonderful Fall season with the kids. Check out this weekend’s fun things to do with kids in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland.

Also check out 13 fun Halloween events and Fall festivals in the area.

Forensic Friday at Natural History Museum in Washington, DC. Photo from mnh.si.edu.

FREE: Forensic Friday at Natural History Museum – Washington, DC
Friday, October 15: 10:30 am – 12 pm and 1 pm – 2:30 pm

Study new and historic forensic cases with Smithsonian forensic anthropologists. Observe first-hand the basic methods used for documenting human remains recovered from archaeological investigations. Free admissions.

Natural History Museum is located at 10th St & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC (map it).

Open Gym at Romp n’ Roll – Germantown, MD
Friday, October 15: 2 pm – 7 pm

Hang out the entire afternoon with your kids at Romp n’ Roll’s open gym this Friday. Hours have been extended to include the entire afternoon. Admission fees: free for kids who are currently enrolled in a class, $7 per child or $10 for the entire family.

Romp n’ Roll is located at 12851 Wisteria Dr, Germantown, Maryland (map it).

Hubble Vision II at the David M. Brown Planetarium in Arlington, VA. Image from arlington.k12.va.us.

Hubble Vision II at The David M. Brown Planetarium – Arlington, VA
Friday, October 15 and Saturday, October 16: 7:30 pm
Sunday, October 17: 1:30 pm and 3 pm

Check out this planetarium program that chronicles the tremendous achievements in knowledge brought by the Hubble Space Telescope. Admission fees: $3 for adults, $2 for seniors (62+) and $2 for kids 12 and under. Doors open 15 minutes prior to show time and are closed and locked once the program begins.

The David M. Brown Planetarium is located at 1426 N. Quincy St, Arlington, Virginia (map it).

World Animal Day at National Geographic Live in Washington, DC. Image from NationalGeographic.com.

FREE: World Animal Day – Washington, DC
Saturday, October 16: 10 am to 3 pm

Celebrate, observe and learn about animal friends with National Geographic Kids! Check out more than 70 live geckos, experience the music of the animal kingdom, experience the new virtual playground Animal Jam and participate in family photography workshops led by National Geographic Explorer, inventor and Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Greg Marshall. Free admissions, but tickets are needed for family photography workshops (call 202-857-7154 with your name, child’s name and age and workshop time: 10 am, 12 pm or 2 pm) and gecko exhibition ($7 for adults, $6 for students and seniors 62+ and $4 for kids under 12).

National Geographic Live! is located at 1600 M St, NW, Washington, DC (map it).

FREE: Bowling Green Harvest Festival – Bowling Green, VA
Saturday, October 16: 9 am – 4 pm

Family-friendly festival with plenty of activities for kids. Petting zoo, clowns, face painting, pumpkin painting and more! Enjoy live entertainment by local talents. Don’t forget to check out the car show, antique tractor show, motorcycle show and antique alley.

The Town of Bowling Green is located approximately 20 miles south of Fredericksburg, VA (map it).

FREE: Fall Festival by Joshua’s Hands – Waterford, VA
Saturday, October 16: 10 am – 5 pm

Hay rides, a petting farm, three-legged races, puppets, carnival games, prizes, pony rides, spelling bees, kids’ crafts, tractor rides and more. This year, the festival will have a new teen challenge course. Enjoy live entertainment by various musicians at the festival. You may also choose to participate in live and silent auctions to raise awareness and funds for the work of Joshua’s Hands. Free admissions.

Fall Festival by Joshua’s Hands is held at 38327 Charles Town Pike, Waterford, Virginia (map it).

The Diggity Dudes. Photo from JamminJava.com

The Diggity Dudes at Jammin’ Java – Vienna, VA
Saturday, October 16: 10:30 am

See the Diggity Dudes sing about values, good citizenship and life lessons at Jammin’ Java. Dance to some fun and crazy songs with your kids, too! Recommended for kids ages 3 to 11. Admission fees: $8 per person and free for anyone under 1 year old. Get your tickets online.

Jammin’ Java is located at 227 Maple Ave E, Venna, Virginia (map it).

FREE: Coral Reef Family Festival at Natural History Museum – Washington, DC
Saturday, October 16: 11 am – 3 pm

Celebrate the opening of the exhibition The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef at Natural History Museum in Washington, DC, with Coral Reef Family Festival this weekend. Learn about coral reefs, learn what you can do to preserve them, play a coral conservation game, participate in arts and crafts and more. Festival is located in the Sant Ocean Hall, on the first floor of the museum. Free admissions.

Natural History Museum is located at 10th St & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC (map it).

FREE: Festival at the Square at Reston Heights – Reston, VA
Saturday, October 16: 12 pm – 5 pm

Check out Festival at the Square at Reston Heights, located on the frontyard of Westin Reston. Heights. music and entertainment, face painting, interactive Lego exhibit, Z-car and roadster show, hay maze and more! Free admissions.

Westin Reston Heights is located at 11750 Sunrise Valley Dr, Reston, Virginia (map it).

Halloween Young Run, Rockville, MD

NASA Federal Halloween Young Run – Rockville, MD
Sunday, October 17: 8:30 am – 11 am

Just for kids 12 and under, NASA Federal Halloween Young Run is one of the largest kids runs in the US. It’s for kids to discover that running is fun! Kids are divided by age group. Online registration is now close, but you can still do a late registration on Saturday, October 16th, at NASA Federal Credit Union (1592-B Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland) from 10 am to 4 pm.

Park in the corner of Gude Dr and Rte 355 in Rockville, Maryland (map it). Download map of the event.