The federal government is closed today, which means many companies and schools are also closed. Public schools in Fairfax County, Montgomery County, Loudoun County, Prince George's County and Washington, DC are all closed.

This also means that many museums, attractions and restaurants in the area are also closed. Don't fret! Here are several family-friendly attractions and restaurants in Washington, DC, metro that are open today, Monday, February 8th. Call them first in case they change their operating hours today.

Museums & Attractions
At Play Cafe
Open today from 11 am to 7 pm. 2254B Hunters Woods Plaza, Reston, Virginia. 703-391-6131.

International Spy Museum
Open today from 10 am to 6 pm. 800 F St, NW, Washington, DC. 202-393-7798.

National Geographic Museum
Open today from 9 am to 5 pm. 17th & M Streets NW, Washington, DC. 202-857-7588

The Newseum
Open today from 9 am to 5 pm. 555 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC. 1-888-639-7386.

Sport Bounce of Loudoun
Open bounce time today from 2:30 to 4 pm. 44710 Cape Ct, Suite #116, Ashburn, Virginia. 703-729-9522.

Restaurants
Austin Grill
Most locations are open until 9:30 or 10:30 pm:
801 King Street, Alexandria, Virginia. 703-684-8969.
7278 Woodmont Ave, Bethesda, Maryland. 301-656-1366.
36 Maryland Avenue, Unit A, Rockville, Maryland. 301-838-4281.
919 Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring, Maryland. 240-247-8969.
750 E Street, NW, Washington, DC. 202-393-3776.
8430-A Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield, Virginia. 703-644-3111.

Chinatown Coffee Co
Open today until 6 pm. 475 H Street, NW, Washington, DC. Just 2 blocks from the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro Station, at the corner of 5th and H. 202-559-7656.

Clyde's
All locations are open today. Here are a few of their locations listed, see their website for a full list of locations:
Clyde's of Chevy Chase, 5441 Wisconsin Avenue, Chevy Chase, Maryland. 301-951-9600. Open from 11 am to 10:30 pm. 
Clyde's of Georgetown, 3236 M Street, NW, Washington, DC. 202-333-9180. Open from 11 am to 10:30 pm.
Clydes of Reston, 11905 Market Street, Reston, Virginia (Reston Town Center). 703-787-6601. Open from 11 am to 10 pm.
Clyde's of Tysons Corner, 8332 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, Virginia. 703-734-1901. Open from 11 am to 10 pm.

HomeMade Pizza Co.
All locations are open today from 3 to 7 pm:
5632 Connecticut NW, Washington, DC (Chevy Chase neighborhood). 202-806-8888.
4514 Lee Hwy, Arlington, Virginia (Lee Heights Shops). 703-527-6556.
13300 Franklin Farm Rd, Herndon, Virginia (Franklin Farm Village Center). 571-203-9898.

Peregrine Espresso
Open today from 7 am to 9 pm. 660 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, Washington DC. 202-629-4381.

Know more places that are open today? Tweet us @kidsthingstodo or post on our Facebook page!

What is it with kids and cupcakes? Is it the frosting on each cupcake? Or is it the messiness when kids eat them that makes them fun?

My daughter always eats the frosting first and then slowly, the rest of her cupcake. Knowing how much she loves cupcakes, we ordered custom cupcakes for her last birthday from a great little cupcake company in Northern Virginia called Free For All Cupcakes.

Their cupcakes are so delicious and beautifully decorated, our family can't get enough of them! We ordered from them again for a holiday party and for my in-law's birthday. They never disappoint!

The What
Free For All Cupcakes specializes in baking nut-free, custom cupcakes made from all-natural ingredients. Their kitchen is certified by Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) as a completely nut-free facility.

In addition to offering nut-free cupcakes, they also have gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan cupcakes.

Their cupcakes are delicious and beautiful. My favorite flavors from them are red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing and chocolate cupcakes with peppermint icing. Yum! We've also had their vanilla, strawberry and lemon cupcakes — all are very tasty.

For decorations, we've done sports, Dora (I had to buy the Dora cupcake toppers for licensing reasons), floral and winter themes. Check out their cupcake gallery for more examples, such as baby, animal and prince/princess themes.

I've ordered their cupcakes for my daughter's birthday party at school as well since her school has a strict no peanut policy. The school directors loved the cupcakes, of course, and they also appreciated that the cupcake ingredients were clearly listed on the delivery boxes.

The Who
Free For All Cupcakes was started by two sisters in Northern Virginia. One sister has kids with severe food allergies that she ended up having to make everything herself. So she decided to start the cupcake business instead.

The Where
Check out their cupcake menu and how to order cupcakes on their website. If your order is $75 or more, they'll deliver for free to the Washington, DC, metro area. They'll need at least 48 hours to prepare your cupcakes.

Have fun at your next party with the delicious and beautiful cupcakes!

It's the second day of the year for back to school and work for many families. I don't know about you, but I'm still adjusting to my normal, pre-holiday schedule. 

If you don't feel like cooking and you don't feel like spending too much on dinner tonight, here's a list of restaurants in the Washington, DC, area that offer kids eat free on Tuesdays. 

As always, call the restaurant first before you go to triple check on the kids eat free requirements in case they've changed since last time I checked. Bon appétit!

AUSTIN GRILL

Type of food
Tex Mex

Kids eat free details
Two kids ten and under eat free off the kids menu with purchase of an adult entrée, all day. Dine in only. More on their specials here.

Locations
Alexandria, Virginia
801 King Street 
Alexandria, VA 
703-684-8969

Annapolis, Maryland
2002 Annapolis Mall 
Annapolis, MD 21404
410-571-6688

Baltimore, Maryland
The Can Company 
2400 Boston St. 
Baltimore, MD 21224
410-534-0606

Bethesda, Maryland
7278 Woodmont Ave
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-656-1366

Penn Quarter, Washington, DC
750 E Street, NW 
Washington, DC 20004 
202-393-3776

Rockville, Maryland
36 Maryland Avenue, Unit A
Rockville, MD 20850 
301-838-4281

Silver Spring, Maryland
919 Ellsworth Drive Silver Spring, MD 20910 
240-247-8969

Springfield, Virginia
8430-A Old Keene Mill Road 
Springfield, VA 22152 703-644-3111

CHAMPPS AMERICANA

Kids eat free details
Kids eat free all day. The Fair Oaks location also features Harley the Magician.

Locations
Fairfax, Virginia (Fair Oaks)
11724 Fair Oaks
Fairfax, VA 22033
703-383-1200

Reston, Virginia
11694 Plaza America Drive
Reston, VA 20190
703-318-7600

LEDO PIZZA

Type of food
Besides pizza, they also have salad, pasta, sandwiches, calzones and stromboli.

Kids eat free details
One free kids meal per adult entrée purchased or two free kids meal per large pizza. For kids 12 and younger, dinner only.

Locations
Ashburn, Virginia
42920 Piccadilly Plaza
Ashburn, Virginia 20147
703-723-3030

Lorton, Virginia 
8971 Ox Road
Lorton, Virginia 22079
703-493-8888