Alright, it’s a three-day weekend! Check out fun things to do with kids in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland this Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.

Odyssey’s SHIPWRECK! Pirates & Treasure at Maryland Science Center – Baltimore, MD
Friday, January 14: 10 am – 8 pm
Saturday, January 15: 10 am – 6 pm
Sunday, January 16: 11 am – 5 pm
Monday, January 17: 10 am – 5 pm

Get a close-up encounter with the artifacts recovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration, including coins, bottles, personal effects, on-board items, and pieces of the vessel. General admissions to Maryland Science Center (admissions include exhibit halls, planetarium, demo stage and shipwreck exhibit): $20.95 for adults, $15.95 for kids ages 3 to 12, $19.95 for seniors (60+) and free for kids under 3. Get your tickets online.

Maryland Science Center is located at 601 Light St, Baltimore, Maryland (map it).

See more fun things to do with kids >>

Ah, the first weekend of the new year … can we all relax now? Yeah, right! The kids still need to use up their energy. Check out top ten things to do with kids this weekend in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland.

Greater Reston Arts Center - Free Friday. Image from RestonArts.org.

FREE: Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) Free Friday for Families – Reston, VA
Friday, January 7: 5 pm – 7 pm

Greater Reston Arts Center will host free activities this Friday evening for families with young kids! Create arts, listen to stories and explore the galleries. This free program is in partnership with InterAct Story Theatre who leads creative art workshops. Free admissions.

Greater Reston Arts Center is located at 12001 Market St, Suite 103, Reston, Virginia (map it).

Open Gym at Sport Bounce of Loudoun – Ashburn, VA
Friday, January 7: 9:30 am – 11 am and 11:30 am – 1 pm

Your kids can bounce, climb and slide at Sport Bounce of Loudoun. This Friday, open bounce time is open for kids 18 months to 6 years old for the early morning session and for kids 18 months and up for the 11:30 session. Admission fees: $10 for kids 24 months and up, $6 for toddlers 18 to 23 months and free for parents and caregivers. Siblings get $2 off.

Sport Bounce of Loudoun is located at 44710 Cape Ct, Suite 116, Ashburn, Virginia (map it).

Color Me Mine. Photo from ColorMeMine.com.

Pajama Party at Color Me Mine – Rockville, MD
Friday, January 7: 5 pm – 8 pm

Studio fee is free on Friday night if you wear your pajamas to Color Me Mine in Rockville, Maryland! Let your kids exercise their creativity by painting their own pottery. Call 301-251-2010 for more information.

Color Me Mine is located at 33 F Maryland Ave, Rockville, Maryland (map it).

Last Weekend of ICE! at Gaylord National – National Harbor, MD
Friday, January 7: 10 am – 10 pm
Saturday, January 8 – Sunday, January 9: 9 am – 10 pm

This Sunday is the last day of the sesason for the ICE! exhibit at Gaylord National in Maryland. Check out 2 million pounds of ice sculpture with “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” as the theme. Admission fees: $29 for adults 13 and up, $23 for seniors (62+), $21 for military adults, $18 for kids 4 to 12, $13 for military kids 4 to 12 and free for kids 3 and under. Military IDs are required to get the military admission fees. Get your tickets online and see my review of ICE!

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

Professional Bull Riders Fairfax Invitational – Fairfax, VA
Friday, January 7 – Saturday, January 8: 7:30 pm

For your older kids, check out Professional Bull Riders Fairfax Invitational at the Patriot Center this weekend. Admission fees range from $10 for kids 2 to 12 to $65. Get your tickets online.

The Patriot Center is located at 4500 Patriot Circle, Fairfax, Virginia (map it).

Littles Day at Port Discovery Children’s Museum – Baltimore, MD
Saturday, January 8: 11 am – 2 pm

Fun entertainment for kids 5 and under! Check out magic and balloon sculpting with Bubbles the Clown, enjoy the Kindersinger and say hello to Pets on Wheels and participate in activities provided by the Goddard School. Admission fees: $12.95 for anyone 2 and up, and free for kids under 2. Get your tickets online.

Port Discovery Children’s Museum is located at 35 Market Place, Baltimore, Maryland (map it).

NSO Teddy Bear Concert at Kennedy Center. Image from Kennedy-Center.org.

National Symphony Orchestra Teddy Bear Concert: Fancy That! at Kennedy Center – Washington, DC
Saturday, January 8: 11 am, 1:30 pm and 5 pm

Enjoy a one-woman show by NSO violinist Marissa Regni, suitable for kids ages 3 to 5. This special program features music by Bach, Mozart and Prokofiev and images by graphic artiest Marie Cheek. Come early before the show starts for musical playtime, where kids can enjoy music and movement activities. Tickets are $18; get your tickets online.

The Kennedy Center is located at 2700 F St, NW, Washington, DC (map it).

Tractorpalooza at Heritage Farm Museum of Loudoun County – Sterling, VA
Saturday, January 8 – Sunday, January 9: 10 am – 4 pm

See antique and model tractors. Go on wagon rides with your kids, weather permitting. Go cruising on a custom toy tractor mat and watch a tractor parade at 1 pm. Admission fees: $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for kids and free for kids under 2. Get a free kids’ admission if you bring a toy tractor to carry in the tractor parade.

Heritage Farm Museum of Loudoun County is located at 21668 Heritage Farm Ln, Sterling, Virginia (map it).

FREE: Raise the Rafters/Winter Music Series and Game Day at Frying Pan Farm Park – Herndon, VA
Sunday, January 9: 2 pm – 4 pm

Go on a musical journey with string trio Virginia Virtuosi. With the theme of Rhythm Around the World, your kids can discover rhythmic elements from various countries. After the musical show, check out Game Day, where you can play games such as Monopoly, Dominoes, Backgammon or Parcheesi with your kids. Both events, Winter Music Series and Game Day, will be held in the Visitor Center. Free admissions. Call 703-437-9101 for more information.

Frying Pan Visitor Center is located at 2709 West Ox Rd, Herndon, Virginia (map it).

FREE: Safari Winds at Providence Presbyterian Church, Fairfax, VA
Sunday, January 9: 4 pm

Enjoy a kids’ interactive concert. Your kids check out “how sounds work” science station and an instrumental petting zoo. Free admissions. Call 703-978-3934 for more information.

Providence Presbyterian Church is located at 9019 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax, Virginia (map it).

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 >>

Trick or treat!

Ah, Halloween weekend is finally here! Enjoy the last weekend of many Fall Festivals and the start of endless holiday sweets.

Do you prefer to stay close to home and go trick-or-treating with your kids in your neighborhood? Or do you take your kids somewhere else for trick-or-treating?

If you’re in the latter group, there’s always the mall, of course. It’s convenient, especially when the weather gets cold. If you don’t want to go to the mall, but you have no idea where else to go, check out these 6 fun trick-or-treating places this Halloween weekend in Washington, DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Read full article for trick-or-treating places in DC metro >>

If you’re not into Halloween or Fall Festivals, check out these non-Halloween events this weekend in Washington, DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia. However, I can’t promise you that you won’t see pumpkins or kids running around in their Halloween costumes at these events since it’s so close to Halloween!

USA Science and Engineering Festival, Washington, DC. Photo from USAScienceFestival.org.

FREE: USA Science and Engineering Festival – Washington, DC
Saturday, October 23: 10 am – 5:30 pm; star gazing from 7 pm to 10 pm
Sunday, October 24: 10 am – 5:30 pm

Get ready for a hands-on and entertaining science festival in Washington, DC this weekend! Check out more than 150 exhibits, from surgical robots to making virus structures with marshmallows and toothpicks. Enjoy entertainment on four major stages, where you can sing along to Monty Harper’s science songs and get up close and personal with cold-blooded amphibians. Stay late on Saturday night for a star gazing party with leading astronomers. Free admissions.

The Science and Engineering Festival will be held at the following locations: National Mall between 1st and 7th Streets including the Capitol Reflecting Pool Lawn; 4th Street between Madison and Jefferson; Freedom Plaza; Pennsylvania Ave between 12th and 14th Streets; Wilson Plaza; Mellon Auditorium and Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Baird Auditorium. Download map of the festival.

Kids' Zone at Green Festival in Washington, DC. Photo from GreenFestivals.org.

Kids’ Zone at Green Festival – Washington, DC
Saturday, October 23: 12 am – 6 pm
Sunday, October 24: 1 pm – 5 pm

Visit Annie’s Kids’ Zone at the Green Festival to partake in family-friendly activities organized by the National Children’s Museum. Make stylish jewelry from recycled water bottlers, go bowling using recycled materials, learn how to make a jump rope using plastic bags and build a city. Admission fees: $15 per day. Get your tickets online.

The Green Festival will be held at Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW, Washington, DC (map it).

FREE: Washingtonian Center Waterfront Festival – Gaithersburg, MD
Saturday, October 23: 1 pm – 5 pm

Petting zoo, moonbounce, interactive magic show, live music and more. Free admissions. Grab lunch before the festival or dinner after the festival; they have plenty of family-friendly restaurants at the Washingtonian Center. Take a stroll around the lake, feed some geese and hang out in the playground by the lake!

Washingtonian Center is located at 1 Grand Corner Ave, Gaithersburg, Maryland (map it).

Geckos Exhibit at National Geographic Museum, Washington, DC. Photo from NationalGeographic.com.

Geckos Exhibit at National Geographic Museum – Washington, DC
Daily until January 5, 2011: 9 am – 5 pm

Say hello to more than 70 live geckos at National Geographic Museum. Experience gecko night vision, listen to gecko sounds, build a custom gecko for various environments and more. Every Saturday and Sunday at 11 am, listen to a Balinese or Hawaiian folk tale featuring various gecko species. Admission fees: $7 for adults, $6 for seniors (62+), $6 for members, $6 for military personnel, $6 for students, $4 for kids ages 2 to 12 and free for kids under 2. Get your tickets online.

National Geographic Museum is located at 1145 17th Street NW, Washington, DC (map it).

Family Fun Night at JW Tumbles – Herndon, VA
Saturday, October 23: 6 pm – 8 pm

Moon bounces, bubbles, bingo and pizza! Recommended for kids ages 1 to 9. Admission fees for 1 child and a parent: $14 for members and $16 for non-members. $25 admission fees for 2+ siblings and parents. Fees include pizza. Pre-register today by calling 703-481-2990.

JW Tumbles is located at 12950 Highland Crossing Dr, Herndon, Virginia (map it).