There are hundreds of free things to do in Washington DC and this is NOT a comprehensive list. We frequently visit the nation’s capital to visit family and friends and love exploring the city. Over the past couple of visits, we have enjoyed visiting the following ten spots:
Mount Vernon, home to George and Martha Washington and their family, is the most popular home in America- over one million people visit each year. The home, located twenty minutes outside downtown Washington DC in Mount Vernon, Virginia, was originally a 8,000 complex with five farms: Dogue Run, Muddy Hole, River, Union, and Mansion House Farms. Washington also built a gristmill and distillery on the property, which is on the banks of the Potomac River, with Maryland on the other side of the river. Washington took possession of the home in 1739 and completed a major renovation by 1787. After George and Martha died in 1779 and 1802 respectively, the home was passed on to family until 1860, when the home was open to the public. The now 50 acre site includes over two dozen areas to explore. We’ve included ten spots children will most enjoy.
We’re fortunate to live a short drive from Manhattan and try and get to “The City” as often as we can. I enjoy visiting each season, although the holiday season is definitely my favorite! Read our list of holiday traditions in New York City here. Recently, several readers and followers have asked about indoor activities (since it was still winter at the time) for kids and I thought I would compile a list of all the indoor places we have explored and our favorite activity at each spot.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s largest city, is known for many things: being the “City of Brotherly Love”; the home of the cheesesteak, the first bank, and the Liberty Bell; and the place where “eagles fly.” Home to over one million people and less than a two hour drive from both New York City and Baltimore, it’s probably most know for being the first capitol of America and the location of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. There certainly is a lot of history “preserved” in Philadelphia, but there’s also a ton of other ways to explore the city with kids. Before you head to Philadelphia, check out VisitPhilly.com for tons of recommendations, itineraries, and calendars. The website is well organized and has suggestions organized by neighborhood, season, or family friendly activities. If you’re planning on visiting for a few days, consider purchasing a CityPass or Philadelphia Pass, both of which offer substantial savings if you visit multiple locations (most of which are on my top 20 list).
Rhode Island make take some heat for being the smallest state in America, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in family-friendly fun. Providence, the state capital, is located one hour south of Boston and three hours north of New York City. My family has driven through the Ocean State several time on the way to visit family (check out my posts on nearby Newport, Bristol, and The Farmer’s Daughter) but we’ve never stayed in town for more than a day.
On our way home from celebrating Christmas in Boston, we decided to spend some time exploring Providence. Even though the weather was chilly (mid 20s-30s), we enjoyed lots of indoor and outdoor fun. Here are some of our favorite activities for family fun in Providence:
2018 was an exciting, adventure filled year for my family. We started a bit early by purchasing a new 2018 Chevy Equinox, and to date-exactly 54 weeks later- we have over 26,000 miles on the odometer. We’ve been as far west as Texas, as far south as Florida, and as far north as Maine. We’re explored over a dozen states, over twenty National Parks Service locations, over two dozen museums, two baseball parks (that brings our total count to 24 out of the 30 MLB parks), and created countless memories.