Fun Things to Do With Kids in the DMV This Weekend (Sept. 4-7)

Here are our favorite free things to do with kids in Virginia this weekend.

Free Family Fun Day at Carlyle House: Fun with Science

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 5
• Time: 12:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
• Location: Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 N. Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Va.

Carlyle House opens its doors on the first Saturday of every month for a free drop-in family day. This September, the theme is science. Enjoy story time, crafts and hands-on activities throughout one of Old Town’s historic 18th-century homes. Admission is free and no registration is required, so you can visit for 20 minutes or stay the full three hours. Park in a garage and walk — street parking in Old Town on a holiday Saturday is a losing game.

Kiddo Rave at Shipgarten

• Date: Sunday, Sept. 6
• Time: 12:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
• Location: Shipgarten, 7581 Colshire Drive, McLean, Va.

Shipgarten opens its outdoor container yard to families for a six-hour daytime dance party built for kids — upbeat music, colorful lights and room to move. Activities include balloon animals and magic tricks from noon to 3 p.m., a magic show at 1 p.m., and an afternoon of face painting, crafts and moon bounces. Entry and parking are free, and food and drinks are available on site so parents can sit down while the kids burn off the last of summer. Since the event is mostly outdoors, check the forecast and bring sunscreen.

Making Ice and Ice Cream at Walney

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 5
• Time: 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
• Location: Walney Visitor Center, Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, 5040 Walney Road, Chantilly, Va.

Children ages 4 and up can hand-crank ice cream while a naturalist explains how a 19th-century farm harvested and stored ice through the summer. The program lasts an hour and includes a snack at the end, and the ice tongs are a hit. The cost is $9 per person, and all attending adults must register and pay, so budget for your whole group. Spots are limited and registration closes once the class fills.

Virginia Scottish Games and Festival

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 5–Sunday, Sept. 6
• Time: 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
• Location: Great Meadow, 5089 Old Tavern Road, The Plains, Va.

The 52nd running of the games fills Great Meadow with caber tosses, massed bagpipe bands, Highland dance, sheep-herding demonstrations and a British car show. A dedicated children’s games area makes this one work for younger kids, not just spectators. Tickets start around $5 and are sold at the gate. It’s an open field with limited shade — hats, water and a blanket will do more for your afternoon than anything you can buy there.

Petting Zoo at Lansdowne Resort

• Date: Sunday, Sept. 6
• Time: Check the resort for hours.
• Location: Lansdowne Resort, 44050 Woodridge Parkway, Leesburg, Va.

Lansdowne brings an interactive petting zoo to the resort grounds for the day, and guests of all ages can meet, feed and mingle with the farm animals. It’s the easiest stop on this list for toddlers, who tend to last about 20 minutes at anything and can do a petting zoo on repeat. Worth calling ahead: the resort hasn’t posted hours or said whether the zoo is open to the public or only to guests, and it’s a 45 minute drive out to Loudoun County, so confirm before you commit the afternoon.

MORE NOVA Composite Team Fans Ride

• Date: Monday, Sept. 7
• Time: 5:30 p.m.
• Location: The Bike Lane, 11150 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 110, Reston, Va.

This one is for you, not the kids. The NOVA Composite mountain bike team practices on Mondays and Thursdays, and a few parents got tired of sitting in the car for two hours waiting, so they started riding instead. It’s a no drop ride, meaning nobody gets left behind, and it’s open to every skill level.

Here are our favorite free things to do with kids in DC this weekend.

DC State Fair

• Date: Sunday, Sept. 6
• Time: 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
• Location: Anthem Row, 700 K Street Northwest, Washington, DC.

The District’s own state fair returns with more than 50 contests, more than 50 local vendors, live music and creative demonstrations. For families, the draw is the Kids Zone, the Craft Corner with upcycling and hands-on projects, and the Wellness Zone with roller skating. Admission is free and the fair runs rain or shine. If your kids want to enter a contest, go early — entries are checked in at the start of the day.

National Symphony Orchestra Labor Day Concert

• Date: Sunday, Sept. 6
• Time: 8:00 p.m.; security screening opens at 3:00 p.m.
• Location: West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC.

The NSO closes out summer with a program of American favorites under conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez, with vocalist Ender Thomas and a narrated performance of Karen LeFrak’s “American Promise.” It’s free with no tickets, and seating is first come, first served on the lawn. Bring a blanket, snacks and something to keep younger kids busy during the wait, because families who want a good spot are through the screening line hours before the downbeat.

Late Summer, Early Widescreen: “Oklahoma!”

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 5
• Time: 2:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
• Location: East Building Auditorium, National Gallery of Art, 6th Street and Constitution Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC.

The National Gallery is running a free four film widescreen series, and Saturday’s pick is the one to bring kids to: the 1955 “Oklahoma!,” the first movie ever shot and projected in 70mm and CinemaScope at the same time. It’s a big, loud Rodgers and Hammerstein musical with a lot of dancing, and it’s free with no tickets. Two caveats worth knowing: it runs 145 minutes, so it suits roughly ages 8 and up, and the auditorium seats fill on a holiday weekend, so build in time. Sunday’s screening in the same series is François Truffaut’s “Shoot the Piano Player,” subtitled and aimed at adults and older teens.

Curious George™: Let’s Get Curious!

• Date: Friday, Sept. 4–Sunday, Sept. 6
• Time: 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
• Location: National Children’s Museum, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC.

Children ages 3 to 7 work through hands-on STEM activities with Curious George across a construction site, a mini golf course, a farm, a produce stand and a space rocket. This is still the strongest indoor pick in the city for preschoolers, and museum admission covers it. Older siblings tend to drift after an hour, so plan accordingly.

DC JazzFest Scavenger Hunt

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 5–Sunday, Sept. 6
• Time: 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
• Location: The Wharf, 1011 7th Street Southwest, Washington, DC.

This is the piece that makes JazzFest work for a kid who is not going to sit through a set. The festival runs a free scavenger hunt across the Wharf footprint both days, sending young attendees to find sponsor booths, programs and stages instead of waiting for the music to be over. It runs straight through from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., including during performances, so you can pick it up whenever the restlessness hits.

Virtual Story Time with the National Postal Museum

• Date: Monday, Sept. 7
• Time: 11:00 a.m.–11:45 a.m.
• Location: Online; hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Avenue Northeast, Washington, DC.

Forty-five minutes of stories from the National Postal Museum’s educators, delivered straight to your living room. It’s free, it’s virtual and it’s the easiest thing on this list to say yes to on a holiday morning — no parking, no packing, no weather. Registration is required through the museum’s Eventbrite page, and the series continues every other Monday into the fall if this one becomes a routine.

Here are our favorite free things to do with kids in Maryland this weekend.

Greenbelt Labor Day Festival

• Date: Friday, Sept. 4–Monday, Sept. 7
• Time: 6:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m. Friday; 9:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Monday
• Location: Roosevelt Center, 101 Centerway, Greenbelt, Md.

Greenbelt’s hometown festival is the closest thing the region has to a small-town county fair inside the Beltway: a carnival midway, pet show, craft fair, book sale, art show, bingo and live music across four days. Admission is free, though rides and games are priced separately, so bring cash and set expectations before you walk in. The art show is open 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the Community Center if you need a break from the midway, and the festival’s Monday parade is listed below.

Global Rhythms at Glen Echo Park

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 5
• Time: 12:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
• Location: Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo, Md.

Two stages of music, dance and storytelling from around the world, including Latin brass from the Capital Horns and Hungarian folk dance, plus kids’ art projects and food trucks. It’s free and RSVPs are preferred but not required. Pair it with a ride on the 1921 Dentzel carousel, which runs on the park’s regular schedule for a small per-ride fee. Park early — Glen Echo’s lot fills fast on festival Saturdays.

Sunday Family Movies on the Potomac: “Rudy”

• Date: Sunday, Sept. 6
• Time: 6:00 p.m.
• Location: Plaza Screen, 150 National Plaza, National Harbor, Md.

The waterfront movie series wraps up its summer with “Rudy” on the plaza screen. It’s free, outdoors and an easy, low-cost way to close out the long weekend. Bring a blanket or low chairs, and remember it’s a football movie — best for elementary-age kids and up.

Maryland State Fair

• Date: Friday, Sept. 4–Monday, Sept. 7
• Time: Gates open 9:00 a.m.; buildings 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
• Location: Maryland State Fairgrounds, 2200 York Road, Timonium, Md.

Weekend two of three brings the full midway, livestock barns kids can walk right up to, 4-H exhibits and live racing. Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for ages 6 to 11 and free for ages 5 and under; midway rides and food are extra. It’s about an hour up I-95 from the Beltway, so this is a full-day commitment rather than a stop on the way to something else.

Maryland Renaissance Festival

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 5–Monday, Sept. 7
• Time: 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
• Location: Revel Grove, 1821 Crownsville Road, Crownsville, Md.

The festival’s 50th season is underway, with jousting, jugglers, turkey legs and a village full of performers who will absolutely pull a costumed kid into the act. One child ages 7 to 15 gets in free with each adult ticket purchased, and children 6 and under are always free but still need a ticket. Several 2026 dates have already sold out, so buy before you drive.

Here are our favorite things to do with kids on Labor Day Monday.

The long weekend doesn’t stop on Sunday night. The Maryland State Fair, the Maryland Renaissance Festival and the Labor Day Art Show at Glen Echo are all open Monday, and these four are Monday-only.

Virtual Story Time with the National Postal Museum

• Date: Monday, Sept. 7
• Time: 11:00 a.m.–11:45 a.m.
• Location: Online; hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Avenue Northeast, Washington, DC.

Forty-five minutes of stories from the National Postal Museum’s educators, delivered straight to your living room. It’s free, it’s virtual and it’s the easiest thing on this list to say yes to on a holiday morning — no parking, no packing, no weather. Registration is required through the museum’s Eventbrite page, and the series continues every other Monday into the fall if this one becomes a routine.

Kensington’s 59th Annual Labor Day Parade & Festival

• Date: Monday, Sept. 7
• Time: 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
• Location: Town of Kensington, Md.; parade route from Plyers Mill Road to Noyes Library

The parade steps off at 10 a.m. and works its way toward the Noyes Library, and as it clears, Armory Avenue fills in with a festival. It’s free, it’s rain or shine and it’s the kind of small-town morning that’s hard to find this close to the Beltway. Stake out a curb spot early with camp chairs, and expect the usual parade economy of candy and fire trucks.

Greenbelt Labor Day Parade

• Date: Monday, Sept. 7
• Time: 10:00 a.m.; festival grounds open until 5:00 p.m.
• Location: Roosevelt Center, 101 Centerway, Greenbelt, Md.

The marquee morning of Greenbelt’s four-day festival, with the grounds staying open through the afternoon so you can roll the parade into midway rides and the craft fair. Admission is free. If you’re choosing between this and Kensington, Greenbelt gives you somewhere to go afterward.

27th Annual Labor Day Car Show

• Date: Monday, Sept. 7
• Time: 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
• Location: University Drive between Sager and Armstrong streets, Fairfax, Va.

More than 300 vehicles fill Old Town Fairfax — street rods, muscle cars, antiques, trucks and motorcycles — along with food vendors and a dedicated kids area. Admission is free, though the show is a fundraiser for local charities and a small donation is encouraged. Go early: it starts at 8 a.m., and the good shade and the good parking both disappear by mid-morning.

Allison Chan

Allison Chan is a Washington Parent intern and a rising senior at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, Maryland. She is passionate about writing and community engagement.