Visit Great Falls for free on Saturday!   Happy Weekend! Easy links to an array of inspo for local fun: * Indoor Action * The Great Indoors * Off-the-Beaten-Path Museums * Best Outdoors in the DC Area * Local Hikes with Kids * Kid-Friendly Dining * Pick Your Own (Apples!) * Baltimore with Kids * Bike Rides * Stunning Spaces * Peaceful Places **NOTE: With potential heavy storms in the area this weekend, some of these events may be canceled or postponed.  Be sure to check websites for any updates, especially for outdoor events.** National Mall of Pickleball  Where:  JFK Hockey Fields| National Mall, DC When: Through Saturday Admission: Free Play and watch pickleball on the National Mall this weekend! Players of all ages and skill levels — old, young, experts, or novices — are welcome to join. There will be clinics, walk-on play, exhibition matches, a local DMV showcase, and more. You can also just go and spectate. The JFK Hockey Fields are located at 1964 Independence Ave. SW. Art All Night Where: Throughout DC When: Friday – Saturday, 7pm – 3am Admission: Free Be part of DC’s annual free, overnight, family-friendly arts festival.  The event takes place in all eight wards, bringing visual and performing arts — painting, photography, sculpture, crafts, fashion, music, dance, theater, and more — to indoor and outdoor spaces around the city. Enjoy live music, dance at silent discos, take kids to story times and more activities for littles, sample food, view innovative art, and so much more. Go here to check out activations and schedules in each area. Rock Creek Park Day Where: Rock Creek Park & Georgetown, DC When: Saturday, 10am – 3pm Admission: Free Rock Creek Park turns 134 this year, and the public is invited to enjoy a day of special activities to celebrate our beautiful, urban national park! Enjoy go-go music performances, arts & crafts, a special go-go exhibit, and planetarium shows at the Rock Creek Nature Center. Take kids for storytime, tours, and a scavenger hunt at Peirce Mill. At Georgetown Waterfront Park, there will be a pay anger programs, including one for dogs, a community mural, and and more activities. See the schedule and more details on the event website. Volunteer on National Public Lands Day Where: Around the DC area When: Saturday Admission: Just your time and effort Saturday is National Public Lands Day, when all are welcome and encouraged to help restore and preserve public lands. Volunteer opportunities like clean-ups, tree plantings, weed removal, trail maintenance, and more are available everywhere from big national parks to small urban green spaces, including many in the DC area.  Search here for places nearby where you and the kids can help out. Free Parking Where: National Parks everywhere When: Saturday Admission: Free Not only can you volunteer on National Public Lands Day,  you can also get free admission to national parks to celebrate!   It’s one of several fee-free days, when there’s no cost to visit parks that usually charge for entry. Take advantage and hit the trail at Shenandoah, Prince William Forest, Great Falls, Harpers Ferry, or head up to Baltimore to explore Fort McHenry. Find even more parks to visit here. Fotos y Recuerdos: Hispanic Heritage Month Festival Where: National Portrait Gallery | Penn Quarter, DC When: Saturday, 11:30am – 3pm Admission: Free Join the Hispanic Heritage Month fiesta at the National Portrait Gallery! Back by popular demand, our friends from Lil’ Libros are returning for another celebration for all ages. Learn about Latinx trailblazers with vibrant portraits from our collection and the Lil’ Libros book series The Life of/La vida de during this day of art, dancing, museum tours, story times, book signings, and more! Celebrate Fall Where: Around the DC Area When: Throughout the weekend Admission: Varies by event Fall has begun, and while it may not feel like it weather-wise, events around the area are celebrating the season’s arrival. Fall festivals are in full swing at area farms and in local communities, and they’re welcoming visitors for all kinds of fun. Get details on them in this round-up of autumn celebrations around the area. Leesburg Airshow Where: Leesburg Executive Airport | Leesburg, VA When: Saturday, 11am – 4pm Admission: Free The annual Leesburg Airshow will take to the skies with thrilling aerobatic demonstrations, sky divers, and more! Witness a showcase of impressive aircraft, plus a variety of exhibitors on the tarmac, food vendors, kids activities, flight schools, and aviation clubs among them. Nats vs Phillies Where: Nationals Park | Capitol Riverfront, DC When: Friday, Saturday, & Sunday Admission: Tickets start at $18 (look for discounts) There’s extra fun at the Nats games against Philly this weekend.  Friday is Pups in the Park, so you can enjoy some baseball and cute doggies in the stands.  It’s also the final Nats Summer Concert Series, featuring a free show by Lady A with purchase of a game ticket.  On Saturday, celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and score a free jersey. There’s a game on Sunday afternoon, too. Support the Nats for one last weekend while they wind down the season. Fiesta DC Where: Pennsylvania Ave. 9th to 14th Streets | Downtown, DC When: Saturday & Sunday, 11am – 7pm Admission: Free Celebrate Latino culture at the 52nd Annual Fiesta DC.  On both days of the weekend, Pennsylvania Avenue from the Navy Memorial Plaza to Freedom Plaza will be filled will lively festivities, including stages featuring a variety of performances, children’s activities, international cuisine, arts & crafts, and more! Art & Me Family Workshop: Pest Patrol Where: National Asian Art Museum | National Mall, DC When: Saturday, 11am & 1:30pm Admission: Free Art may not be on the menu for most of us, but pests seem to have a different opinion! Learn from art conservators about how they protect art from pests in this hands-on workshop for children ages 3-8 and their caregivers. Try out tools from conservation labs, tour the Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, and then put your conservation skills to work in a fun craft. Be sure to register! There are two sessions, each lasting about 1.5 hours. Clarendon Day Where: Clarendon Metro area | Clarendon, VA When: Saturday, 11am – 6pm Admission: Free Head to the area around the Clarendon Metro station for an event that brings the local community together. Dozens of vendors, food from neighborhood restaurants, live music, and a KidZone (including an 18-foot slide!) will be part of the action. Mosaic’s Fall Festival Where: Mosaic District | Fairfax, VA When: Saturday & Sunday Admission: Free The big shopping enter in Fairfax is hosting a fall event. Festivities include live entertainment and musical performances; the FRESHFARM Farmers Market with 50+ vendors; the URBNmarket with 90 handmade and vintage vendors; beer and wine gardens; kids activities like bouncy fun, balloons, and face painting; plus more special activities for all. Storytime with the Author Where: College Park Aviation Museum | College Park, MD When: Saturday, 12pm & 1pm Admission: $5/child, $2/adult Celebrating the launch of author and local mom ‘Iolani L. Bullock’s book, LITTLE Lenox Takes Flight. The family-friendly events will include a live read-aloud of the book along with activities for children, like an “I Spy” game, pilot wings and button-making, and fun coloring activities. Plan for time to view the exhibits, too! Portrait Gallery Art Studio Where: National Portait Gallery | Penn Quarter, DC When: Saturday & Sunday, 1-4pm Admission: Free Drop-in at the National Portait Gallery and get ceative in their studio. Every weekend, visitors of all ages can explore a different artistic medium, getting inspiration from the museum’s collection and exhibitions. Tiny Streets Ride (part 2) Where: Around Capitol Hill, DC When: Saturday, 4pm Admission: Free It’s the second edition of Hill Familu Biking’s Tiny Streets Ride! The whole fam can join a 4+ mile bike ride on some of the most picturesque one-block streets on the Hill followed by FREE ICE CREAM at The Capital Candy Jar. Plus, ride sponsor The Arbor Group will be raffling off three gift cards for the Daily Rider ($100, $75, and $50). Blippi: Join The Band Tour Where: EagleBank Arena | Fairfax, VA When: Friday, 6pm Admission: Tickets start at $27</ The Blippi: Join The Band Tour stars  Blippi, Meekah and their singing and dancing friends performing all their hit songs with live musicians. The interactive musical invites the whole family to explore what makes music, including sounds, rhythms and instruments while enjoying fun and engaging versions of the characters you know and love. Bixby the Cat: A Halloween Adventure Where: The Puppet Co. | Glen Echo Park, MD When: Sunday, 11:30am & 1pm Tickets: $15 Bixby the Cat is taking the spotlight on the main stage! When Bixby receives a Halloween card from his friend Wanda the Wolf, he wonders how to celebrate the holiday. What Halloween tradition of his own will Bixby start? Come with Bixby as he meets new friends with some spectacular tricks and treats to share! Along the way, Bixby will learn how to ask for help, express his feelings, and “try try again!” Bixby the Cat shows always feature soft hand puppets, audience interaction, and original music. Echo Arts Fest Where: Glen Echo Park | Glen Echo, MD When: Sunday, 12-5pm Admission: Free Attend Glen Echo Park’s fall visual & performing arts festival! The celebration will showcase all of the park’s offerings across many disciplines of art — pottery, painting, dance, plays, and more.There will be performances, demonstrations, and plenty of opportunities to participate in activities. It’s also the final day of the 2024 carousel season, so take the kids for one last spin on the beautiful Wendztel Carousel! Family Day 2024 Where: Hill Center | Capitol Hill, DC When: Sunday, 2-6pm Admission: Free (donations encourgaed) Hill Center’s annual Family Day returns, bringing a completely FREE day of crafts, shows, carriage rides, balloon animals, and more!  Performances by Turley the Magician and King Bullfrog, to boot!  Be sure to register (for free). Mozart’s Requiem Where: National Cathedral | Northwest DC When: Sunday, 4pm Admission: $32-112 The Washington National Cathedral Choir & Orchestra perform Mozart’s epic Requiem, a choral masterpiece shrouded in mystery. Originally commissioned by an “unknown, gray stranger,” the score later became the centerpiece of the film Amadeus. This program is accompanied by The Deer’s Cry and Berliner Messe by Estonia composer Arvo Pärt. ***MORE GOOD STUFF*** * In case you missed it, there’s a new giveaway for a chance to win tickets to Adventure Theatre’s upcoming show She Persisted, The Musical. * The list of volunteer ops for kids around the area is always great to check out, especially if you have high schoolers who need to complete hours. * When an umbrella is this cool, bring on the rain! * And if the weekend brings rain, check out a museum beyond DC — there are some great ones in MD and VA. * Eater shares where to find apple cider doughnuts around DC.* I read in a couple of places that this family board game is a fun one.  (And this one remains a family fave, even as the kids have gotten older.) * Also highlighting this Prime deal because I remember how much my kids loooved their set — I even saved a few of their favorites.* If join the adiclub (for free), there are so many great adidas deals, especially for kids.* Really excited to watch this just-released series. * And loved this podcast interview with the stars of the show. * Every year… * ...which makes this so relatable.