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Northern Virginia Skyline

The area of northern Virginia has hundreds of different options when it comes to family entertainment. You could easily spend weeks, if not months on end, trying to investigate every activity possible and still not scratch the surface. We have compiled a Family Friendly Northern Virginia Activities list to save you some time.

Museums + Monuments

National Museum of natural history a museum to visit as a Family Friendly Northern Virginia Activity
National Museum of Natural History


The first activities do with your family in northern Virginia are technically in Virginia. Still, because Washington, DC, is just a stone’s throw away, we decided to include it anyways. Washington, DC, is one of the significant places to explore monuments and grand museums. Washington, DC alone, has 75 national historic landmarks. That is a whole lot of places to visit! The best part is most of them are free! This goes not only for the monuments but also for Smithsonian museums. Museums such as the National museum of natural history and the national air and space museum are free and offer incredibly expansive exhibits to explore. Suppose your family is looking for something completely free to do in the area. In that case, these two options are the best free Family friendly Northern Virginia Activities.

Art Classes

Pottery in Northern Virginia

With the expansive landscape of Northern Virginia, many Art classes are great for a family to learn and have fun. Pottery, painting, and cooking are all the opportunities you might find in the area and more. These are suitable for an extensive range of ages. You need to check the specifics of the locations you’re visiting before you go. These activities offer a great environment to learn and experience something new and, who knows, a new hobby!

Group Games

Escape Room located in Herndon in Northern Virginia
Herndon Escape Room

Group games include laser tag, paintball, escape rooms, arcades, and virtual reality centers. Families can play various group games in the Northern Virginia area. Perfectly suitable for multiple ages and interests, it would be almost impossible not to find an activity that doesn’t work for the whole group in this category. If you’re looking for family bonding, try an escape room that makes you work together to solve the room and escape. Or, if you are looking for more physical activity, try something like paintball or laser tag, depending on the ages of your family members.

Zoos and Aquariums

Pictures from the national zoo
National Zoo


Zoos and aquariums are great opportunities to learn and experience new things, like museums and monuments. Still, the main difference here is that they almost always cost money to enter. But despite that fact, the National Zoo is well worth the money in Washington, DC. It offers educational programs and an expansive park to explore and discover something new every time you visit. Not too far away, Baltimore, MD, is one of the nation’s best aquariums. The farthest out of the way of the activities on this list, but surely worth it. The Baltimore Aquarium has over 16,000 animals and features many award-winning exhibits. The aquarium has everything you need if you and your family love animals.

With all of these options for Family friendly northern Virginia activities, we hope you can find an option for you and your family to get out and enjoy the weather as it continues to warm up!

For more blogs about local events and activities, check out: Adeler Jeweler’s Blog