Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum has been one of our family’s favorite spots to visit in Washington, DC since our son was 2, when he decided he wants to be an astronaut. The museum houses one of the world’s premier collections of flight and space-related artifacts and history. It closed down for a period in 2018 as it undergoes a monumental, multiyear renovation, but reopened in late 2022 with eight of the planned 23 exhibits completely redone.

We were excited to go back and bring our newest family member (now 2) to the museum. While we were a bit disappointed that so much of the museum was still closed, our children really enjoyed the redesigned exhibits. And the best part is, like all Smithsonian museums, it's completely FREE!

Read on for a peek into what to expect when visiting Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. Then check out our DC Museum Guide for more great museums to visit with kids, including our lists of free museums near DC and the best museums for kids in the DC area.

If your kids (especially your tweens and teens) have some energy to burn, laser tag and paintball are the perfect way to do it. Almost like playing a live-action video game, laser tag and paintball are a great way to get your kids to take a break from their devices and play IRL.

In laser tag, players try to take down their opponents by shooting them with infrared laser beams in an elaborately designed indoor arena. In paintball, they navigate outdoor terrain while attempting to splat their opponents with colorful paint capsules. Perfect for playing in groups, laser tag and paintball are fun for older kids, tweens, and teens and make great teen birthday party ideas.

Read on for our list of 10 top places to play laser tag or paintball in Maryland and Northern Virginia. For even more fun activities for big kids, check out our lists of fun things to do with teens and tweens in DC and extreme sports and other thrilling activities for kids near DC.

Volunteering as a family is an enriching way to spend time together while building values like empathy and compassion. There are many volunteering opportunities for kids throughout the DC area, so families with children of all ages can experience how rewarding it feels to contribute to their community.

You can find a cause to fit any child's passion, from addressing food insecurity to cleaning parks to helping animals. Opportunities range from one-time events to ongoing service projects. There are also annual volunteer programs organized around holidays like Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service, Earth Day, Thanksgiving, and the winter holiday season.

Here are 25 volunteering opportunities for kids and families in DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. Our lists of DC Holiday Volunteering Opportunities for Kids and Summer Service Trips for Teens will give you even more great ideas for giving back.

If you've got some little—or not-so-little—Hot Wheels fans in your life, check out Hot Wheels Champion Experience at Tysons Corner Center near DC. Open since December 2023, the 16,000-square-foot interactive environment includes 10 activities that combine physical play with video games, like designing your own Hot Wheels car and watching it come to life onscreen, building custom tracks in an augmented-reality room, and virtually driving a car.

I recently had the chance to visit Hot Wheels Champion Experience with my 12-year-old twin boys during a media preview. The boys enjoyed it, and said they would have loved it even more when they were younger.

Read on for all the details on visiting this experience, which is set to roll out of town on March 31, 2024. For even more ways to have fun indoors, check out our Guide to Indoor Fun for Kids in DC.

Dopamine is what gives our brains feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation, and that's what Dopamine Land: A Multisensory Experience in the Friendship Heights area of Washington, DC does. This paid experience invites visitors to activate dopamine through immersive activities in media, technology, and play.

With my 12-year-old daughter, I went through Dopamine Land during a preview event at which we learned a little about what satisfies our brains.

Read on to learn all about Dopamine Land, and don't miss our Guide to Indoor Fun for DC Kids to help with staying busy during these cold months.

We don't talk about Bruno, but we will talk about Disney Encanto x CAMP, the magical immersive experience at the new CAMP store at Tysons Corner Center in Virginia. This paid experience invites visitors behind the Magic Door of the toy store and into the Madrigal family's Casita, where they'll enjoy live music, hands-on activities, and magic behind every door.

My 9-year-old daughter and I attended a preview of this dazzling experience. Read on to learn all about it, then find more indoor places to play in our Guide to Indoor Playgrounds, Play Spaces, and More Indoor Fun for Kids in DC.