Honor veterans at Arlington National Cemetery. Photo by Jennifer Marino Walters for Mommy Poppins
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Main photo by Tim & Selena Middleton/CC BY 2.0
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Ride the cow train at Great Country Farms. Photo courtesy of the farm
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Enjoy a family fire at the Cherry Hill Park campground. Photo courtesy of Cherry Hill Park.
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Enjoy storytime each Wednesday at the Hirshhorn. Photo courtesy of the Hirshorn Museum
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Christmas Vacation in DC: 21 Staycation Ideas for Things To Do With Kids

Visit Candytopia before it closes in January! Photo by Jennifer Marino Walters for Mommy Poppins
Visit Candytopia before it closes in January! Photo by Jennifer Marino Walters for Mommy Poppins
12/17/23 - By Jennifer Swope

Christmas vacation can be a long stretch of time to keep children entertained. If you're in the DC area between Christmas and New Year's Day, we have ideas for some fun things to do with kids.

There are two Kwanzaa celebrations at the Anacostia Community Museum. Mama Ayo leads children in a traditional call-and-response, while Culture Queen hosts a festive party.

The beginning of a new year also marks the closing of some area exhibits and immersive experiences. Don't miss Alegre Mente/Happy Brain at the National Children's Museum, The Building Buddies at Port Discovery, Candytopia at Tysons Corner, and Titanic:The Exhibition at National Harbor.

Need even more ideas? We have lists of the best outdoor ice skating rinks near DC, the best holiday lights drive-thrus and Christmas light shows in DC, The Nutcracker ballet and other holiday shows, and DC New Year's Eve celebrations for kids.

Check our other cities if you’re traveling for Christmas vacation. We have entire sites dedicated to the best things to do with kids in most major US cities!

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Enjoy Alegre Mente, a bilingual English/Spanish exhibit at the National Children's Museum. Photo by Joshua Franzos
Enjoy Alegre Mente, a bilingual English/Spanish exhibit at the National Children's Museum. Photo by Joshua Franzos

Things to Do over Christmas Break in DC

Kwanzaa Celebration with Mama Ayo

Anacostia - Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Free
Storyteller Mama Ayo leads children in a traditional call-and-response ceremony to honor their ancestors with the pouring of a libation followed by the lighting of the first candle in the Kinara to celebrate the Kwanzaa principle Umoja. Participants can hear stories of the history of Kwanzaa and ones that will honor heritage and family unity. READ MORE

Culture Queen's Kwanzaa Party

Anacostia - Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Free
Culture Queen's Kwanzaa Party is a fun and festive way to celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa through interactive music, crafts, storytelling, games, and the world-famous "Kwanzaa Slide" line dance she co-created. READ MORE

Alegre Mente/Happy Brain

Washington, DC - Daily (except Christmas Day and Tuesdays), through January 1, 2024
Celebrate loving, playful connections through dance, storytelling, and more in this bilingual English/Spanish National Children's Museum exhibit set in a whimsical forest full of families of all kinds—both human and animal! While kids play, adults learn about how simple, everyday interactions build social-emotional, language, cognitive, and motor skills. READ MORE

Baseball: America's Home Run at the National Postal Museum

NOMA - Daily (except Christmas Day), through January 5, 2025
Free
This special exhibit explores the surprising ways that baseball and postal history are deeply intertwined. It features historic objects that have never before been on public display, including game-used uniforms and bats, jackets, hats, and memorabilia. It's a must-visit for anyone who loves the game. READ MORE

Brick City at National Building Museum

Gallery Place - Thursdays-Mondays (except Christmas Day), through April 6, 2024
LEGO® lovers will marvel at architecture from around the world through recreations made from these bricks by UK-based artist Warren Elsmore. Brick City features lively streetscapes from Cartagena, Columbia; Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans; intricate temples from India to Mexico; and imaginative castles from medieval Japan to modern Las Vegas. READ MORE

Dinos Alive: Immersive Experience

Eckington - Various dates, through January 31, 2024
Dinos Alive is an immersive exhibition featuring over 80 life-sized animated dinosaurs. The experience offers a peek at the world as it was millions of years ago. Guests explore the dense jungles of the Jurassic era and see the dinos in their natural habitat with the help of the latest VR technology and a fully decorated venue. READ MORE

Disney's Frozen at the Kennedy Center

Foggy Bottom - Tuesdays - Sundays, through January 21, 2024
The Tony-nominated Best Musical Frozen features fan-favorite songs from the film, plus new numbers. This theatrical experience is filled with special effects, stunning sets, and powerhouse performances. READ MORE

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience

Eckington - Daily (except Tuesdays), through January 31, 2024 (also December 26)
Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience is a digital art exhibition that invites visitors to step into the universe of the Dutch genius and explore his life, work, and secrets as never before through cutting-edge, 360-degree digital projections, a one-of-a-kind VR experience, and a uniquely atmospheric light and sound show. The tour is traveling through cities around the world.  READ MORE

Dopamine Land: A Multisensory Experience

Friendship Heights - Thursdays - Sundays, through February 11, 2024 (also December 26 & 27, January 2)
Dopamine Land is a multisensory experience combining media, technology, and play in one place. Visitors travel through an interactive museum boasting multiple rooms and activities that provide something new and exciting at every corner. READ MORE
Learn all about the Titanic at Titanic: The Exhibition. Photo by Katie Sivinski for Mommy Poppins
Learn all about the Titanic at Titanic: The Exhibition. Photo by Katie Sivinski for Mommy Poppins

Things To Do Over Christmas Break in Maryland

A Year with Frog and Toad

Bethesda, MD - Saturdays & Sundays, through January 7, 2024 (also December 26-29)
In this hit Broadway musical, two best friends with opposite personalities wake up from hibernation and enjoy hilarious adventures through the seasons. Lighthearted with a sprinkle of nostalgia, this show is inspired by the acclaimed children’s books. READ MORE

Jungle Discovery

Bethesda, MD - Tuesdays - Sundays, through January 14, 2024
Jungle Discovery at Imagination Stage, in collaboration with Port Discovery Children's Museum, is an engaging and immersive interactive experience for children ages 3-6 and their adults. Participants enter a fantastical jungle world where they can dress up as exotic creatures and explore the beautiful flora and fauna, play in the jungle leaves, add flowers, play with sound using a rain stick, draw on the Mirror Mural, and make a warm nest to hide in. There are plenty of fun surprises in this multi-sensory environment. READ MORE

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

Glen Echo, MD - Wednesdays - Sundays, through January 7, 2024
Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy discover a secret portal to a magical world called Narnia. With an evil White Witch ruling the kingdom, can Lucy, her new friend Mr. Tumnus, and her family band together to save this land from the eternal winter?  READ MORE

LuminoCity Winter Light Festival

Gaithersburg, MD - Daily (except Tuesdays), through January 15, 2024
LuminoCity brings its winter wonderland experience to the DC area this season. This luminescent adventure has three themed rooms—Winter Fantasy, Wild Adventure, and Sweet Dreams. LuminoCity contains the magic of unicorns, a glowing bamboo forest, shining pandas, and a captivating donut tunnel for vistors to slide down.  READ MORE

The Building Buddies at Port Discovery

Baltimore, MD - Fridays - Sundays, through January 8, 2024
The Building Buddies portrays a small community where everyone is busy working on their homes. This collaborative hands-on exhibit has different “buddies” to invite young children to play, explore, collaborate, create, and learn while improving the neighborhood. The goal of this exhibit is to provide an environment that's open for discovery and encourages the development of science and process skills at an early age.  READ MORE

Titanic: The Exhibition

National Harbor, MD - Tuesdays - Sundays, through January 7, 2024
Travel back to 1912 through photographs, handwritten letters, wayward keepsakes, and other personal belongings telling countless stories about the fates and heroic deeds onboard the Titanic. READ MORE
Lantern Festival photo courtesy of Fever Productions.
Lantern Festival photo courtesy of Fever Productions.

Things To Do Over Christmas Break in Northern Virginia

Celebrate Bob Bown’s Final Puppetry Masterpiece

Herndon, VA - Friday, December 29, 2023
For more than 60 years, Master Puppeteer Bob Brown has delighted audiences. His final performance is a jolly, fun-filled romp through a winter wonderland as his trick marionettes perform incredible feats of skill and daring that will leave young audiences shouting with laughter. READ MORE

Candytopia

Tysons, VA - Thursdays - Mondays, through December 31, 2023
Delight in an an interactive, delicious experience where candy becomes art and there's a sugary treat for all the senses. Guests walk through a candy wonderland and immerse themselves in different candy-themed environments. They also enjoy packaged candy samples. READ MORE

Winter Lantern Festival (at Tysons Corner)

Tysons, VA - Fridays - Sundays, through February 18, 2024 (also December 25-28)
The Winter Lantern Festival is back this holiday season, with a display of electrifying lights made from more than 1,000 handmade Chinese lanterns. Guests will enter and wander through a wonderland of light and color inspired by Chinese myths, legends, and zodiacs. Attractions will include a bounce house, sugar paintings, dino ride, interactive light swings, see-saws, tunnels, and many majestic creatures. READ MORE

Hot Wheels Champion Experience

Tysons, VA - Tuesdays - Sundays, through February 25, 2024
Hot Wheels Champion Experience combines exhilarating digital and hands-on play in a 16,000-square-foot immersive environment. Visitors of all ages can imagine, create, and experience Hot Wheels like never before. READ MORE

Holiday Bricktacular at LEGO Discovery Center Washington DC

Springfield, VA - Daily, through December 31, 2023 (except Christmas Day)
Build the best memories at Holiday Bricktacular! Families can enjoy a winter wonderland of activities, festive decorations, and more at LEGO Discovery Center Washington, DC.    READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Montgomery County Fairgrounds
The Exhibit in National Harbor
Lerner Town Square at Tysons II