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Got Plans? With Kids
With the Entertainment Guide Staff
washingtonpost.com
Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2002; Noon EDT
Every other Wednesday at noon, local experts from washingtonpost.com share their
best bets for arts and entertainment options for kids and their families. Our group
specializes in local dining, museum, sports and recreations, day trips, children's
theaters and the special events that keep life in metropolitan Washington interesting.
We're happy to answer questions, but we need to hear from you too. Tell us about
your favorite public swimming pool, a movie that wowed your family, a toy shop with
a "do touch" policy, or a restaurant where pizza is as welcome on the floor as it is on
the plate. This is an hour for kids of all ages: So if you have teenagers who need a
night out without you -- or vice versa -- ask away. Together we can fill our calendars
with memorable activities.
Submit your questions either before or during the discussion.
A different staffer will host each discussion, but the entire group will be sitting at the kids' table. If you need more ideas, see KidsPost and the Entertainment Guide.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
The Kids' Table:
Despite all the subtle and SALE signs, summer is not over -- not until, for instance, Glen Echo's centuries-old Denzel Carousel stops for the winter. Mark your calendars for a special merry and bright ride on this
Friday night, from 7 to 10. The carousel's 1,080 lights will be twinkling and brightening your every ride -- at 50 cents each.
This could be a great back-to-school tradition -- just after Labor Day, just after school starts, just one more fun summer fling. Maybe at the Kids' Table with your help and some from Maura, Anne, Lynette, Matt, Kate and me -- Vicki -- will come up with one or more. Think of it as homework.
Bethesda, Md.:
I heard that there was a fun place for pre-school age kids near Congressional Plaza in Rockville. It was called Imagination Station or something like that.
Does anyone know if that still exists?
The Kids' Table: Hi Bethesda. You might be thinking of Imagine That! which, I believe, has closed. There's Imagination Stage in Rockville at White Flint. That's open and perfectly suited for pre-school kids. Read more about it here. -- Maura
Natural Bridge, Va. update:
Hi!
We just came back from our trip and it was fun. We spent two and a half days there and hit all the "to-do" spots (except the Monster Museum -- fear that it may be too scary for the kids, Enchanted Castle Studios -- closed). Just three hours away from D.C., it is a really good get away. Our 5 and 2-year-olds had a really good time.
The Kids' Table: Hi Natural Bridge, Thank you for reporting back on your holiday -- no information is as valuable as recent and first-hand. Interestingly, just after we talked in a previous chatabout the pros and cons of a trip to Natural Bridge, this travel story on Virginia's weird destinations appeared in The Post -- one of the seven weird wonders of the "Odd Dominion" includes the Monster Museum (in case anyone wants to plan a trip around the end of October). -- Vicki
College Park MD:
Once again, I'm reporting in from the College Park Aviation Museum to tell you about a fun upcoming event that we have.
Saturday, September 21 is Kid's Day featuring Jay Jay the Jet Plane. Jay Jay the Jet Plane is a PBS character who's getting a huge following, and he's making his first area appearance at the College Park Aviation Museum. We will have plenty of crafts and storytime fun, a balloon animal maker and face painting, and of course, pictures with Jay Jay!
It is from noon to 4 on Saturday, September 21.
Thanks for letting me shamelessly promote our family events!
The Kids' Table: Hello College Park . . . you are most welcome to fly into our chat every two weeks at noon. We are look forward to your informative landing. -- Vicki
Silver Spring, Maryland:
Any good musical performances for small children (under five) this fall?
The Kids' Table: Hi, Silver Spring, this is Anne. Here's a list of upcoming concerts for children. Events at Millennium Stage are always a good bet, since it's easy to escape if a child gets noisy. This weekend, there's the American Music and Arts Festival, and Sept. 22 is the Bluebird Blues Festival. Both are larger festivals that offer activities for kids in addition to music. I'd also draw your attention to an introduction to classical music for kids at the Kennedy Center.
Silver Spring:
What's the best way to get to see the Egyptian exhibit at the National Gallery of Art? Should I go through Ticketmaster or just show up when the museum opens? How bad are the crowds? My eight year old is fascinated by Ancient Egypt.
The Kids' Table: Hi, Silver Spring. Weekends have been crowded, with waits up to an hour. You might want to invest in those advance passes for the National Gallery'sThe Quest for Immortalityif you're going at a peak time. -- Maura
Chantilly, VA:
Im looking for some offthebeatentrack trails to discover with my 5 and 10 year old this fall. I refuse to sit in the skyline drive parking lot.Help?
The Kids' Table: Good for you Chantilly. And you don't have to. While I've (Lynette) seen adventurous parents carrying their youngest along the Shenandoah's Waterfall Trail, I wouldn't recommend it myself. Here's a handy feature Trails Designed For All with suggestions for accessible trails around the area. There are also fairly flat trails in Rock Creek Park and Mason Neck State Park. As for the Shenandoah itself, I know that there are some fairly easy trails available. Stop at a visitor's center and ask the rangers. They are always happy to direct you to them. Hope this helps!
The Kids' Table: Maura here with one quick suggestion for next weekend: The National Museum of the American Indian's Pow Wow on the Mall. Drum contests and gourd dancing all take place at 4th Street and Jefferson Drive, site of the new museum, Sept. 14 and 15. For more information check out their website.
Rockville, MD:
Looking for something fun to do with a 5-year-old this weekend. Preferably outdoors and not too expensive. Any late season festivals within an hour's drive of Rockville?
The Kids' Table: Hi Rockville, You and your fabulous Five are in luck. This Sunday the Kennedy Center holds it's annual Open House. It's a free arts festival tailored for school-aged visitors. Your child should love the "instrument petting zoo" and the many performances. Also, the Prince George's County Fair is on this weekend and there are five more coming up. I'm looking forward to taking a group of kids to the maize maze at Temple Hills (it's in the shape of "American Gothic"). It's open already (but not the pick-your-own-pumpkin patch, it's still too early) and in the evenings too.
I'm excited about the first annual Pow Wow on the Mall sponsored by the National Museum of the American Indian. It takes place next weekend (Sept. 14 and 15) and it's free. Lots of dancing and drumming, crafts and traditional food too. I'll be there. -- Kate
The Kids' Table:
To Bethesda -- the person who wrote about the Greenburg's Train Show: Please send an email to me (Anne) with your mailing address. I'd like to send you something to thank you for drawing this to my attention.
Gaithersburg, MD:
Hey, I'm a resident at Kentlands. Thought I'd pass along the news that there is a very cute store in Market Square in the Kentland's Development where you can buy pottery and paint it in the store. I forgot the name of the store, but it looks like a lot of fun for families to do something with their kids or even just for adults. Kentlands also has a gym just for kids. It's great, check it out!
The Kids' Table: Thank you Gaithersburg. This is Matt, and my daughters really enjoy places that have hands-on activities.
The Post recently wrote a story about Clay Cafes in Northern Virginia.
Our area also has five Made By You venues, where you can decorate pottery.
A favorite location among my family is the Build A Bear Workshop. I did a story when the first store came to the area at Tysons Corner Mall in Virginia. A store is scheduled to open in Fair Oaks in November.
And Maryland has four area stores: on Democracy Boulevard across from the Montgomery Mall, at The Mall in Columbia, the Annapolis Mall and the Towson Town Center.
This is not only for children. We gave my mother-in-law a gift certificate, and she got to build her bear with her granddaughters! Take care.
The Kids' Table:
Thanks, everybody, for sharing some time with us. Make no mistake about it, the best part of the school day -- the best part of life itself -- just may be recess. Hurry, the bell is about to ring on our summer one. See you in two weeks, Wednesday at noon, Sept. 18.
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