Weekend Picks October 21-23

Friday-Sunday DC Flagship Grand Opening Block Party is here! Join REI for 3-day Block Party to celebrate the Grand Opening of our DC Flagship store! Friday we’ll open the doors at 10am with some big band fanfare (hint, hint) and DJs keep the party going all day. Saturday and Sunday we’ll expand the block party to a main stage with live bands, Outdoor School classes, beer gardens, s’mores, screen printing, a climbing wall, and more. Saturday’s music starts with a family band at 10am and then goes on with live go-go, a Beatles cover band, and plenty of DJ sets (Biz Markie at 3pm!). Sunday we’re teaming up with Living Classroom Foundation’s Kingman Island Bluegrass and Folk Festival to bring you a day of live bluegrass and Americana on the main stage. All 3 days the first 500 people in line receive a custom DC Camelbak bottle with a gift card. We’ll have free breakfast and coffee each morning. Everybody who attends all weekend can help REI decide how to split up $100,000 among 5 regionally focused outdoor non-profits! 

Saturday & Sunday hop on the Wheaton Haunted Train and Creepy Carousel. If you enjoy heart-racing, adrenalin-pumping, throat-constricting Halloween activities, we have a train (and carousel) for you. Who–or WHAT?–lurks in the dark Wheaton woods as you ride the Haunted Train? And what’s that perched on the ghostly horse silently screaming next to you on the Creepy Carousel? We promise to do our very best to scare the pants (metaphorically speaking) off you. We’ll show free frightening movies, and have snacks for sale, too. Purchase tickets online.

Saturday & Sunday hop on the Eye Spy Train at Cabin John Regional Park. Looking for something fun to do this Halloween that won’t give your younger kids nightmares? Ride the “Eye Spy” Halloween Train at Cabin John Regional Park! Your kids will have fun looking for familiar friends and animals hiding in the woods and marking them off their “Eye Spy” card, while you sit back and enjoy the ride! A not-so-scary train for kids under 8. Purchase tickets online.

Saturday & Sunday from 5:30pm-8:30pm you can trick-or-treat at Boo at the Zoo. Boo at the Zoo is Washington DC’s favorite Halloween treat. With more than 40 treat stations, animal demonstrations, keeper chats, and decorated trails, this frightfully fun evening is a treat for the whole family. An entertainment stage will feature magicians, jugglers, and a DJ spinning Halloween favorites. Don’t miss a themed scarecrow field. Purchase tickets.

Saturday & Sunday bravely go on a Soul Strolls in Congressional Cemetery. If they could still speak, what do you think they would say? Over 65,000 individuals are laid to rest in Congressional Cemetery. From Congressman to carpenters, suffragists to bootleggers, each resident has a unique story to tell. Soul Strolls, the Cemetery’s annual twilight tours, explore these stories through guided tours and costumed interpreters.  Typically only open from dawn to dusk, this special event allows nighttime access to the public. Don’t miss out on this exclusive experience unlike any other Halloween tour! Hour-long tours depart every 15 minutes between 6 and 9 pm, and beer, wine, and cider will be for sale. Tickets

Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am-7:00pm Maryland Renaissance Festival will be joisting and serving up lots of turkey legs for the FINAL WEEKEND.  The festival is free to children 11 and under. Take a time machine back to medieval times. With plenty of entertainment, including music, joisting, puppetry, pony rides and so much more. Your children will see people dressed up in 16th century outfits. Dress like a knight and come participate!

Saturday & Sunday there is the Annual Fall Harvest Family Days at Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon celebrates the autumn season with Fall Harvest Family Days! The entire family enjoys autumn activities including wagon rides, wheat treading in the 16-sided barn, 18th-century dancing demonstrations, a straw bale maze, farrier (blacksmithing) demonstrations, corn husk dolls demonstrations and early-American games and music.

(Photo: Trick-or-Treating at Mount Vernon)

Friday-

7:30pm-9:30pm: The Nightmare Before Christmas movie at Hemlock Overlook Regional Park
(13220 Yates Ford Rd Clifton, VA 20124)
Join Adventure Links for our October Halloween Movie Night series under the stars at Hemlock Overlook Regional Park! Every Friday night in October we’ll be showing a halloween movie on our outdoor movie screen. Bring a blanket and enjoy a free movie! Upcoming shows: October 28th – The Blair Witch Project.

Saturday-

8:00am-11:00am: Nature Preschool Earth-Friendly ReUse it Sale at Woodend Nature Sanctuary
(8940 Jones Mill Rd. Chevy Chase)
The Earth-Friendly ReUse It Sale features family nature walks, gently used children’s items, naturally delicious homemade treats, your morning cup of coffee or cider, and connections with Nature Preschool staff and families.

8:30am-9:30am: Capoeira for Kids Ages 3.5-7 at Bloombars
(3222 11th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001)
Capoeira provides physical fitness for children, ages 4 and up. It is intended to be a no- to low-contact martial art that helps children with gross motor planning and gross motor skills. Children will also learn maculele (a dance done hitting sticks against your partner’s sticks), samba, capoeira instruments, and Portuguese through this fun, interactive class. Classes are $15 each or $120 for a series of ten classes.

9:00am-11:00am: Pint Sized Pumpkins Breakfast
(Brookland Pint- 716 Monroe Street NW Washington, DC 20017)
Bring your little ones in for a breakfast designed with them in mind.  Featuring a free Pint Sized Breakfast for the kids, Storytime with Barnes & Noble, an interactive performance by Only Make Believe and Pint Sized Pumpkin Painting. Open seating: first come, first serve.  Your $5 ticket purchases your child’s Pint Sized Pumpkin.  The rest of the morning’s activities are included with the purchase of a pumpkin.  Limited quantity available, purchase your pumpkin today!

9:30am AND 11:00am: Discovery Theatre, Fabulous Fairytales at National Theatre
(1321 Pennsylvania Ave NW)
Valerie Branch uses contemporary dance to focus on creating and sustaining healthy relationships between peers, family members, the new people we meet, and those within our surrounding communities. Families will have an interactive performance experience as they are invited to think about solutions to problems between friends, explore body movements for self-expression, and use elements viewed in the performance to choreograph their own dance sequence based on what they believe it would take to create and sustain healthy relationships. Tickets will go on sale at 10:00am the Friday a week prior to the performance. Click on the link to reserve tickets, and review our ticketing policies.

9:30am-10:30am: Harambe with Baba Ras D at Bloombars
(3222 11th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001)
Think of it as your little one’s first opportunity to express his or her voice (into a microphone), dance, play a drum or percussion instrument, shout, or sing-along to songs that build character, confidence and community.With more than 10 years of experience in youth development, education and conflict resolution, program instructor Baba Ras D’s “Harambe” is a morning jolt of inspiration for parents, caregivers and children. Recommended for ages 0 to 7 years.  $7 per child $3 per adult suggested donation.

10:00am-2:00pm: Fall Festival at Potomac Crescent Waldorf School
(3846 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22302-education wing of Fairlington Presbyterian Church)
This is a festive rain or shine event with fun for the whole family! We are offering traditional crafts and games, a blacksmith demonstration, a spinning wheel demonstration, local artisan sales, a healthy lunch, cider & popcorn, a bake sale, marionette and puppet plays, a storyteller, a Children’s Store, a Waldorf Bookstore and live music! Tickets go on sale soon, and will also available at the door by credit, cash or check. Entry tickets cost $5 per person with a maximum of $25 per family. Crafts, games and food priced individually. Play and storyteller tickets sold separately, and cost $7 and less. Our festival will be held on our playground and front lawn, and in our Fellowship Hall in case of rain.

10:30am-11:30am: Harambe with Baba Ras D at Bloombars
(3222 11th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001)
Think of it as your little one’s first opportunity to express his or her voice (into a microphone), dance, play a drum or percussion instrument, shout, or sing-along to songs that build character, confidence and community.With more than 10 years of experience in youth development, education and conflict resolution, program instructor Baba Ras D’s “Harambe” is a morning jolt of inspiration for parents, caregivers and children. Recommended for ages 0 to 7 years.  $7 per child $3 per adult suggested donation.

10:30am-11:15am: Saturday Song Circle at Imagination Stage
(4908 Auburn Ave Bethesda, Maryland 20814)
You and your child are invited to a fun, interactive musical experience! An Early Childhood Teaching Artist explores a popular children’s book with your family through song and musical instruments, and you will receive a list of all the songs to practice at home. Activities in Saturday Song Circle are best for 1-3 year-olds but 4-5 year-old siblings and friends are also welcome to join in the fun. Featured book: Where the Wild Things Are

11:00am-6:00pm: Hirshorn Fall Fest
(7th St & Independence Ave SW)
Gather with friends and family for a museum-wide festival celebrating the return of fall, DC’s rocking music scene, and Hirshhorn’s immersive new exhibition, Ragnar Kjartansson.  Live outdoor music, highlighting local bands whose musicians are featured in Kjartansson’s live performance piece Woman in E. Hirshhorn’s very own Biergarten, featuring complimentary beer tastings from Bier Baron Tavern (21+, while supplies last). Unconventional music-making tours of Ragnar Kjartansson. A special screening of Kjartansson’s A Lot of Sorrow, which documents an epic 6-hour live performance by the band The National

11:00am-3:00pm: FALLoween at Market Commons
A day of fun the entire family can enjoy! Immediately following the conclusion of the Howl-O- Ween dog walk (10:00am), FALLOWEEN will kick-off with live music and strolling characters. The much-loved petting zoo will return as well as face painters, balloon artists, and a FALLOWEEN photo opportunity. Live children’s entertainment by Rainbow Rock and Mr. Knick Knack!, a petting zoo, face painting, pumpkin decorating + crafts for kids, and a trick-or-treat session throughout the property.

11:00am-5:00pm: Air and Scare at National Air and Space Museum (Virginia Location)
Explore the spooky side of air and space at Air & Scare, our annual Halloween event at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Participate in creepy crafts, spooky science experiments, and other Halloween-themed activities. Arrive in costume to get into the Halloween spirit and enjoy safe indoor trick-or-treating.

11:30am-3:00pm: Under the Big Top at American Art Museum
(Kogod Courtyard)
The circus is in town! SAAM takes you under the Big Top for an afternoon of dazzling feats with performers from Acrobatic Conundrum (we hope you’re not afraid of heights!) Try your hand at carnival games, grab a tasty bag of popcorn, or make a mask inspired by your favorite circus animal.

Sunday-

10:00am-10:45am: Sunday Fun-Day at Imagination Stage
(4908 Auburn Avenue Bethesda, Maryland 20814)
We invite you and your child to bring your favorite stories to life through dramatic play activities, movement, music, and visual art. Each session you leave with a completed craft, as well as a Parent Pack to extend the experience at home. These popular workshops are themed around beloved children’s books. Activities in Sunday Fun-Day are most appropriate to 3-5 year-olds but 1-2 year-old siblings and friends are also welcome! Red Light, Green Light is the story this weekend. $8 per person.

10:00am:  Pumpkin Decorating at Tregaron Conservancy
Come and get crafty with pumpkins and enjoy the season at Tregaron! Meet us at the Conservancy’s Lily Pond near our Klingle Road entrance, just east of the corner of Klingle and Woodley Roads. Please consider making a donation at the event (we suggest $10 per pumpkin) to help us continue offering events at the Conservancy. We encourage you to bring some of your own craft materials as well. Extras will be donated to SCRAP DC, a non-profit thrift shop promoting sustainability through re-use of arts and crafts supplies. Register online.

12:00pm: Harbor Halloween
Join us for our annual Harbor Halloween! 12pm – 2pm Trick-or-Treat at participating stores and restaurants
12:30pm Hocus Pocus 2:15pm The Black Dog’s Howl-oween party and Paw-rade 2:30pm Chef pumpkin carving contest. Be sure to stop by the Plaza for DARCARS “Trunk or Treat!” Pick up your complimentary DARCARS trick or treat bag*. Plus, enjoy special activities, including pumpkin decorating, a Halloween coloring station, and a fabulous family fall themed photo station.

1:00pm-4:00pm: 5th Annual Pie Fest
(Bourbon- 2321 18^th Street)
Come have fun at the all-you-can-eat pie tasting to support a great foundation honoring the memory of our friend Jayna Murray. Bring a homemade pie to compete for prizes, or just come to eat and be merry. There will be an on-site cash bar. And don’t worry fans of the gridiron, the TVs will be tuned to football.

8:00pm & 9:00pm: Ghost Tours at The National Building Museum
Ghost tours at the National Building Museum combine history, humor, and several hair-raising tales into a fun evening. Constructed between 1882 and 1887, the Museum’s historic home was formerly the Pension Building and was frequently visited by war veterans. The National Building Museum collection houses many artifacts related to the building—plans, drawings, and tools—as well as some objects that defy easy explanation, including a collection of shoes found underneath the foundation, believed to have been buried to ward off evil spirits, and a plaster mask, thought to be a death mask dated from the late 1800s. Our building is spectacular, and eerie, with the lights out.  Ghost tours are recommended for ages 10 and up.