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Community Resources & Things to Do · Museums · Showing 24 of 74 resources
Alexandria
Alexandria Black History Museum
A city museum in the 1940 Robert Robinson Library, built after a 1939 sit-in protest. Free for city residents; the site of one of America's earliest sit-ins; Watson Reading Room research collection; adjoining Alexandria African American Heritage Park.
Cost
$3 general — free for City of Alexandria residents.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
Baltimore
American Visionary Art Museum
A museum of self-taught "outsider" art, with giant whirligigs and mosaic-covered buildings. Free MLK Day and EBT admission; a 55-foot whirligig outside you can see for free; the annual Kinetic Sculpture Race; genuinely weird, memorable art for teenagers.
Cost
$20 adult, under 6 free; free admission on MLK Day, free with EBT, and free for Title I school groups.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
MLK Day · check dates. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
free admission on MLK Day, free with EBT, and free for Title I school groups
What's here
- main building galleries of large-scale visionary art ↗
- campus of three buildings with outdoor sculpture areas ↗
- exhibitions featuring self-taught artists' imaginative works ↗
- docent-led or self-guided tours for K-12 student groups ↗
- optional hands-on art workshop add-on for school groups ↗
- seasonal installations and changing exhibitions each year ↗
- gift shop with unusual art-themed toys and books ↗
Washington
Anacostia Community Museum (Smithsonian)
The Smithsonian's neighborhood-focused community museum east of the river. Free daily; exhibitions built with and about DC communities; small enough for a short visit with young kids; a genuinely under-visited Smithsonian.
Cost
"Free Admission."
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- outdoor plaza hosting seasonal ACM Farm Stand ↗
- George Washington Carver Nature Trail behind museum ↗
- interactive activism quiz and button-making station ↗
- Weekly FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand with local produce ↗
- drop-in arts and crafts workshops for families ↗
- Indoor Sunburst Lounge space for family programs ↗
- on-site parking for museum visitors ↗
Baltimore
Baltimore Museum of Art
A major art museum with a large Matisse collection and a dedicated hands-on education center. Always-free general admission; Joseph Education Center with hands-on family activities; free sculpture garden; adjacent to Johns Hopkins' Homewood campus.
Cost
Free — "General admission is always free" (reservations recommended).
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- Experience Gallery with playful artist-designed installations ↗
- Wall of Wonder with interactive digital art displays ↗
- discovery drawers with artists' material samples to touch ↗
- Insight Lab for art exploration and experiments ↗
- Book Nook and Quiet Room for reading and downtime ↗
- detective-style gallery games for families ↗
- act-it-out activities using paintings as prompts ↗
- downloadable family art projects from collections ↗
Baltimore
Baltimore Museum of Industry
A waterfront museum of Baltimore's industrial, labor and civil-rights history with working machinery. SNAP/EBT free admission; live demonstrations of working museum artifacts on the History Alive tour (weekends, included with admission); free self-guided hands-on family activities on weekends; free parking.
Cost
$15 adult / $8 youth 6–17 / free for children 5 and under — free for EBT and SNAP cardholders and for active-duty military and veterans. Free on-site parking.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- Kids' Cannery gallery where children role-play cannery work ↗
- recreated 1920s pharmacy Dr. Bunting's Pharmacy exhibit ↗
- mid-century gas station exhibit for pretend service-station play ↗
- machine shop gallery with belt-driven industrial equipment ↗
- garment loft exhibit showing clothing manufacturing workspaces ↗
- Hands-on PLEASE TOUCH artifact boxes throughout galleries ↗
- Exhibit on Baltimore food industries like sugar and spices ↗
- rotating exhibitions on labor activism and local industry history ↗
Baltimore
Cylburn Arboretum
A 200-acre city arboretum around a Gilded Age mansion, with a small nature center. Roughly three miles of paved paths and woodland trails; Nature Center with hands-on tree/root and Maryland-ecosystem displays; mansion porch and a hill made for rolling down; free parking.
Cost
Free — "There are no fees to enter the Arboretum. Some events may require an admission fee." Parking is free on-site.
Best fit
kids, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- Nature Education Center exhibit hall on trees and local habitats ↗
- teaching garden with native plants beside Nature Education Center ↗
- year-round arboretum grounds open Tuesday through Sunday ↗
- Nature Education Center indoor classroom space for visiting groups ↗
- field trip visits for school groups with nature lessons ↗
- drop-in nature-themed activities Saturdays at the Education Center ↗
- tree-focused displays in the Nature Education Center garden ↗
- seasonal native plant gardens around the mansion and carriage house ↗
Arlington
DEA Museum
The Drug Enforcement Administration's public museum in Pentagon City. More than 40 hands-on activities; Junior Special Agent program; forensics and undercover-operations exhibits; free and steps from the Metro.
Cost
Free.
Best fit
kids, ya
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- Illegal Drugs in America: A Modern History exhibit ↗
- Good Medicine, Bad Behavior: Drug Diversion in America ↗
- DEA at 50 exhibit on agency milestones ↗
- interactive timelines on history of drug use in America ↗
- cannabis, coca, and poppy science and regulation exhibits ↗
- Faces of Fentanyl memorial exhibit ↗
- virtual mission where visitors role-play DEA operations ↗
- education room with distance learning technology ↗
Alexandria
Fort Ward Museum & Historic Site
A preserved Civil War fort of the Defenses of Washington, with a museum and restored earthworks. Free admission; reconstructed Northwest Bastion and officers' hut; living-history events; a large surrounding city park for picnics.
Cost
"Free admission" with a suggested $3 donation.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
Programs
- living-history events ↗
Manassas
Freedom Museum
A small veterans' history museum in Old Town Manassas, with tours led by local veterans. Drop-by guided tours led by a local veteran; exhibits on homefront life including *Rosie the Riveter* and children of wartime; interactive displays; open Thu–Sun.
Cost
No general admission fee is listed on the official Freedom Museum Visit/About pages; multiple outside sources describe it as a free museum.
Best fit
kids, teens, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
Programs
- scheduled veteran-led group tours ↗
Edgewater
Historic London Town and Gardens
A 23-acre colonial town archaeology site and garden on the South River. Free library family passes; Interactive Sound and Sensory Garden; living-history weekends with costumed interpreters; active archaeology dig site; free fishing Tue–Sat 10:30–3.
Cost
$11 adult / $5 youth 4–17 / free 3 and under — with free 4-person family passes through Anne Arundel County Public Libraries and Museums for All (up to 4 people free with photo ID + EBT card). Parking is free.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
Programs
- walking tours of Historic London Town ↗
Frederick
Museum of Frederick County History
Heritage Frederick's county history museum in a Federal-era townhouse. $5 child/student admission; county history and decorative arts collections; walkable from downtown Frederick's other attractions.
Cost
Low-cost: $10 adults; $5 for seniors, students and children; members free.
Best fit
kids, teens, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
Programs
- Friday docent-guided tours ↗
Washington
National Building Museum
A museum of architecture, engineering and design in the vast Pension Building Great Hall. SNAP/EBT and military free admission; hands-on design and building exhibits; the enormous Great Hall with free public seating; big summer installations.
Cost
Paid general admission, but free with SNAP EBT (cardholder plus 3 guests) and for active military (plus 5 guests).
Best fit
kids, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- Play Work Build exhibit with hands-on block play ↗
- architectural toy collection displays (Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs) ↗
- digital wall where kids build and knock down virtual blocks ↗
- Summer installation THE PLAYGROUND in Great Hall ↗
- Tot Spot area for youngest visitors within THE PLAYGROUND ↗
- drop-in craft activities designing a collaborative brick wall ↗
- children and youth programs tied to Brick City exhibition ↗
- kids' birthday party packages with building activities ↗
Annapolis Junction
National Cryptologic Museum
The NSA's public museum of codes, ciphers and signals intelligence. Free admission; real Enigma machines you can operate; Cold War and codebreaking artifacts; an annual STEM Fest.
Cost
FREE admission.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- guided tours led by current and former NSA staff ↗
- school field trip programs for grades 4-12 ↗
- age-appropriate cryptology scavenger hunts for students ↗
- create-and-decode secret messages in student programs ↗
- STEM and language talks for visiting school groups ↗
- cryptanalysis 101 program introducing classic ciphers ↗
- cryptoball game using secret codes and decoding ↗
- Defending the Nation in Cyberspace cyber-threat session ↗
Washington
National Gallery of Art
The nation's art museum on the Mall, in two buildings plus a sculpture garden. Free guided tours for first-time and returning visitors; 6-acre Sculpture Garden with 20+ modern sculptures and a fountain that becomes an ice rink in winter; East Building Roof Terrace; the only Leonardo painting in the Americas.
Cost
Free — "always free," including guided tours.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- kids audio tour of West Building highlights ↗
- Paint 'n' Play digital art activity stations ↗
- free family films in Gallery theater ↗
- Stories in Art story-and-art sessions for ages 4-7 ↗
- Artful Conversations guided discussions for ages 8-11 ↗
- Family Workshops combining tours and studio art ↗
- family programs focused on slow looking at one artwork ↗
- Education Studio space for hands-on activities ↗
Frederick
National Museum of Civil War Medicine
A specialized museum on battlefield medicine and its legacy. Free for kids 9 and under; surgical kits and a rare surgeon's tent; ties directly to nearby Monocacy and Antietam battlefields; strong teen appeal for pre-med interests.
Cost
Low-cost: $9.50 adult; children 9 and under free.
Best fit
kids, teens
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
Silver Spring
National Museum of Health and Medicine
A Department of Defense medical museum with anatomical and military-medicine collections. Free admission Wed–Sun 10–5:30; bullet fragments and bone from Lincoln's autopsy; real preserved human specimens; teen-magnet content for anyone interested in medicine.
Cost
Free — "The museum is FREE."
Best fit
kids, teens, ya
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- Advances in Military Medicine exhibit with Trauma Bay II ↗
- Anatomy and Pathology gallery on skeletal development and brain ↗
- Civil War medicine and Lincoln assassination exhibits ↗
- chemical warfare and human identification exhibits ↗
- Temporary exhibit In the Lab: Parasites ↗
- hallway exhibits on physical and occupational therapy history ↗
- collections zone highlighting biomedical engineering artifacts ↗
Triangle
National Museum of the Marine Corps
A landmark museum of Marine Corps history with immersive combat galleries. Free admission *and* free parking; immersive walk-through battle galleries; an outdoor playground; a laser rifle range kids and teens can try.
Cost
"FREE admission and parking."
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- Children's Gallery space designed for kids up to age ten ↗
- Monthly Family Day with themed hands-on activities ↗
- Gallery Hunts scavenger-style activities for ages 4-10 ↗
- Marine Corps topic worksheets for ages eight and up ↗
- Homeschool Science self-paced STEM program about Marines ↗
- free educational resources for students and scouts ↗
- distance learning programs for families and students ↗
- summer camp opportunities in Youth and Family programs ↗
Fort Belvoir
National Museum of the United States Army
The Army's national museum, opened in 2020. Free timed tickets; Experiential Learning Center with STEM design challenges for kids; Army Theater; walk-through soldier-story galleries.
Cost
Free — "General admission tickets to the Museum are free and must be reserved in advance." (The Army Action Center VR/motion theater costs extra.)
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- Fort Discover play zone with climbable Army tower ↗
- Fort Discover Camo Camera dress-up uniform experience ↗
- Interactive Army mules teaching innovations through games ↗
- Training Center stations including UAV operations simulator ↗
- Training Center station for geospatial intelligence mapping ↗
- Training Center aviation cargo drop planning activity ↗
- Training Center bridge-building engineering challenge ↗
- Training Center medical support humanitarian mission simulation ↗
Washington
Planet Word
An immersive museum of language and words in the historic Franklin School, built almost entirely around interactive voice-and-touch exhibits. Talking Word Wall; karaoke and speech-writing studios; multisensory galleries where you speak, sing and paint with words; timed free tickets keep crowds manageable.
Cost
Free with a suggested donation — "General admission is free, with a suggested $15 donation."
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- Lexicon Lane puzzle cases for word-sleuthing adventure ↗
- humor gallery where families test who laughs first ↗
- advertising gallery to write your own ad copy ↗
- recording booth to share personal stories about words ↗
- Language Science Station live language research activities ↗
- Speaking Willow interactive sound sculpture at museum entrance ↗
- Lexicon Lane paid puzzle experience for small groups ↗
- word-based games and activities on Wordplay Wednesday evenings ↗
Baltimore
Port Discovery Children's Museum
Baltimore's three-story children's museum downtown. Community Days discount program; the 3-story SkyClimber; Wonders of Water; drop-in activities designed by education specialists.
Cost
General admission approx. $25.95 per person for ages 1+; children under 1 and members free; free admission for active/veteran military adults and some spouses with ID; $5 PlayMakers tickets for Maryland EBT/Independence Card/WIC holders (up to 5 per card); reduced-price Community Days (e.g., $10–$15 per person) but no fully free public days listed.
Best fit
kids, teens
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- SkyClimber climbing structure ↗
- Wonders of Water exhibit ↗
- Tot Trails toddler area ↗
- Chessie's Grotto ↗
- The Overlook ↗
- Kick It Up ↗
- PD Presents exhibit ↗
- three floors of activities ↗
- The Port exhibit with giant S.S. Friendship ship for climbing ↗
- Tot Trails exhibit for infants and toddlers to crawl and explore ↗
- The Oasis quiet space with books, puzzles, and games ↗
- Tiny's Diner pretend 1950s-style restaurant for role play ↗
Baltimore
Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture
The state's flagship museum of African American history, at the Inner Harbor. Multiple documented free-admission pathways; strong school-group programming; validated parking $7–$9; Inner Harbor location pairs with other free stops.
Cost
$15 general / $12 youth 7–17 / free under 7 — with several free routes: Museums for All (free with SNAP EBT), Museums On Us (free the first full weekend of each month for Bank of America/Merrill cardholders), Blue Star Museums (free for active-duty military families), and free admission for Maryland public school educators.
Best fit
kids, teens, families
Before you go
Runs monthly, year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
$15 general / $12 youth 7–17 / free under 7 — with several free routes: Museums for All (free with SNAP EBT), Museums On Us (free the first full weekend of each month for Bank of America/Merrill cardholders), Blue Star Museums (free for active-duty military families), and free admission for Maryland public school educators
Ages
Ages 7 to 17
What's here
- Kid Zone interactive gallery introducing children to Black history ↗
- Kid Zone mural The Children Shall Lead for young visitors ↗
- Permanent History Gallery tracing Black history in Maryland ↗
- TITAN exhibit on the life and legacy of Reginald F. Lewis ↗
- iWitness exhibit on media and the Civil Rights Movement ↗
- Lynching in Maryland exhibition on racial violence history ↗
- youth-friendly reading and art activities highlighting African American stories ↗
- onsite museum shop with books and educational resources ↗
Washington
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
The most-visited natural history museum in the world. Educator-led Exhibit Explorations for middle and high schoolers; tactile objects placed throughout the museum; Deep Time Audio Description App with 29 tactile stops in the Fossil Hall; find-your-state's-object scavenger hunt.
Cost
Free — "Admission is free. Tickets are not required."
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- q?rius interactive science education center (hands-on collections) ↗
- Q?rius Jr. science stations for grades K-5 ↗
- Play Date at NMNH early-childhood science sessions ↗
- The World & Me family programs on nature and culture ↗
- Family Friendly Days with crafts and scientist meet-and-greets ↗
- festivals and event series with family-focused activities ↗
- Family Store with kid-focused souvenirs and science toys ↗
- museum map with lactation room and family restrooms ↗
Washington
Smithsonian's National Zoo
A free 163-acre zoo and research campus in Rock Creek Park. Free admission with timed passes; carousels and playgrounds throughout the park; daily animal demos with elephants, sea lions and sloth bears; Animal Adventure Guide with videos and "act it out" challenges.
Cost
Free admission; free entry passes are required for all guests, including infants. Parking is $30 in advance / $40 day-of.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- Africa Trail (cheetahs, zebras) ↗
- amazonia (electric eels, stingrays, arapaima) ↗
- American Trail (sea lions, red wolves, bald eagles) ↗
- Asia Trail (giant pandas, red pandas, sloth bears) ↗
- Bird House ↗
- Claws & Paws Pathway (bobcats, porcupines) ↗
- Elephant Trails ↗
- Great Cats (lions, tigers) ↗
- Kids' Farm (cows, alpacas, goats, chickens) ↗
- primates (gorillas, orangutans) ↗
- Reptile Discovery Center ↗
- Small Mammal House (meerkats, tamarins) ↗
Alexandria
Torpedo Factory Art Center
A converted WWI torpedo factory now holding three floors of working artists' studios on the Potomac waterfront. Free access to 80+ working studios where you can talk to artists; Alexandria Archaeology Museum on the 3rd floor; The Art League Gallery and School; free Second Friday late-night events with crafts and live acoustic music through October.
Cost
"Open and free to the public since 1974."
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here