By Patricia Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com As we all know, every day is a great day to take kids to a park, but one time each year, the National Park Trust brings attention to the importance of outdoor time with "Kids to Park Day." This year, Kids to Parks Day is on Saturday, May 21, 2016. This sixth annual celebration promises to be bigger than ever, as the National Park Trust is celebrating the centennial of the National Park Service and the Continue Reading...
Bryce Canyon: a whole other world in Utah
By Patricia Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com Amazing. Majestic. Stunning. There are many ways to describe Bryce Canyon National Park, but perhaps the best word to capture it is: other-worldly. This unique park in southern Utah is so distinct that even the National Park Service itself says "descriptions fail" and "there is no place like (it)." While the neighboring Mount Zion National Park (also in southern Utah and less than 90 minutes away) Continue Reading...
Arrr! Pirate Fest returns to Lake Fairfax Park
By Patricia Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com Arrr! Avast, ye mateys! The pirate festival returns to Fairrrrrrrrfax County's Lake Fairfax Park this weekend! The now-annual Pirate Fest takes place Saturday, April 16, 2016. The event, first held in 2014, celebrates Virginia’s seafaring past with an all-day celebration in Reston. Guests can enjoy pirate music and storytelling, learn about global trade in the 18th century, play games from back in the Continue Reading...
Animals and adventure at Virginia Safari Park
Original post published April 10, 2016 Updated March 19, 2020, with current admission prices See our post with tips for visiting during special circumstances of spring 2020 By Patricia Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com Looking to see animals up close? I mean really really up close? If you love animals and you love adventure, you need to visit Virginia Safari Park in Natural Bridge, Virginia. As many times as we have gone to the Shenandoah Continue Reading...
Great deals: Busch Gardens Fun Card and Preschool Pass
By Patricia Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com Warm days will be here soon, and it's time to start thinking of outdoor fun. And just in time, Busch Gardens Williamsburg has announced the return of its annual Busch Gardens Fun Card and Preschool Pass offers! The park's Preschool Pass gives FREE admission all season long to kids ages 3-5. Yup, all summer long, through September 5, 2016, your toddlers can enjoy unlimited admission to one of the region's Continue Reading...
5 Ways to Have Fun This Winter
Winter is here! Does that mean the fun is over? Of course not! Whether "winter fun" for you means hitting the slopes or having a snowball fight or staying inside, nice and toasty warm, there are plenty of options for you in Fairfax County and Northern Virginia. Our recently updated Winter Guide has them all for you in one place! Here are five ways you can enjoy family fun this winter: Visit one of the seasonal outdoor ice skating rinks in our Continue Reading...
Dozens of ideas for FREE family fun in late December!
So.... a couple of weeks ago we posted our huge list of 40 totally free ideas for fun things to do this holiday season right here in Fairfax and Northern Virginia. You may be thinking that most of those special events and opportunities have passed, right? Think again! Most of these family-friendly community events go on through Christmas, New Year's, and even beyond! See below for all the fun coming up, plus other ideas for kid-friendly fun -- Continue Reading...
40 holiday events for free and festive family fun
FREE and Festive Family Fun - LOTS of choices still remain now through late December! Looking for something to do during the holidays that is fun, family-friendly, and free, and right in (or very close to) Fairfax County? Look no further! Our annual Fairfax Family Fun list has lots of ideas for things to do with the family that are all free! Please note: by "free" we mean events that you can do totally for free or that at least have no Continue Reading...
DC Tour: United States Botanic Garden
By Patricia L. Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com Among Washington D.C.'s many museums lies one that is more "alive" than any other even though it is nearly 200 years old: the United States Botanic Garden. This living plant museum between Capitol Hill and the Smithsonian is dedicated to showcasing the diversity and value of plants and providing education on the earth's fragile ecosystems. Here you will find plants and flowers both familiar and Continue Reading...
Bull Run Festival of Lights: drive-through family fun
By Patricia Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com You may have gotten a "peek" at the lights while driving on I-66 (especially headed east from Manassas), but if you have not yet actually driven through the Bull Run Festival of Lights, you are missing out on most of the displays -- and all the extras that make this a true "festival" beyond a light show. The annual event, hosted at Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority's Bull Run Regional Park in Continue Reading...
