UPDATE: PLEASE NOTE THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM IS NO LONGER AT NATIONAL HARBOR
By Patricia Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com
With so much to do, you’ll never run out of ideas for family fun in Fairfax County (the focus of this site). But we love our neighbors just as much and increasingly find that some areas are easier to get to than you’d imagine. One such place is National Harbor in Maryland. With dozens of restaurants (from elegant to casual) and many stores including large retailers, specialty shops, and an outlet center, National Harbor has quickly become a destination or dining and shopping.
But it also offers options for family fun, including a carousel, the big Capital Wheel, a plaza with a giant screen showing free movies and sporting events, a farmer’s market, a children’s museum, “The Awakening” sculpture (which kids love to climb), and seasonal events, there’s always something going on. Many of you are probably familiar with the concerts, movies, and fireworks in the summer. Do you know there’s lots of great fun in winter, too, including some free events? As a regular contributor to Posh Seven magazine, I recently wrote a “Home for the Holidays” article that gives an overview on National Harbor and the “food, fun, and finds” there. See my Posh Seven article for details and tips to so you can plan your visit to National Harbor this holiday season, and see my photos below!
Disclosure: I am a part-time/freelance writer for Posh Seven magazine. As part of my media tour of National Harbor my family also was treated to VIP rides on the Capital Wheel, rides on the carousel, and dinners at McLoone’s Pier House and Cadillac Ranch. I selected the attractions and restaurants to visit based on their reputation for being family-friendly, and opinions, as always, are my own.
All photos by and (c) Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun; all rights reserved
UPDATES: Please note that since the article was written there have been a couple of updates. First, the water-skiing Santa, as of 2014, is no longer at National Harbor, MD, but across the river on the waterfront at Old Town Alexandria, VA. Also, the National Children’s Museum at National Harbor has closed (effective January 2015) and is functioning as a “museum on the move” until it moves back to Washington, DC.