Have you got family visiting you for the holidays? Are you looking for somewhere other than a museum to take them? Here are some suggestions…

Rebounderz Indoor Trampoline Arena 

Rebounderz in Sterling, VA is a huge warehouse of trampolines.The trampoline park is open from 2:00 pm – 10:00 pm on Monday through Thursday and 10:00 am – 10:00 pm on Friday through Sunday. Be sure to check out their daily deals like unlimited jumping on Friday nights for kids 12 and older and take advantage of the option to buy tickets for a specific time 24 hours in advance. Rebounderz is located three miles west of Dulles International Airport in Sterling, VA.

Ice Skating

Ice skating in DC has gotten a lot more scenic recently with the addition of two new ice skating rinks. The rink at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden will always be a favorite, but now you can also skate away an afternoon at the Washington Harbor in Georgetown and at Canal Park near the Nationals Baseball Stadium. The ice skating rinks are scheduled to open soon so visit the below websites for more information about opening day and hours of operation.

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden – opening in mid-November

Washington Harbor – opening the second weekend in November

Canal Park – opening in mid-December

While you’re there sip on a cup of hot chocolate and take in the views. The National Sculpture Garden has a small cafe with snacks and drinks and there are several restaurants surrounding the rink at both Washington Harbor and Canal Park.

Imagination Stage

Imagination Stage will take your child on a journey to one of their favorite books or most loved stories with a musical performance designed especially for children, and more importantly a child’s attention span. With an ever changing offering of plays, a great gift shop and kid-friendly cafe it is a fun outing for the entire family. Visit their website for more information on the upcoming plays scheduled for this fall and winter, Lyle the Crocodile and Rumpelstiltskin. Imagination Stage

 Washington National Cathedral 

Fall is the perfect time of year to visit the Pilgrim Observation Gallery at the Washington National Cathedral. You’ll get a bird’s eye view of the beautiful changing leaves in the city and on a clear day you can see all the way to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Currently the observation deck has an exhibit of the broken pieces of the cathedral that fell during the 2011 earthquake and the reconstruction is visible from many of the windows. The observation deck is open Monday – Friday 10:00 am – 5:30 pm, Saturday 10:00 am – 4:30 pm and Sunday 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. If you are able to visit on a Monday or Wednesday at 12:30 pm you will hear the cathedral’s enormous organ and every Tuesday and Wednesday a traditional English tea is served on the observation deck at 2:45 pm. The Cathedral is open to the public and free to visitors, but donations are encouraged. Visit the Washington National Cathedral website for additional information.

ICE

Nothing puts you in the mood for the holidays like the ICE exhibit at the Gaylord National Hotel at Washington National Harbor. After putting on your complimentary parka you will enter a 9 degree winter wonderland made completely of ice. This year’s theme is ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and your kids will love the hand carved life size Santa and the two story ice slide. After your visit stay awhile and warm up with lunch or dinner at one of the many area restaurants. There are many family friendly options such as Elevation Burger and Rosa Mexicano. You also don’t want to miss the holiday decorations and nightly indoor snowfall at the Gaylord National Hotel.  This year the holiday festivities begin on November 15th and run through January 5th. Visit the Gaylord website for information on purchasing tickets. Gaylord National’s Christmas on the Potomac

What are your favorite activities when you have family in town? Let us know…