Whenever it’s cold or rainy and you don’t want to spend $20+ on an indoor play space, free mall play areas to the rescue! I’m impressed by how many we have in the DMV area that are within 45 minutes of Silver Spring, Maryland!

My daughter (5 years old) loves the free mall play areas! And while some of them seem like they would be boring after a few minutes, because there always seems to be kids to play with, she can easily spend 1-2 hours here playing! If we’re using the mall as our simple, get out of the house as a family on a Saturday or a Sunday, my husband and I take turns in 15-20 minute increments watching Addy while the other one gets to walk the mall and get steps! I take this as the perfect time to chat on the phone or listen to an audiobook or run that quick errand!

We almost always combine the mall with something else free and fun (or a practical errand like grocery shopping)! In the list below, you’ll find the malls we’ve adventured to and what you can pair with it on a rainy or cold day or a heat wave. If the weather’s nice, I’ll have to post separate ideas for that as there are so many!

Ellsworth Place in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland (Montgomery County)

• Parking: The Montgomery County parking garages are free on Sundays! Park in the one near Chick-fil-A and take the sky bridge so you don’t get wet or cold! You can also park in the neighborhood by Ellsworth Urban Park and walk.
• Metro Accessible: If the weather is nice enough, it’s a short walk from Silver Spring Metro on the red line.
• Play Area: Located on the bottom level! It’s a mostly enclosed space with a little house and a larger house plus a spinning ride and two animals to sway back and forth on.(Given the multi-levels and only one elevator, it is not a very stroller friendly mall.)
• Stores: We love that there’s a Five and Below here! We also love frequenting the Michael’s clearance, especially after holidays when the items get marked to 70% off! And while this location doesn’t have in-person classes, you may be interested in my Free fun for kids at big box retailers post for other ideas!
• Cheap Treats: Ice cream from Chick-fil-A, a cookie from Whole Foods or a few pieces of candy from Five and Below!
• Nearby Indoor Fun: The Silver Spring Library officially called the Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library is only a block away! There’s a school bus to play in and many tactile items. There’s almost always a scavenger hunt to do and earn a prize too! Definitely check out their events to see if you can catch a story time or Lego playtime! And if you live in Maryland, or the DMV, check about getting a library card!

Westfield Wheaton in Maryland (Montgomery County)

• Parking: Relatively easy! I like to park by Target on the side that faces toward Giant and the freestanding Starbucks.
• Metro Accessible: If the weather is decent enough, it’s a short walk from the Wheaton metro on the red line. As a bonus, you get to ride a super long (230 feet) escalator with a 115 feet vertical rise! (Thanks Wikipedia!)
• Play Area: Located on the lower level near Dick’s Sporting Goods and Joann Fabrics. (The side of the mall closer to Costco, not Target.) While the seat covers were recently replaced (2023), the large structure in the middle was removed. There are a couple of animals and a log to climb on or through plus a few items attached to the wall.
• Stores: There’s Target, Five and Below and Costco (if you have a membership). Check the calendar for the Wheaton Arts Parade store. We’ve enjoyed story time and coloring here before! I also love checking Joann Fabrics for clearance/discounted crafts around various holidays.
• Cheap Treats: Nothing beats Costco or a couple pieces of candy from Five and Below. Personally, I love that this Costco has their café outside of the physical store (in the mall), however it recently changed and now requires a membership card.
• Nearby Indoor Fun: Not too far up Georgia Avenue is the Wheaton library and recreation center. If you’re a Montgomery County resident, the rec center (all MoCo recs) are FREE in 2024 again (just like 2023). Just bring your proof of residence and fill out the form! You can play pool, video games and ping pong here! They also have a tot time in the gym. I love that this library has a Friends of the Library and a coffee shop inside. The library has kids computers, usually a scavenger hunt and some tactile items (the kitchen is no longer there as of January 2024 since a child pulled it onto themselves). And the playground is very nice too! There’s free garage parking to avoid the cold or wet weather too.

Westfield Montgomery in Bethesda, Maryland (Montgomery County)

• Parking: There are lots of parking options! We often park in the garage main level near the Tesla entrance that’s right by the play area.
• Play Area: It’s right by the Lego store and Build a Bear on the main level! It’s mostly enclosed with small things to climb on or go in and it’s near family bathrooms. There’s even a little flushable potty – so cute!
• Stores: I love the decorations at this mall! For various seasons like Cherry Blossoms and the end of year holidays, they tend to go all out! It’s definitely worth a visit to see. We’ve even caught a free Koo Koo kids concert here! The Lego store is always fun to pop around and if we’re celebrating a special day, we like building the three Lego characters for $10. And Jolly Yolly Kids is a fun indoor play space that has a cost – – keep an eye out for a GroupOn or CertifiKID deal (usually have to buy at least the day before and bring grip socks). IG pics!
• Cheap Treats: Jolly Yolly, from what I can tell, has the cheapest treats, snacks and drinks.
• Nearby Indoor Fun: Locust Grove Nature Center is less than 0.5 miles away! It’s free and has a couple of animals inside. We went one February and found the hearts along the trail to get a prize. Another place to check for events. Cabin John Ice Rink is also fun and around the corner. It has Cheapskate times and a Toddler skate time that is an incredible deal for a child (ages 3-4) and a parent or caregiver! Check out our Instagram pics here!

The Mall in Columbia in Maryland (Howard County) – – under renovation until Aug 2024

• Parking: Very easy! We usually park by J.C. Penny’s and enter by the food court to walk to the play area on the main level!
• Play Area: It’s mostly enclosed and has a dentist theme! And if you need a break, walk down the corridor that’s not the food court to get to a hand shuffle board and tic tac toe to play near the bathrooms.
• Stores: We love that the mall is next to Lidl! We often get our groceries here before heading home. There’s also a Barnes and Noble on the backside of the mall, which you could easily attend for story time! I shared this tip in this blog post.
• Cheap Treats: We usually just pick up something from Lidl as part of our grocery shopping!
• Nearby Indoor Fun: Robinson Nature Center is a gem! It does have a small fee to enter, but it is definitely a nature center worth visiting in the area with real animals, a play space, taxidermy and usually an activity like a scavenger hunt. If the weather is decent, there’s play space outside of it too! Find pics here! About 15 minutes away is downtown Ellicott City which has the free B&O train museum and a free children’s museum (think more like living history). Train pics here!

Arundel Mills in Hanover, Maryland (unincorporated Anne Arundel County)

• Parking: Easy, but we found this mall to be very busy on the Saturday we visited!
• Play Area: Near Medieval Times in the mall. Best recommendation is park near Bass Pro Shop and then when you enter the mall, turn left. You’ll run into it. It’s mostly enclosed and relatively small. There are three structures to climb in or on.
• Stores: Bass Pro Shops is a fun store to walk around. There’s a big fish tank with real fish, lots of taxidermy animals and a waterfall. There’s a Five and Below in this mall too. Addy also likes sitting on all the little rides that cost money (but without the money) and the structure by the Egyptian movie theater is cool too!
• Cheap Treats: We often pair with Sam’s Club in Laurel on the way home (you need a membership card, which you may be able to find on GroupOn or CertifiKID) and get cheap pizza and ice cream!
• Nearby Indoor Fun: The Elkridge Library has a really cute kids area! Addy loved the scavenger hunt, the coloring sheets and toys! I was so impressed by the DIY Education Center which is a place you can check out tools (think home improvement and for gardening/yard work), sewing items and baking molds for a week! If you live in Maryland, you can get a library card AND a DIY card.

Westfield Annapolis in Maryland (Anne Arundel County)

• Parking: Easy! We usually park near Cheesecake Factory and you walk by an open indoor grassy area. If you continue straight, you’ll come to the play area.
• Play Area: Very close to Pottery Barn. It’s a mostly enclosed play area with a nautical theme. Lots of pics on TeamTravelsBaby Instagram!
• Stores: The PAWS at the Mall location is fun for seeing cats and a variety of other animals. Whether it’s open or closed, you can usually at least see cats napping through the windows.
• Cheap Treats: Sometimes the library location has free food from the 7-Eleven next door (check for a cart outside the library entrance and inside or ask). Also, 7-Eleven for a slurpee, which I like to call an icee (from my childhood days).
• Nearby Indoor Fun: Inside the mall is a great library, with a large separate room for events! There is also a play kitchen, train table and other toys, plus unique kids seating options. And the nearby Michael E. Busch Annapolis Library is beautiful with large windows and things for kids to play with.

Francis Scott Key Mall in Frederick, Maryland

• Parking: We parked near the REI. We didn’t have any issues finding parking and visited on a weekend in the summer.
• Play Area: It’s near the furniture store and in the same hallway as JC Penny’s but the opposite side.
• Stores: Another mall with a Barnes and Noble! We were here in the summer, so perfect for participating in their Summer Reading Program!
• Cheap Treats: While not exactly cheap (unless you share), we made the drive to South Mountain Creamery in Middletown about 20 minutes away which was incredible by itself, which is best enjoyed on a decent weather day.
• Nearby Indoor Fun: Frederick County has some incredible libraries! We loved the new one in Middletown and the one in Walkersville. Check out my IG highlight with more Frederick ideas.
  
  
  
  
  Tysons Corner Center in Virginia (Fairfax County)

• Parking: We have only visited on a weekend and it can get busy! As long as you’re willing to keep going up levels in the parking structure, you will find a spot!
• Metro Accessible: You can take Metro’s Silver Line here and get off at the Tysons Corner Station! I’ve never done it, but it’s available! It’s about a 45 minute ride from Dulles Airport on the Silver Line.
• Play Area: It’s upstairs by the food court and close to the movie theater! There’s an escalator from the second level, not far from the Barnes and Noble. It is always so busy, I’ve never gotten a good picture without other people’s kids.
• Stores: We are Barnes and Noble fans! You can easily pair your visit to the mall with the free story time here and they have a little train table. The Lego store is always a hit and the Camp Store is fun to walk around. My daughter loved walking around the American Girl Doll store too and adding everything to her birthday list (or her wishful thinking list).
• Cheap Treats: Sometimes Lolli and Pops Candy Store offers free samples!
• Nearby Indoor Fun: Dolley Madison Branch and Tysons-Pimmit Library are both less than 10 minutes away! Dolley had a great scavenger hunt when we visited and puzzles. Tysons-Pimmit had a couple of toys and a Friends of the Library cart at the entrance. As a reminder, DMV residents can get a card here! (I loved adding mine to the Libby app!)

Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax, Virginia (unincorporated Fairfax County)

• Parking: We’ve only been here once, on a weekend, but we didn’t have any issues finding a spot.
• Play Area: We walked around until we found it. It’s got a cute tool theme. This was one of the nicer play areas we’ve been to.
• Stores: If you are visiting the area from more than 90 miles away and are a member of an ASTC passport museum, the Children’s Science Center is a covered museum and would be free! If you’re more local to the DMV and belong to the Maryland Science Center, you can get in for 50% off! This is what we came to explore and the experiments were such a hit! Addy also loved all of the different building toys and creations she made here. IG pics here!
• Cheap Treats: We haven’t explored a ton in this area, so send me your ideas for our next visit!
• Nearby Indoor Fun: Right in the heart of downtown Fairfax is the City of Fairfax Regional Library. We are big fans of exploring libraries anywhere we go! Pics here on TeamTravelsBaby IG!

When we expand our search, where should we visit next? I’m thinking Springfield Town Center, but would love for you to add your ideas to the comments! Find some of our fun adventures on Instagram here and catch up with each month via our Substack newsletter (it’s free and you don’t need an account to receive via email)! If this content was helpful to you or would help a friend, please share!