Whether you’re brand new to Silver Spring, Maryland, new to parenthood in Silver Spring or have been in this area a while, I hope you’ll take away something from my post. I think much of the advice will also be relevant, even if you’re in a nearby area like Takoma Park, Kensington, Wheaton, etc. Let me be among the first to welcome you – Welcome to Silver Spring and the DMV (DC-Maryland-Virginia) area! It’s a great part of Montgomery County to raise a family. We moved here from Northwest D.C. in 2015 and had our daughter in the Fall of 2018.
These are my Top 10 Tips in no particular order! I want to save you time because many of these are things I wish I knew earlier. But hey, better late than never!
1. Search, find and join the local Buy Nothing community on Facebook! This is all about hyper local gifting, receiving, lending and borrowing! I am amazed by the generosity of neighbors and I am always thrilled to gain space in my home by giving away gently used items for free.
2. Follow the locals on Instagram, join the local Facebook groups and subscribe to a great local calendar from a fellow mom who runs MacKidSilverSpring. I bet whether you’re looking for daycare/school advice, doctor recommendations, best playgrounds or something else, you can find that info or solicit it in a FB group.
- Here’s my Insta (@TeamTravelsBaby) and I tend to focus on free and affordable fun in the DMV and beyond and write a newsletter you can subscribe to on Substack
- Give my friend, Leah who runs Macaroni Kid Silver Spring, a follow on IG too
- You may want to consider following SilverSpringDowntown, VisitMoco and MainStreetTakoma
- For local news check out SourceoftheSpring
- Facebook groups for advice/local questions: Leaning in and falling over- professional mom meetup (Silver Spring, etc.); Silver Spring Moms & Dads; and Takoma Mamas & Families.
- Buy/sell/gift FB groups include: Takoma/SS Baby and Kids (0-5) Exchange and Takoma/SS Rehoming Kids (5+) Clothes & Gear
3. Get a Montgomery County library card and make it a point to visit other counties for their library cards too! This is the most amazing area for reciprocity and you can join tons of library systems (bring ID), participate in free programming, borrow all kinds of content (digital and physical), etc. My pro tip is to join the Prince George’s County library system or the Anne Arundel County library system because they offer a FREE ABC Mouse account which is an incredible learning game for kids up to about 2nd grade. My second pro tip is to reserve time to take your child to one of the four Montgomery County Discovery Rooms (Quince Orchard, Gaithersburg, Germantown and Marilyn Praisner) or check out the Children’s Library at Noyes!
4. Buy the Maryland Science Center Groupon which is usually available starting in November of each year! It is a steal for the benefits, especially if you travel! The price of about $80-90 gets your family an annual membership to the museum and FREE access to museums that are part of the ASTC passport program that are 90+ miles away from the covered museum and your address and 50% off museums that are within that mileage. And the pass doesn’t have to be redeemed right away so you have a couple of months before you have to start the one year clock. I feel so passionate about this, I wrote an article called Your Family Needs the ASTC Passport.
5. Take the metro with your kids into DC! The metro is free for kids 4 years old and younger. Let’s face it, it’s a train ride to them – it’s fun! My daughter loves it! And on Sundays, you can park in Montgomery County Parking lots, like the ones in Silver Spring and Bethesda for free! And then once you get to DC, there’s the free Smithsonian Zoo (reserve tickets online; walk down from Cleveland Park metro to the zoo, then walk down to Woodley Park metro to go home, trust me on this), go down the slide at MLK Library and catch story time (walk over from Chinatown metro), or reserve a free (donation based) ticket to Planet Word Museum and then play at Franklin Park (walk over from Metro Center station). These are all red line fun, but there is so much more if you’re willing to walk or transfer to another line. In the spring you can pop down to see the cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin! Always check metro’s site for any scheduled track work first.
5. Experience tons of free and affordable fun! There is way too much for one article, so I created a DMV landing page! If you want a fun all in one outting to get started, here’s a suggestion:
- Wheaton Library and Recreation Center – This is a great experience because there’s dedicated free parking (including a parking garage), a library (sadly no play kitchen anymore but usually a scavenger hunt, AWE learning computers and other tactile items), a beautiful playground, a Friends of the Library, a coffee shop and rec center all in one!
6. There are local businesses that offer FREE fun! It makes it so easy to support them!
- People’s Book – Check out their story times! It’s located in vibrant downtown Takoma Park with a playground across the street, cute stores to wander in and out of and a coffee shop.
- Merry Pin – Bring your child to story time and a craft/art time while you sip on their wonderful coffee or have a treat! There are tons of offerings for adults only too!
7. There are great places to get out and walk or hike!
- Burnt Mills Park East – This is perfectly paired with Trader Joe’s where your child can find the penguin and shark stuffed animals to get a free prize (usually a lollipop) from the treasure chest!
- Burnt Mills Park West – We have our very own waterfall! You could enjoy this and then drive up the street to North Four Corners Local Park which is really a two for one deal and has a walking/riding path.
- Northwest Branch Trail – We like to hike and this was another one that was fun to explore.
8. There are lots of playgrounds to choose from!
- On Substack I share many of the playgrounds along Sligo Creek Parkway, which is also a great place to walk and is accessible.
- Dewey Local Park is a favorite because it has a great riding path, an obstacle course playground, an outdoor gym, a dog park and a skating rink! It’s also close to a great thrift store (Unique).
- Adventure farther out to destination playgrounds like Watkins Regional (Wizard of Oz) or Sophie and Madigan’s (Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland). Or check out Clemyjontri in MacLean.
8. We have our own botanical gardens and nature center in nearby Wheaton! It’s also close to an adventure park, carousel and train!
- Brookside Gardens – Remember to check out the free mini train display during the holidays and don’t miss the Children’s Garden.
- Brookside Nature Center – I love that this is free! Great for a hot or rainy day.
- Wheaton Regional Playground – Wear you tennis shoes and maybe bring a flat piece of cardboard for the blue mound! This park is huge! For littles I love that there’s a sand pit. Around the corner is a Dollar Tree if you need an affordable treat!
9. We have indoor play spaces! Check their sites for current prices and hours.
- Recess – This is the newest one in the area and it’s so clean! There is no time limit and you get awesome sticky socks when you visit (kids + adults). Pair with a trip to nearby Target or Aldi.
- Silver Star Gymnastics – They have an open gym time – check their schedule!
- Recreation Centers – Some offer “Littles Ones” in the gyms where they bring out toys for the 5 and under crowd! Check the schedule for these drop-in events run by MoCo Recreation.
- Ice Rinks – The county runs ice rinks that have very affordable pricing. If you have a little one, check out Tot Skate. The Montgomery Parks site has the details.
- Chuck E. Cheese – This is so different than from when I grew up and my daughter absolutely loves it! If you’re a Sam’s Club card holder, pick up a $50 gift card for like $37.50 or check the site for coupons. The one in Langley Park often has deals!
- Libraries – There are so many! Check out the Discovery Rooms I mentioned above as well as the others like the downtown Silver Spring Library which has a play school bus and the best prizes for scavenger hunts.
10. There’s a Play Lady nearby who hosts free Play Dates for kids and adults! Make sure to follow Let’s Play America for the save the dates! These are held in Takoma Park.
** Bonus. In 2025 (just like 2023 and 2024), Montgomery County Recreation Centers are free for county residents. Bring your photo ID to one and get signed up. While the pools are not included in the free membership, you can enjoy the play spaces located in the Silver Spring Aquatic and Recreation Center and Wisconsin Place Community Center. And if you are looking for a fun and affordable family indoor pool, check out nearby Rollingcrest-Chillum.
Silver Spring is amazing! I love the proximity to DC, Columbia, Annapolis, Alexandria, Frederick and lots of other great places! I appreciate that we have our own proper downtown with coffee shops, ice cream, a Saturday market, a library, a movie theater, a mall with a free play area and tons of parks and events! If you have a tip I didn’t cover, feel free to share in the comments so others in the future will benefit. I would love to know where you moved here from too!
About the Author
Lydia Garry and her family, TeamTravelsBaby, live in Silver Spring, Maryland, and are working to achieve “vagabond status”. Much of their affordable family travel experiences include U.S. travel, national parks and Europe. Adventure with them here, subscribe to their newsletter and follow along on Instagram!
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