Category: United States

Roller Coasting Through Knoebels

Posted in Pennsylvania, Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Knoebels is an amusement park in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. From Silver Spring (MD), it took us about three hours, taking us through Harrisburg. We had never been to this theme park before but it came on my radar because it’s a free park with free parking AND you can bring your own food into the park. All of this piqued my curiosity and I started researching if it would offer a good variety of rides for my husband, my 6 year old (47 inches) and me. The answer – why yes it did! And for under $100, we were able to enjoyed nearly 7 hours here on Sunday of Labor Day weekend (temps around 78 F and sunny).

Family time at Knoebels! | TeamTravelsBaby

Parking

This is free. Employees direct you to spots. There’s a tram offered as well. We arrived around 2 pm and parked in Parking Lot B, which was an easy walk into the park. We brought our stroller. We saw many people with wagons. There is paved and gravel in the park, so definitely bring something that you don’t mind pushing on gravel. And when we exited the park, we drove out the back exit, which seemed to be a lot faster then the people trying to exit Lot A and make a left onto the road out of the park.

Tickets versus Wristbands

Every family will have to consider their riding desires, the age/height of kids, amount of time at the park, day of the week visiting the park, etc. Start with this Knoebels page. For us, I started with reviewing the ride heights for the three wooden roller coasters (Flying Turns, Phoenix and Twister at $5 each) and the two water rides (Giant Flume and Skloosh at $4 each) to make sure we could all ride since my daughter (6 years old) is 47 inches tall. For our family of three to ride each of these five rides one time would have cost $69. I compared this with the various bands and found that on Sunday night we could get a “Sundown Special” (unlimited rides, excludes Haunted House from 4-9 pm) for $35 for each adult (48 inches or higher) and $24 for each kid (under 48 inches) for us a total of $94 booked directly online the night before going. This became a no-brainer for us!

But if your child is younger or shorter or is newer to rides, you may want to consider the tickets since the kiddie rides are less expensive (think $2-3) and perhaps only one adult will ride or no adult will ride. If you do decide on tickets, all the advice I read said to buy the ticket books (which never expire) at Weis Markets for a discount. If your child is younger, I would also highly recommend considering Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This is a family fave!

Free play area at Knoebels | TeamTravelsBaby
Free character meet up at Knoebels | TeamTravelsBaby

Free Fun

If you just want to experience the park, it’s free to enter. Check out their entertainment schedule as they often have music playing, puppet shows, magic shows, etc. You can definitely walk around and enjoy the vibe. You can also meet the characters for free and play in the kids play space for free next to the character meet spot. After we walked the park to get a feel for the layout, see the bald eagles by Black Diamond and located the rides we wanted to ride, Addy met Dexter the Raccoon and then played in the free play area before we went to redeem our tickets for our unlimited wristbands at 3:45 pm (this is the earliest you can get the bands and all people must be present). We made sure to get there a few minutes early and were among the first people to redeem and went straight to our first ride.

Our Ride Schedule

  • $4 x 3, Giant (log) Flume (we all got wet)
  • $5 x 3, Phoenix, wooden coaster (the first time was intense and felt like we came 4-6 inches out of our seat, so be prepared; this ended up being our favorite ride)
  • $4.50 x 3, Black Diamond (indoor dark ride, glad we did it once, but not a favorite)
  • $2.50 x 2, Paratrooper (you go up facing out and then they drop you)
  • $5 x 6, Twister (wooden roller coaster, super fun)
  • We rode all of the above between 4-6 pm
  • $4 x 3, Skloosh (we got soaked and it’s super short)
  • $5 x 3, Flying Turns (super unique bobsled type ride, one of a kind, long line but glad we did)
  • $4 x 3, Giant Flume
  • $3.50 x 2, Bumper Cars (Addy has enjoyed in the past at other places, but didn’t like here)
  • $3.50 x 4, Italian Trapeeze (swings that go up and out, not my jam, but Addy loved)
  • We rode all of the above between 6-8 pm.
  • $5 x 23, Phoenix (Addy and Mike rode 8 times and I rode 7 times; it was a literal marathon of riding and it was such an incredible experience; the excitement and energy were unmatched)
  • Phoenix over and over again from 8-9 pm.

In total, this would have cost our family $250.50! In other words, there’s no way we would have ridden this many rides without the unlimited pass and the $94 unlimited passes were a great value!

Rides at Knoebels over Labor Day weekend | TeamTravelsBaby

Other Rides

Many people recommend the Carousel because you can try to grab the brass ring. The Ferris wheel also looked nice, especially lit up at night and the scenic ride up the ski slopes looked pretty (believe it takes 20 minutes). There was a roller coaster (Impulse) and a huge dead drop ride that Addy was too short for. She also wanted to ride the Antique Cars (the ones that smell like gasoline), but opted for the coasters instead. In total there are at least 60 rides to choose from!

Crystal Pool

In the middle of the park is a waterpark. It has a huge spring fed pool (so it was cold when we visited), slides, diving boards and a splash pad. This is a separate cost and looks like it would be fun.

Labor Day Weekend

I did not know what to expect. The ride attendants said Saturday was absolutely packed. But I did not feel that way at all on Sunday. The longest we waited for a ride was 45 minutes and this only happened for two rides (Flying Turns, the trackless coaster like riding a bobsled and Black Diamond, an indoor dark ride). The rest we didn’t wait more than 15-20 minutes.

Hopefully you can see that for us $94 unlimited bands paid for itself. We absolutely loved it – here’s a link to my IG post if you want to save! If you’ve been before, share your tips in the comments. If you’re thinking about going, what questions do you have?

People are blurry on the Swings ride, which is lit up at Knoebels Amusement Park.
Swings at Knoebels | TeamTravelsBaby

Maryland Ice Cream Trail Adventure

Posted in DC-Maryland-Virginia, Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Have you heard of the Maryland Ice Cream Trail? It’s a real thing and there are prizes too! This was a highlight of Summer 2024 for us as my daughter (5 years old at the time) and I traveled to each of the cow to cone places, supporting small businesses while enjoying some of the most delicious ice cream. It was such a great motivation to explore new areas and took us from western Maryland to north of Baltimore to the Eastern Shore. Review the official site for the current dates, check out the interactive map and make sure to photograph your visit to each one and consider sharing on social media for prizes. In 2024, we won a cute ice cream squishy in one of the weekly social media contests! Check out my Instagram highlight.

Broom’s Bloom Dairy, Bel Air (Saturday, 7/20/2024)

  • We visited this one and Prigel Family Creamery on the same day. Our adventure included White Marsh Mall, the Bel Air Library (a Harford County library, see my pics of this amazing location) and Annie’s Playground (double check if this has reopened if you plan to go).
  • You could also consider pairing this with Havre de Grace which is an adorable city to explore with another incredible library, a great coffee shop, unique shops and street art. Plus don’t miss Millard Tydings Memorial Park and the boardwalk path to see the lighthouse. Check out my IG highlight.
  • We loved the colorful spoons here and the wall paintings inside. Lots of outdoor seating too.
Outside at Broom’s Bloom Dairy | TeamTravelsBaby

Chesapeake Bay Farms, Berlin (Wednesday, 6/19/2024, Juneteenth)

  • We paired this with historic Berlin and Ocean City! Ice cream post on IG here.
  • Check out my comprehensive Maryland’s Eastern Shore post with tons of ideas by city called, Explore the Eastern Shore.
Chesapeake Bay Farms | TeamTravelsBaby

Deliteful Dairy, Williamsport (Saturday, 8/31/2024, Labor Day weekend)

  • We visited this one and Moo Cow Creamery on the same day. While we visited as part of a long weekend trip, this could easily be a day trip. Surreybrooke is a whimsical garden store that my daughter and I wandered around. Bring a dollar or two for a snack.
  • You could also consider pairing this with a beach day at Greenbriar State Park (just remember to reserve and pay for your ticket beginning in 2025) or a relaxing day exploring the small town of Middletown (the library is beautiful here).
  • This was our last stop on the trail and it was my least favorite because it’s soft serve (I’m just not a soft serve ice cream person), but my daughter loved it! We loved going outside to see the highland cow, donkeys, horses and cows.
Inside Deliteful Dairy | TeamTravelsBaby
Animals at Deliteful Dairy | TeamTravelsBaby

Happy Cow at Grand View Acre Farms, Union Bridge (Sunday, 7/28/2024)

  • We visited this one and Woodburne Creamery on the same day. We started our day with strolling Carroll Creek and the downtown Frederick’s C. Burr Artz public library (which has a huge kids room with toys, games and usually a scavenger hunt) followed by the Fountain Rock Park and Nature Center which is free to explore. You can see real animals, walk the trails and also enjoy the shaded playground.
  • Of course, if you haven’t been, you must check out the Big Wooden Slide at Mt. Tabor Park. Check out my IG reel! This was super fun and free!
  • This was one of my favorites and I recommend picking a nice day to visit. We opted for a milkshake here. There are lawn games, a small playground, sand to play in and animals to see (if they decide to come within view). The goats came right up to the fence for us.
Game at Happpy Cow | TeamTravelsBaby
Playground at Happy Cow | TeamTravelsBaby

Keyes Creamery, Churchville (Tuesday, 7/16/2024)

  • After a fun overnight trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania and the Cartoon Network hotel, we stopped here to break up our drive home, northeast of Baltimore. We then continued our drive and popped off the highway into the Storyville at the Rosedale Library in Baltimore which is free and similar to the Woodlawn Library location.
  • This location had shaded benches under a pavilion and we enjoyed a flight (4 flavors) here.
Flight at Keye’s Creamery | TeamTravelsBaby

Lockbriar Farms, Chestertown (Saturday, 8/24/2024)

  • If you don’t mind crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (make sure to have an EZ pass), this is a great day trip. Many Eastern Shore libraries are closed on Sundays, we opted to do this trip on a Saturday so we could check out the Queen Anne’s County Library which was a great stop.
  • After the farm, we went to downtown Chestertown which happened to have a back-to-school free fair. Addy had the best time collecting things and everyone was so kind. Then we headed to Wilmer Park for the playground and a walk by the water. If we had known, I may have visited downtown earlier in the day to visit KidSPOT Children’s Creativity Center while it was opened since my daughter loves art.
  • This was one of our favorites! The fruit flavored ice creams are super flavorful and the sweetest cat hung out with us while we ate. One of the owners was so kind to walk us around with the dog, and take us inside the chicken coop where Addy got to hold an egg. The u-pick garden here is stunning.

Misty Meadows Farm Creamery, Smithburg (Sunday, 7/21/2024)

  • We visited this one and Rocky Point Creamery on the same day. We ate our ice cream on the shaded porch.
  • We wanted to check out the Discovery Station (kids museum) in Hagerstown and it’s free the third Sunday of each month. My daughter’s favorite is the top level with the art supplies and painting on an easel. We also enjoyed walking to the downtown library which has a cute kids section and finding the large painted butterflies around town. IG highlight here.
  • This one is super family friendly with a butterfly maze, sunflowers (we went past peak and they were 25 cents per stem), large tires to climb, little ride on vehicles and a playground. Inside we got a few free bits of broken up waffle cone to feed the goats and visited the cow and donkey too. I would love to return to this one.

Moo Cow Creamery at Walnut Ridge Farm (bonus location), Middletown (Saturday, 8/31/2024)

  • We started our day here for a long weekend adventure that would ultimately include: Surreybrooke, the C&O Canal in Williamsport (to earn a Junior Ranger badge), Deliteful Dairy (another stop on the ice cream trail), Winchester (VA), Berkley Springs (WV), Cumberland (MD), Frostburg (MD) and the Paw Paw Tunnel.
  • We loved the street art here and seeing the sweet kitties and golden retriever. This location does not scoop ice cream so we bought a 1/2 pint to share and a chocolate milk.
Moo Cow Creamery | TeamTravelsBaby

Prigel Family Creamery, Glen Arm (Saturday, 7/20/2024)

  • We visited this one and Broom’s Bloom Dairy on the same day. This could also be paired with a day in the Baltimore area. I have a whole highlight of ideas here.
  • Don’t miss a picture with the colorful cow outside. This location offers workshops and a kids’ Wonderfarm Club. If these may interest you, check out the dates and information online to sign-up and plan accordingly for your visit.
Prigel Family Creamery | TeamTravelsBaby

Rocky Point Creamery, Tuscarora (Sunday, 7/21/2024)

  • We visited this one and Misty Meadows Farm Creamery on the same day. In between the two ice cream stops, we popped into the Francis Scott Key Mall which has a Barnes & Noble to turn in Addy’s summer reading paper and get a free book.
  • This location was quite busy which was fun to see! We got our picture on the cow bench and then stopped at Rio Washingtonian on the way home.

South Mountain Creamery, Middletown (Saturday, 6/29/2024)

  • In my personal opinion, make sure to check out the creamery location instead of the storefront location. On the way here, we visited Pinecliff Park which is pretty large and also has a built in scavenger hunt. We then visited the Middletown Library – don’t miss the beautiful porches. Of course if you’ve never been to Sophie and Madigan’s Playground, this would be my top choice for the area playgrounds. I have more ideas in my Frederick highlight.
  • We understand why this place gets rave reviews. You can walk through and visit the baby cows, take a picture on a tractor and play at the playground with lots of toys. There’s a shaded pavilion right by the playground too plus various photo opportunities. We loved this one!

Woodbourne Creamery, Mt. Airy (Sunday, 7/28/2024)

  • We visited this one and Happy Cow on the same day. We sat behind the building in the shade under the tree. There were also beautiful flowers blooming here and a playground (that’s full sun).
  • On our drive home, we went to Damascus Recreational Park which had an incredible playground structure and bathrooms. If you’d rather explore closer to the ice cream stop, check out the small town of New Market to get coffee at 5 West Cafe and then play some games at nearby Adventure Park USA (keep an eye on Groupon – we got $100 credit for $48). This was perfect for the indoor ropes course and zipline, laser tag, some video games, bowling, etc.
Woodbourne Creamery | TeamTravelsBaby
Playground at Woodbourne Creamery | TeamTravelsBaby

A couple of general suggestions:

  • Follow each farm on social media as you may find another event to pair your trip with or decide to try their U-pick (flowers, fruit, etc.), they may offer a special or they may change their hours. (I have found that Google doesn’t always get it right, particularly with places that have seasonal hours. Hyperlinks above lead to their official websites.)
  • Many were closed on Sundays or things in the immediate area were, so again, make sure to plan accordingly so you’re not disappointed.
  • Document what you try so you can rank them at the end. I wish I had done a better job of this.
  • Some places will split a single, which means you can get a “single scoop” but try two flavors. On days when we tried multiple ice cream places, or when we couldn’t pick a favorite, we loved that we could do this. Make sure to ask. It’s also fun to try the different flavored milks and be prepared that each location may not offer samples.
  • Bring cash just in case. I believe I was able to pay with my credit card everywhere, but since these are small businesses and may have a minimum purchase amount or a credit card fee, it’s always a great practice to have some cash as an option.
  • If you enjoy hiking, check out the official site with the nearby trail for each stop.
  • Add a local library to each stop. If you’re a Maryland resident, you can get each Maryland county’s library card. This is great for access to online resources. I particularly love it because it allows me to add more cards to my Libby app so I rarely have to wait for a title. And at the same time, sign-up for Summer Reading! Even if you don’t think you’ll return to the county to finish, many library systems give you a prize just for signing up.
  • Have fun!!

New in 2025:

There is a Let’s Rallie app this year and also some new places on the trail to include Brown Cow Creamery in Mt. Airy, Glamourview Creamery in Walkersville, and Miller Farms in Clinton. We have been to the last one and plan to try these other too when we make our way to the Frederick area. When we visited Miller Farms, we combined it with Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Cove Farm, which is free and a place to earn a Junior Ranger Badge and ice skating at Tucker Road Ice Rink. We are excited to explore some parts of the Lancaster Ice Cream trail this summer. There’s a lot more than just Turkey Hill in this area.

Miller Farms in Clinton | TeamTravelsBaby

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 free newsletter and follow along on Instagram!

Musings from a former Kindergarten mom

Posted in DC-Maryland-Virginia, Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , Leave a comment
First day of school

As we wrap up my daughter’s Kindergarten school year, I am blown away by how quickly her first year in public school went. I love her small neighborhood Montgomery County, Maryland public school. She has a small class (about 15-16 students), a teacher with 30 years of experience and a diverse class of students that became friends over the course of the year. I love that we could walk her to and from school each day and that her school offered specials for art, music, library and gym. I have so many thoughts I want to share as other parents turn to this milestone with rising Kindergarteners. So here are my musings, in no particular order.

First day of Kindergarten | TeamTravelsBaby
The last month of school | TeamTravelsBaby

  1. Enjoy the summer before Kindergarten. Whether you are a stay at home parent or work in or out of the home, take some days if you can to go on weekday adventures. Check out a new playground, take a day trip, get ice cream, throw rocks in the creek, venture to a beach, do something new to you. My daughter did not know how to read before K (she knew all of her capital letter names) and learned during the course of the school year. Focus on the fun because the academics will come. Once my daughter mastered the letter sounds in K and she was sounding out words, we introduced BOB books at home to practice.
  2. Visit the school in the summer. We played at the school playground, which was open to the public, including a playdate coordinated by the PTA right before school started. We learned about it through a local Facebook group and at the playdate we were able to provide our contact info to get on the PTA listserv. We also went for the free summer lunch in the cafeteria a few times. The summer lunch program is meant to close the nutrition gap to ensure kids have access to food. She had to eat it there, in the cafeteria, and I was shocked we were the only ones there on the three days we went. This gave her a chance to enter the school with me, go through the cafeteria line and meet the lunch lady, and we also got to meet some of the administrative staff working during the summer. If you are in Montgomery County, Maryland, use this site to see if your school offers free summer lunch.
  3. Supplies. I’m sure this varies by school, but there really wasn’t a supply list like I remember from childhood. Some recommendations included a labeled reusable water bottle and headphones (like the old school kind that go over your head and connect to a jack). We were also asked for donations during the year for Chlorox wipes and tissue boxes, so if you see a good deal, stock up if this is something you’d like to contribute. Of course if your child plans to bring lunch, a lunch box with items they can open themselves is recommended. My daughter also brought a backpack. Check out the local thrifts for these and save some money!
  4. Doctor appointments. If you already have your child’s doctor or dentist appointment in the summer scheduled (or even if it’s scheduled in the Fall), make sure you know what health forms need to be completed by the physicians. It can save you time (and possibly money) to bring them with you during already scheduled appointment times. One less thing on a separate to do list too!
  5. Preview night. If the school offers a preview night, usually the night or so before school starts, it’s a great way to meet the teacher (ask if you can snap a pic), see the classroom and locate your child’s cubby and seat. It’s also a great time to ask questions like confirming drop off and pick up times, where to pick up, how the teacher likes to be contacted, etc. I also exchanged numbers with a few parents that night, which came in handy (take notes on their contact card so you can remember child/parent(s)/sibling(s)! Also, if there’s a class roster, snap a picture. It can be helpful for asking your child about friends they are making in the class if you know their names (and we used later in the year to jumpstart Valentine’s before the list came home). One thing I loved about Addy’s K teacher is that every week the kids rotated classroom “jobs” like the weather announcer, line leader, table cleaner, person to help pass out papers, etc.
  6. After school activities. Here is your permission that it is okay to not pay for dance or music or karate or whatever. If you want to and your child is interested, go for it. But it’s also okay to pick up your child and hang out at the park after school or enjoy the free events at the local libraries. Staying after school to play turned out to be a great way to meet other parents and kids. Don’t forget to exchange contact info if you hit it off! And if it becomes a regular thing, consider swapping days on who brings after school snacks.
  7. Bring the snacks. Yes, your child will be tired and hungry after school, especially during the transition. Since we often played at the playground after school, I would bring something for my daughter to eat. On days we would go home after dismissal at 3:50 pm, I would often feed her dinner and then have a snack later in the evening because she would be the definition of hangry. It’s okay to do what works for your fam.
  8. Kids Night Out. While my daughter does not attend the after care at her school (Kids After Hours or KAH), we learned partway through the school year, that we could have her attend the 3 hour Friday night monthly session for $25. It was a great time for her to eat pizza, get her face painted, play in the bounce house, use glow sticks for the dance party and see friends from school. It was great for my husband and I to have a night out to go for an extra long walk or catch a movie. I just created an online account for KAH, filled out emergency contact and paid by session she attended. If you’re in MoCo, here’s the link.
  9. Volunteer for the field trip. If your schedule allows, volunteer for the field trip. We had one field trip in the Fall to Clark Elioak’s which included pumpkin picking. While riding the school bus made me feel a little sick (seriously so bouncy), it was a great way to put names and faces together of the children I heard my daughter talk about regularly, see the teacher in action and get to know her and the kids as well.
  10. Get a basket. Oh my gosh. There is seriously way too much paper that comes home each week. Having a basket allowed me to go through the paper piles and keep nice pieces of art (so my daughter always thought I was saving everything) in the basket and recycle the rest. Seriously, no guilt! And if you think of it, add at least the month and year on the artwork!
  11. Communication channels. This is something I’m still working on because I often run out of space on my phone. You’ll want to have the Remind app and connect to the school and teachers. We also got an email with a weekly newsletter, then there was a separate Google Drive K newsletter. Another system was ParentVue, which is where I took the online training to volunteer for the field trip and could see her report cards. the broader MoCo Public Schools also sent a weekly Thursday text with a link and an email. It can be a lot, so stay connected with other parents so you can compare notes – this was so helpful for me.
  12. Spirit Week and special days. There will be opportunities to buy school gear (e.g., t-shirt, sweatshirt, etc.) during the year. If you think your child would want to participate in school spirit day, considering buying one from the PTA table or ordering at various points in the year. Our school had Spirit week at two different points in the year and various pajama days. For special dress days, I asked her if she wanted to participate and then prepared accordingly. Things like crazy hair day and tie dye day were ones she enjoyed.
  13. Yearbooks and class pictures. We opted not to get a yearbook. Instead, I’m in the process of making a Shutterfly book for my daughter that’s not solely focused on school but rather all of the adventures from her Kindergarten year. As for a class picture, I loved the class picture and it was about $12 to order a 5×7 near the end of the school year.
  14. School calendar. Mark all of the early release days and school closure dates on your calendar for the year. This was helpful for planning leave away from my job so I could enjoy random weekdays off with my daughter to go to DC or do something we couldn’t normally do because of the school schedule. As federal employees, there were two federal holidays that MCPS had school (Indigenous Persons Day and Veterans’ Day) which made for great date days for my husband and I. If you plan to have a DC adventure day, plan early so you can reserve tickets.
  15. Miss the day of school. If you have an opportunity to take your child with you on an adventure and it means they miss a day or two or three of school – DO IT! Particularly in Kindergarten, I have zero regrets for the days my daughter missed school to do something fun, go on a trip or see family and friends. As far as I know, there’s no award for attendance, and even if there was, who cares! You only get one life – enjoy it! Just make sure to email your child’s teacher and the school’s attendance secretary.
  16. Learn new things. Kindergarten is the perfect age to start introducing things like a two wheel bike, a two wheel scooter and jump rope. While we are still working on a two wheel bike and two wheel scooter, the jump rope was a huge hit! And while my daughter’s school doesn’t have swings, help your child learn how to pump so they can swing independently. One thing I love about this age is their earnestness to learn and try new things.
  17. Birthday parties. I feel like this topic could have a post of its own. I’ll share that I personally loved her friend’s birthday that was low key at a duck bowling alley with no scoring and the party favor was a picture she took of her birthday girl with each friend that she printed at the party and put in a magnetic holder. It was genius! They also asked for no gifts, which eliminated a lot of stress.
  18. Tooth fairy. A handful of my daughter’s classmates lost their first tooth in K. For us, we adopted the rate of $5 and the first tooth got a special note from the tooth fairy. At the end of the day, do what works best for your family. Some people we know did a $1 or $2 and others did a special $1 coin. My daughter lost her bottom two middle teeth and each time we put the tooth in a ziplock bag and then under the pillow which made it much easier to find once she went to sleep.
  19. Thank the teachers. Our elementary school provided a list with each teacher and administrator’s favorite candy, favorite store, favorite drink, etc. This really helped during the holidays when deciding where to buy giftcards to. There’s also teacher appreciation week and the end of the school year. I think teachers appreciate a kind note too.
  20. Follow Busy Toddler’s advice. I absolutely love the tactical, non-academic advice that Susie (who has a Master’s in Education and is a former teacher) offers parents who are preparing for K. Things like making sure your child can zip and unzip their coat and sample role playing to prepare your child for the social aspects of daily interactions with peers. Check out her full post here.
The Glenstone in late August | TeamTravelsBaby
Patapsco State Park on Veteran’s Day | TeamTravelsBaby

I am incredibly happy and relieved that my daughter loves school and that she looked forward to school each day (I think having a late start school helped too). For the first half of the year, she told us she wished there weren’t weekends. This blew my mind considering I think we have some pretty fun adventures, but I think it was a testament to the environment her teacher created and the wonderful kids she enjoyed playing with each day. I hope you have the best summer and your child’s transition to K goes well too. Which musings were helpful to you?

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!

Splish Splash in Maryland

Posted in DC-Maryland-Virginia, Free Kids Fun, Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
Outdoor pool with slides at Truxton Park in Annapolis

Maryland summers are notorious for being hot and humid, so we are always looking for a place to stay cool. From Memorial Day to Labor Day there are lots of splash pads and outdoor pools open. Splash pads are great because they are generally free and can be enjoyed long before learning to swim. Outdoor pools are our family favorite because my husband and I can take turns getting in the water with our daughter while one of us relaxes in a lounger. This post focuses primarily on outdoor pools with some splash pads at the end. Always remember to bring and wear sunscreen, even on a cloudy day. Water bottle, snacks, towels, something for breaks, and goggles too! This post was first shared with subscribers to my free newsletter, Trek, Travel and Treat | Edition 11.

Montgomery County (MoCo)

There are 7 outdoor county run pools and our personal favorite is the Wheaton/Glenmont pool because there is truly something for everyone from a small gated area for littles to slides and lily pads based on various heights and diving boards. Check out my Instagram reel to get a feel for it. I love that my daughter and I can visit for $12! Our second favorite is probably the MLK pool with the lazy river.

  • Babies under 1 are free. Price is much cheaper for county residents, but non-residents can enjoy too. If you plan to use the pools quite a bit in the summer, see if the punch pass may make sense to buy (12 adult tickets for the price of 10). Check prices here.
  • Check for the most current hours, weather and maintenance closures, etc. on the official site before going to avoid disappointment. This is good advice for any place you may visit!
  • Anticipate mandatory breaks dictated by the pool where everyone must exit the water.
  • Read the rules ahead of time so you know what to expect and what you can bring in.
City of Gaithersburg Water Park | TeamTravelsBaby

The City of Gaithersburg in Montgomery County has an incredible outdoor pool called the City of Gaithersburg Water Park at Bohrer Park which has beached entry, slides and an enclosed splash pad. If you are outside of city limits, make sure to visit when it’s open to non-city residents. Residents outside of Montgomery County are not able to visit. Check the website for hours, rules, exclusions, etc. Pricing differs on weekdays versus weekends and costs quite a bit more than MoCo or PG country run pools.

Prince George’s (PG) County

PG County is super close to where we live in Silver Spring (MoCo). And the best part is that PG County allows MoCo residents to pay the same price as in-county residents making it comparable to MoCo pools. There are another 7 to pick from here and our personal favorite so far has been Ellen Linson Splash Park. Make sure to check the official site before going. You may be able to save by making reservations online and in advance too.

Anne Arundel County

We love to adventure and find that a trip to Annapolis is only about 45 minutes from Silver Spring. There is a municipal pool at Truxton Park. While we liked this pool, the downside is there is a required swim test in order to go down the slides. We found other pools were more conducive to our little swimmer (who was not a strong swimmer at the time we went). You can find pictures of this pool along with other splash pads in the DMV in this IG highlight. And in a previous newsletter, I shared some Annapolis ideas (don’t forget to subscribe – it’s free, just don’t enter your card #) as well as some in an IG highlight.

Truxton Pool | TeamTravelsbaby

Howard County

Living near US-29 makes Columbia and Ellicott City, Maryland an easy 30-45 minute drive from Silver Spring. There’s a simple indoor pool at Roger Carter Community Center and an outdoor splash pad. Addy and I had a fun mommy/daughter date here. I really liked the beach entry. The price is comparable to PG and MoCo county pools and 2 years and younger are free here. I really want to return here so Addy can climb the rock wall which has specific hours. I do have a few ideas in my Columbia highlight and know I have more I need to add there.

Frederick County

Downtown Frederick is such a fun walkable town and there is plenty to do in the area for a day trip. I’ve shared quite a bit in this Instagram highlight. We checked out the Edward Thomas Memorial Pool which didn’t have all the extras, but I really liked the layout for continuing to move in the water.

Pool in Frederick | TeamTravelsBaby

Indoor Pools

If it’s a rainy summer day and you still want your pool fix, we like the Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center and the Rollingcrest-Chillum pool. If you want to venture to Virginia, the Claude Moore Recreation and Aquatic Center is a good deal with more than just the pool included in the pass. And if you want to plan a bigger adventure to Great Wolf Lodge near Baltimore, check out my post.

Super Unique Water Features in DC

If you’re venturing to D.C., check out the Yards Park Canal Basin. This is super unique and free, especially if you find free street parking on a weekend. Just check the baseball schedule for the Nationals first. If the National Zoo is on your list, there are water features there too so don’t forget a change of clothes. Misters on the main walking path and a splash pad by the seals and sea lions. Have you read my separate blog post about all the fun free places in DC?

Yards Park in DC | TeamTravelsBaby

Splash Pads

I will make a separate post for splash pads, but to get you started here are a few you can find on my Instagram: Maryvale Park in Rockville, Rockville Town Square Splash Pad, Walker Mill Misting Park in District Heights, Takoma Splash Park and Playground in DC, and Turkey Thicket Splash Park and Playground in DC. Bring a bucket or cup to add to the fun.

Chevy Chase Splash Pad and Fenced In Park | TeamTravelsBaby

What is your favorite outdoor pool in Maryland? We hope to check out some of the incredible looking Virginia pools in the summer too. If you have any recommendations, feel free to add them to the comments.

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 free newsletter and follow along on Instagram!

Gulf States Winter Break Adventure

Posted in Free Kids Fun, Read Them All, State Capitol, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
Panama City Fireworks | TeamTravelsBaby

We spent about two weeks adventuring from Maryland down to Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. We also made quick stops in the Carolinas. It was an epic roadtrip with a family favorite being the drop of 15,000 beach balls with a free kid focused event in Florida. This post will share an outline of how we covered so much ground and what we did in each place along with how much this trip cost. I share details around things we loved and recommendations if I planned it again. If I found a helpful IG account, I included that as well. Much of this trip was planned last minute, with the goal being for Addy (6 years old) to visit her last three states in the lower 48 and for my husband to visit his last three states – he’s a 50 stater now. (I still need Hawaii!) We are ambitious travelers so buckle up!

Travel Dates: Friday, December 20, 2024 to Saturday, January 4, 2025 (to beat a huge winter storm and return our rental car ahead of it)

Rental Car: I like CarRentals.com and rented an unlimited mileage car from 12/19/2024-1/6/2025 from Next Car in Wheaton, Maryland. This was my second time using them and my only note is to ensure you know your car insurance coverage days (i.e., 30 days) or credit card coverage days that you used for the rental, at least for this place. We ended up with a 2025 hybrid car since the first car smelled like smoke, which was a nice upgrade. I paid $779.74 for this rental and booked on 12/9/2024. I did see it for cheaper if I booked in the Fall. It’s also worth checking each of the airports (e.g., BWI, DCA or IAD) to compare prices if you have that flexibility. I don’t recommend Turo for a trip like this because unlimited mileage is key.

General Approach: I used a Word document to start putting all of my ideas in one place. I also read quite a few blogs and looked on Insta. For hotels, I tended to sort by price for brands I recognized (that were a step up from a Motel 6 or Super 8) and then read recent reviews to find places with hot breakfast (having a pool was a bonus and we got lucky at the end of the trip). I would stay again at all of the hotels and I booked each either the same day we stayed or the night before. Even on New Years Eve, I didn’t book our hotel until almost 9 pm that day (the hotel did sell out that night). For this trip, I exclusively used Super.com.* When we slept in the car, Addy and I had Cracker Barrel breakfast (sign up for the app to get points towards discounts) the next morning (which is our family deal), but typically we did not eat out and got our food from Wal-Mart. We are treat people, so ice cream, donuts, coffee were purchased when exploring! We buy the Maryland Science Center pass each year on Groupon (typically posted in November for a few months each year and you have a few months to redeem and start the one year clock) and this gives us FREE access to ASTC Passport museums outside 90 miles via reciprocity. Read my article, Your Family Needs the ASTC Passport. You won’t need more convincing than this.

*This is a referral link. You should receive a bonus (like $15) for signing up and it will prompt you for your phone number. I appreciate you using my link if you’ve never booked with them before.

Oyster in Mobile; Babyland in Georgia near Helen; Town Creek accessible playground in Auburn; hotel in New Orleans; Space Center Houston; Rivertown near New Orleans; Fairhope pink door; Destin Commons in Florida

Itinerary:

  • Friday, December 20 – North Carolina to see family
  • Saturday, December 21 – South Carolina to see family
  • Sunday, December 22 – Cleveland, Helen and Dahlonega, Georgia
    • IG accounts to follow: AlpineHelenGA and Discover.Dahlonega
    • Babyland General Hospital (Cleveland) – We spent about 30 minutes here walking around. It’s a unique place that’s free to visit and see the home of the Cabbage Patch Doll. They had a room beautifully decorated with Christmas trees and a chance to see Santa too. We did not buy anything and did not get a witness a “birth”.
    • Downtown Helen – This town is cute and was on my list for years! We illegally parked in the Dollar General lot, which I don’t recommend. Seems we could have found some free parking by the City of Helen Riverside Park (all lit up with holiday lights) or paid around $10 to park in a lot close to the toy store. The town is very walkable. There were holiday lights everywhere (which are kept up until mid-February) and it was fun to wander through the stores.
    • Downtown Dahlonega – This was a last minute add after seeing it marketed as a “Hallmark Christmas” town. It was cute, with horse drawn carriages, a fun general store, chocolate shop, etc. around a public square and free parking. But don’t feel bad if you skip it and opt for more time in Helen instead.
    • Sleep: We slept in the car in a Cracker Barrel parking lot, just south of Atlanta.
  • Monday, December 23 – Auburn and Montgomery, Alabama
    • IG accounts to follow: DowntownAuburn and ExperienceMontgomery
    • Auburn – Such a great college town (but don’t, worry, I’m not trading in my beloved Gamecocks). We got our free kids cookie from Publix (and learn from us, don’t walk off the property and leave your car). Luckily, parking in downtown during this time of year is free. We saw the most incredible gingerbread displays of Auburn landmarks at the Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center for free. Then we walked the small town and went in some stores like Toomers Corner, drove the college campus and enjoyed their epic new inclusive playground called Town Creek Park (don’t miss this with kids) that’s 6,000 square feet.
    • Montgomery – We found free parking and headed to the Museum of Alabama. It’s free to visit and had a wonderful Children’s Gallery called Grandma’s Attic. It is closed in 2025 and is supposed to reopen, fully renovated in 2026. From here we went inside the First White House of the Confederacy. This was beautifully decorated for Christmas and the docent was very engaging. And as we love to collect Capitol buildings, we went into the Alabama State Capitol. We then drove so I could try coffee at Prevail Union (the specialty latte was a little too expensive for my taste). We then found parking to explore the Riverfront. You go through a tunnel and then end up along the water, where you can see the Harriott II (ship) decorated along with other holiday decorations nearby. The sunset was very pretty here.
    • Sleep: Best Western in Daphne, Alabama for $78.81
  • Tuesday, December 24 – Daphne and Mobile, Alabama; Ocean Springs and Biloxi, Mississippi
    • IG accounts to follow: VisitMobileAL, CammiesOldDutch, and TheTatonutShop
    • Bass Pro Shops (Spanish Fork) – We love seeing Bass Pro in different cities. This one has alligator door handles and since it was the holidays, you can sign up in advance or walk-in for a picture with Santa. There are also kids games and coloring – all for free. We love seeing the large fish tank and the taxidermy animals too.
    • Daphne – We went to Gator Boardwalk, which is free, but did not see any gators. We then drove to the historic area, near Daphne City Hall to see pretty decorations. There is a nice playground across the street and some shops nearby, but we opted to skip. We did get our Publix cookie nearby (love the south for this grocery store) and then headed toward Mobile. If we had more time, I would have liked to try Maurice’s BBQ, which was recommended to me.
    • Mobile – We really liked this city and I would love to return here for Mardi Gras. There’s free parking near the parks, like Mardi Gras park and Bienville Square park and both parks are worth walking around. We found metered parking before we realized this. We enjoyed walking Lower Dauphin Street and finding the gorgeous oysters that were painted. It was a HUGE hit to find Mardi Gras beads everywhere that I’m guessing were from a holiday parade. Collecting them was a highlight for Addy. The children’s museum was closed when we visited, but I would have liked to visit since it’s covered by the ASTC Passport. If you don’t know what that is, check out my article ___.
    • Cammie’s Old Dutch Ice Cream Shoppe (Mobile) – This is an absolute must and has been in business over 55 years! Visit the Old Shell Road (original) location. The flavors were absolutely incredible and so many holiday ones! Usually we split ice cream, but for the price and flavor, we splurged and each got our own. Check their Instagram for up to date hours, especially during the holidays.
    • Ocean Springs – This was my favorite small town we visited! There are some great shops and I loved that they were open on Christmas Eve. Free parking at the visitor center and this town has street art, the most fabulous donuts at the Tatonut (go early), a toy store, candy store, a coffee shop (closed unfortunately), clothing, etc. Make sure to drive down to the beach too!
    • Biloxi – We stopped to see the Beau Rivage casino. If you like Christmas decorations, it had beautiful trees, nutcrackers and polar bears on display.
    • Bay St. Louis – We essentially drove by, but the tree that’s been shaped into an angel by the de Montluzin Boardwalk is unique. There were quite a few restaurants here.
    • Louisiana – We stopped at the Welcome Center off the highway to take pictures by the huge “Welcome to Louisiana” sign and state shaped sign. This was a jam packed day and we were exhausted by the end.
    • Sleep: Comfort Suites New Orleans, Louisiana for $97.99
  • Wednesday, December 25 – New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette, Louisiana
    • IG accounts to follow: VisitNewOrleans, VisitBatonRouge and DowntownLafayette
    • New Orleans – So technically we did explore here on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We found a free meter parking both days near H&M – check the official website for free holiday parking dates. At least some stores are open and people are out and about. It was fun to wander the French Quarter, Bourbon Street and pop into some of the fancy hotels to see their holiday decorations. Royal Sonesta had a beautiful row of trees that was a great photo opp and we cut through the courtyard and there’s a bathroom. The Ritz Carlton has a door person, but you are allowed to enter. There was an amazing larger than life gingerbread making of a riverboat. Windsor Court was another favorite with a gorgeous street and a train running around it and a pelican made of chocolate. PJ’s Coffee was open in the DoubleTree by Hilton, surprisingly inexpensive (like $5 for a flavored latte) and another great place for a bathroom. The one that shouldn’t be missed is going into the Canal Place mall and going to the 11th floor to see the view from the Westin! I love a free, incredible view. Plus there’s free water and cups out. There’s also great animal street art by the aquarium. (Don’t worry, we returned later for Café du Monde.)
    • Baton Rouge – We stopped and saw Mike, the tiger on LSU’s campus. It is free to see this real tiger. We then drove to view the outside of the tallest state Capitol building and the Mississippi River. (We went inside on our return trip.) Knock Knock Children’s Museum looked amazing! It’s not covered by the ASTC, but if we had more time, I may have splurged for this one.
    • Lafayette – There is a small downtown and another museum covered by the ASTC Passport. Everything was closed on Christmas Day and unless you need this stop to break up your drive, I would skip. Louisiana is quite boring to drive through in my opinion.
    • Sulphur – Pecan Street is a magical holiday lights street. We drove it and wanted to drive it again it’s so well done. We drove it from east to west, but it seemed you could drive from either direction.
    • Sleep: La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Beaumont West for $98.84 (I had originally booked a different hotel for around $81, but they had a fire the night before and couldn’t offer breakfast, so I cancelled for free, then got a letter from the hotel so that Super reimbursed me in full for this extenuating circumstance.)
  • Thursday, December 26 – Houston, Texas
    • IG accounts to follow: Visit_Houston, MommyPoppinsHouston, Houston_with_Kids
    • Houston Children’s Museum – We parked in Hermann Park for free and walked by McGovern Centennial Gardens to get here. This museum was free with our ASTC Passport from the Maryland Science Center, but it’s also free on Thursday nights from 5-8 pm. It is huge with multiple floors and an outdoor space. We loved finding the hidden elves and Addy loved all of the tables with crafts and climbing the huge structure.
    • Museum of Fine Arts – Free on Thursdays! We loved the colorful rooms and came to see the Yayoi Kusama “Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity” room (get a free timed ticket). It’s huge and no doubt there’s more to see, but this is all we came for.
    • The Health Museum – Free on Thursdays from 2-7 pm. Can you see the pattern? This is also covered by the ASTC Passport. It’s a fun interactive museum and Addy liked the screaming room, hanging on the bar and the hamster wheel.
    • The Galleria (mall) – Free parking and this is one of the biggest malls in the US. It was fun to see the huge Christmas tree, watch the ice skaters and play in the free playspace. We also built Lego characters in the store.
    • Bass Pro (League City) – We were tired, but this was a smaller location not worth visiting. We picked this area to stay in so we would be close to the Space Center the next day.
    • Sleep: Holiday Inn & Suites Houston (League City) for $103.97
  • Friday, December 27 – Houston, Texas
    • Space Center Houston – This is the official visitor center of NASA Johnson Space Center and it was free for us with our ASTC Passport. Our one-day admission would have been more than we paid for our Maryland Science Center pass on Groupon. It’s $10 to park. We spent 3 hours here and could easily have spent more. There are experiences you can reserve for free (wish I had known) that sounded really cool. We took the tram out to see Rocket Park. I definitely recommend doing this – the tram line gets pretty long, so may be worth arriving when it first opens and going right away. There were interactive stations for kids, including upstairs which is easy to miss.
    • Houston Central Library – We have been to quite a few big city libraries, and this one was underwhelming. There is a dedicated kids room with some play items and coloring, but it fell short for us. You also pay for parking in the parking garage that’s underground.
    • Waterwall Park – We returned to the Galleria and then walked over to this very unique waterfall that’s a fun place to take pictures.
    • Sleep: We slept in the car in a Cracker Barrel parking lot in Louisiana, I believe near Lafayette.
  • Saturday, December 28 – Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana
    • Louisiana State Capitol – We love free fun and this is a very unique Capitol and the tallest one! It’s incredible to go to the top and walk around on the outside for the views of the Mississippi River. Don’t miss the states on the outside steps too.
    • New Orleans – We returned because we couldn’t leave without getting beignets from Café du Monde (bring cash and skip the coffee). I tried them the summer after high school graduation, right before Hurricane Katrina hit. It was a full circle moment to return and they were even better than I remembered. We also enjoyed watching street performers. Addy was mesmerized. We then went to the brand new (in 2024) Goodwill Outlet. It’s the nicest one I’ve ever been to (and I’ve been to many). Here you go through buckets and everything is by weight. I was thankful this location allows kids too.
    • City of Kenner – This is a cute area that’s beautifully decorated and called Kenner Christmas Village. It’s a park you can walk through and it’s free. Prior to Christmas, there are chances to see Santa. We parked off 3rd St. in a free lot.
    • Sleep: Best Western Seaway Inn in Gulfport, Mississippi for $84.98
  • Sunday, December 29 – Ocean Springs in Mississippi, Fairhope and Foley in Alabama
    • IG account to follow: VisitOWA
    • Ocean Springs – I woke up early in order to drive to the Tatonut. Since we missed the open hours on the front end, I made a point to try this on the way home. My only regret is that I only got one donut. It was so reasonably price and it’s to die for!
    • Gulf Islands National Seashore – We love national parks and when we saw this was close to us, we decided to check it out. Addy got her Junior Ranger badge, we took in the view from the back and continued on our trip within 40 minutes.
    • Fairhope -This was another adorable small town to get out and walk around with free street parking. They had a bookstore, ice cream shop, candy store, toy store, an alley kitty in their French Quarter and some street art. I was excited to get my popcorn jelly beans at Fairhope Sweet Shop.
    • Foley – OWA is a great shopping area with pretty fountains. We timed it so we arrived for their Bubbles and Beats event which was free and had quite a few activities for kids, including a bubble truck, face painting, bounce house, a sprite toast and lots of photo opps. Heritage Park is in downtown Foley and was great to walk around to see the variety of holiday decorations, including the little village of kids sized houses (couldn’t go in them). Also some great backdrops for pictures. I would return to this area.
    • Sleep: Econo Lodge Inn & Suites in Foley, Alabama for $70.72
  • Monday, December 30 – Gulf Shores, Alabama and Florida panhandle from Pensacola to Destin
    • IG accounts to follow: VisitPensacola, DowntownPensacola, HWVDestin, TheDestinCommons, BaytoneWharf
    • Gulf State Park Nature Center (Gulf Shores, Alabama) – I think there’s a small cost, but we didn’t get charged to get on the property (where there’s lot of camping/RV sites). We arrived for a great birds of prey event and got to see some owls and a hawk up close. There are additional animals inside the building and below the building (birds). Bike riding seemed very popular here and the main beach had flat rate parking.
    • Pensacola – We parked for free not too far from Palafox Street and walked between the pier, where we saw real pelicans to down a few blocks so we could find the painted pelicans. Check if the Palafox Market is happening. There’s lots of street art and we particularly liked the blue trees and art behind the Pensacola Museum of History. The Pensacola Children’s Museum (looked small) was closed, but is covered by the ASTC Passport if you visit at a different time.
    • Emerald Coast Science Center (Fort Walton) – We got in to this small kids museum for free with our ASTC Passport and arrived about an hour before closing. Loved their unique animals like the chincillas and flying squirrels. Addy liked getting sucked into a bubble, building an arch and playing with legos. There’s also an outdoor section where you can sit on a boat and see more real animals.
    • HarborWalk Village (Destin) – This was one of our favorite places to walk. We enjoyed the various art and decorations, wandering into shop, counting blue herons and watching pelicans wait for scrap fish at the end of the day. It was free parking in the garage when we were there and the turn is right after the bridge. I didn’t indulge since we had just been in New Orleans, but the Beignets & Brew looked good.
    • Gator Beach (Destin) – Attached to Fudpucker’s, this is a fun free stop to see some real alligators of various sizes. There’s also a very small playground.
    • Destin Commons – This is a great outdoor shopping area with a Bass Pro, BAM, Starbucks and tons of other stores. We liked finding the street art, the play structure was a fun climbing one (reminded us of Summerlin near Vegas) and seeing the Christmas tree and holiday decorations. I believe there’s a kids fountain in the summer too.
    • The Village of Baytowne Wharf – This is a shopping village inside a gated and guarded community. You stop at the gate and tell them you’re going here and get a free pass for your car. The parking structure at Baytowne is small and there’s also valet. This is another cute area to walk around and we went to see the tree light up at the top of the hour to music. It was about 10 minutes long. There are lots of bridges, many who ride golf carts to get here and a carousel, plus shopping, adventures and restaurants.
    • Sleep: Comfort Inn Miramar Beach, Florida for $76.32
  • Tuesday, December 31 –
    • IG accounts to follow: SeasideFL, Rosemary_BeachFL. Visit_PCB
    • Seaside – I really wanted to stop here, but there was zero parking available. There’s a designated public parking lot. Recommend going early. Learn from my mistake!
    • Rosemary Beach – This place is adorable and the white post office with the huge holiday wreath is photogenic. We found free parking and walked around. The white sand beach was incredible. We walked right on behind people, but seems you’re supposed to be a member of being staying at a nearby property (and perhaps have a fob or something). Check out the toy store, coffee shop and bookstore (The Hidden Lantern).
    • Pier Park (Panama City) – This was the trip highlight with free parking and a free event. My only regret is we didn’t arrive exactly when it started. We got free New Years hats, played games (like a darts type game), Addy got her face painted and got a balloon animal bracelet. There were also tons of bounce houses, caricature drawings and a jewelry making station. There were also real bathrooms at this park – Aaron Bessant Park. We loved the live music and lucked up and received VIP passes to enjoy the front row for the music. Taylor Shines was so good! At 8 pm, 15,000 beach balls dropped. Addy loved this! At first we didn’t get one, but then people who had many, offered some to us and we ended up with three. We then went to the main Pier Park which is a fun shopping area to explore and you can walk straight to the beach. We enjoyed music here too! I would 100% return for this event and hope to do so in a future year.
    • Sleep: Wingate by Wyndham Panama City Area in Lynn Haven, Florida for $72.63 had an indoor pool and hot tub that we enjoyed
  • Wednesday, January 1 – Panama City and south of Columbus, Georgia
    • Oakland Terrace (Panama City) – This was an incredible playground that’s fully fenced in and has options for a wide range of ages.
    • Providence Canyon State Park – An unexpected red rock park in Georgia. It’s $5 to park and you put a tag in your car. There are different canyons to explore. We walked the loop and ducked in to see a few canyons. Make sure to grab a map or take a picture of one and follow the signs to respect the canyons by not climbing them. This helped break up our drive from Panama City to Atlanta.
    • Sleep: Wingate by Wyndham Atlanta Airport in Fairburn, Georgia for $113.17 with an indoor pool that Addy and Mike enjoyed (opened early)
  • Thursday, January 2 – Atlanta, Georgia and then return to South Carolina family
    • Georgia State Capitol – We paid for meter parking nearby and then ventured around the building, which is free to visit after going through security. Given we were here right after President Jimmy Carter’s death, we saw them put a white wreath in front of his portrait. There’s also a statue on the grounds.
    • Atlanta Aquarium – We bought our tickets off Groupon (recommend having the app downloaded for entry) and bought nearby parking on Spot Hero. We arrived in the afternoon and enjoyed a few hours here, staying until it nearly closed. The bonus of doing it this way, is the crowds thinned out and we could revisit places we wanted to see again and take better pictures. Even without tickets in hand, I was able to book the Sea Lion show and the Dolphin show through the app as soon as they became available for the day. These cannot be missed and we scheduled these for shortly after arriving for our timed ticket, which I would do again. Make sure to bring a poncho or avoid sitting in the “get wet” seats – we saw people get soaked! Make sure to keep consulting the map so you don’t miss anything. Everything feeds back to the middle.
    • The only place I’m bummed we didn’t get to visit was Boarding Pass Coffee. This is on my list for next time since I love coffee and it looks kid friendly.
    • Sleep: Returned to see family in South Carolina
  • Friday, January 3 – South Carolina to see family
  • Saturday, January 4 – Drove home with stop in Raleigh, North Carolina
    • Marbles Kids Museum – Downtown street parking was free and access to this museum was free with our ASTC Passport. This is an incredible two-story museum. There’s a real workshop area to make something, a big crafting/painting area, a sports room (including a hockey set-up), a submarine, a slide in a hallway and lots more. This is a museum we would definitely like to return too as well as a city we would like to further explore.

Total Cost: Thank you for reading this far. The total cost came to $2,650.80 and here’s the breakdown:

  • Rental Car: $779.74 for 18 days (43.32 per day)
  • Gas/Oil Change: $269.59 for gas and $94.38 for an oil change for the brand new hybrid
  • Hotels: $797.43 for 9 nights ($88.60 on average)
  • Food: $460.94 This includes shopping at Wal-Mart, coffee shops, ice cream/treats, Sam’s Club cafe, Cracker Barrel, etc. Since we left from our house in Maryland and drove, we did take some food/snacks and a flat pack of water that are not included here.
  • Miscellaneous: $248.72 This includes shopping at Goodwill Outlets (our fave in four different cities), parking, Atlanta Aquarium tickets on Groupon (like $153), etc.

Closing Thoughts: I was happy with our spending for such an involved roadtrip. My personal goal was to spend under $100 per night, on average for accommodations, so I feel like I succeeded there. And keeping the trip under $3,000 total feels like a win. Staying a few days with family members also helped our overall cost since we had a place to sleep and meals. It was a lot of driving, but I feel like we did a good job breaking up the drives where we could. I would love to know your thoughts or additional questions you have. Did the cost surprise you? Any place you want to visit now after reading this?

Cafe du Monde in New Orleans; art in Houston; museum in Houston; collectinb beads in Mobile; and Cammie's delicious ice cream in Mobile

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!

Visiting DC is for everyone with so many free spots

Posted in DC-Maryland-Virginia, Free Kids Fun, National Parks, Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
US Capitol Building

When I was growing up, I had the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C. Then when I was in college, I had the opportunity to study abroad one summer in Europe between London and Paris/Tours, France. One thing I realized during this time was that I loved the convenience of public transportation and I wanted to live in a city that offered this. Flash forward to 2011 and I moved to D.C. for grad school.

When I lived in D.C. I would walk, metro and bus everywhere! I wanted to experience it all. Since moving to Silver Spring, Maryland, I try to remember that my goal is to be a tourist in my own town! I don’t want to lose sight of the fact I’m only a mile from the Silver Spring metro station and can be back in the heart of the city in no time! Most links will take you to pictures on my IG and I focused on free offerings unless otherwise noted. Always check the official site for hours, closures, ticketing, special events, etc. And if you’re taking metro, add your card to your phone ahead of time (it even works when the phone is dead)! Kids 4 and under are free.

The Best Free Views of D.C.

For all of these places, be prepared that you may have to go through security.

  • Washington Monument – Since I moved to D.C. and then there was an earthquake that shut this for many years, I did not want to miss a chance to visit when it reopened. It is iconic and I’m happy I finally got a ticket (I clicked on Group instead of Individual) for my daughter and I to go up (thanks to FamilyTripGuides for this tip). You can’t bring strollers up and be prepared for security. It’s $1 per ticket and you reserve through Recreation.gov either 30 days in advance or a day in advance (or take the chance of standing in line for a walk up ticket). Stand in the middle of the door on either side on the way down so you can see out the window that lights up.
  • Old Post Office – I still feel like this is a bit of a hidden gem because it was closed to the public for many years. Kids can earn a Junior Ranger badge (free) here. It’s also conveniently located by the National Children’s Museum so it could easily be combined. Enter behind the building and be prepared for security.
  • View of D.C. – This is in Arlington and metro accessible. This is also a venue space and it was super fun to take the glass elevator up spot all the sites. This closed sometime in 2024 (sad face), but I left it here in case it reopens in the future under a different name or owner.
  • Other great views include the back of the Lincoln Memorial to see the eternal flame at Arlington Cemetery, going to the top of the Kennedy Center and rooftop of the MLK Library.

Unique Non-Smithsonian Places for Kids

  • Planet Word – This is an interactive place that can be enjoyed by every age! Sing karaoke, take a picture in the photo booth, make a book come to life, find the hidden bookcase door, tell jokes, etc. If you have visitors, this is the spot to go! Reserve a free (donation based) ticket ahead of time and before or after visiting, check out Franklin Park across the street for a small playground. Take the metro here.
  • The People’s House: A White House Experience – This is free (donation based) and it’s recommended to reserve tickets in advance. This is super close to the White House and the Renwick Gallery. Sit in the 1:1 ratio Oval Office that changes with each President, take pictures like you’re presenting the Easter Egg Roll and touch various objects to make them come to life. This opened in September 2024.
  • Rock Creek Park Nature Center – This is free and since the Planetarium reopened, it sometimes has a free kids show! It’s also a place to see taxidermy, a couple real animals, color and hike! There is free parking.
  • MLK Library – We are the people who go to libraries on vacation because there are so many unique ones! This one has a slide in the stairwell of the kids section. Visit the rooftop too and if you have a little, the story time is excellent here. We metro here and combine with a walk through City Center DC since the decorations regularly change in Palmer Alley and Chinatown’s Friendship Bridge.
  • Anacostia Park – The first time I came here, I thought it was just the “pirate ship park”, but there is more! Bring socks and an ID to swap it out for free roller skates. We haven’t made it yet, but there is a nature type center here too called Aquatic Resources Education Center. There is free parking.
  • Merry Pin – This is a business that offers free Saturday morning story time and craft/art. We have found free street parking in this area.
  • National Children’s Museum – This is a paid museum right by the Ronald Reagan Building and the climbing dream machine (bring socks) is always my child’s favorite. Here’s my biggest tip – if you live in the DMV, go get an Alexandria library card (via reciprocity) then reserve a free ticket to visit online (follow all the steps)! We went in August 2024 with a 2:30 pm slot and they let us in 30 minutes early so we got 2.5 hours of free play here.
  • I wouldn’t go to the White House Visitor Center with a little unless I needed a bathroom or to escape the weather elements since there’s minimal interactivity.
  • Eastern Market – This is a fun area to explore for the outdoor market on the weekends and the indoor fish market. It’s changed so much in the time I’ve lived here. There’s also a great playground and splash pad (seasonal) nearby. Get a poptart from Ted’s Bulletin. If time allows, venture to Shakespeare’s Library. You can reserve a free ticket and there’s a kids scavenger hunt inside.

Free Smithsonians Can’t Be Missed

  • Natural History – This is our family favorite as we love the taxidermy animals, dinosaurs, the big entrance hall (from the National Mall side) and special exhibits like photography of the year. On Tuesdays, the butterfly garden inside on the 2nd level, closer to the National Mall side is free, just wait in line to get a timed ticket. On the Tuesday before Montgomery County schools went back, DC was empty – no school buses, no long lines to get inside.
  • American Indian – The Native American museum has a great kids section. We usually pair this with popping into the U.S. Botanical Gardens. We love the Botanical Gardens during the holidays to see the the outdoor train and the atrium. You can also see the Capitol from here.
  • Postal Museum – This is a top museum for littles and it’s right next to Union Station. I love making a digital stamp, picking a few old stamps to keep and exploring the interactive displays downstairs.
  • American History – This is a huge museum with so many exhibits. If you have a little, check the hours for Wegman’s Wonderplace and if your child is older, check out Spark!Lab. We have enjoyed both spaces. Be prepared for security and arrive early to beat the buses.
  • Asian Art – This is usually a museum we skip over, but we recently attended an Art & Me family event that was fantastic (reserve free ticket in advance). We also loved seeing and learning about the Peacock Room. The last Thursday of the month in the afternoon, you can see the shutters opened to reveal the window. Don’t miss the ceiling or the coins in the peacock mural. Pop into the Smithsonian Castle if it’s open or see the Eisenhower Memorial nearby.
  • African American History – This is an incredible multi-story museum. If you start at the bottom, you weave through history. If you start at the top, you learn about music, sports, etc. Don’t miss the reflection room that is beautiful and peaceful. Reserve a timed ticket in advance.
  • Zoo – One of the free zoos in the U.S. and pandas returned in early 2025! Reserve a free ticket online. Be prepared for the hilly walking! In the summer there are misters and a water feature by the seals/sea lions. There’s also a couple of play structures at the bottom of the hill near the prairie dogs and also by the farm. The play space inside the newly renovated bird area is great for kids with crafts, storytime and outdoor play. This is only open certain days/times per week. We usually come on a Sunday when street parking is free or metro to Cleveland Park (downhill trek to zoo) and return from Woodley Park (downhill trek from zoo).
  • National Mall – This is the big green space that has many of the free museums and I had the good fortune to have my grad school graduation here when Kerri Washington from Scandal was the speaker. If you’re exploring Smithsonians, it’s hard to miss. Venture to all of the monuments along the Mall like WWII, Lincoln, Washington Monument, Vietnam and beyond to all of the ones along the Tidal Basin (body of water). Make sure you wear comfortable shoes. They are all free to visit and shouldn’t be missed. Many people like enjoying the sunrise or sunset by the Tidal Basin. Fun fact, my husband proposed at the Lincoln Memorial.

Paid Museums to Consider:

  • National Law Enforcement – We were gifted this opportunity and loved it. The museum is underground and metro accessible from Judiciary Square. It is very interactive. You can sit in a police car and touch all the buttons, learn about dogs that work with law enforcement, listen to 911 calls, watch a short movie on the wall, etc. I would definitely return here in the future and their t-shirt is one of my favorites because it is so soft. Check for discounted tickets on Groupon.
  • Museum of the Bible – Check for tickets on Groupon. We found one for $18 and my daughter was free based on her age. It was beautiful during the holidays and we loved hearing the people play chimes and bells. There’s a kids play area inside and a section to play games.
  • International Spy Museum – This was a super memorable museum when I was younger and visited DC. It has moved locations since then and I look forward to taking my daughter at some point.

Specific Time of Year

  • January or February. Discovery Days happens in Baltimore and Maryland residents can reserve free timed tickets to the National Aquarium. This is an amazing deal! The Maryland Science Center nearby is covered by the ASTC Passport, so if you’re visiting the area from out of town, definitely check out this museum and you may be able to visit for free via reciprocity. Read my article, Your Family Needs the ASTC Passport, for all the convincing you need.
  • March or April. The cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin at or around peak season are to be enjoyed. Yes, it’s crowded because people come from all around the globe to see this phenomenon because it’s incredible. It’s also a chance to see gorgeous magnolias. I haven’t tested this yet, but we were told by a park ranger that they have seasonal Junior Ranger badges for kids to earn during this time! Sundays will be busier than a weekday, but you may be able to find free parking.
  • March or April. The White House Easter Egg Roll is such a fun event to participate in, particularly if it doesn’t rain and it’s not too hot. In 2023 we “won the lotto” and got to participate! Every February there’s a lottery period to submit your interest. There were lawn games with athletes, free treats, crafts and characters! We skipped the iconic events.
  • Summer. Visit Yards Park Canal Basin for the most unique “splash pad” type experience. Bring bathing suits and go under the waterfall or splash around in the shallow water. The views are beautiful. Don’t forget the sunscreen.
  • July. The peak bloom of the lotuses at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens are beautiful! It is definitely hot and humid, but also unique! This is a fun place to earn a Junior Ranger badge (free program for kids). Make sure to walk back to the boardwalk to look for various birds. Parking is free in the lot, but it gets crowded and then you have to use street parking.
  • Holidays. Check out the adorable trains at the Botanical Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland. My daughter loved the various scavenger hunts. This is free to visit and there’s also a nature center and children’s garden. It’s also gorgeous in the spring. The Washington, D.C. Temple, which is actually just outside of DC is a beautiful, free place to see lights and nativity sets from around the world.

Right Over the D.C. Border are These Gems

  • Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm – We timed it so we arrived in time to feed the chickens! There are other animals to see too, a nature building with coloring, games and books and a chance to earn a Junior Ranger badge.
  • National Harbor – The downside is parking (try to book ahead of time with SpotHero). Otherwise, play in the sand, catch a movie or sport on the big screen, find the famous statues, play in the little kid area or fenced in park and walk through the Gaylord. This is also close to the Tanger Outlets which has a small kids play area and free parking.
  • National Cryptologic Museum – This is a small museum with a decoding activity (and prize) for kids. We also got to use invisible ink. It has dedicated parking.

Thanks for checking out this article. This is not meant to be all-inclusive, but rather give you some ideas in one place from a local mom who enjoys adventuring and keeping the costs low. I could write full articles about the playgrounds in the area, cities like Alexandria, Annapolis, Frederick, etc., so make sure to check back if you’re interested in those. I would love for you to check out some of my other articles such as Airport Play Areas in the DMV, How To Save Money In Order to Travel, Keep Your Green at Great Wolf Lodge.

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!

Details on Disney

Posted in Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , Leave a comment

For my daughter’s 5th birthday, we took her to Dutch Wonderland in Pennsylvania and she loved it! So for her 6th birthday, we wanted to plan a trip to another theme park and we picked the Magic Kingdom in Florida. My goal was to keep the Disney trip as affordable as possible, while not missing out on the magic. I detail below how much we paid for each part including how and when we booked.

Overview

This trip took place from Thursday, October 3, 2024 through Sunday, October 6, 2024 to coincide with my daughter’s birthday, slightly cooler Florida weather and a school off day (October 3rd was a planned school holiday, so she only missed one day of school). Early access to Magic Kingdom park was 7:30 am and it closed early, at 6 pm due to the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween event. We did not leave the park until almost 7:30 pm and the crowds were definitely less during the day because of closing early for the separate ticketed event.

  • Thursday, October 3 – Arrived by plane, picked up rental car, Wal-Mart for snacks, Disney Springs, resort pool
  • Friday, October 4 – Magic Kingdom (open 8 am – 6 pm) and resort pool in the evening
  • Saturday, October 5 – Checked out of resort, Skyliner scavenger hunt (6 resorts) plus Port Orleans for Mickey beignets
  • Sunday, October 6 – Orlando Science Center, returned rental car and left by plane (This was a free day thanks to our Maryland Science Center membership. Read more about why Your Family Needs the ASTC Passport in a separate post.)
Early entry | TeamTravelsBaby

Flights

First, we had to find flights from the DC area to Orlando (MCO airport). Fortunately, the DC area has three airports and from BWI we found round-trip flights on Frontier. I booked our tickets on August 12th for $157.96 each ($473.88 total). We do not pay for seats, we bring “personal item” sized bags only and I download the Frontier app to put tickets in my Apple wallet so there’s no additional cost. Given we have a stroller (a Disney necessity, even with a 6 year old), we are usually able to board around the same time as Group 1, so we’ve never had a problem putting our personal item sized roller boards in the overhead bins and our backpack underneath a seat. (As an aside, I love that all three DC area airports have play areas – check out my blog post.)

Since it was a short trip, we booked a spot at the Parking Spot-West in advance (on October 2nd). They had a coupon code they had emailed for 20% off, so we paid $37.60 to park our car there and used their free shuttle to get to and from the airport.

Creative photo by Disney | TeamTravelsBaby

Accommodations

I did a lot of research on whether to stay on property (meaning in a Walt Disney World Resort) or off property (meaning a non-Disney owned property, but one in the nearby area). Ultimately, when factoring in the cost of parking of staying off property and needing to park at Magic Kingdom (which has a cost) and lack of early access (if you stay on property you can get into the park 30 minutes early), it became a no brainer. On August 12th, I booked a preferred room at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, one of the budget friendly properties on Super.com for Thursday, October 3rd and Friday, October 4th because I knew we were going to Magic Kingdom on Friday, October 4th and I didn’t want to worry about checking out the morning we were trying to go to the park. We paid $208.96 per night ($417.92 total). The rooms were fully refundable before September 25th, which also offered a peace of mind in case I had found a better price. Parking is free at the resort and transportation is provided to and from the parks. And while we didn’t use it, it looked like you could also get to the airport with included transportation.

As a quick point of comparison, I was considering Holiday Inn Resort Orlando, which had a complimentary shuttle for around $140 and Wyndham Lake Buena Vista, which also included a shuttle for around $97 + $40 resort fee. In hindsight, I still feel I made the right decision with staying on property because early access meant we were able to ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan, It’s a Small World and the Haunted Mansion all within the first 60 minutes of Magic Kingdom opening (rode between 7:30 am – 8:30 am).

I am very fortunate that one of my dearest friends lives in the Orlando area. We were able to stay with her and her family the third night. While we had to rent a car (which I’ll share in the next section), the rental car was very affordable and this saved us from a third night’s hotel stay. Although, if we did have to book a hotel for the third night, I would have looked for an off property deal.

All-Star Sports Resort | TeamTravelsBaby

Transportation

On September 16th, two weeks before our trip, I booked a basic four door car on CarRentals.com with Ace Rent a Car for $74.53. While there were actually cheaper cars, after a bad experience with “Mex Rent a Car” in Miami, I went for a company where I at least recognized the name. This was an off-airport car place, so we had to take the free shuttle. Fortunately, we did not wait long on either end of our trip. The biggest thing with rental cars is to avoid the extras. We brought our own car seat, we avoided the toll roads (which use Sunpass), have car insurance and filled the tank at the end of the trip.

Besides wanting to visit our friends, we also wanted a car in order to stop at Wal-Mart on the way to the resort to pick up food to bring with us into the park and have at the resort. We spent $12.16 at the end of the trip to bring the car back to a full tank of gas. We did not spend any money at our resort on food or drinks. For Magic Kingdom, you’re allowed to bring full water bottles, food/snacks, etc. Of course, always double check the official rules! We used a backpack and had no problems.

In front of All-Star Sports, there were various lines labeled by location (e.g., Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Disney Springs, etc.) and a television showing how long the wait was going to be for the next bus. This worked out perfect for us and we didn’t move our rental car after arrival until we left late on Saturday night.

Pop Century Resort
Art of Animation Resort
Skyliner free fun | TeamTravelsBaby

Park Tickets

My friend Jen is the co-owner of Out the Door Travel and I called her on September 25th to book our Magic Kingdom tickets. As an annual passholder for Magic Kingdom and mom to two boys, she was so helpful in answering my questions and giving me real advice. The single day adult tickets were $169 each and the child ticket (ages 3-9) was $164 for a total of $534.64 (includes tax). We did not pay for lightning lane or any extras. I did not want to spend my whole day on the phone or hustling from one thing to the next. I wanted more of an authentic park experience of my own childhood. The My Disney Experience app is great for being able to see the wait times. Again, early entrance was the true key to the day. We rode every ride, except Tom Sawyer’s Island and saw various shows and met characters.

Miscellaneous and Variable Costs

Shout out to my Buy Nothing group! Another local mom hooked us up before our trip with a refillable popcorn bucket ($2.25 for refills, which we did twice in the park), Disney pins for trading (which was a huge hit with my new 6-year old) and a stroller sign (it was very helpful for quickly spotting our stroller after rides). Separately, from another mom I got unopened Pez dispensers with two candies each that were great surprises at the park. Before the trip, I bought my daughter and I Halloween Disney themed shirts at Five and Below ($5.55 each) and a caribiner for the stroller ($2.96 at Strosnider’s). I also bought Addy and her friends a few surprises that I wrapped in tissue paper for ride lines such as silly putty, a deck of animal joke cards and a fidget fruit roll up type toy. My daughter’s aunt bought her Minnie ears and an autograph book that were huge hits for our park day and my in-laws gave her a Disney giftcard to spend. My daughter’s friends surprised her with a bubble wand with batteries, which was a big hit! Inside the park we got a crème brûlée croissant (around $5 and perfect to split) and at Port Orleans French Quarter Resort we got mickey beignets ($8.30 for three).

While we did not buy “real food” in the park, if we had decided to, I had my eyes set on the kids chicken meal at Pecos Bill Cafe in Frontierland or the kids flat bread pizza at Pinocchio Village House (near it’s a Small World and Peter Pan). Both had meal offerings for under $10. I got these ideas from a great Instagram account called MyDisneyAdventure2.

At Disney Springs, we played in the Legos (free, backside of Lego facing the water) and then built characters inside. For 3 characters its $9.99 and we built 6 so we spent $21.28.

Total Cost

In total, for a 3.5 day trip to Orlando that included one day at Magic Kingdom, it cost our family of three people $1,538.57. This covered: $473.88 for flights; $37.60 for parking at the airport; $417.92 for two nights in a WDW Resort; $74.53 for a rental car; and $534.64 for one-day Magic Kingdom tickets. I listed some of the other miscellaneous and variable costs in the previous section. My personal goal was to keep this trip under $2,000 which I successfully did. Did the total cost surprise you? Let me know in the comments.

Our various and miscellaneous trip costs totaled $123.94. This included $12.16 for gas; $21.26 Lego people; $8.30 Mickey beignets; $5.63 fancy croissant; $4.50 for two popcorn refills; $72.09 at Wal-Mart for food and a small sunscreen. So in sum, we spent $1,662.51. There were those few other expenses before the trip like the caribiner and Disney shirts and small toys from Five and Below, but this is less than an additional $25.

We are already planning a return trip for next year to visit Animal Kingdom! Did anything I share surprise you? Let me know in the comments.

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!

Sligo Creek Parkway Playgrounds and Nearby Ones

Posted in DC-Maryland-Virginia, Free Kids Fun, Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
Addy about to get on the zip line at a Sligo Creek Parkway playground

Silver Spring, Maryland has a wonderful paved trail along Sligo Creek Parkway. It’s perfect for walking, scootering, pushing a stroller, etc. There are a lot of playgrounds along the path and various free parking offerings. Parts of Sligo Creek Parkway close to vehicle traffic on the weekends, so I’ve noted where I know that to be the case. Unfortunately, bathrooms are hard to come by for these parks. And many kids, including my own, do play in some sections of the creek, but from one parent to another, please always do your own due diligence on the water conditions.

  • Sligo Dennis Park – One of the newest parks along Sligo Creek Parkway and the equipment is orange and blue. This one is great for climbers and is set-up like an obstacle course. It’s along the creek and you can play in the water here. There is a small parking lot and on the weekends, it’s blocked by the road closure, so you have to park off Dennis and walk.
  • Hillwood Manor Neighborhood Park – This playground is also newer and is tucked into the end of a neighborhood by a low spot in the creek. It’s neighborhood street parking. There are two play structures and I appreciate that the tall one is enclosed. This is a good one to pair with a trip to to Aldi and Lidl off New Hampshire Avenue and is on the Takoma Park end of Sligo Creek Parkway.
  • Blue Park, I mean Dale Drive Neighborhood Park – This is a popular park often referred to as “blue park” because of the ground covering. My daughter loves the rope climbing structure here and it for sure makes me nervous. There’s also a pirate ship for littles, a see saw and some other small structures. There’s a big field nearby and access to the creek. Be mindful of the rocks as they do get slippery. There’s a small parking lot here off Dale Drive or you can park by the tennis courts on Sligo Creek and walk over. If you don’t mind walking a bit of a hill, pop up to Love and Flour bakery with treats and espresso drinks (it looks a little different now than my IG pics that are linked). You can also do a double park and walk about 8 minutes to Nolte Local Park which has quite a bit of shade in comparison to Dale Drive.
  • Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park – This is another newer park with two zip lines and access to the creek. The park is blue and green and nearly full sun. My daughter loves the zip line here and there’s also an accessible zip line. There are swings and a great climbing structure with slides. There’s also a smaller structure. This is located in a section that’s closed on the weekends, starting sometime on Friday evening (last time we were there it had signs by the small parking lot). You can also use the map to park in a nearby neighborhood and walk here such as Kennebec or Houston Ave.
  • Sligo-Bennington Park – This park has three separate structures but the best part is you can take a short walk to Zinnia’s for a treat or espresso drink (bring a penny for the wishing well). There is a wooden playground and my daughter loves the rings for the monkey bar structure (otherwise, this structure needs to be replaced in my opinion). Then there are two small structures and a ton of swings here. If you like going for a short walk, there’s a nature/unpaved path through the woods. It’s fun for throwing rocks in the water. This park of Sligo Creek is always open (unless it floods) and you can park along Sligo Creek Parkway or street park directly next to the park on Bennington. Have a double park day and head to Three Oaks Neighborhood Park (no swings).
  • Sligo Creek North Neighborhood Park – This is a shaded park right along the bend of Sligo Creek and another one that’s great to pair with Aldi or Lidl. This has descending monkey bars which can be great for learning. There are two side-by-side baby swings and two traditional swings. There’s a very small parking lot on the bend, otherwise, you’d have to look for neighborhood street parking.
  • Forest Grove Neighborhood Park – We call this “hospital” park because it’s close to Holy Cross Hospital. There’s are a couple of spaces directly on Sligo Creek or you can go on the other side of the park to park along the street near the basketball courts. The spinning structure is now the favorite here along with the monkey bars.

There is no shortage of parks in the area! Here are some other nearby ones with links to pictures on Instagram. I also recommend checking out my article, Top Tips for New Silver Spring Parents that will be helpful whether you’re visiting or live in the general area. It includes indoor suggestions as well.

  • Bullis Local Park – A lot of younger kids enjoy the train here to play on. It’s also a close enough walk to Silver Spring Library.
  • Burtonsville Local Park
  • Dewey Local Park – This is a personal favorite! I love the street art here, the little bike path around the park, the skating rink and all of the extras on top of an amazing park! Bring matchbox type cars to use on the small play structure And if you come here, check out Unique Thrift Store nearby! I like this park so much I have two posts!
  • Ellsworth Urban Park – This has a little kid park with a low arched monkey bar. Then it has a totally separate section for climbers – the big structure here used to make me so nervous!
  • Evans Parkway Park
  • Flora Singer Elementary School – This isn’t open during school hours, but it’s perfect for the weekend if you want to use the low monkey bars or play on the little soccer field with nets.
  • Flower Avenue Urban Park – This is a colorful park with the big circles that swing to move through. There’s some nice street art nearby here too.
  • General Getty Neighborhood Park – We recently returned to this park and I forgot how great it was! I enjoyed being able to walk the path around the park, while still being able to see my child play. This park has a “mommy and me” swing or rather the bucket swing with the traditional swing attached combination.
  • Highland View Elementary – This is probably best for non-school hours, but the ninja warrior type obstacle course at the upper playground is a lot of fun and has a big field next to it. Then there’s a lower park down the stairs that’s known as the Kindergarten park.
  • Hillandale Local Park – One of our favorites because of the log course! It also has a double swing, bathrooms and it’s next to a fire station.
  • Kemp Mill Park – If you have a climber, make sure you bring your tennis shoes! The rope climbing structure is huge here and it’s quite a stretch from the rope onto the platform for the humungous slide!
  • MLK Recreation Park – Another park with a low monkey bar for learning. There are accessible features here and bathrooms! There’s also a walking trail. I would say this is one of the most recommended ones for young children. This post has more pictures.
  • Montgomery Hills Park – Located behind Aldi’s on Georgia Ave. This park does get some shade, has a book box and it’s next to a tennis court. There’s a super pretty tree here in the Fall too!
  • North Four Corners Local Park – This is another favorite for us and it’s actually a double park! The bigger park has a huge field next to it and a great path for biking or scootering.
  • Opal Daniels Park
  • Seek Lane Park – Addy loved the ninja warrior type obstacle course set-up.
  • Sligo Cabin Park – Technically this one is along the trail too, but it is a bit challenging to get to with Purple Line construction unless you walk down from another section of Sligo Creek or one of the neighborhoods. On the weekends, you could park by Sligo Creek Elementary and walk down the steps or take the accessible path around to here.
  • Sligo Creek Park – This one is along the trail, but it is my least favorite because I always find it is so buggy! It’s close to Colesville on the side near Brunett Ave and relatively close to the golf course.
  • Sligo Mill Overlook
  • St. Paul Park – Set back from the road with an open field and path great for riding scooters, bikes or pushing a stroller. Walking distance to historic Kensington.
  • Toatley-Fraser Park
  • Upper Long Branch Park – Many refer to this as “fire engine park” because of the fire truck structure.
  • Wheaton Claridge Park
  • Wheaton Library Playground – This is a great, mostly fenced park. It is the perfect park for an outting because there’s also the library, the recreation center, a coffee shop and a Friends of the Library used bookstore. There are bathrooms when the building is open.
  • Wheaton Regional Park – This is a destination playground and great for a wide range of ages. There are bathrooms here too! I share more ideas in my article, Top Tips for New Silver Spring Parents.
  • Woodside Urban Park – This is a great park with free street parking. It’s also very close to the brand new Mom’s Organic Grocery which has a bathroom! I like to walk over to PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans from here.

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!

Top Tips for New Silver Spring Parents

Posted in Free Kids Fun, Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
TeamTravelsBaby out and about in Silver Spring, MD

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!

Family Friendly Cruise Day in Santa Barbara

Posted in Cruise, Free Kids Fun, Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

In April 2024, we took a one way cruise from the Los Angeles area (San Pedro to be exact) up to Vancouver, Canada. The cruise stopped in many cities we had visited before having our daughter, so it was exciting to return to places we could explore with her. The Princess Cruise stopped in Santa Barbara on Monday, April 8, 2024 which coincided with the Solar Eclipse.

We previously explored Santa Barbara, Solvang and many beaches and viewpoints in the area in November 2017. If you want to get more ideas beyond the one day itinerary in this post, check out Santa Barbara and the PCH Pacifically. The information below focuses on how to have a family friendly and affordable day in Santa Barbara, California based on what we actually did.

Before I share the specifics, it’s important to know that we maximize fun without breaking the bank. We tend to avoid organized excursions because we like the flexibility of planning ourselves and we are physically fit and active to walk multiple miles in a day. My first and most important tip is to consider getting an annual membership to an ASTC Passport covered museum before your trip. You will not regret it! As I share in my post, Your Family Needs the ASTC Passport, you’ll see how we were able to visit $148 worth of places in Santa Barbara for our family of three (2 adults and 1 child who was 5.5 years old) for a major deal that you can benefit from too.

When we got off the cruise ship, we brought our stroller, a day bag with snacks and water and our wallets. One thing I wish I had brought with me was a marble (see why below)! This port required a tender (a smaller boat) that took us from the cruise ship to the harbor.

8:45 am off the ship (via tender) at the Santa Barbara Harbor

We walked along the water and headed to State Street. It is hilly to walk up State Street, so it’s important to be prepared for this. We liked being able to see the main street of stores and architecture without a lot of people first thing in the morning.

9:45 am arrived to Alameda Park

It’s a solid 2-2.5 mile walk. The park has a wonderful, fully fenced wooden playground and bathrooms (it may show up on the map as Kids World). I wish we had brought a marble because there’s a unique marble run feature at this park. We stayed here about 30 minutes before continuing our walk, cutting through part of Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden.

10:45 am arrived to Mission Historical Park

It’s fun to pass by beautiful houses on the journey. We arrived to Mission Historical Park and stopped to literally smell the roses as many were already blooming. We were also able to photograph the outside of the Old Mission between the groups of people starting to arrive. We did not linger long and continued on our way to our first museum.

11:10 am arrived to Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

We enjoyed seeing the indoor spaces like the taxidermy birds, the huge dinosaurs behind the building, the whale skeleton out front and using the huge telescope during the Solar Eclipse (luckily we could borrow glasses for it). They also have an outdoor kids natural play space with shade and a small play room. We paid $0 (instead of $52) for our family to enjoy this space! I explain how in my post, Your Family Needs the ASTC Passport.

1 pm arrived to Santa Barbara Public Library

Our daughter could not stay awake on the long walk back, so she took a nap in the stroller. We knew we had two more places for her to enjoy so we let her sleep and restore her energy. We popped in the library, which is just off State Street (the main area) and has a dedicated kids space downstairs. There was a kids kitchen, toys and a table set-up for coloring and a craft. If you need free fun, this is a great space to utilize! Plus, there are bathrooms! When we left, we walked through La Arcade Plaza which had some really cool statues and a red telephone booth! Great photo opps in my opinion.

1:40 pm arrived to McConnell’s Ice Cream

We stopped at the location at 120 State St., which was directly across from the children’s museum. This was our big splurge ($8) in Santa Barbara and the way I got my daughter to wake up from her nap. We split a delicious waffle cone of ice cream and sat outside. It’s a Santa Barbara staple!

2:15 pm arrived to MOXI The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation

This multi-level children’s museum is incredible and I hope you read my other post for how we entered for $0 (instead of $55)! Addy loved the makerspace on the main level and had fun making various creations. She enjoyed the outdoor space on this level feeding the air machine with the small scarves and catching them. The Lego wall and car racing machine on the next level were favorites too. We took a quick trip to the rooftop for the view.

Playing with scarves at MOXI | TeamTravelsBaby

4 pm arrived to Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (Sea Center) 

Fortunately, this was super close to where we needed to get back on the ship. We parked our stroller and headed inside to see this small aquarium. My personal favorites were the octopus and sea horses. Addy liked watching the worker drop a bucket into the water and pull up various sea life. I am glad we could pop in for $0 (instead of $41) as it’s small and we only had a short window of time to check it out.

4:45 pm return to tender line

The last tender was scheduled for 5 pm, so we played in the sand for a few minutes before getting in line to get back on the cruise all aboard.

The Princess Cruise was amazing and this was a great stop on the itinerary! If you think this would help someone planning a trip to Santa Barbara, please share this article with them!

First ice cream of the cruise | TeamTravelsBaby

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!

Your Family Needs the ASTC Passport

Posted in Cruise, Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments

Every family should strongly consider joining a museum that’s part of the ASTC Passport Program. ASTC stands for the Association of Science and Technology Centers and it covers a ton of museums and science centers across the United States, Canada and beyond! It even covered a zoo in Duluth, Minnesota, the Greensboro Science Center, North Carolina which had a zoo, aquarium and kids museum all in one and the Montreal Science Center in Canada (which had a great dinosaur special exhibit when we visited)!

In 2022, we were visiting Michigan for an extended visit and I found that buying an annual family membership to the Ann Arbor Children’s Museum paid for itself in two visits! And with that membership, we would be allowed to visit any museums beyond 90 miles of this museum and our home address for FREE! Museums within that mileage would be 50% off. This was a no brainer for us and we actually found that many museums did not check our ID, so even when we thought we would pay 50% of the admission price, we often got in for free with our pass!

In November 2022 and November 2023, we bought the Maryland Science Center (Baltimore) Groupon for around $80-90. This gave us a family membership for one year and there’s a long lead time before you have to redeem and start the one year clock. We actually waited until April (6 months later) in both cases to redeem our pass with a Sunday visit to the Maryland Science Center. If you join, which I highly recommend, check out my IG highlight for some more Baltimore ideas.

If you travel, this is the MUST HAVE pass!

I try to yell from the rooftops about the benefits of this program. From where we live in Silver Spring, I don’t think Baltimore is super convenient because it involves taking I-95! But we make a point of going two times in the year, on a Sunday, avoiding baseball game days. We go on Sundays because we can find free parking and we go twice, because that’s how quickly this pass pays for itself. in 2024, it’s $30/adult and $22/child (ages 3-12). In the DMV, there’s also the Children’s Science Center in Fairfax (inside the mall) that is also part of the ASTC Passport Program. It’s fun to check out downtown Fairfax while in the area too.

When we travel, I always look up all of the covered places using the ASTC Passport website to see the current brochure of places listed by state. In my mind, whether we visit a place for 30 minutes or for hours, it doesn’t matter, because it’s FREE. We have visited museums that would have cost us more than buying the Groupon for the Maryland Science Center. When I tell you it’s worth it, it is 100% worth it.

To give a quick example, when we cruised to Santa Barbara in April 2024, there were three covered places by the pass that we visited in one day. If we had paid for admission separately, we would have paid $148! Below is the breakdown by museum, but remember we paid $0 in Santa Barbara to enter these three places. The main takeaway is that spending $80-$90 for our Maryland Science Center pass in November when it’s on Groupon is a MUST PURCHASE!

  • MOXI The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation – This was an incredible kids museum, with a great makerspace. We even got to enjoy a beautiful rooftop view. In 2024, this museum cost $15/kid (3-12 years old) and $20/adult (13+). This would have cost our family (2 adults + 1 child) $55 to visit, but instead it was FREE because it’s more than 90 miles from our condo in Maryland and the Maryland Science Center.
  • Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History – We enjoyed seeing the indoor spaces, the huge dinosaurs in the back, the whale skeleton and we happened to be here during the Solar Eclipse so it was amazing to use the huge telescope. They also have an outdoor kids play space and small play room. This would have cost our family $52 to visit ($19/adult and $14/kid ages 2-12), but instead, we showed our Maryland Science Center pass and it was FREE.
  • Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (Sea Center) – This was a small aquarium. I loved seeing the octopus and watching an employee pull up items directly from the water. It was also conveniently close to the cruise port. This would have cost our family $41 ($15/adult and $11/kid ages 2-12).

I love this pass and I think you and your family will too. It also makes for a great experience gift! I set a reminder for each November to keep a look out for it! If you subscribe to the Maryland Science Center newsletter, you also get notified. I’ll do my best to share via my newsletter too!

Have you visited an ASTC Passport covered museum? Let me know in the comments.

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!

Carolina On My Mind

Posted in Free Kids Fun, Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , 1 Comment

A few years ago my parents’ relocated to South Carolina between Greenville, South Carolina and Asheville, North Carolina. Visiting them gives us the perfect excuse to explore the Upstate. There’s an affordable direct flight ($80 each) on Allegiant Air from BWI to AVL (Asheville) airport.

Greenville

Downtown Greenville is a must see! It has an incredible bridge and waterfall, a wonderful bookstore, an underground coffee shop and mice statues set-up as a scavenger hunt throughout town. The library is worth a visit too. During the holidays, one of the hotels nearby displays incredible gingerbread houses you can see for free.


Inman

A very small downtown, but there’s some great street art, a consignment store, a coffee shop, an escape room and a few other stores to pop in. Nearby Lake Bowen has a fully fenced in playground (Anchor Park) with bathrooms. And if you come during the holidays, don’t miss The Christmas House (a beautiful drive through with a recommended donation).


Landrum

The market is great here, especially when you can see and hold the baby goats. The town is really cute too with The Shops at Landrum Antique Mall with a variety of vendors, a great pub, and coffee shop.

Spartanburg

Downtown Spartanburg houses the Denny’s World Headquarters and a fully fenced in playground that’s accessible in the evenings and weekends. There’s a bookstore with a kitty, a toy store, multiple coffee shops, an ice cream shop and other places to pop in. There’s also a really nice Children’s Museum.

If you’re looking for more in the area, you can venture to:

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!

From Maryland to Michigan: A Mom Recommends Museums and More

Posted in Free Kids Fun, Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , Leave a comment

Michigan has so many great offerings for kids! We are very fortunate that my in-laws and extended family live in the Detroit metro area, so we’ve done quite a bit of exploring over the years. This post focuses on museums, playgrounds, towns, libraries and other adventures we’ve taken that are kid friendly. Since Instagram eliminated the IG guides, I figured it was time to add everything to my website (links will take you to the relevant TeamTravelsBaby IG post for more info and lots of pictures). We have explored quite a bit of the state including Mackinac Island, the UP (upper peninsula), Traverse City, etc. but I’ll save those for another post.

I’ve alphabetized cities we’ve visited and what I’ve personally experienced and enjoyed with my daughter. And as we love free and low cost fun, the places highlighted are kid friendly and family friendly affordable fun within a reasonable distance of metro Detroit. You’ll be able to tell that we love visiting libraries as they are free indoor spaces, usually with toys and often have great free programming too, even without a library card! At the end of this post, I added a couple of additional places within 2 hours if you’re looking to expand your search.

Ann Arbor

This makes for such an amazing day! In Maryland, we belong to the Maryland Science Center and there is a covered museum in Ann Arbor that we can access for FREE because they are included in the ASTC Passport Program. We always buy in November when it’s around $80-90 for an annual family membership. Plus you can enjoy walking around the University of Michigan campus here and see the huge squirrels!

Birmingham

This is a fancy town! It has some really nice stores, bakeries, coffee, a farmers market in the warmer months and is very walkable.

Brighton

This is such a cute walkable town to visit! It’s pretty, has a coffee shop, a bookstore and an incredible wooden playground. This is one of my personal favorites.

Clarkston

You can blink and drive through this town, but we found it was worth a stop to enjoy the park and candy store. It’s also where an indoor play area is that often has costumed characters. 

Commerce

Farmington/Farmington Hills

Howell

Exceeded my expectations. We initially came only for the nature center but ended up walking the town and liked the playground and unique stores.

Milford

A walkable city to visit with ice cream, a coffee shop and playground. We’ve come for their car show before which was a fun event to walk around.

Northville

If you can’t tell by now, I love walkable towns! This one is really cute, especially in the fall! There’s a library, an incredible indoor play space that’s a great way to observe which toys interest your child, tons of restaurants, coffee shops, a kids consignment store, etc.

  • Stemville (check to see if you need to reserve a time block in advance and wear socks; there’s a coffee shop inside)

Novi

Waterford

  • Hess Hathaway Park (not open daily, check hours and you can see animals plus a farm themed playground)

White Lake

Wolverine Lake

We have driven many times from Maryland to Michigan as well as flown into DTW (Detroit) airport. It’s a huge Delta hub with a separate terminal for them. Our most recent trip was only $88 roundtrip on Frontier from BWI to DTW. We look forward to continuing to explore new places and return to our favorites!

If you would like to expand your search, here are places within two hours or so of where we visit.

And while I will make an effort to add new places to this post and on TeamTravelsBaby Instagram when we visit, here are IG accounts I follow in Michigan for ideas: Michigan Mom of One and LittleGuide Detroit.

Thanks for checking out my post! Feel free to add ideas in the comments! And make sure you’re subscribed for our newsletter!

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!

How To Find Affordable U.S. Travel

Posted in Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , 1 Comment

I know I’m fortunate to live in an area with three major airports to choose from (as a bonus, they all have play areas)! In the Washington, D.C. metro, we have Baltimore-Washington airport (BWI), Washington Dulles (IAD) and Reagan National Airport (DCA). This helps with pricing flights and having options.

Tips on how to find affordable U.S. travel.
Airplane in the air | TeamTravelsBaby

My formula for evaluating travel is:

(Flight price total + Car rental price total + Lodging price tota)l / (# of people x # of nights)

More on this in a minute.

Find the flights

I know there are many “travel experts” who want you to pay and subscribe for flight deals. Personally, I swear and live by Google Flights (even Southwest Airlines was finally added in 2024). Google allows you to put in your home airport(s), enter “United States” as the destination, add your dates and then see the prices for various places. From here, you can see what blue dots appear on the map that intrigue you for the time of year you’re looking to travel. You can also use the filters if you prefer to stay under a certain price per ticket or want to limit to non-stop/direct flights. Once I narrow down the destination, before I book, I also check one way flights to see if that helps with the overall price or presents better time options then roundtrip with a single airline carrier. As a tip, use a computer to search instead of a phone. I find it’s better with the explore feature.

One major thing to consider is how you pack. My experience is that we most often end up flying Spirit, Frontier. Sun Country or Allegiant (all low cost carriers), which does not bother us. But, it does mean that we have to each pack in a “personal item” (with small and specific dimensions) to avoid tacking on additional fees. We checked the specs and got super small luggage pieces from Sam’s Club to ensure compliance. If you can’t pack this way, you may want to consider what adding the luggage cost is for each way and then compare it to the next airline carrier that will include your bags (such as Southwest or Delta). Also, sometimes it’s cheapest to pack as a family into one larger checked baggage. 

Reminder: Airlines allow you to cancel your flights AND get a full refund to original payment within 24 hours of booking. This is the U.S. Department of Transportation’s regulation.

Find the rental car

The next thing I do, especially if I’m torn between two destinations, is look at the cost of a car rental during the period. I regularly use CarRentals.com to check this. I know many recommend checking Costco prices, so if you have a membership, don’t forget that’s an option. Some car companies will offer a lower price if you pay in full with no rights to cancel. Others allow for free cancellation (by a certain date) and this can be very appealing. We typically go with whatever is the least expensive since it’s only 3 of us traveling. We bring our own car seat too. Another thing to do is consider using your credit card (if you have more than one) that gives you travel protection as part of its benefits.

Find the accommodations

The last major piece is to find where to sleep each night. This piece is easier or harder depending on whether or not you’re moving locations (e.g., cities), how long your trip is for and whether or not you’re traveling during a busy season. I typically use Booking.com, Super Travel and Airbnb.com to see which route is more affordable for a particular city and my needs for that trip. For example, if I’m on vacation and only plan to sleep in the accommodation, as long as it has a decent review, I don’t care how small it is (e.g., a Motel 6 or a room in someone’s house). But, if I need to work or spend more time in the accommodations, I look for something a bit bigger or one with a kitchen and private bathroom and high speed internet. 

The great thing is looking for affordable options with “free cancellation” and then taking the time to continue looking. These appear on the sites and allow the most flexibility in planning and finalizing a trip.

Back to the formula

Once I have my prices (which I usually screenshot or record into a Word doc), I can see what my base price for a family trip is. 

(Flight price total + Car rental price total + Lodging price total) / (# of people x # of nights)

Example:

  • Flight price total (for all 3 people): $600
  • Car rental price total (for 6 days): $200
  • Lodging price total (for 5 nights): $500
  • Total: $1300
  • Formula: $1300 / (3 people x 6 nights)
  • Result: $72.22 – – This is the average price per night per person.

The $72.22 is one way to look at this. It shows that by person, I’m paying that amount for each night. Put another way, I could eliminate the number of people in the denominator (since this is my family and I’m not being reimbursed by another person for their share) and see that each night of the trip will cost $216.67. If I want this “base cost” of travel to go down, I have to do better on one of the three main cost areas (flights, car rental or lodging). 

Other considerations

We like to spread out the costs whenever we can across multiple credit card statements. This helps with not having one huge credit card bill at the end of a trip. For example, the flights and sometimes an Airbnb reservation may go on one bill, but then the credit card may not charge until after we return the car rental. 

If you’re able to have a friend or family member drop you and pick you up from the airport, this will be a cost savings. I know in our area, it can easily be close to $50 on  Uber* or Lyft* each way, which will add to the cost of the trip. Compare the pricing in the apps and book a ride in advance if you’re going that route. If public transit is available to your nearest airport, this is another possible way to minimize additional cost.

It’s probably obvious, but of course you can always consider driving your personal car instead of flying and renting a vehicle or picking a destination that’s fully accessible with public transportation and shared rides or visiting a place where you know someone and have a place to stay. This are all ways that will cut down on your cost and make travel more affordable.

At the end of the day, I hope you don’t wait for retirement to start experiencing the world! If you’re looking for other ways to save money to afford travel, check out my article “How to save money in order to travel”. 

* The Uber and Lyft links are referral links. There’s no additional cost to you and if you’re creating an account for the first time, I appreciate you using my link which may provide me with a small benefit in the form of a credit or discount by the provider.

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!

Airport Play Areas in the DMV

Posted in Free Kids Fun, Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , 2 Comments

I feel so fortunate to live in the DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area when it comes to travel. It’s incredible to have three major airports to choose from that are all accessible by public transportation. I find it very helpful for trying to find a good flight price, whether it’s within the US or out of the country.

Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)

This is our preferred airport, usually fully driven by price since we’re willing to fly low cost carriers such as Spirit, Frontier and Allegiant. I find that the security line is always super efficient here too. My daughter loves the play area at this airport which is after the D/E security checkpoint. We have been back many times to play while waiting for our flights. For trips longer than a week, we typically Uber* or Lyft* to the airport and I like that I can reserve in advance. If it’s a shorter trip, we use a place like The Parking Spot to leave our car and take their provided shuttle to the airport. I’ve only done it once, but you can take the Marc Train and then hop a free shuttle to the airport.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

When we lived in Northwest Washington, D.C. this was the most convenient airport. It’s metro accessible on the yellow line and it’s so convenient that the metro card can now be placed in an iPhone wallet. We took the metro back to Silver Spring, Maryland from the airport which was super affordable (because young kids are free) and took slightly over an hour. This airport has the newest play area which is sponsored by the National Children’s Museum. It’s located before going through security so we actually enjoyed it once we returned to the airport to go home and before we got on the metro.

Dulles International Airport (IAD)

We typically only fly out of this airport for international flights, particularly to Europe. In February 2023, we were flying to Portugal and it was great to have the play area near our gate. It’s found near gates B66/B70. It’s nearly equal distance from our house to here or BWI, but taking I-495 and I-66 are always a gamble, so if we’re having a friend drive us, leaving our car at the parking lot (and then taking the shuttle) or taking an Uber* or Lyft*, we leave ourselves plenty of time. The airport is now connected to metro’s Silver Line. From Silver Spring, it’s a long trip, but we did save money and take it home after our vacation.

I really appreciate when airports have child friendly spaces! Another great airport, if you are heading there or it’s a stop over is the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport (MSP). They have a great kids play area and snoopy characters. We added this one to our Airports Instagram highlight and will continue to add as we travel and find more. Thanks for reading!

* The Uber and Lyft links are referral links. There’s no additional cost to you and if you’re creating an account for the first time, I appreciate you using my link which may provide me with a small benefit in the form of a credit or discount by the provider.

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!

DMV Landing Page

Posted in Free Kids Fun, Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Let it be easy! That’s what I want for whomever comes across my page, whether it’s from my Instagram, through my newsletter or some other way. As the family trip planner – whether it’s for an afternoon outing or a full blow vacation, I appreciate when I come across places that put it all together and make my life easier to create the best trip for my family.

Blog Posts

  • Airport Play Areas in the DMV – BWI, DCA, and IAD all have play areas and are accessible by public transit!
  • Free Mall Play Areas in the DMV – This article has much more than malls. I lay out other ideas for what to do near each mall.
  • Free Fun for Kids at Big Box Retailers – We are huge fans of free and affordable fun! There are so many companies that have weekly or monthly offerings.
    • Merry Pin is a new local store that has free story time and art each Saturday!
  • Keep Your Green at Great Wolf Lodge – We visited the one in Perryville, Maryland that’s north of Baltimore and had the best time! Definitely a core memory for my daughter (and me).
  • Maryland Ice Cream Trail Adventure – My daughter and I had the best time trying ice cream at cow to cone locations! We visited libraries, towns, playgrounds, etc. as part of our adventure.
  • Sligo Creek Parkway Playgrounds and Nearby Ones – There are so many incredible parks in Silver Spring, along the creek, as well as parks in the surrounding areas like Wheaton and Takoma Park.
  • Splish Splash in Maryland – Beat the summer heat and head to one of the outdoor pools! Also includes some splash pads to get you started.
  • Top Tips for New Silver Spring Parents – This is chock-full of suggestions and will benefit you whether you moved to Silver Spring ,are new to parenting in Silver Spring or you’re located in a surrounding area!
  • Your Family Needs the ASTC Passport – If you have a kid, you have to get an annual membership to an ASTC Passport covered museum, especially if you like to travel. If you’re in the DMV, I recommend joining the Maryland Science Center when its on Groupon.

Affordable Adventures

Newsletters

I created a Substack newsletter. It covers near and far travel, books, random learnings and more! I would love for you to subscribe for free. The content highlighted below are DMV places (or very close) but some posts may cover other areas like Edition 1 touches on Salt Lake City.

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!

Explore the Eastern Shore

Posted in DC-Maryland-Virginia, Free Kids Fun, Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
Red playground | TeamTravelsBaby

From our condo in Silver Spring, Maryland it takes us about 45 minutes to cross the Bay Bridge (make sure you have an EZ Pass for the toll) and then there are a lot of choices for exploring Maryland’s Eastern Shore. When we first started venturing to the Eastern Shore, I only thought of Assateague and Ocean City, Maryland. Let me assure you, there are a lot of fun places – ice cream shops, cute towns, playgrounds, beaches and art to see! If you prefer staying on Instagram, I have a highlight reel, but I have many more details here and it’s searchable. Some of my hyperlinks below will also take you to my Insta with pics.

Berlin

This is a cute historic town with ice cream, a thrift store (cash only), a coffee shop and some shops. If you pass through on a Sunday, there’s a seasonal market and stores are open too. This is very close to Assateague and Ocean City.

  • Island Creamery is located downtown and will let you split a single scoop so you can enjoy two flavors for just over $5. There’s often a line here but it moves fast and you can enjoy seating in the alley next to it.
  • Chesapeake Bay Farms is one of the stops on the Maryland Ice Cream Trail; this is directly off US 50 West so it’s an easy stop without adding too much time to your journey
    • You can learn more about it here and the possible prizes!
  • The library has toys and is a good stop if you need a clean bathroom.
  • The beautifully painted pumpkin scavenger hunt in October was so much fun! It’s free, the town is happening with music and activities for kids. See our reel here.
  • About 10 minutes from downtown is Wal-Mart which is a great place to stock up before the beach. We’ve also slept in this parking lot to save money!

Ocean City

This is a destination for many and it’s super fun with the ocean, the bay, a long boardwalk and many other family friendly offerings. We recently found a last minute deal for $92 for the Blue Wave Inn which was like a Motel 6 but with an incredible pool and parking that lasted until 3 pm on the day of check out. It was only 2 blocks from 9th street at the boardwalk. I would stay again.

  • No name park is new and a must visit near the skate park and views of the bay.
  • Check out CertifiKID* to see if there are any deals for Jolly Rogers Amusement Park (we saw some in June 2024). Many places, like miniature golfing offer deals if you look in hotels at the pamphlets.
  • Ocean City is fun in various seasons. We loved visiting in October for the enjoyable weather and the off-season pricing (see what we paid here) at the Francis Scott Key Family Resort which has an indoor pool, putt-putt, free popcorn and a movie room. Insta pics here.

* CertifiKID is very similar to GroupOn. If you’ve never used it, please consider using my referral link as it’s no extra cost to you and I will receive a small credit from CertifiKID. In the DMV, we have found deals for places like DoodleHatch (Columbia), Jolly Yolly (Westfield Montgomery) and HyperKidz.

Bivalve

Cove Road Beach is the only reason we came here which is on a river and very relaxing. It’s about 25 minutes from Salisbury.

Cove Road Beach | TeamTravelsBaby

Cambridge

Located along the Choptank River, this is a great halfway point to stop and stretch on the way to the Atlantic Ocean. It also makes for a fun day trip from the DMV area (90 minutes from Silver Spring).

  • Sailwinds Park has a great playground and is located along the river
  • Chick-fil-A is about 1 mile from Sailwinds and has a small play area
  • There is a downtown with coffee, ice cream and art! Set your GPS for Black Water Coffee Shop and you’ll be in the heart of it all. IG post here.
  • Dorchester County Library is a place to escape the heat but still let your kids stretch. They have kids toys.

Chestertown

This is close to Rock Hall and Betterton Beach. I definitely recommend combining all three for a great day trip away from the DMV. Chestertown is the biggest town and is fun for wandering in and out of shops like the bookstore.

  • Betterton Beach is one of those ideal beaches for littles! Check out my IG post. It’s under 2 hours from Silver Spring, MD and we’ve enjoyed this as a day trip.
  • Rock Hall – grab a treat at Sweet Cheeks Bakery, grab coffee from Java Rock and look for ospreys at Blue Heron Park.
  • Lockbriar Farms for ice cream is part of the Maryland ice cream trail and has delicious fruit flavored ones. The owners had a sweet cat who sat with us and then we took a little tour to see the chickens and flowers blooming.

Easton

Less than 90 minutes from Silver Spring is an Amish Market, indoor play space and great park! It can easily be combined with Cambridge.

  • Be with Me Playseum is an indoor playspace with different areas for pretend play, real animals and art. Be sure to check their hours here. This is located on US 50 West. There’s also a location in the Columbia Mall and one in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
  • Idlewild Park is an amazing wooden park that’s mostly fenced in, has a tot lot too and bathrooms! There’s also a book box and a really pretty court. IG reel here It’s only a couple of minutes off US 50 East, so it’s another great park on the way to the beach.
  • Amish Country Farmers Market – Check their hours and know that it’s closed Sundays. This is a great stop if you just need a quick outting and perhaps some affordable and delicious treats! We love Amish markets and have enjoyed exploring many in the DMV like Annapolis, Laurel and Germantown.
  • Chick-fil-A here has a small play area.
Be with Me Playseum | TeamTravelsBaby

Grasonville

The Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center is a great place for getting outdoors, especially if you enjoy walking/hiking or getting out on the water with paddleboards or kayaks. It is exceptionally affordable (like $20/day) and first come first serve. Read more on their site. Grab coffee from Dessert First Dockside Coffee and make sure to check out the marina.

Kent Island

This makes for a great trip and is great when the weather is comfortable for hiking and spending time outdoors.

  • Ferry Point Park – Park and check out the Chesapeake Heritage and Visitor Center, then go for a leisurely walk and enjoy the small beach.
  • Terrapin Nature Park – This is also a great place to walk and enjoy a small beach.
  • Pair with Old Love Point Park or other fun from Stevensville or Grasonville.

Oxford

I could come here just for the uniqueness of the ice cream! There is a small town along Main Street, a playground with shade near the water and a small beach.

  • Scottish Highland Creamery is so cute and right on the water!
  • Main Street has a little museum, a cute store of 30+ local vendors called the Treasure Chest, a market, Mystery Lovers Bookstore and my personal favorite was my iced lavender latte at Oxford Social Cafe. There’s a playground on the water and a little beach too.
Main Street Oxford | TeamTravelsBaby

Salisbury

This is the great stop to break up the drive to or from the ocean or to enjoy as its own trip.

Two Scoops Ice Cream | TeamTravelsBaby
Ben’s Red Swings next to the free zoo | TeamTravelsBaby

Stevensville

Will travel for ice cream should be our middle names. You can have a great day between the beach, ice cream and playground all within a short distance of one another.

  • Historic downtown Stevensville is small, but worth visiting for the Tasty Toucan which has a very kid friendly outdoor space. Check out my IG post.
  • Matapeake Beach is a small beach nearby. Parking is limited so get there early or come later in the day.
  • Old Love Point Playground

St. Michael’s

There’s a Saturday morning market and the library has toys if you’re visiting with a young child. It’s a fun town by the water. Grab coffee at Blue Crab and check out my IG post here.

So much to do on the Eastern Shore

If you have time and like birding, bring your camera and check out Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and the nearby Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center. And why not venture all the way to Delaware! You’re almost there anyways. Here’s our day in Rehoboth. I also have a beach highlight on Instagram that some of the beaches we’ve been to within a reasonable drive of the DMV.

Let me know in the comments what you love about the Eastern Shore or somewhere we should visit on a future trip!

Free mall play areas in the DMV

Posted in Free Kids Fun, Read Them All, Uncategorized, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

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!
She’s too fast at Ellsworth Place | TeamTravelsBaby
Silver Spring Library Bus | TeamTravelsBaby


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.
Wheaton Escalator | TeamTravelsBaby


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!
Westfield Montgomery | TeamTravelsBaby
Westfield Montgomery Play Area | TeamTravelsBaby
Westfield Montgomery | TeamTravelsBaby


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!
Shuffle board | TeamTravelsBaby
Columbia Mall | TeamTravelsBaby
Birthday Build-A-Bear | TeamTravelsBaby


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.
Bass Pro Shop | TeamTravelsBaby
Arundel Mills | TeamTravelsBaby
Egyptian Theater | TeamTravelsBaby
Lego Store at Arundel Mills | TeamTravelsBaby
Arundel Mills | TeamTravelsBaby


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.
Amish Market in Annapolis | TeamTravelsBaby
Michael Busch Library | TeamTravelsBaby

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!)
Barnes and Noble in Tysons | TeamTravelsBaby
American Girl | TeamTravelsBaby


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!
Children’s Science Center | TeamTravelsBaby
Inside the Science Center | TeamTravelsBaby
Free Play Area at Fair Oaks Mall | TeamTravelsBaby

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!

Free fun for kids at big box retailers

Posted in Free Kids Fun, Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , 2 Comments

Did you know there are big box retailers that offer FREE fun? Check this out to learn about some of the companies I’m aware of and feel free to share additional ideas in the comments!

As a family, we aim to reduce consumerism and shy away from name brands and big box retail stores, BUT, I do make one exception and that’s when those big name stores offer FREE fun! Even I can’t resist! The other thing I love is we’ve been able to participate in these free events while traveling!

First up is Michaels, the arts and crafts store. On select Sunday afternoons (often 2-4 pm), they offer a window of time for kids to come in and do a make-and-take craft. When we visited Spartanburg, South Carolina, we tried this out for the first time and both my daughter (4 at the time) and I made tie-dye shirts. (See our experience on Instagram.) We got to pick out our shirt style and size from the t-shirt aisle in the store, the Michaels employee requisitioned it (aka made it free) and then provided the aprons, instructions and supplies for us to add the colors. Then she provided bags for us to take them home and told us how to finish them up three days later. This is still one of my favorite shirts and was such a fun experience for my daughter and I to do together.

Craft at Michael’s | TeamTravelsBaby
Tie-dye shirt making for free | TeamTravelsBaby

Tip: Call the store you plan to go to and verify that they indeed are doing the craft, as advertised online. (Trust me, I’ve learned from experience. For example, the downtown Silver Spring, Maryland location still does not offer in-person events.) Then reserve your spot online at the store you plan to go to.

Next up is Home Depot, the home improvement store. They offer a free kids workshop, typically on the first Saturday morning of each month between 9 am – 12 pm. I reserved her spot (to guarantee her a kit) online and my parents took her to the one in Spartanburg, South Carolina. This one was hosted outdoors. She was given an apron, a pin, and the necessary supplies to assemble, paint and decorate a bean bag toss (a mini cornhole). I am not one to use a hammer and nails, but my Mom is. This is such a great way to engage other family members and introduce your child to something new. See her fun on Instagram! Similarly, she enjoyed a different creation at the Home Depot in Michigan with her cousin and my in-laws!

Tip: Book your spot online in advance as you do not want to show up to the store and have your child disappointed. If you do not show up, they will give away your kit at the end of the allotted window.

Their competitor, Lowe’s, also offers a similar kids workshop. These workshops are typically the third Saturday of the month, but always check their calendar and sign-up in advance to reserve your spot. They offer different one hour windows, usually between 10 am – 1 pm. We finally gave this a try in January and loved it! We built a toolbox together and the instructions were super easy to follow. We’re already excited to return in February! Make sure they “check you in” so your child gets credit as there are different milestones to work towards.

Building a toolbox | TeamTravelsBaby

Tip: Book early if you’re in an area that only has one location within a reasonable distance. They’re usually available almost a month in advance for sign-up online. If you do not show up, they give away your kit at the end of the allotted window to walk-ins.

The last company I’ll highlight is Ikea, the Swedish company that offers furniture and home décor. The first step is to sign-up for their free Ikea loyalty card and add it to your Apple wallet or traditional wallet or purse. Every time you go there you can get a FREE coffee, with FREE refills! This is like a parent’s dream! Their restaurants usually have big windows, lots of seating and a couple of kid friendly (geared for little kids) items to touch. Drink your coffee hot!

Also, Ikea offers FREE childcare in their Smaland, while you shop. I love a kid free walk around Target with Starbucks, but free coffee and free childcare, I’m honestly blown away! The child must be potty-trained, must wear socks and there is a range for acceptable height (instead of age) which is 37 to 54 inches. The Smaland at the location closest to us (in College Park, Maryland) has been closed for some time, but they do offer a long table of free kids crafts and coloring in the restaurant on Wednesdays from 12 pm – 1 pm and 6 pm – 7 pm (always double check in case it changes and you may need to make online reservations or walk in and show your free family card, which I have saved to my Apple wallet). Plus with the FREE card, you can buy one adult entrée and get kids entrees for free the same night (which for us is like $12 for the three of us to eat). We have been multiple times and my daughter loves this! Check the College Park location for other offerings too! And we have visited many locations across the United States that have their own unique kids offerings (like at the one in Vegas, Addy got to paint a picture frame and make a placemat that got laminated and at the one in Minnesota by Mall of America she loved the little snoopy house and riding the slanted escalators).

Ikea in Minneapolis | TeamTravelsBaby
Ikea in College Park, MD | TeamTravelsBaby
Ikea in Las Vegas | TeamTravelsBaby

Tip: We have always been on weekdays in the late afternoon, which have never been busy. If you go on a weekend, expect that many others may have the same idea and there could be a wait for Smaland. 

So now you know! Big box retailers do offer kid-friendly FREE fun! I hope you’ll take advantage of these great offerings. Affordable family travel can be where you live or where you travel to. If you found this page without subscribing to my newsletter, I encourage you to check it out and subscribe. Here’s my Inaugural Newsletter and my second newsletter, Sunshine State of Mind.

And while there isn’t a craft or project to take home (although on occasion, we’ve seen coloring sheets), Barnes and Noble bookstore is another big box company that offers story time which is typically on Saturdays at 11 am! Please share any other free big box retailer offerings in the comments! We love adding new things to our list for the DMV area and for when we travel.

Story time at Barnes and Noble in Tucson | TeamTravelsBaby

10 Fun Things With Kids Near Pine Island, Florida

Posted in Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
Critters on shells at Turner Beach | TeamTravelsBaby

The beach is the obvious thing to do on a trip to Florida with kids, but there are more options! My personal favorite is the variety of birds – I could post hundreds of pictures of Florida birds, but don’t worry, I only shared a couple. Enjoy and let me know what we should add to our list for next time!

I feel very fortunate that my in-laws spend the winter months (January, February and sometimes March) enjoying Florida and have invited us to enjoy a piece of it with them the last couple of years. For me, escaping to the Sunshine State is perfect for my state of mind because it’s always significantly warmer than the temperature in Maryland where we live. Over the years, here are ten fun things to do on and near Pine Island, Florida (located on the west coast of Florida, south of Tampa and north of Sarasota). Given the location of where my in-laws stay, near Bokeelia, our travels have taken us to Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Sanibel/Captiva and Punta Gorda which are all within an hour. We have flown into Fort Myers Airport (RSW, about 1 hour), Punta Gorda Airport (PDG, about 45 minutes) and have driven all the way from Maryland. Of course Florida is choc full of airports, so if you’re willing to drive, you may get a better deal flying into Tampa/St. Petersburg, Orlando, Sarasota, Miami or Fort Lauderdale to name a few.

Tern Seagull | TeamTravelsBaby
White Pelicans | TeamTravelsBaby
Brown Pelican | TeamTravelsBaby
Osprey with a fish | TeamTravelsBaby

We have adventured around this area with our daughter between the ages of three and five. Below are things we have done with her and enjoyed, in no particular order. (Always do your due diligence to check hours, road conditions and current pricing.)

  • Lee County Manatee Park – See manatees near the water tower. Just pay a couple of dollars ($2/hour or $5/day in 2024) for parking and you’ll find a great place to walk, play at the playground, have a picnic, etc. There are also bathrooms.
  • Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve – An amazing boardwalk trail and chance to look for wildlife! The parking lot is small, so go early or late to try and snag a spot and pay the nominal parking fee. I loved seeing the ibises.
  • Flea Master Flea Market and Goodwill Outlet – My in-laws hid 10, $1 bills for my daughter to find and then off the flea market, in the rain, we went. Bring an umbrella and good water shoes for the parking lot, but then enjoy the covered market. She loved getting a $1.60 back scratcher, $3 to have her face painted and $2 for fairy hair and a $2 tsum tsum necklace. Goodwill Outlet is no ordinary thrift experience and kids under 12 can’t go in this location, BUT, if you’re looking for inexpensive toys for your trip, pop in here for the experience. Nearly everything is by weight and you can snag some amazing deals! Some people like to wear gloves when looking through the humungous bins! My favorite part is watching the crowd when a new row of bins comes out – trust me!
  • Fort Myers Beach – This one is probably obvious and it does look different since the hurricane, but still lots to explore and a fun family outing! And while we haven’t been, I want to check out D Street along the river (The River District). They hold a variety of events and Leoma Lovegrove (one of my favorite spots from Matlatcha is moving here in 2024).
  • Pine Island Public Library, Philips Community Park and Spot Ice Cream – If you’re driving onto Pine Island, you’ll come through the town of Matlatcha. Sadly, as of January 2024, it still has not fully recovered from Hurricane Ian (September 2022), but if you’re able to, definitely get out and see the beautiful street art, pop in the stores that are open and get coffee at the Perfect Cup! Continue on to the library which has a cute kids area and bathrooms, play at the playground across from it that has a scavenger hunt and one of those kid “elevators” and then end with Spots Ice Cream across the main road. My personal favorite was the blueberry cheesecake. (Sundays and Mondays aren’t the best days given some things are closed.)
Marina by Lazy Flamingo | TeamTravelsBaby
Matlatcha Street Art by CreativelySass | TeamTravelsBaby
Critters on shells at Turner Beach | TeamTravelsBaby
  • Cayo Costa State Park – Fortunately, my in-laws can take us here on their boat, but there is a way to get here if you don’t have access to one (verify the details). The bird life, walking the beach and looking for dolphins are some of my favorite parts. And if you have time, drive to the farthest point north on Pine Island to Bokeelia. Next to Capt’n Con’s restaurant I love to buy earrings made by locals. You can also check out the pier or catch the sunset behind the restaurant. And if you’re walking, take a look down Moyer Lane – it’s a hoot! We love eating at the Lazy Flamingo up the street, walking around the marina and catching the sunset from the bridge by it. There are so many pelicans and Addy even fed some this year! We’ve also seen wood storks, night herons, great blues and others.
  • Fellowship Park in Cape Coral – This is a playground, splashpad and coffee shop! It’s associated with a church, but is open to all. Don’t forget to pack a bathing suit and towel.
  • Fishermen’s Village – If you fly into Punta Gorda (check Allegiant Airlines for deals), this is less than 10 minutes away. We loved popping by here during the holidays when it was beautifully decorated, walking around the shops and watching Addy play in the sand and climb the big chair while catching the sunset. There’s also a huge outdoor bar in the sand.
  • Turner Beach – There are multiple beaches on Sanibel and Captiva. We parked in the small parking lot here, paid for parking on our phones and then started searching for seashells. Right by the big rocks is the best place to look we found – we collected and then went to the Dollar Tree for art supplies to use them in crafts like decorating picture frames and other wood décor! There’s also real restrooms here too. I needed my coffee fix and popped into Jerry’s Grocery to get one. (Unfortunately, some of the other coffee shops have not reopened since the hurricane.) Prepare with a Sunpass to pay the toll or get a bill with your license plate.
  • J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge – Start with the visitor and education center and then explore the wildlife loop. I believe it’s a couple of dollars, but if you have a U.S. National Parks pass (like the America the Beautiful pass), it’s included. This is a great place to spot birds – we were so happy we brought our Nikon D500! Many people had binoculars. It’s on a paved road, so you can easily walk with a stroller, bike, etc. This is located on Sanibel and requires a toll to get on the island.
Wood Stork | TeamTravelsBaby
3 Year Old Addy | TeamTravelsBaby
Dolphin | TeamTravelsBaby

We look forward to our next adventure here. And if you have the time, definitely make the drive to the Everglades! We’ve been twice and I would happily go again. Check out my post here (Right Up a Birders “Alli” (gator)), which includes the stops we made along the way. The Everglades and Acadia National Park are my favorite east coast parks.

What should we add to our list for the next time we visit this area? Feel free to leave them in the comments so we can all benefit! We particularly love free and low cost fun for our family. And if you didn’t find me via my newly created Substack newsletter, take a look and subscribe or follow us on IG at TeamTravelsBaby!

Sunset behind Capt’n Con’s 2024 | TeamTravelsBaby
Face painting at Flea Master | TeamTravelsBaby
Sunset at Fishermen’s Village 2023 | TeamTravelsBaby