Alexandria is a great place to raise a family with parks aplenty, several pools and spray parks, a wide range of activities and great family-friendly restaurants. Here are our suggestions for a staycation with your little people.
George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate – George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate lets you take a step back in time (even if it’s back to your own fifth-grade field trip). With a live blacksmith and other historic demonstrations, interactive exhibits, gardens, farm animals and plenty of hiking and walking trails, Mount Vernon Estate is a great place to take kids. The grounds are pet-friendly, too. It’s at 3200 Mt. Vernon Hwy., mountvernon.org.
You could drive down the picturesque George Washington Memorial Parkway to get to Mount Vernon Estate, but there are more fun ways to get there.
Chris Militzer/Miliman12 Photography
Potomac Riverboat Co.
The Potomac Riverboat Co. has a regular water taxi that goes down the Potomac River to Mount Vernon Estate. Pick up the boat from behind the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria. More information is available at potomacriverboatco.com.
It’s about a 10–mile bike ride from Old Town to Mount Vernon Estate, but Pedego Electric Bikes, 210 N. Lee St., pedegoalexandria.com, can make it seem much shorter! The electric bike compa-ny offers a variety of options including tandem bicycles, tricycles and bicycles with safety seats for children to ride on the back.
If that hasn’t tired them out enough, hit up Cameron Run Regional Park, 4001 Eisenhower Avenue. In addition to pools and waterslides at Great Waves, the park has batting cages and miniature golf. (Topgolf, 6625 S Van Dorn St., topgolf.com, has a good miniature golf course, too!)
For your young sports fan, the Alexandria Aces baseball team has the fun of a ballpark without the cost. The Aces, a part of the Cal Ripkin Collegiate Baseball League, plays at Frank Mann Field off of Commonwealth Avenue throughout July and into August. More information is at alexandriaaces.com.
Alexandria is often hot and humid in the summer, so cooling off will be a must. On sunny days, stop by one of Alexandria’s pools or spraygrounds. But not every day can be sunny. If the threat of a summer thunderstorm sends you indoors, Alexandria has a wide variety of kid-friendly entertainment venues. Here are a few places to get the sillies out.
Scramble, the European-style playspace for kids in the Eisenhower West neighborhood, is a popular choice. In addition to a large play structure, slides, a padded sports court and little-kid play areas, the venue offers coffee and snacks for kids and adults, free wifi and more. It’s at 5412 Eisenhower Ave. More info and online ticket sales at goscramble.com.
Other options include Pump It Up, a bouncy-castle playspace in the Eisenhower East neighborhood at 2000 Eisenhower Ave., pumpitupparty.com/alexandria-va. A new trampoline space, Get Air, is opening later this year in the West End. Learn more at getairalexandria.com.
When the kids are a little bit calmer, some of the Alexandria City museums are great spaces for little kids. The Alexandria Archaeology Museum inside the Torpedo Factory at the Old Town Alexandria waterfront features hands-on activities of interest for both kids and adults. Hours and more info at alexandriava.gov/archaeology.
Kalista Diamontopolous
Hooray for Books!
Summer reading? Hooray for Books at 1555 King St. and Old Town Books at 104 S. Union St. are both local gems. With special events for children, great children’s book sections and plenty of summer reading options, both local bookstores are worth a stop. Hours, events, location and more information are at hooray4books.com and oldtownbooks.com.
From a quick bite to a full meal, Alexandria has plenty of kid-friendly restaurants and eateries — and it’s a good thing, because some littles can get “hangry” fast. Here are a few of the kid-friendliest spots in Alexandria.
For breakfast, stop by Bon Vivant in Del Ray. In addition to a wide variety of healthy and super-fresh options, including filling breakfast sandwiches and smaller plates, there’s a kid’s room in the back with toys. It’s at 2016 Mt. Vernon Ave., bvfarmfood.com.
For lunch, try Los Tios Grill, a Tex Mex and Salvadorean restaurant with two locations – one in Del Ray at 2615 Mt. Vernon Ave., and one in the West End near Landmark at 241 S. Van Dorn St., lostiosgrill.com.
Another Mexican option that’s great for kids is Los Toltecos at 4111 Duke St., lostoltecos.us.
For dinner, check out Pizzeria Paradiso at 124 King St., eatyourpizza.com, where kids get balls of dough to play with and can watch pizzas baking in the brick oven.
Chris Militzer/Miliman12 Photography
Glory Days Grill in central Alexandria (pictured) at 3141 Duke St. has at least one TV playing children’s old-time cartoons (Tom & Jerry!) at all times.
Want to eat outside? Grab a picnic for the park from The Italian Place, 621 Wythe St., theitalianplaceofoldtown.com, or grab to-go pizzas, salads and more from Mia’s Italian Restaurant, 100 King St., miasitalian.com, near the Old Town waterfront.
Kid-Friendly Accommodations
A lot of kids love the adventure of staying somewhere new, even if it’s right here in Alexandria. For a lot of parents, staying in a local home (through Airbnb.com, VRBO.com or a similar service) is the easiest option while traveling with kids.
Having access to a full kitchen and multiple rooms so kids can go to bed while parents can stay up can make life “on the road” less expensive (keep your own snacks at the house) and more relaxing.
There are several kid-friendly hotels in the area, too — the ones with pools are an especially big hit with kids. Check out the West End’s Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, which has both an outdoor pool and an indoor pool. The Holiday Inn Alexandria at Carlyle has a large, heated pool that’s indoors but opens to the outside. Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Alexandria also has a large outdoor pool, and Embassy Suites Hotel Alexandria Old Town has an indoor pool.
