Explore the Best Science Museums for Kids in DC

Best For: Outer space enthusiasts and aviation history buffs

Special Features: Daily planetarium shows at the National Mall location, IMAX movies at Udvar-Hazy, and storytime and family days at both locations

Age Range: All ages

Tips for Planning Your Visit: While both museums are FREE, you’ll need to reserve passes ahead of time for the National Mall location. Parking is $15 at the Udvar-Hazy Center. The National Mall location is near the L’Enfant Plaza Metro stop.

Where To Eat: The DC location has an on-site eatery, the Mars Café, but you may find better options nearby. Check out our list of the best kid-friendly places to eat near the National Mall. The Udvar-Hazy location has a Shake Shack on site.

2. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Washington, DC

Known for its iconic dinosaur exhibit and its gems and minerals hall where you can see the Hope Diamond, the National Museum of Natural History is one of DC’s most visited museums. Kids enjoy the Butterfly Pavilion, where you can walk among several hundred colorful butterfly species flying freely around the enclosed tropical oasis. The museum also has the oldest continuously operating insect zoo in the country, where kids can see live insects up close.

Best For: Dinosaur-infatuated kids, animal lovers, and anyone fascinated by the natural world

Special Features: A Play Date program on Tuesday mornings for early learners ages 0-5 and their caregivers

Age Range: All ages

Tips for Planning Your Visit: The museum is FREE, but most days there’s a charge for the Butterfly Pavilion, which is open Sunday through Thursday. On Tuesday the Pavilion is free, but timed tickets are required.

Where To Eat: The museum’s Atrium Café offers a kid-friendly menu with items such as burgers, chicken tenders, and pizza. Outside food is not permitted.

 

Play with the Pom Pom Poll at the National Children’s Museum. Photo by Jessica Caso Photography

3. National Children’s Museum — Washington, DC

If you’re looking for fun DC museums for kids, the National Children’s Museum should top your list. The museum is full of STEAM-powered entertainment, with a variety of interactive exhibits that focus on science, technology, engineering, art, and math concepts. Kids especially love playing in the three-story Dream Machine climbing structure with its giant slide. This is also one of the best DC museums for babies and toddlers with two play areas—Little Movers and Little Dreamers—designed for children ages 0-3.

Best For: Families with young children

Special Features: A weekly Monday afternoon Baby Jam music class for ages 0-3; Wednesday afternoon STEAM Storytime for ages 1-4

Age Range: 0-12

Tips for Planning Your Visit: The museum is near the Federal Triangle and Metro Center Metro stations. There are also several parking garages nearby, including the adjacent Ronald Reagan Building garage. The museum is closed on Tuesdays.

Where To Eat: The next-door Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center has a food court with several kid-friendly options.

4. Maryland Science Center — Baltimore, MD

Kids love this museum, which is full of interactive science exhibits and hands-on fun where you can explore displays about dinosaurs, outer space, the human body, physics, and more. Older kids (3rd grade and up) can try out experiments in the SciLab, while younger children enjoy the Kids Room, which includes a Chesapeake Bay-themed water play area.

Best For: School-aged kids who enjoy hands-on, interactive experiences

Special Features: A planetarium and an IMAX theater

Age Range: All ages, but especially geared toward elementary school-aged kids

Tips for Planning Your Visit: The museum is closed on Mondays and validates parking at three nearby garages. It’s located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, which has tons of family-friendly spots to explore.

Where To Eat: Bring food from home or buy sandwiches, snacks, and more from the mini market located in the Elements Café. We also recommend Miss Shirley’s Café and Phillips Seafood in the Inner Harbor.

5. Port Discovery Children’s Museum — Baltimore, MD

Port Discovery is a fun children’s museum with a variety of interactive science exhibits and hands-on educational activities for kids. In Blocktopia kids playfully explore engineering concepts as they build towering structures with giant blocks, while in The Port they can pretend to sail a life-sized ship while they practice sorting, weighing, and transporting cargo. Kids love the SkyClimber, a four-story play structure in the center of the museum, and babies and toddlers enjoy Chessie’s Grotto, a smaller-scale soft-play area.

Best For: Families with young children

Special Features: On the third Sunday of the month, Port Discovery opens early for Sensory Friendly Sundays, providing two hours of open play time with limited attendance, lower lights, reduced sound, and access to a dedicated Quiet Zone and sensory kits.

Age Range: 0-10

Tips for Planning Your Visit: Discounted parking for Port Discovery visitors is usually available at the adjacent Harbor Park Garage. Check the museum’s website for information about discounted admission for military families, educators, and Maryland families who qualify for nutritional assistance.

Where To Eat: Families may bring food from home, but there are also pre-packaged sandwiches, snacks, and drinks available from a self-service micro market. Like the Maryland Science Center, Port Discovery is in the Inner Harbor, with many kid-friendly dining choices.

6. Museum of Illusions Washington — Washington, DC

The Museum of Illusions is an interactive, immersive experience with exhibits designed to trick your senses and challenge perception, while explaining the science behind optical illusions. You’ll experience reality-bending effects as you walk through spaces that seem to defy gravity, view images that distort proportions, and learn about how our brains interpret reality.

Best For: Anyone who loves puzzles, brain teasers, and optical illusions. Tweens and teens will love the cool photo ops.

Special Features: A Smart Playroom where families can play games, puzzles, and other brain teasers

Age Range: All ages, but best for big kids, tweens, and teens. Children 4 and under are FREE.

Tips for Planning Your Visit: The museum is a short walk from Metro Center or the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro stop. For those arriving by car, CityCenterDC has a parking garage.

Where To Eat: While the museum does not have on-site dining, it is in the same complex with several restaurants, including Tatte Bakery & Café. It’s also a short walk from a variety of kid-friendly dining options such as Nando’s Peri-Peri and Shake Shack.

Hidden Gems: Best Science Museums DC Has That Are Lesser Known

7. KID Museum — Bethesda, MD

This hands-on makerspace focuses on interactive experiences that encourage creativity, curiosity, and innovation with activities like coding, woodworking, robotics, and crafting. Children are invited to experiment, build, and problem-solve using tools and materials like circuits, textiles, and 3D printing.

Best For: Kids who love to tinker, build, and create

Special Features: After-school programs, summer camps, and workshops on days when local schools are closed

Age Range: 4-14

Tips for Planning Your Visit: Families can visit during the museum’s Open Explore hours on Sundays. During the rest of the week the museum offers after-school programs and other group activities. KID Museum is directly above the Bethesda Metro station. There are also nearby parking garages that are free on Sundays.

Where To Eat: There’s no food available on site, but KID Museum is located in downtown Bethesda where there are many nearby kid-friendly restaurants such as Matchbox, Five Guys, and Tastee Diner.

8. Children’s Science Center Lab — Fairfax, VA

This highly interactive museum has four galleries full of hands-on activities and experiments. There’s a Tinker Shop with open-ended design challenges, an Experiment Bar that offers slime-making and other activities on a rotating basis, and a Bio Zone where kids can meet live amphibians and insects.

Best For: Families looking for hands-on activities

Special Features: A summer camp for elementary school-aged kids and volunteer and internship opportunities for teens

Age Range: 2-12

Tips for Planning Your Visit: The museum is open on weekends and most school holidays with three two-hour timed-entry sessions each day.

Where To Eat: The museum is inside Fair Oaks Mall, so there are plenty of dining options, including Dickey’s Barbecue Pit right near the science center.

Take Your Kids on a Science Adventure in DC

With engaging, kid-friendly exhibits and interactive learning experiences, DC museums make science exciting and accessible for families with children of all ages, from toddlers to teens. Whether they’re future astronauts, budding paleontologists, or little engineers, you’re sure to find interactive science exhibits and educational activities for kids in DC that allow them to explore their passion.

Plan Your Next Family Science Adventure Today!

Make the most of your family’s science-museum visit by checking the museum’s website before you go. There’s always something new to explore, so look online to find out what new exhibits are open and what special programs and activities may be taking place. It’s also a good idea to confirm current museum hours and ticket information, as these details sometimes change.

If you’ll be visiting frequently, consider purchasing a museum membership for benefits including discounts, members-only events, and reciprocal admission to science museums around the country.