Free and cheap with kids in Washington DC
Free days, places that never charge kids, library passes and outings under $20 a person, in one place. Every detail links to the official page it came from.
Details checked on each official site.
Coming up: free days
National Museum of Women in the Arts
10 am to 5 pm. Free Community Day
Free admission for all visitors on the first Sunday and second Wednesday of each month; reserve tickets online to guarantee a spot. Visitors 21 and under are free every day.
Source, checked
National Museum of Women in the Arts
10 am to 5 pm. Free Community Day and Makers' Market
Free admission for all visitors on the first Sunday and second Wednesday of each month; reserve tickets online to guarantee a spot. Visitors 21 and under are free every day.
Source, checked
Free for kids on any open day
Smithsonian's National Zoo
Free for everyone, but every guest needs a free entry pass, infants included. Winter grounds hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with last entry at 3 p.m. Open every day except Dec. 25.
Free admission for all ages every open day.
National Air and Space Museum
Always free, with a free timed-entry pass for every visitor regardless of age. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Free admission at every age, every day it is open.
U.S. Botanic Garden
Free with no tickets. The Conservatory is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and you may bring food and drink.
Free for everyone with no reservation.
Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building
Free timed-entry tickets are required. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Thursdays until 8 p.m. Closed Sundays, Mondays and some federal holidays. The Young Readers Center closed Aug. 30 while a new youth gallery is built.
Free for everyone, with posted weekly hours.
The Phillips Collection
Ages 18 and under are free; adults are $20. Open Tuesday to Sunday, with members only from 10 to 11 a.m. on Sundays.
Free for kids 18 and under on every open day.
Regular free hours
National Museum of Women in the Arts free days
Admission is free for all visitors on the first Sunday and second Wednesday of every month. Reserve online to guarantee a spot. Kids 21 and under are free every day anyway, so this is the day adults get in free too.
A standing monthly free-admission rule for everyone.
The Phillips Collection Third Thursdays
On the third Thursday of each month the museum stays open late with free admission from 5 to 8 p.m. Kids 18 and under are free at all times.
A recurring monthly free evening.
Under $20 a person
Admission under $20 for kids and adults. See the full under-$20 list.
National Children's Museum
From Nov. 1 the base price is $19.95 per person for adults and kids 1 and up. Under 1 is free.
Adult and child tickets are both under $20.
Children's Science Center Lab
Admission is $15.00 a ticket, $2 less online. Kids under 17 must be with a paid adult.
One $15 price covers adults and kids.
National Building Museum
Exhibition tickets are $10 per adult and $7 for youth and seniors. The Great Hall is free.
Both prices are well under $20.
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
Daytime admission is $9.00 for ages 18 to 59, $5.00 for ages 6 to 17, and free for ages 5 and under. The Winter Walk of Lights is ticketed separately.
Adult and child day admission are both under $10.
Free and low-cost ideas, every week
The calendar covers the free museum days. For the rest of the month, a ready idea with cost notes saves the search. The Weekend Scout is a free email that arrives once a week with one family outing idea for the weekend, with age fit and cost notes.
Free. One email a week. Unsubscribe from any email.