OUTDOORS

• Rock Creek Park
• Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (C&O Canal Trail)
• Bladensburg Waterfront Park (free pontoon boat tours on the Anacostia River)
• National Wildlife Visitors Center
• Turkey Run Park (located off the GW Parkway, picnic areas and lots of hiking trails)
• Prince William Forest Park (hiking/camping/cabins)
• Great Falls State Park
• Patapsco Valley State Park (near Baltimore)
• Sandy Point State Park (beach on the Chesapeake Bay)
• Kayaking on the Potomac (enjoy a unique view of the monuments; rent kayaks in Georgetown)
• Roosevelt Island (Theodore Roosevelt monument and nice walking trail)
• Biking the GW parkway (18 miles from Mount Vernon to Roosevelt Island)
• Scott’s Run Nature Preserve in McLean, Virginia
• Pohick Bay (cabin camping, water park, disc golf, boat rentals)
• National Colonial Farm in Piscataway Park (Accokeek)
• Enid Haupt Garden, behind the Smithsonian castle (BEAUTIFUL during cherry blossom time...escape the crowds of the Tidal Basin and picnic here)
• U.S. National Arboretum (free, beautiful grounds, Bonsai Museum, nice place to bike)
• National Botanic Gardens (wonderful Christmas displays with trains)
• River Farm Garden Park (close, free, beautiful)
• Green Spring Gardens
• Winkler Botanical Preserve
• Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
• Dumbarton Oaks (located in Georgetown; museum and gardens are open to the public)
• Woodys Mini Golf: Perils of the Lost Jungle (rated “Top 5 Mini Golf Courses in America” by Newsweek; this course is awesome!)
• Reston Zoo (encourages animal interaction; wagon ride to see animals included with admission)
• National Zoo
• Water Parks (Great Waves, Pirate’s Cove at Pohick Bay, The Water Mine, Downpour)
• Gravelly Point (watch planes take-off and land at Reagan; also a nice place to walk along the parkway trail or have a picnic)
• National Harbor (nice place to walk around, new location for The Awakening statue, Children’s Museum coming in the future)
• Cunningham Falls State Park (short hike to waterfall, also a lake for swimming)
• Riverbend Park (near Great Falls)
• Fort Washington
• Manassas National Battlefield Park
• Brookside Gardens
• Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens
• Bull Run Regional Park (blue bells in the spring)
• Great Country Farms in Bluemont, Virginia
• Skyline State Park
• Pocomoke River State Park (Maryland)
• Hollin Farms (in Delaplane, VA...pick your own fruit, pumpkins)
• Sky Meadows State Park
• Devils Racecourse hike (along the Appalachian Trail in Maryland)
• Baltimore & Annapolis Trail (biking)
• Hiking on the Cabin John Trail 
• Hiking at Jug Bay Natural Area (16000 Croom Airport Rd, Croom, MD...not to be confused with the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary in Anne Arundel County) 
• Thompson Wildlife Management Area (amazing display of wildflowers in late spring/early summer, lots of hiking and bird watching) 
• Jones Point Park (New park right under the Wilson Bridge in Old Town. Playgrounds, picnic tables, lighthouse, and great access to the biking trail. Also a great place to start a walk/run/bike ride across the Wilson Bridge to National Harbor.) 
• Oatlands Historic House and Gardens
• Ladew Topiary Gardens
• Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens
• Lilypons Water Gardens
• Seven Oaks Lavender Farm 
• Colvin Run Mill 
• Annmarie Sculpture Garden
• Calvert Cliffs State Park (hike to the beach and look for fossils, also an awesome recycled tire playground) 
• Fletcher's Cove and Boathouse