Looking for summer activities for kids? Check out our ultimate summer bucket list for kids DC!

School is almost out for summer in DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia, which means your family will soon have plenty of time to start checking activities off your summer bucket list. There are so many fun ways to enjoy the great weather on nice days and to beat the heat on hot or rainy days all season long.

Read on for our epic summer bucket list of 50 things to do with kids in summer 2025 in DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. For more fun summer activities, visit our Washington, DC Kids Summer Guide, which includes our roundup of 28 summer festivals and fairs that are perfect for families.

If you want to explore somewhere off the beaten path with your kids, there are some truly unique places to visit in the US. Whether they boast one-of-a-kind accommodations like themed hotel suites or tree houses, unique natural features, or quirky activities, these awesome cities, national parks, and other places across the country offer loads of family fun.

Here are 14 unique family vacations in the USA for 2025. Our Family Travel Guide has even more ideas for under-the-radar travel destinations, including our list of the best family vacation spots in the US that are off the beaten path. Don't forget to take lots of pictures!

If you've got a young history buff, Colonial Williamsburg is the perfect weekend getaway from DC that's both educational and fun. The world's largest living history museum at over 300 acres, Colonial Williamsburg immerses visitors into life in America in the 1700s.

Many of Colonial Williamsburg's 89 original buildings and hundreds of reconstructed ones are open to visitors. Inside, you'll meet costumed interpreters who will demonstrate 18th-century trades, give tours, and more. No vehicles are allowed in the historic area, which makes for a truly authentic experience as you stroll the brick sidewalks or take a carriage ride down cobblestone streets.

But Colonial Williamsburg isn’t all muskets and tri-corner hats. Right next to the historic area is Merchants Square, which blends 18th-century architecture with modern shops and restaurants. It's really cool to see the past and the present come together.

I have fond memories of visiting Colonial Williamsburg as a kid, and my own children have enjoyed going there just as much (both as younger kids and as tweens and teens). Here's everything you need to know about visiting Colonial Williamsburg with kids. Make a whole weekend—or week!—of it with our list of things to do in Williamsburg, VA, including our guides to visiting Yorktown with kids and visiting Busch Gardens Williamsburg.