46 things to do with a 5-year-old

My wonderful father-in-law is coming to visit for a week to watch our son. Summer camp is over and school doesn’t start until next week, but my wife and I both have to work. “Papa camp,” we’re calling it. So we brainstormed a bunch of fun things he can do in and around DC — mostly in the Alexandria area of North Virginia in August.

1. Water Mine Family Swimmin’ Hole
2. Library (Kingstowne)
3. Swimming Pool
4. Huntley Meadows Park
5. Movie
6. Smithsonian (Air and Space, Natural History)
7. Miniature golf (Top Golf, Burke Lake)
8. National Botanical Gardens (next to Capitol)
9. National Arboretum
10. Bowling
11. Carousel (National Mall, Burke Lake, Lee District Park, Springfield Mall)
12. Miniature train ride (Burke Lake)
13. Metro Train ride to anywhere
14. Great Falls Park
15. Ice skating
16. Chinquapin Park (Huge playground)
17. Cameron Run Great Waves Water Park
18. Hidden Pond Nature Center
19. Playground
20. Frying Pan Farm Park (hay rides)
21. Potomac Boat Cruise (coupons)
22. Old Town Alexandria Dock (Watch the street performers)
23. George Washington Mason Memorial (weird tour, great view)
24. Paddle Boats (Lake Accotink or Tidal Basin)
25. National Zoo
26. Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage (6 p.m. daily, no tickets required)
27. Mount Vernon
28. Toy trains (Borders or Barnes & Noble)
29. Washington Monument (Free, reservations recommended)
30. See money being made at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing
31. Discovery Theater on the National Mall
32. Go to the top of the Old Post Office Tower. (Great view of DC)
33. National Building Museum (Huge indoor space for bad weather days)
34. Bike ride
35. Play T-ball
36. Play Soccer
37. Story hour at A Likely Story Children’s Bookstore
38. Pizza at Generous George’s Postive Pizza & Pasta Place
39. DC United game
40. Washington Nationals game
41. Watch airplanes land or take off at Graverly Park
42. National Postal Museum
43. Visit the “Awakening” sculpture at Haines Point
44. Reston Zoo
45. Ice cream!
46. Visit a golf driving range.

Please share your own ideas by posting a comment.