Posted By T. Espinoza on Nov 29, 2015 | 3 comments

When I was younger and living in New York, my older sister and I would always venture into the city during the holidays and take in all of the sights. We’d walk up 5^th avenue where all the storefronts were decked out for the holidays, we’d stop at Rockefeller center to gawk at the ginormous tree then we’d end our journey at F.A.O Schwarz. This yearly trek through the city made for some very fond holiday memories.

In a few weeks, my kiddos will be on winter break and I hope to use that time to create some new memories. I don’t know about you but my threshold for being in the house before cabin fever sets in is about 24 hours. My kids are worse. So, to keep the cabin fever at bay and have some awesome experiences, I’ve put together a list of 5 awesome family friendly winter break activities to do in the DC area that’ll have you in the running for mom of the year.

1. Christmas on the Potomac: Schlepping through NYC with the kiddos is not an appealing thought so Gaylord National’s ‘Christmas on The Potomac’ is the next best option for us. The anchor of the harbor, Gaylord National goes all out for the season with things like beautiful holiday décor, a nightly indoor snowfall, meet & greets with Santa and the uber amazing, Ice!. This years Ice! is based on the movie ‘Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town’  and lemme tell you, even hubs was into it (this is a big deal). I absolutely LOVE all of the Christmas claymation and animated movies and this is one of my favorites. The kids were so excited to see one of their favorite Christmas movies play out in ice carvings and they were even more excited about sliding down the ice slides. Seriously, I cannot tell you how many times I heard “look Mommy!” or “oh my gosh guys! Look!” The temp in the tent is soooo cold (9 degrees) but you’re not in there long enough to freeze and the kids enjoyment makes frigid fingertips all worth it. Ice! is definitely an experience that the kiddos (and adults) won’t forget. (November 21, 2015 – January 3, 2016)

2. Ice skating: My oldest son got to try ice skating for the first time a couple of years ago and he’s been hooked ever since. I’m not a huge fan of ice skating but this is all in the name of making memories for my babies so… y’all pray for me. There are plenty of options for ice skating in the DC area: National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Ice Rink (November 14 and continues – March 13) Tysons Corner (Open November – early March; Adult Admission: $10 Children/Seniors/Military Admission: $9 Skate Rental: $6),  and Pentagon Row (November 26th – January 1st, adults $9, Children 12 and under $8) are just a few options.

3. ZooLights at the National Zoo: Yep, the zoo turns into a winter wonderland just in time for the break! And it’s FREE! (November 27 – January 2)

Photo Credit

4. Winter Festival of Lights: This drive-through display of more than a million lights in Watkins Park is lots of fun for the kids and the adults; also, you don’t have to get out of the car so no freezing! #Winning November 27-Friday, Jan. 1, 2016 5-9:30 Fee (Cash Only). Cars and Vans: $5 Mini buses and limos: $15 Multi-pass: $10 Free on Dec 25

5. Get your climb on: This one will be new for us, but I’m excited about trying it. There’s a place called ClimbZone USA in Laurel where you can scale some really cool walls. I’m all for indoor activities that will tucker my little balls of energy out. (Ages 2-5, $12; ages 6 and up, $25)

These are just a few of the things that we’ll be getting into over the winter break. We’ll also be doing lots of fun indoor stuff to keep boredom at bay.

What say you? How do you keep the kiddos entertained when school’s out?

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** Images taken at Gaylord National’s Christmas on the Potomac by T. Espinoza. **