Children’s Playseum (DC)

Be With Me Children's Playseum

The Review:

We finally had a chance to visit the Playseum in Washington DC last week and what a fun place it is!

The DC location is the second installation of the Playseum concept — the first opened in Bethesda in 2009.  Both locations are nice, but I prefer the DC destination.   Things to know up front:   parking is a pain — there is limited street parking around the museum that cost $1.50/hr with a 2 hr max.   Several blocks away (South on 8th St, towards the SW Freeway bridge) there is a parking lot that is supposedly not usually full and only costs $0.75/hr.

The Playseum costs $6/pp for everyone over 10 months.  For a mom of 3 like me, this makes for a fairly expensive outing. However, your entrance fee is good for all day, so you can always leave for lunch and return, getting lots of bang for your bucks.

Once you are in the Playseum, there are more ways to spend money — you can purchase “Playseum Dollars” ($1/1) which allow your child to purchase upgrades — like a chance to frost and decorate a real cupcake or purchase a craft item to paint.   Kids can have tons of fun without spending extra — I just told my kids upfront we were not spending for any add-ons and they knew better than to complain.

There is a designated eating area that you can bring in your own food, however, on weekends this space is reserved for birthday parties.  There are also snacks available for purchase.   Bathrooms and changing tables are available on both levels.

The DC space seems much bigger than the Bethesda location and has an elevator.  However, there are some raised thresholds (near the stairs) which may make it a little challenging for wheel chairs (I believe strollers are left in the front).

We visited on a Friday afternoon, after the big kids got out of school and it was not crowded at all. I recommend going during an off-peak time if you can swing it, keeping up with your kid(s) can be more challenging in a crowd.

I tried to take pictures of every space, even so, I think I missed stuff.   My kids loved the Pet Shop and the many many different dress-ups located all over the space.   We had a great time, and I’m sure your kids will too!

Each room is themed, many with either local landmarks or with (sponsored) local businesses.   I took a ton of pictures, so without further ado, here ya go!

Upstairs

Downstairs

Have you been to the Playseum?  What’s your opinion?

Disclosure Statement:   I was not compensated for this review and all opinions expressed are wholly my own.

Find more parks by visiting my main Arlington Parks & Playgrounds page.