Things to do with kids in the DC area this week

3 PM – 5 PM·Brookside Gardens · Wheaton

Costumed trick-or-treating, pumpkin decorating, and fall science investigations fill indoor stations at Brookside Gardens' BOOtanica, with each registered child accompanied by a caregiver, for all ages.

2:30 PM – 5 PM·West End Neighborhood Library · Washington

Fall Fun Day at Mitchell Park offers crafts, face painting, balloon artist, fire‑truck crafts, and local food vendors for all ages.

2 PM·Town of Leesburg

Trick or Treating at Downtown Leesburg businesses.

1:30 PM – 3:30 PM·Potomac Overlook Regional Park, Arlington, VA

Live animals up‑close at Halloween, learn about and interact with the park’s “scary” creatures.

1 PM – 4 PM·Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library - Central Library · Washington

Five-round team chess showdown at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, with boards, pieces, low‑vision sets, and a chance to become DCPL champion, ages 5+, free, registration required.

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM·Chevy Chase Library

Pumpkin bean bag toss, spooky crafts, and costume fun for toddlers and preschoolers in the Chevy Chase Library meeting room, ages 5 and under.

4 PM – 4:45 PM·Central Library — Quincy Room · Arlington

Halloween Tales Together at Central (Central Library — Quincy Room) — Read‑aloud stories, songs, rhymes, fingerplays, flannel boards and a craft, free tickets, for ages 1 and 3–5.

10 AM – 6 PM·Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Vienna, VA

A Halloween scavenger hunt at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens begins with a book trail featuring Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden.

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM·Sterling Library

Creepy crafts and ghoulish games fill the Sterling Library for a Halloween Spooktacular, ages 10 and under; visit the Loudoun County Public Library Online Programs YouTube channel.

4 PM – 5 PM·Olney Library

Pumpkin painting in Yayoi Kusama’s polka‑dot style at Olney Library, hands‑on activity with all materials provided, ages 5–13, under 8 with adult.

7:30 PM – 9 PM·Observatory Park at Turner Farm, 925 Springvale Road, Great Falls, VA 22066

Explore meteorites, including moon and Mars samples, in the Roll‑Top Observatory classroom, then view the sky through telescopes, weather permitting — ages 8 and up.

6 PM – 6:45 PM·Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library · Alexandria

Storytelling Spooktacular at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library offers gentle spooky tales early, followed by spine‑tingling stories later, all ages.

9:30 AM – 1:30 PM·National Zoo, Bird House Classroom · Washington

Creative drop‑in play about bats in the Bird House Classroom, with hands‑on activities for early learners and families, all ages welcome.

4 PM – 6:30 PM·Beltsville

Free Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets screening on a big screen at the Beltsville library, with a craft activity, for ages 5 and up.

4 PM – 6 PM·Northeast Neighborhood Library · Washington

PumpkinPalooza at Alethia Tanner Park offers delicious food, free pumpkins from NoMa BID, and live costumed characters, for all ages.

7 PM – 8:30 PM·Maple Avenue, Vienna, VA 22180

Half-mile costumed parade with floats, bands and fire trucks rolls down Maple Avenue, a rain‑or‑shine tradition since 1946, lasting about 90 minutes, free, all ages.

4:30 PM – 7 PM·Bethesda Row, 7262 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda

Trick‑or‑Treat stroll through Bethesda Row provides treats from 25+ shops, a glow stick, meet‑and‑greet with Buzz, Woody and Jessie, balloon‑twist art, tote for first 50.

1 PM – 6 PM·Butler's Orchard, 22222 Davis Mill Rd, Germantown, MD 20876

Butler's Orchard hosts a pumpkin festival with hayrides, jump pads, corn maze, farm animals, slides, pedal tractors and live music, pumpkins $0.79 per pound, all ages.

5 PM – 7 PM·Police Headquarters · Alexandria

Trunk or Treat at Alexandria Police Headquarters features decorated police, fire and emergency vehicles offering treats and first responder meet‑ups; costumes encouraged, free, all ages.

1 PM – 3 PM·Natural History Museum, 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall · Washington

Costumed scientists present curious creatures and spooky specimens in the Ocean Hall, including a NOAA chimaera photo, for an eerie educational experience.

5:30 PM·Richardson Park, 4701 31st Pl, Mount Rainier, MD Thomas S Stone Elementary School Parking Lot, Mount Rainier

A Halloween parade moves from Richardson Park to Thomas Stone Elementary parking lot, followed by trunk‑or‑treat, arts and crafts, and light refreshments.

7 PM – 9 AM·American History Museum · Washington

Sleepover at the American History Museum offers an overnight road‑trip adventure through galleries, with maps and engine sounds, for ages 8–14.

5 PM – 9 PM·Downtown Silver Spring

Mystery Mansion in Downtown Silver Spring offers a family‑friendly haunted house with live music, firepits, s’mores, and timed indoor scares, for all ages.