As is true in many families, our two kids have very different personalities, and we’re often in search of a compromise to keep them both happy. Our daughter is a budding theater buff who loves any and all shows, and our son is a nature lover, forever in search of a handful of bark and a good train. This weekend we found a way to make both of them happy with a single activity: a morning at Wolf Trap’s Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods.
I’ve lived in the DC area for 14 years as of this summer, and my husband was born and raised here. Neither of us had been to Wolf Trap before this weekend, and we’ve been missing out. Wolf Trap is America’s National Park for the Performing Arts, and it’s simply beautiful. Both kids loved exploring on our way to the Theatre-in-the-Woods, and our five year old earned a Junior Ranger badge while we were there. To learn more about the Junior Ranger program at Wolf Trap, click here – it’s a great way for kids to take home a fun souvenir and learn more about the park!
Wolf Trap’s Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods offers a wide variety of performances this summer – with music, dance, puppetry, and storytelling, there’s a bit of something for everyone. Shows run through mid-August and begin at 10:30 am, Tuesdays through Saturdays. Each show is approximately 45-60 minutes in length and are recommended for children ages 4 and up. Tickets are $8, and children under 2 are free.
The Theatre-in-the-Woods is just what its name implies: a little amphitheatre in a clearing in the woods surrounded by wooden benches. Our family saw The Pop Ups, a fun kids’ band from Brooklyn, and they had everyone dancing throughout the show.
Ready to head to Wolf Trap’s Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods? Be sure to build in some extra time to walk through the woods to the theater (especially if you have younger children in your group!). We saw lots of families with picnic baskets, and there are picnic tables and lots of space in the grass to set up lunch after the show. If you’d like to save yourself some time on the way to and from Wolf Trap and don’t have an EZ Pass, be sure to bring a handful of quarters for the toll road!
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Disclosure: Wolf Trap provided our family with complimentary tickets to this show.
Allison writes about life at home in the Maryland suburbs at Home and Never Alone. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.
