In addition to enjoying the outdoors such as going to the swimming pool and local park, I also enjoy all of the wonderful free and discounted cultural events during the summer months.
Concerts
There is nothing better than good company, good food, and good music. One of my favorite summer activities is packing a picnic to take to an outdoor concert. My husband and I use to enjoy attending Jazz in the Garden at the National Gallery of Art. Now that we have kids we enjoy attending our local community’s free Friday night concerts. Please refer to these links for more information on free concert series in Fairfax County, Herndon, Leesburg, and Manassas.
One of my favorite paid venues is buying tickets for lawn seating at Wolf Trap. For a reasonable price my family can enjoy a great concert, play, or musical, while enjoying great food, drinks and the outdoors. I am also excited about attending some of the children’s concerts and other entertainment at the Theatre-in-the-Woods at Wolf Trap.
Free Movies or Discounted Movies
Screen on the Green is definitely one of my favorite Washington D.C traditions. Now that I have a four year old and a one year old we usually attend the free movies within our local community but there is something very special about watching a movie on the National Mall. One of our favorite local outings is the free drive-in movies at the Starlight Cinema in Centreville, VA starting August 4; pre-movie activities start at 6PM. Manassas and other Fairfax locations also offer free outdoor movies.
In the summer months many movie theatres offer reduced price movies for children. In my local theatre, starting June 12, Regal Cinemas has a nine week movie festival in which it offers movies for $1 every Tuesday/ Wednesday.
County Events
It is also great to take advantage of the free or discounted events offered by your local county. Fairfax County offers wonderful free events for children. Refer to the previous link to search by performance type such as “Children Show” to find shows you may be interested in. There is also entertainment offered by Fairfax Corner.
There are discounted summer camps and activities offered through the county. Please refer to Parktakes for Fairfax County or WebTrack for Loudoun County.
Local Community Festivals
In addition to attending your local community’s weekly events, most communities have a summer festival. Most festival events require a paid admission or offer tickets to buy for amusement rides. My four year old and one year old are looking forward to the various community festivals that offer rides, great festival food, entertainment, and usually a fireworks show. You may want to check out the 77th Annual Loudoun County Fair on July 23 -July 28; Celebrate Fairfax! on June 8 – 10, the Taste of Reston on June 15 – June 17, or the Manassas Wine & Jazz Festival on June 17.
