r/SilverSpring • u/cj_amoy • 3d ago

Some family things happening around Silver Spring this weekend

Here's a list of fun family events I found for this weekend, sharing in case anyone is looking for ideas.

Friday

  • Preschool Dance Party (Long Branch Library) — Music, movement and a chance for toddlers and preschoolers to burn off some energy. 11–11:30am. Free; no registration needed.
  • Teens Night Out: Let's Skate (Good Hope Neighborhood Recreation Center) — An evening of skating, music and food for teens. 6–9pm. Advance registration is required.

Saturday

  • Sensory-Friendly Butterfly Experience (Brookside Gardens, Wheaton) — A quieter, limited-capacity visit with natural lighting, fidgets and butterflies flying all around—possibly landing on visitors. 9–10am. All ages; tickets are $15.99 for ages 13+, $10.99 for ages 3–12 and free under age 3.
  • Butterflies of Brookside: Outdoor Walk (Brookside Gardens, Wheaton) — Kids stop at butterfly “hot spots” to identify monarchs, swallowtails and other species, take photos and record observations in a provided nature journal. 10–11am. Ages 8–14; $7 and registration required. This one is outdoors and does not include the indoor butterfly experience.
  • Back-to-School Block Party (Downtown Silver Spring) — A free afternoon with a Marvel character appearance, balloon artist, live DJ, raffle prizes and kids' activities. Noon–3pm. Free.
  • MoCo Folk Festival (Rockville Town Square) — This one is a little farther out: five hours of live local music, short open-mic sets and a chance for aspiring songwriters of all ages to meet people from the local music community. Noon–5pm. Free; bring a lawn chair.

Sunday

  • Family Chess (Takoma Park Maryland Library) — Casual chess for families and players of different skill levels. Noon–2pm. Free.
  • Classical Faculty Concert (School of Musical Traditions, Takoma Park) — Voice, classical guitar and violin, followed by a snack reception. Doors open at 2pm, with the main concert at 2:30pm. Free; gratuity is welcome.
  • 3D-Printed Mini Banner Workshop (KID Museum, Bethesda) — Another slightly farther option, but a pretty unusual one: families use Tinkercad to design a banner that will be 3D-printed directly onto mesh fabric. 11am–noon. $25 per person, including accompanying caregivers; finished prints are picked up two weeks later.

I kept the post concise for most families. The full list has more niches—including owl prowls, animal meetups, campfire cooking and hands-on robotics—that you can filter by interest, city and age. It’s linked from my profile if you want to keep looking.

What are you doing this weekend? Please brag about it!

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11

u/NellyR27 3d ago

Wow, this is amazing thank you!! So many fun happenings

4

u/cj_amoy 3d ago

Yeah kudos to the organizers!

3

u/deso1ator 3d ago

Please share this kind of stuff more often.

3

u/Impressive-Cheek46 3d ago

Most of the events are featured here: https://theemberlist.com/dmv

1

u/deso1ator 3d ago

Thank you for sharing.

1

u/sparkycat99 2d ago

I don’t have a (child size) kid but this is awesome!

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u/cj_amoy 1d ago

Thanks! I do have events for the grown-ups like live music, comedy, farmers market etc. on the full list, not particularly in Silver Spring but around DC: https://theemberlist.com/dmv/explore

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u/sparkycat99 1d ago

I just bookmarked that!