Great Winter Break Ideas for Maryland Families!
If you have kids, you will love this list of great Winter Break ideas for Maryland families!
Winter Break is coming soon. Are you ready? I mean, after the crazy season between Labor Day and Christmas, maybe your idea of a perfect Winter Break is binge watching Netflix and sleeping in. However, it is unlikely your kids will be ok with that plan. And honestly, do we want our kids to be on screens the entire week off?
Don’t answer that… at least not out loud. Instead, take a look at this great list with tons of ideas to inspire you to plan a fantastically fun and engaging Winter Break for your family!
Museums With Special Winter Break Programming
There are a number of museums that actually have special programming during the week between Christmas and New Years. Check out these fun ideas!
Maryland Science Center
The Maryland Science Center is hosting ‘Snow Days’ from December 23rd- January 1st. You can help make a miniature winter village out of cardboard, experiment with ice and salt, make your own snowflakes, learn about genes through gingerbread, and play seasonal music with a science twist!
Port Discovery
Not to be undone by its sister museum in the Inner Harbor, Port Discovery Children’s Museum has an impressive line up of activities during Winter Break! From December 22nd through December 30th, kids can make winter-themed art projects, live music and puppet performances, and activity stations!
Calvert Marine Museum
If you live in Southern Maryland or are visiting for the holidays, the Calvert Marine Museum is an excellent choice for Winter Break!
The Calvert Marine Museum has some special programming starting on December 27th with Hellbender Day. On December 28th they will focus on Winter Wildlife and December 29th the special activities are focused on Winter Industry.
Extend Your Christmas and Holiday Activities!
Pro tip or Mom secret: Stretch out your holiday fun to the week before New Years for a lower stress, lower crowds experience! Many of your Christmas favorites are still running during Winter Break and the crowds will be much lower!
Holiday Lights Displays
Both drive through and walk through holiday lights displays tend to run through the new year. Some of our favorites include:
- Brookside Gardens
- Meadowlark Gardens
- Annmarie Sculpture Gardens
- Symphony of Lights
- Winter Lights and Seneca Creek State Park
- Lights on the Bay at Sandy Point State Park
- Watkins Regional Park Festival of Lights
Click here to get all the Christmas Lights details!
ICE! at Gaylord National
Santa and his elves may have returned to the North Pole, but the amazing ice sculptures at ICE! are still open! The 2023 theme is ‘Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer’ and it’s pretty fantastic!
Hersheypark Christmas Candylane
Hersheypark is actually really busy during holiday weekends, but you could plan to hang out during Winter Break and the crowds might be lower. And I can guarantee the rides are just as fun after Christmas as before Christmas.
Read our review of Hersheypark Christmas Candylane!
Take a Day Trip!
Why not use some of your time off to explore a fun place beyond Maryland?! There are quite a few places with loads of family friendly activities, all within day trip distance of Maryland!
Washington DC!
Washington D.C. is the obvious choice. There are so many world class museums, the White House Christmas Tree is still decorated, and the monuments are timeless.
Our favorite picks for Winter Break DC fun:
- Air and Space Museum (newly renovated and reopened!)
- Natural History Museum
- American History Museum (they just opened a new pop culture exhibit)
- All of the monuments
- Arlington National Cemetery
- National Children’s Museum $
- The Bible Museum $
- The Spy Museum $
- Planet Word $
Want to visit DC without spending a ton of money? Check out this list of FREE things to do in DC!
Philadelphia
The City of Brotherly love is a fantastic day trip destination for most Maryland families. It’s only 90 minutes from Baltimore and the further north/east you live, the closer Philadelphia is!
What’s more, Philadelphia is a fantastic destination for families with younger kids AND older kids. We have filled up our days when our daughter was 3. Now that she is a tween we still have loads of fun options!
Our top picks for younger kids:
- Please Touch Museum
- Franklin Institute (that ginormous heart!)
- The Adventure Aquarium (technically in Camden, NJ… but it’s right across the river!)
Our top picks for older kids:
- Franklin Institute (of course)
- Liberty Bell and Independence Hall
- National Constitution Center
Related: Best Things to Do With Younger Kids in Philadelphia
NYC
Did you know NYC is a super easy day trip from many places in Maryland? Just make a reservation for Amtrak and you get dropped off right in the heart of Manhattan! From there the sky is literally the limit!
There are sooo many fun options for a NYC day trip but here are our top picks!
- Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
- Top of the Rock or the Empire State Building
- Children’s Museum of the Arts
- Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
- American Museum of Natural History
- Times Square (the Hershey Store, M&M Store alone would be fun!)
- Children’s Museum of Manhattan
- Broadway– our top pick for kid friendly show is The Lion King–hands down!
Related: 10 FREE Things to Do in NYC as a Family
Williamsburg
You might think Colonial Williamsburg is more of a warm weather destination.. but you would be wrong. This fantastic living history museum has programming year round and it’s completely immersive! While you are in Williamsburg, you can visit other sites in the Historic Triangle as well. We loved the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown!
Outdoor Winter Activities in Maryland
Some of the best fun family activities are outdoor winter activities! You don’t even need snow to enjoy (although snow helps!)
Best Ice Skating Spots in Maryland
Check out our list for the best ice skating spots in Maryland!
Snow Tubing Spots in the DMV!
Plan a day trip and spend time with your family whizzing down the side of a mountain!
Check out our list of best snow tubing spots here!
Go on a First Day Hike!
Winter is a fantastic time to go for a hike. The outdoors might be in hibernation but it’s still gorgeous.. and the crisp air is invigorating!
Check out our list of easy hikes in Maryland!
Nature Centers
Many (actually most) Maryland nature centers have winter programming both indoors and outdoors. You can climb on a nature playground, interact with animals in the Discovery Rooms, and learn more about nature in a hands-on, kid-friendly way!
Check out these fantastic Maryland nature centers!
Art, Music, and Theatre!
If the weather outside is yucky, there are so many fun indoor options. We love all the opportunities to immerse kids in art, music, and theatre. Here are some of our top picks!
- Artsy Partsy in Pasadena, MD
- Imagination Stage— currently they are showing this amazing show: ‘Jungle Discovery’ in Bethesda, MD
- Paint Splatter Maryland in Glen Burnie, MD
- The Art Den in Rising Sun, MD
Indoor Playgrounds
Let your kids get their wiggles out! Here are some of our favorite indoor play places!
- ClimbZone
- Urban Air Adventure Park (multiple locations in Maryland)
- Me Land
- HyperKidz (locations in Baltimore and Columbia)
- Be With Me Playseum (Easton and Columbia)
- Kidzville in Catonsville
- We Rock the Spectrum (multiple locations)
- Cabin Fever Fun Centre (Cambridge)
Here is a comprehensive list of over 70 Indoor attractions and play spaces for Maryland families!
Indoor Entertainment/Attractions
Check out the list above for all the ideas but anytime is a good time for:
- Bowling
- Rollerskating
- Indoor go-karting
- Arcades
- Laser Tag
- Movies
There you go! I hope this list gives you lots of ideas for family fun on your Winter Break!
Pin for Later!
