The Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens (mountvernon.org) is located on the banks of the Potomac River just four miles from Fort Belvoir. This historic residence of George Washington includes the main house, a dozen separate buildings, four gardens, a hiking trail, and the final resting place of George and Martha Washington. It also provides three different kid-oriented activities: the one-hour National Treasure Tour about the locations used in the 2007 film "National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets"; the Adventure Map for Kids that guides visitors on a quest around the entire estate in order to solve nine puzzles; and the Pioneer Farmer Site, which is a four-acre working farm that includes costumed characters, 18th-century cooking and farming demonstrations, a 16-sided barn used for treading wheat, and a variety of farm animals. Mount Vernon is open seven days a week, every day of the year, including Christmas Day.
The Special Harbor Sprayground (fairfaxcounty.gov) is a waterpark located nine miles north of Fort Belvoir in Franconia, Virginia. Managed by the Fairfax County Park Authority, this zero-depth water playground features Chesapeake Bay-themed attractions such as a water-spraying osprey nest, misting sunflowers, a crab boat, a lighthouse, and an interactive water maze. The adjacent beach area is designed for younger children with softer water features that include water bubblers and interactive water tables. The waterpark is open seasonally from June through September and admission is free, however, commercial and non-profit groups such as day-care centers and church groups are charged a small fee per person.
The Mount Vernon Community Children's Theatre (mvcct.org) is located 10 miles north of Fort Belvoir in the city of Alexandria. Founded in 1980 as a non-profit organization, it offers a wide array of children's programs that focus on every aspect of the theatrical arts. It produces two musical productions per year for children between the ages of eight and 18 as well as a teen (non-musical) production for children between 12 and 18 years of age. In addition, children can participate in educational programs such as after-school programs that cover everything from basic acting and theatre vocabulary to improvisation and movement.
The Potomac River Boat Company (potomacriverboatco.com), also located in Alexandria, offers two types of kid-oriented boat tours: the Pirate Cruise and the Baseball Water Taxi. The 40-minute Pirate Cruise includes musical entertainment and pirate tales told by a costumed pirate as the boat travels by Alexandria's historic seaport and other well-known landmarks. The cruises are offered every weekend between May and September. The Baseball Water Taxi takes passengers from the port in Alexandria directly to scheduled Washington Nationals baseball games at the Nationals Baseball Stadium in Washington, D.C. Seating is limited to 120 passengers and all returning boats depart 20 minutes after the final pitch.
