Family outings in Washington, DC

Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW, Washington, DC

The forest in the middle of town: trails, picnic areas, a nature centre for children, a horse centre and Peirce Mill; Beach Drive closes to cars at weekends for bikes and scooters.

Entre le Capitole et le Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC

Three kilometres of lawns between the monuments and the free museums, the Smithsonian carousel, the Reflecting Pool ducks and the Tidal Basin for cherry blossoms; bring water and a hat in summer.

9200 Old Dominion Drive, McLean, VA 22101

The Potomac falls seen from three pushchair-friendly overlooks, easy trails and picnic areas; paid entry per vehicle, swimming strictly forbidden.

6317 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101

Northern Virginia's inclusive playground, open from 7am to dusk, free entry; carousel paid per child, open in spring and summer.

7400 Tuckerman Lane, Bethesda, MD 20817

Bethesda's family park, next to Rochambeau: miniature train, big playground, indoor ice rink, tennis and forest trails.

2000 Shorefield Road, Wheaton, MD 20902

Miniature train, carousel, playground and nature centre, plus the free Brookside botanical gardens with their conservatory and summer butterflies.

1550 Anacostia Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20019

The National Park Service's lotus and water-lily ponds in east DC: spectacular in July, free, with boardwalks over the Anacostia marshes.

1057 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

The Chesapeake & Ohio canal towpath starts in Georgetown and runs into Maryland: flat, perfect for children's bikes, with canal boat rides in summer.

10th Street et Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC

Dinosaurs, the elephant in the entrance hall, the Hope diamond and the butterfly pavilion: the favourite museum of 3 to 10-year-olds, free, on the Mall.

650 Jefferson Drive SW, Washington, DC 20560

Planes, rockets and Apollo capsules, free with a timed pass; open daily 10am to 5:30pm except 25 December.

3001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

The free zoo of Woodley Park, sloping down into Rock Creek Park: free timed pass required, paid parking, paid mini-train and carousel.

1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004

Paid museum for ages 0 to 10 in the Ronald Reagan Building: the Dream Machine slide, baby and toddler areas, science exhibits; closed on Tuesdays.

925 13th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005

The voice-activated museum of words and languages, in the old Franklin School; all ages, online booking advised.

401 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20001

The architecture museum in a hall of giant columns: a building zone for little ones, climbable summer exhibitions; paid entry, the great hall is free.

Constitution Avenue NW, entre 3rd et 9th Street, Washington, DC

The old masters, free, on the Mall, family trails, and the sculpture garden with its fountain in summer and ice rink in winter.

14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, VA 20151

The giant annex of the air museum near Dulles: space shuttle Discovery, Concorde, observation tower; free with no pass, paid parking.

901 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20001

DC's central library, designed by Mies van der Rohe and renovated, with a children's area, roof terrace and seven-day opening.

The District's library network: free membership for residents, story times, summer programmes for children and digital lending.

Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Rockville, Silver Spring (Maryland)

The Maryland network around Rochambeau: branches in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Kensington and Silver Spring, story times and summer reading clubs.

Arlington (Virginie)

The Virginia network closest to downtown: central library and neighbourhood branches, story times and children's areas.

Kensington, MD

The area's French-language bookshop, in Kensington: picture books, children's novels and literature in French, a partner of the embassy's cultural services.

Washington, DC

The alliance teaches French to adults, teenagers and children and runs francophone cultural life; listed by the consulate under cultural and educational cooperation.

Washington, DC

French classes for children and teenagers, cultural events and the year's francophone festivities.

7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo, MD 20812

The 1921 Dentzel carousel, children's theatre, art and dance classes, aquarium and free autumn festival; ten minutes from Bethesda.

5612 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20015

French films with English subtitles every third Wednesday, and weekend family matinees in a historic neighbourhood cinema.

4908 Auburn Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814

Bethesda's children's theatre: shows for ages 1 to 12, drama classes and holiday camps.

1551 Trap Road, Vienna, VA 22182

The national park for the performing arts, in Virginia: open-air children's shows in the woods in summer, family concerts on the lawn.

2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20566

Washington's great stage on the Potomac: children's programming, free Millennium Stage performances and a panoramic terrace.

Washington, DC

The federation of Washington's French associations: Bastille Day, Déjeuner sur l'herbe and solidarity dinners, listed by the consulate.

Washington, DC et environs

Local mutual-aid loop of French-speaking mums via Google Group, listed by the consulate among the French associations.

Tidal Basin et National Mall, Washington, DC

Four weeks of festivities around the bloom, late March to mid-April: parade, kite festival, petals everywhere.

National Mall, Washington, DC

The free festival of world cultures on the Mall, late June and early July: music, food, crafts and children's workshops.

National Mall, Washington, DC

The National Park Service's Fourth of July: morning parade on Constitution Avenue, evening concert and fireworks over the Washington Monument; arrive early and expect crowds.

President's Park (The Ellipse), Washington, DC

The National Christmas Tree and its 56 smaller state and territory trees, lit in early December in front of the White House, with concerts and a model train.

Smithsonian's National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW

The zoo lit up at night from late November to early January: animal lanterns, illuminated paths, mini-train and carousel; paid tickets, parking to book.

7th Street et Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC

The Mall's open-air ice rink, mid-November to March, among the sculptures; skate hire on site.

South Lawn, Maison-Blanche, Washington, DC

The egg roll on the White House lawn on Easter Monday, for children up to 12; free tickets drawn by online lottery a few weeks ahead.

3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, VA 22121

George Washington's estate on the Potomac, thirty minutes away: mansion, farm with animals, children's museum and vast lawns; also reachable by bike on the Mount Vernon Trail.

King Street, Alexandria, VA

The colonial town south of DC: cobbled streets, ice-cream parlours, the artists' Torpedo Factory, boats on the Potomac and a free trolley; a perfect half-day with little ones.

National Harbor, MD 20745

The big wheel on the Potomac, the carousel, the sandy beach and the shops, twenty minutes from DC or by water taxi from Alexandria.

Annapolis, MD

Maryland's capital and sailing capital, an hour away: historic harbour, the Naval Academy, boat trips on the Chesapeake Bay and crabs to crack.

501 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202

One of the country's great aquariums, on Baltimore's Inner Harbor: sharks, dolphins, a glass-roofed rainforest; online booking advised, an hour by train from Union Station.

35 Market Place, Baltimore, MD 21202

Three floors of play for ages 0 to 10 next to the aquarium: giant climbing structure, water play river, workshops; ideal to round off a Baltimore day.

171 Shoreline Drive, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425

The historic village at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah, an hour and a quarter away: shuttle from the car park, 19th-century streets, trails and the view from Maryland Heights.

Entrée de Front Royal, VA 22630

The Blue Ridge Mountains national park, an hour and a half away: scenic drive, child-friendly waterfalls, deer by the roadside and the Luray Caverns nearby.