by Leigh Goessl

Created on: October 15, 2009   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

If you live or plan to visit the Northern Virginia area with kids, there are a gold mine of things to see and do that are bound to perk your child's interest. Northern Virginia is a very family friendly oriented area and there are many various places you can take the kids throughout the year.

Here are a few top picks:

*Bull Run Park

Bull Run Park is a splendid place to visit. Families can picnic, use the playground, play disk (Frisbee) golf and swim in the pools (the latter is seasonal). The park is also a popular camping facility as well.

Throughout the year the park offers kid-friendly events and additionally when the holidays arrive, there is a fantastic festival of lights that the children (and adults!) really enjoy. Check their calendar of events for dates and times scheduled for special activities.

* Frying Pan Farm Park

Frying Pan Farm Park is located in Fairfax County and is also a part of the county's park system. There are lots of things to do in this park, but for kids, a recommended visit is to Kidwell Farm. Admission to the park is free and open to all visitors.

During a visit to Kidwell Farm you can get up close and personal with many farm animals such as cows, horses, goats and pigs. In addition kids can view sheep, rabbits, chickens, ducks, turkeys and even a peacock.

The farm also offers a pulled wagon tour ($3 a person for ages two and up) from March - November. This tour pulls visitors throughout the farm property, through a wooded area and back to the farm section. It is not uncommon for wildlife (such as deer) to appear when going through the wooded path.

In addition, the park offers a backpack of activities for children (free!) and kids can go on a hike and scavenger hunt. Other great things to see and so are the country store, visitor center and activity center. There is also a playground on the site too. Great place to spend time with the kids!

*Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum

The Smithsonian Museum has a branch of the Air & Space Museum located in the western side of Fairfax County in Chantilly, VA. The museum is quite large and houses many air and space craft. In addition to the exhibits there is a gift shop, IMAX theatre and the calendar of events often has kid-friendly activities throughout the year.

Admission to the museum is free, but it does cost $15 to park. The Museum is conveniently located off Route 28, which is very close to the Dulles Airport. In addition it's only about 5 miles off I-66 if you are coming from the

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