Martha Washington Library
Martha Washington Library, Fort Hunt Road, Alexandria, VA, USA
Hours are currently shortened due to Covid-19 restrictions.
$
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Next to Belle View Elementary Playground and Mount Vernon District Park, this is a great stop for quiet time amidst hours of exploring.
Martha Washington is a welcoming little library with a small but well-located children's area. To get to it you just follow the front desk and past a private session room to the shelves lined with picture books and early reading books to a sizable nook on the back right side of the li There are two or three round tables to read books or complete available puzzles tucked to the right side of the library. The area is sheltered from the computer area by the rows of children's books and media.
You can encourage the kids to pick out some books with you, and then the toddlers and preschoolers (who tend to tire of the picking out portion of the visit), can go check out the board book selection and the puzzles or spend some time playing in the adorable little kitchen all the way to the back. There is a large window looking over a grassy area which provides a feeling of a little nature oasis, and a large shelf beneath it where the toys are stored. As a result, I find even the most likely runners stay in the play area, but even if they didn't, you can maintain a fairly good sense of the space even if you're in the kids' rows adding to your family's take-home selection.
You can pick up the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten reading and coloring activity at the information desk, where you can also pick up the prizes as they reach the milestones that mark the number of books you have read together over time. There are also all sorts of seasonal and holiday activities and fun projects to complete throughout the year.
The Belle View Elementary School has an impressive playground available whenever school is not in session, and the Mount Vernon District Park, which is attached to the Mount Vernon Rec Center is a great place to hike and take in some fresh air at any time of year.