While cities may not have a reputation for being kid-friendly, D.C. is full of the little rugrats and they’ve got to go somewhere. (Not the Wonderland Ballroom, though. Never there.) Happily, there are a number of places in and around Washington that cater specifically to, or at least tolerate, little ones. Here are eight of the best places to take kids to in the area.

Photo by John Winder.

KENILWORTH PARK AND AQUATIC GARDENS: The Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens is full of interesting wildlife that kids love, like frogs and herons, and the beautiful, expansive grounds are the perfect place to tell your kid what a disappointment he’s been to you. — Pablo Maurer

The Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens is located at 1550 Anacostia Avenue NE.

THE NATIONAL ZOO: While an obvious choice, the National Zoo is basically the perfect place to take kids in D.C. It’s free, full of animals to gawk at, and so spacious and hilly that your kid will be exhausted when it’s time to go home. Rusty the red panda can also serve as a useful example of what happens when one runs away from home. (People with nets will come and scoop you up.) Go ahead and spring for a lion face mask. Your kid’s worth it.

The National Zoo is located at 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW.

Photo by Daniel Reidel.

GREAT FALLS PARK.: Great Falls Park is a nice spot for kids. The falls themselves are really impressive with a nice, sturdy walkway (with railing) leading to the overlook. There’s lots of grassy areas to picnic and for the kids to run around, provided they don’t get too close to the edge of the C&O Canal. Then you can take a hike, or a less strenuous walk, on the hills nearby. — Andrew Wiseman

Great Falls Park is located at 9200 Old Dominion Drive, McLean, Va.

BE WITH ME PLAYSEUM: Instead of taking the kiddies to a place populated with adults, why not take them to a place that’s just for children and their keepers? The Be With Me Playseum location in D.C. allows kids to go wild in playrooms while not disturbing all the adults day drinking on Barracks Row. Sure you could take them to a real museum, but this place actually allows the kids to touch everything they see. I’m not sure the Smithsonian Natural History Museum is cool with that. Admission is $7. — Sarah Anne Hughes

Be With Me Playseum is located at 545 8th Street SE.

DISCOVERY THEATER: Children should — nay, need — to be exposed to the arts. But is it a great idea to take them to an evening Washington National Opera performance? Perhaps not. Enter the the Smithsonian’s Discovery Theater, which puts on a rotating roster of shows specifically for children. Next month, the Discovery Theater will host ¡Uno, Dos, Tres con Andrés!, a interactive show that teaches kids Spanish. Sounds better than another afternoon of Dora, right? — Sarah Anne Hughes

Discovery Theater performances take place at locations around the city.

Photo by Seenu.

GRAVELLY POINT: I don’t have children of my own, but I have a handful of nieces and nephews, and they’re all fascinated with planes. The first place I want to take them when they visit is Gravelly Point. The park, that’s just a few hundred feet from the north runway of Reagan National, is accessible by Metro (with a 10-minute walk up the Mt. Vernon Trail) or car. You can see if planes are landing or taking off on that side of the airport using Flight Aware — I prefer when they’re landing — and go reenact scenes from Wayne’s World. — Andy Hess

Gravelly Point is located in Arlington, Va. off the George Washington Parkway.

2 AMYS: Located in a family-friendly spot near Tenleytown and Cleveland Park, Neapolitan pizza place 2 Amys is known for welcoming children. It has been described as a “kids-fest,” “a daycare center … run amok with spoiled kids,” and a “scene [that] could pass for one big children’s party.” So at least if your child screams his head off, he’ll be in good company. As an added bonus, the pizza is actually excellent. — Sarah Anne Hughes

2 Amys is located at 3715 Macomb Street NW.

THE SUBURBS: I am not a fan of children. I know I was a child once, and I bet I was just as annoying as the children I see around town, but the difference is I was raised in the suburbs. If you real want to give your child a better life, move to the ‘burbs. There are better schools and more family friendly things to do, like movies, malls, and T.G.I. Fridays. If moving to the ‘burbs isn’t an option, at least leave your child at home when you decide to go to brunch or go to the bar. No one likes a baby on the Wonderland patio or the stroller city that is Meridian Pint. — Rohan Mahadevan

The suburbs are located near cities across America.