Splash around in the Kogod Courtyard Water Fountain

We stopped in the Kogod Courtyard for lunch the last week of October and were greeted with a pleasant surprise. The water fountain is running again after being closed for what feels like a couple of years.

The National Portrait Gallery was our first full post on great places for kids in Downtown DC. It was a great place to play without the fountains. My daughter enjoys climbing on the low marble seating and running around the edges of the courtyard. It is one of the very few open spaces she has to run and play.

I enjoyed watching her and her friend splash and explore the water fountain for the first time. The water kept them focused in the center of the room, where as before she would spend a lot of time in the corners behind the plants. This centralized focus made it a lot easier to watch her from a seat in the middle of the room.

One could easily walk through the fountain, enjoy splashing and pass a few feet beyond its borders only to find your feet completely dry. That was not the case with our visit. By the end of lunch, she was completely soaked. Since it was the first cold day of the fall, I was a little concerned about getting her home without freezing. So be forewarned, you may need an extra set of clothes.

We returned to the fountain one night this week. With the time change, the courtyard was a great place to release some end of the day energy “outside.” The lights were dimmed and the trees looked magical as the lights fell upon the leaves.

We hope to see more children from the neighborhood exploring this world-class gem as a way to unwind in the evening before it closes at 7 pm.

Location: Penn Quarter, Eighth and F Streets, NW< Hours: 11:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. daily, closed December 25 Contact: http://www.npg.si.edu/ 202-633-8503 NPGEducation@si.edu