The Maryland Science Center turns 50 this Saturday and is rolling admission back to 1976 prices to celebrate ($1 per kid). A lavender farm up in White Hall opens its fields, and a tea shop in Essex is hosting its first-ever daddy-daughter tea party a week before Father's Day. And that's just the headline acts — the Orioles are home against the Padres on Saturday afternoon, the Baltimore Museum of Art runs a free art-making Sunday, there's an after-dark ghost tour in Annapolis for the older kids, and Friday night brings free outdoor concerts and farm ice cream at Prigel. It's an ordinary June weekend with no holiday attached, which is exactly what makes it good: it's all yours. Here's where to point the family.

Top Pick

Maryland Science Center 50th Anniversary at 601 Light Street, Inner Harbor Saturday | All ages | 1976 prices: $2.50 adults, $1.00 kids (about $7 for a family of four)

The Science Center opened its doors at 601 Light Street on June 13, 1976 — and exactly fifty years later, this Saturday, it's rolling admission all the way back to those 1976 prices: $2.50 for adults, a dollar for kids. A full day at one of Baltimore's best hands-on museums — live science demos, three floors of exhibits, the planetarium — for about seven dollars for the whole family. There's a groundbreaking kickoff, special activities, and food, but the real story is the price.

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Quick Weekend Wins

Just show up

Boards & Breakfast at Jake's Skatepark at Rash Field, Inner Harbor A free open-skate morning at the waterfront skatepark with a pro skater on hand. It pairs naturally with the Science Center — skate at Rash Field first, then walk the harbor to the museum when it opens. Best for kids who already have some rolling under them. Saturday, 9-11am | Ages 6-12 | FREE
Fishing with a Ranger at Cromwell Valley Park A ranger-led, beginner-friendly fishing morning in north Baltimore County. The gear is provided and the ranger teaches technique — you don't need to own a rod or know a thing. A genuinely free outdoor Saturday for families who've been meaning to try. Saturday, 9-11am | All ages | FREE
Free Family Sundays at the Baltimore Museum of Art The BMA is always free to walk into, and on the second Sunday of the month it leans in with hands-on art-making, gallery hunts, and family programming. A genuinely free, all-ages Sunday in the heart of the city — no tickets, no plan required. Sunday | All ages | FREE

Ticketed This Weekend

These need tickets or a reservation, so sort them before Saturday

Maryland Lavender Festival (Star Bright Farm, White Hall). A working farm in northern Baltimore County in full lavender bloom — tractor rides, fresh-cut bunches, food vendors, and live music across the fields. Adults are $15 and kids under 12 are free, so a family of four gets in for about $30. It's a timed guest-list event, not walk-up, and the premium slots go first. Runs Saturday and Sunday, 11am-5pm. Buy ahead at the farm's site.
Frozen (Charm City Players, Roland Park). A community-theater staging of the Disney musical — live orchestra, real costumes, the full "Let It Go" moment your kids have been building toward. Saturday's show starts at 2pm (doors 1:30); tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for kids 12 and under, about $90 for a family of four. Best for ages 5-10; a first-weekend run of a Disney title tends to fill, so book ahead.

Full Weekend, Zero Dollars

Three days, three free outings, no admission spent — and not one of them a mall walk

A family can string together a genuinely varied weekend without paying a dollar at the gate:

Friday — Sketch & Sip at Weber's Farm, Parkville. Draw the farm animals out in the barnyard, all skill levels welcome. Free, registration required, so grab a spot before it fills.
Saturday — Fishing with a Ranger (in Quick Weekend Wins above): a free, gear-provided fishing morning in the north county.
Sunday — A Concert for Young People at Dulaney High School, Timonium. A live orchestra concert built for kids, instruments demonstrated, recognizable music, all free. Sunday afternoon, 3pm.

Before Father's Day: A Dad Preview Weekend

Father's Day is next Sunday, June 21. If you want something intentional with Dad this weekend, here are two worth booking now

Donuts with Dads at Kids First Swim, Cockeysville. A pool, coffee, and donuts built around dads and kids — and at $5 a head, the easiest yes on the list. Saturday, 12-1:30pm. Registration required; it's a small pool, so book ahead.
Daddy & Daughter Tea Party at The Comfy Cup, Essex. A week before Father's Day, here's a cup of tea — literally. The Comfy Cup is hosting its first-ever daddy-daughter tea party: unlimited beverages, treats, and a hair-styling tutorial in a cozy storefront. Sunday, 2-4pm, from $30 (confirm whether that's per pair when you book). The sweet spot is daughters ages 4-10. It's a small shop hosting this for the first time — reserve today, not Saturday morning.

For Toddler Families

Bubble Fest at the Chesapeake Children's Museum, Annapolis (Saturday). Bubbles, hand-made bubble blowers, and a children's museum built for exactly this age — contained, indoors, and squarely toddler territory. Admission runs about $8 a person, around $32 for a family of four. Check the museum's calendar to confirm the session before you go.
Off-Site Baby Brood at Bolton Street Synagogue (Sunday). A low-key gathering made for parents with babies and infants — social, supportive, and free. The cleanest under-one outing of the weekend.
Donuts with Dad at My Gym, Timonium (Sunday). Structured free play with donuts and coffee for the grown-ups, geared to ages 2-6. $30, registration required.

Tween-Approved

Historic Ghost Tour in Annapolis (Saturday night). A guided 90-minute walk through colonial-era Annapolis after dark — lantern-lit lanes, sailors' tales, a few centuries of local hauntings. For a kid who's outgrown daytime museum trips, being out past dark in a creaky old port town is the whole appeal, and it's the rare thing they'll bring up unprompted at school. $12 a person, ages 8+, 8-9:30pm. A natural one-parent-one-kid outing at about $24. (It's a walking tour at night — not one for strollers or little ones.)
Orioles vs. Padres at Camden Yards (Saturday). Summer baseball at one of the best ballparks in the country, 4:05pm first pitch — afternoon light, full-game energy, not a school night. A real series against a credible opponent. A family of four with food runs toward $200, which makes it a great one-parent-one-kid afternoon for about half that. Take the Light Rail and skip the parking.
Marine Microplastics Research at BUGSS, Gunpowder Falls (Saturday). For a science-minded kid 12 and up: three hours of real field research collecting and analyzing microplastics samples, not a demo. Registration required, and these fill once school lets out.

Mark Your Calendar

Coming up. Act now.

Next Sunday, June 21 — Father's Day. If you haven't locked in plans, this is the week. Dad-specific programming fills fast, especially anything that takes a reservation. Watch for our Father's Day preview in the next issue.
June 20: 10-&-Under Tennis with Shantha Chandra (Cedar Lane Park, Howard County). A coached Saturday series for 6-8 year-olds, $89. One section has already sold out; the other won't last the week — register now if your kid wants in.
June 20: The ACTGs of Fruit: DNA Extraction at BUGSS, Baltimore City. Kids as young as five extract real DNA from fruit at a working biotech lab — genuinely rare programming for the age, and it fills early.
June 26-28: Sail250 Maryland & Airshow Baltimore. Tall ships, Navy vessel tours, and airshow flyovers over the harbor at Fort McHenry — free, and that "free" means everyone in a 50-mile radius has the same plan. The move this week: look up the expanded water-taxi service from Fells Point and Canton now, before the schedule fills, and skip the parking entirely.

Local Intel

Heading to the Lavender Festival in White Hall on Sunday? The farm is up in the far north county, and the rows are uneven — fine for a toddler who can walk, but leave the stroller in the car. And if a dad is taking just one daughter to the Comfy Cup tea in Essex that afternoon, the rest of the family could make the lavender drive in the morning; White Hall and Essex sit on opposite ends of the county, so it's a full day either way, not a two-stop plan.

Also This Weekend

More that almost made the cut

Flavor Friday at Prigel Family Creamery (Glen Arm) — farm ice cream, food, music. Friday 5pm, FREE to walk in
Farm Friday at Dun-Pikin Farm (Pasadena) — pony rides, glitter tattoos, a "unicorn" meet-up. Friday 6-8pm, $20/person, register ahead
Strawberry Festival at Jenkins Memorial Church (Pasadena). Saturday 10am-3pm
Fam Jam at Belvedere Square — interactive family concert on the patio. Sunday 11:30am, about $7/person
Friday Night Live Summer Concert (Hunt Valley Towne Centre). Friday 6:30pm, FREE
Summer Sunset Concert at Allen Pond Park (Bowie). Sunday 6pm, FREE
Summer Fridays at Kenilworth (Towson) — free family activities. Friday 10am, FREE
Port Discovery Children's Museum — open all weekend, three floors for ages 0-10

A $2.50 Science Museum, a Lavender Farm in Bloom, and a Cup of Tea for Dad