Things to do with kids in Ashburn: playgrounds, splash pads, free library story times every week, the rec center pools and indoor picks for rainy days.

Last checked Oct. 19, 2026. Sources: the Loudoun County Public Library calendar, Loudoun County Parks, Recreation and Community Services park and recreation center pages, One Loudoun and the Ashburn Ice House. Library story time schedules change by season; check the calendar before you go.

Ashburn is built for families: almost every neighborhood has a county park with a playground, the libraries run free story times nearly every day, and the county’s big recreation center on Coopers Hawk Drive has an indoor leisure pool with a lazy river. Here is where to go, by age and by weather.

Who to call

  • Ashburn Library: 703-737-8100; Brambleton Library: 571-258-3998
  • Ashburn Recreation and Community Center: 571-627-4999
  • Loudoun County Parks, Recreation and Community Services: 703-777-0343

Free story times

All free, for babies through age 5, from the library calendar for fall 2026.

Library Story times
Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road Baby: 10 a.m. Monday and Thursday, 11 a.m. Saturday. Toddler: 10 a.m. Tuesday. Preschool: 11 a.m. Tuesday. STEAM: 11 a.m. Wednesday. Musical: 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. Family: 11 a.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. Saturday
Brambleton Library, 22850 Brambleton Plaza Toddler: 10 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Musical: 11 a.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m. Wednesday. Baby: 11 a.m. Thursday. Preschool with live captions: 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Family: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m. Saturday
Cascades Library, Sterling Toddler: 10 a.m. Monday. Baby: 10 a.m. Wednesday. Preschool: 10 a.m. Thursday. Musical: 11 a.m. Thursday. Family: 6 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m. Saturday

The libraries also run school-age and teen programs, from crafts to video game history nights, and seasonal parties; our things to do this month page picks the best each month.

Playgrounds

All county parks are free and open dawn to dusk.

  • Bles Park, 44830 Bles Park Drive. A multigenerational playground with an accessible surface and inclusive features, plus trails along the Potomac.
  • Ashburn Park, 43645 Partlow Road. A playground beside nature trails and a creek.
  • Trailside Park, 20375 Claiborne Parkway. A playground right on the W&OD Trail, next to batting cages and an inline hockey rink.
  • Potomac Green Neighborhood Park, 20750 Marblehead Drive, and Evermoore Neighborhood Park, 22395 Foundation Drive, each with a play area.
  • Claude Moore Park, 46150 Loudoun Park Lane, Sterling. The Discovery Grove natural play space, hillside trails, a visitor center with natural objects to handle and a campfire program; open daily from 7 a.m. to sunset.
  • Hal and Berni Hanson Regional Park, 22831 Hanson Park Drive, Aldie. Two playgrounds, a skatepark and a nature center with ambassador animals, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday.

Splash pads and pools

  • Ashburn Recreation and Community Center, 21105 Coopers Hawk Drive. The leisure pool has a lazy river, a children’s splash area, water basketball and a floating beaver, open 9 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. weekends. Outside, a splash pad with a waterfall tower runs from May to September.
  • One Loudoun splash pad, on the plaza near the Alamo Drafthouse: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, early spring to early fall, weather permitting. The water is tested daily.
  • Hanson Regional Park splash pad, Aldie, May to September.

Seasonal hours, summer camps and pool openings are in our summer camps and pools guide.

Rainy-day picks

  • The rec center. Beyond the pools, the Ashburn center has the county’s largest gym, with drop-in open gym times, and a sensory room with scheduled sessions. Kid Kare looks after children while parents use the center: 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, for up to two hours.
  • Ashburn Ice House. Public skating, learn-to-skate classes for all ages and youth hockey; the rink recommends pre-registering for public skate in busy months.
  • Movies. The Alamo Drafthouse at One Loudoun, 20575 Easthampton Plaza, and the AMC at Loudoun Station.
  • Library programs. Every branch has a children’s area and weekly programs; see the table above.

What this means for you

For under-5s, a library story time and the nearest playground make an easy free morning almost any day of the week. On a rainy afternoon, the rec center’s leisure pool and Kid Kare are the best indoor option. Related: summer camps and pools, free things to do, parks and trails and schools.

Frequently asked questions

When is story time at the Ashburn Library?

The Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road, runs free story times most weekdays: Baby Storytime 10 a.m. Monday and Thursday and 11 a.m. Saturday, Toddler 10 a.m. Tuesday, Preschool 11 a.m. Tuesday, STEAM 11 a.m. Wednesday, Musical 1:30 p.m. Wednesday and Family 11 a.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. Saturday.

Where are the best playgrounds in Ashburn?

Bles Park, 44830 Bles Park Drive, has a multigenerational playground with an accessible surface and inclusive features. Ashburn Park, Trailside Park, Potomac Green and Evermoore parks also have playgrounds, and Claude Moore Park in Sterling has the Discovery Grove natural play space.

Is there a splash pad in Ashburn?

Yes, three nearby: the county’s splash pad at the Ashburn Recreation and Community Center, One Loudoun’s splash pad on the plaza near the Alamo Drafthouse (10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily from early spring to early fall) and Hanson Regional Park’s in Aldie.

What can kids do in Ashburn on a rainy day?

The Ashburn Recreation and Community Center has a leisure pool with a lazy river, a gym and a sensory room; the libraries run story times and kids’ programs; and the Ashburn Ice House runs public skating, with pre-registration recommended.