# Professor Wingnut Wants to Fly! — Discovery Theater

> Event for families in the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria area (DC / VA / MD / WV). Times are Eastern Time.

- When: Tue, Oct 27 (+2 more dates) · 10:00 AM
- Where: Discovery Theater, S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW, Washington, DC 20560
- Ages: Recommended for Ages: 3 to 8 / PreK to Grade 2
- Price: Tickets required; price not printed on the show page
- Organizer: Smithsonian Associates — Discovery Theater
- Official page: https://discoverytheater.org/shows/
- Last checked: Sat, Oct 24

Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 32 metro areas as of Oct 24, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about
Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-10-24), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/washington-dc/activities/professor-wingnut-wants-to-fly-discovery-theater--listing-5c36eea918ecdc4160c2ec09

## About

Wacky citizen-scientist Professor Wingnut and his friend Seymour Seagull explore the science of flight — from birds to airplanes — in this musical show for ages 3 to 8, with songs, simple science and a 'flight-tastic' dance party as they hunt for the secret of what makes things fly. It plays at the Smithsonian's Discovery Theater in the Ripley Center on three weekday mornings at 10 and 11:15 am, and pairs naturally with a visit to the renovated National Air and Space Museum across the Mall afterwards. Tickets are required.

## Similar picks in Washington, DC

- [Dead Letter Office: Gallery Experience at the National Postal Museum](https://grassyknees.com/washington-dc/activities/dead-letter-office-gallery-experience-at-the-national-postal-museum--listing-4e8fb6414e82bff9c9a0a5bc) — Tue, Oct 27 (+5 more dates) · 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM · Smithsonian National Postal Museum · Free · checked Oct 20. Could you be a postal clerk? In this gallery activity at the National Postal Museum, a volunteer challenges visitors to sort mail, deciding which letters will be delivered and…
- [STEM Fun — Potion Making](https://grassyknees.com/washington-dc/activities/stem-fun-potion-making--listing-5f2898cef0c8bcccce0dac81) — Tue, Oct 27 · 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM · Spauldings Branch Library, District Heights · Ages 5–12 · checked Oct 11. Explore hands-on science by mixing everyday ingredients into imaginative experimental potions.
- [Play Date at NMNH: Bats!](https://grassyknees.com/washington-dc/activities/play-date-at-nmnh-bats--listing-8612cd0c941142cd40974f2d) — Tue, Oct 27 · 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM · Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History · All ages · Free · checked Oct 20. Play Date at NMNH is the Natural History Museum's free, drop-in Tuesday program for early learners and their caregivers, and the October 27 session, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, is…
- [Dance Stories with Kalanidhi Dance — Discovery Theater](https://grassyknees.com/washington-dc/activities/dance-stories-with-kalanidhi-dance-discovery-theater--listing-e9635cdb5d90ebeb7164ff33) — Thu, Nov 5 (+1 more date) · 10:00 AM · Discovery Theater, S. Dillon Ripley Center · Ages 5+ · Paid · checked Oct 24. Kalanidhi Dance, a D.C.-area company founded in 1991, introduces children to Kuchipudi, a classical dance form from South India. In this very interactive show, dancers…
- [Not-so-Spooky Animal Encounters at Potomac Overlook](https://grassyknees.com/washington-dc/activities/not-so-spooky-animal-encounters-at-potomac-overlook--listing-041ed9c065e2f285b39241f5) — Sun, Oct 25 · 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM · Potomac Overlook Regional Park, Arlington · All ages · Free · checked Oct 16. This Halloween edition of Potomac Overlook Regional Park's seasonal Animal Encounters lets children meet some of the nature center's supposedly scary residents up close. A NOVA…
- [The Haunted Mine: Sluice for Spooky Treasures — Bull Run](https://grassyknees.com/washington-dc/activities/the-haunted-mine-sluice-for-spooky-treasures-bull-run--listing-0607ac849ac88a0dfc088a22) — Sun, Oct 25 · 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM · Bull Run Regional Park, Centreville · checked Oct 16. At Bull Run Regional Park, NOVA Parks turns gem mining into a Halloween story: an old 1800s mine shaft has supposedly started glowing and whispering, and young explorers are…

## More for families

- [This weekend in Washington, DC](https://grassyknees.com/washington-dc/this-weekend) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/washington-dc/this-weekend.md)
- [Things to do with kids in Washington, DC](https://grassyknees.com/washington-dc) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/washington-dc.md)