Guest Blogger: Clayton is a writer, editor, and devoted family man. A proud husband, father, and grandfather, Clayton enjoys running and cycling in his spare time and is also devoted to supporting literacy and arts programs in his hometown of Worthington, Ohio. Clayton and his wife enjoy taking trips with their children and grandchildren, including a recent vacation in Perth, Australia. To learn more about Clayton, visit his website, Clay Writes.
Appalachia
By Muriel Miller Dressler
I am Appalachia. In my veins
Runs fierce mountain pride; the hill-fed streams
Of passion; and, stranger, you don’t know me!
You’ve analyzed my every move–you still
Go away shaking your head. I remain
Enigmatic.
These opening lines from Muriel Miller Dressler’s poem “Appalachia” are true in some ways. To people who don’t live there, Appalachia can feel remote, strange, perhaps even sad. But these feelings will be swept away like a leaf in a mountain stream after a visit to Heritage Farm Museum and Village. Nestled in a small valley outside of Huntington, West Virginia, Heritage Farm offers visitors a taste of Appalachian history and culture, fun and education for children and a variety of child-friendly activities.
Heritage Farm dates back to 1973, when avid antiquarians Mike and Henriella Perry moved from Huntington to a farmhouse just outside the city. The Perrys used a nearby barn to house their growing collection of antiques and artifacts. Everything they added to their collection – whether it was an old appliance, a piece of farm equipment, or a vintage motor vehicle – tied in with everyday life in Appalachia from the 19th century to the present. The Farm, which opened to the public in 2006, has added other attractions over the years, including a petting zoo, several museums, cabins that provide overnight accommodations, and authentic period structures that reflect Appalachia’s past. My wife and I have visited Heritage Farm three times, most recently for a weekend in mid-June with our children and grandchildren.
Wall Mural in the MakerSpace Building
Heritage Farm Lodging
There are seven “inns” at the farm (one is actually a barn, another a caboose) with quaint-sounding names. On our first trip, my wife and I stayed with another couple at the Applebutter Inn. This time, we divided our extended family of 16 between the Strawberry and Blackberry Inns. Outside the latter was a small but well-maintained swimming pool with comfortable patio furniture around it. The rules for the pool were simple: no glass, food, running, or diving, and guests swim at their own risk.
Blackberry Inn and pool
The air-conditioned inns themselves are fairly spacious and have all the conveniences of modern living with the exception of television and computers. There are no landline telephones either, but in this age of cell phones, they aren’t likely to be missed. (Cell phone reception is generally good all around the Farm.)
Heritage Farm Petting Zoo
There is so much to see at Heritage Farm that it can be hard to decide what to see first. I would recommend the Petting Zoo as a good place to start, especially for families with children. Some of the zoo’s denizens, like Rainbow the Peacock, are not suitable for direct contact, but others like Moby Duck, Leonard the Turtle, Penelope Pig, Oreo the Rabbit, and Kit Kat the Goat are ready to make friends with visitors. These animals are used to being petted and are not startled when they feel the touch of human hands. Even so, there are volunteers who will bring the animals out of their pens and hold them still while children become better acquainted with them. An aluminum roof covers the petting zoo, so a rainstorm does not have to interrupt the fun.
Moby Duck
Heritage Farm Museums
Once finished with the petting zoo, visitors frequently decide to make their way through the different museums at the Farm. There are no less than seven of them, each housed in a single building and each with a different theme. Four, in particular, will provide both fun and learning opportunities to children.
The Progress Museum highlights inventions, communication devices, and consumer goods that have improved the daily lives of Appalachians since the mid-19th Century. A series of vignettes using mannequins shows the changes that one might see in an Appalachian kitchen from one generation to the next. The Progress Museum also has a 1920s diner, a miniature carnival made out of tin scraps, and an elaborate model railroad with little locomotives chugging around hills and through tunnels.
Historic Model Kitchen in the Progress Museum
The Bowes Doll and Carriage Museum gives visitors much more than just a collection of figurines. The beautifully crafted dolls, which Don and Connie Bowes gifted to the museum, are presented in realistic household surroundings. Look through one window, and see dolls wearing period outfits, seated at a table in an ornate dining room. Look through another and see them playing with their toys in a bedroom complete with a dresser, canopied bed, and pictures on the wall. There are outdoor scenes, too, where dolls stroll down the street and push baby carriages holding dolls of their own.
What was it like to be a kid in Appalachia 100 years ago? Young visitors to Heritage Farm can find out in the Children’s Activity Museum. In this unique setting, children simulate churning butter, pumping water, collecting eggs, and even milking an artificial cow. And if the “work” wears them out, they can sit at a desk in a one-room Schoolhouse Museum and perhaps better appreciate the advantages they enjoy in a modern classroom.
The other museums, although perhaps more oriented to adults, also offer items of interest to children. The Transportation Museum, for example, has an array of old cars as well as an airplane suspended from the ceiling. For its part, the Industry Museum features a walk-through coal mine while the Heritage Museum has an old-time barbershop. We got to watch a shopkeeper sweep his floor with an early model vacuum cleaner in the Country Store Museum.
In addition to the museums, the Farm’s MakerSpace building offers young people a plethora of opportunities for hands-on learning. The MakerSpace is sponsored by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. Here, kids and their parents can sit at a variety of tables and try crocheting, drawing, building with Legos, creating electrical circuits, and other self-guided activities. While they work, kids can learn American history from an enormous brightly colored mural that runs around the inside of the MakerSpace building. The mural chronicles key cultural and historical events in the U.S. from Pearl Harbor to 9/11 and presents images of key figures who, for better or worse, shaped American life over that time.
Playing with Legos in the MakerSpace building
Heritage Farm MakerSpace Hours: MakerSpace is open on Saturdays from May through December and on Wednesdays from June through September from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Heritage Farm Historic Buildings
Paralleling the museums are the Farm’s replicas of historic buildings. These include a blacksmith shop and a log church. At most of these places – and in the museums, too – volunteers are ready to answer questions and perform demonstrations. Visitors with good timing can see the blacksmith make a knife in his forge or watch a shopkeeper.
Heritage Farm – Six Simple Machines Discovery Zone
After the museums, the petting zoo, and the historic buildings, children might enjoy some less-structured activities. If so, they can head to the Six Simple Machines Discovery Zone, easily found by the windmill located in the middle. In this discovery zone, kids can perform simple tasks that will clarify the importance of pulleys, levers, inclined planes, and other simple machines. If kids need even more independence, they can grab some nets with handles at the Visitors Center and go hunting for minnows and crayfish in the creek that runs through the farm. It’s okay for these water critters to be caught and put in buckets – as long as they are returned to their habitat when the hunt is over.
At some point during their time at Heritage Farm, visitors might want to get a view of the farm’s outlying areas. If so, they should keep an eye out for Audy Perry and his tractor. Audy, the son of the Farm’s founders, will load people up in one of several wagons and haul them around the Farm’s perimeter. Among other things, they’ll cross a covered bridge and see some larger animals like Marco the Bison who aren’t part of the petting zoo. Be advised that this ride can get pretty bumpy sometimes, especially when the wagons rumble across the bridge. Expectant mothers may want to think twice before climbing on to a wagon. Be advised, too, that Audy may bombard visitors with a series of farm-related puns. So be ready to groan.
Oreo the Rabbit
Heritage Farm Logistics
Heritage Farm Hours: Heritage Farm hours vary by season. Consult their website when planning a visit.
Heritage Farm Tickets: Heritage Farm admission costs $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $8 for children. Visitors two and under are free.
Parking at Heritage Farm: Parking shouldn’t be a problem. There’s a large open-field lot just to the left of the main entrance. If that lot is full, more parking space is available at the western end of the farm.
Dining at Heritage Farm: For dining, Heritage Farm Cafe is located in the Visitors Center. The cafe is open from 11-2, Monday through Saturday and offers an array of sandwiches, side dishes, and beverages at reasonable prices. One of their specialties is lemonade sweetened by brown sugar.
Before leaving Heritage Farm, visitors can comment on their experience in a journal that can be found near the entrance to their Inn. And as they leave, they may find Appalachia to no longer be an enigma, but rather an inviting place they will want to visit again. Heritage Farm Village and Museum is really a gateway to America’s rural past and much more.
Thank you to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for hosting my family’s visit. All opinions are my own.
Guest Author: Our kid blogger, Messi Jr. is an eleven year old sixth grader who loves travel, soccer and basketball.
My family and I recently took a fun and exciting road trip from Cleveland, Ohio to Amherst, Massachusetts. Although the focus of the trip was to see our uncle and aunt, we went to many cool places and learned many amazing things as well. My favorite attraction was the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. I faithfully watched the Cavs during their four post-season national championships and played basketball in my church league for at least five years and was ecstatic when my mom told me she would take us to the Hoop Hall. At the Basketball Hall of Fame, we learned about the greatest basketball players and the history of the game and got to shoot around on Center Court trying out old and new hoops. We also competed in a free throw contest.
First, when we entered the Basketball Hall of Fame building, we saw exhibits for 15 of the all-time best basketball players in glass cases. Inside each case, there was the player’s jersey, shoes and a little screen detailing some of their personal highlights and achievements. We also got to compare our shoe sizes to the pros. Shaquille O’Neal wore a size 22!
My sister’s shoe compared to Shaquille O’Neal’s
Once we were done checking in, we watched a 12 minute video about the evolution of basketball and learned that basketball was invented by James Naismith in Springfield in 1891. The video was the perfect introduction to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
With some background knowledge, we headed to the third floor Honors Ring. As we circled around level three, we read a paragraph about each Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.
We next went down to the Players’ Gallery on the second floor where we looked at lockers filled with players’ memorabilia and played some interactive games that compared us to average NBA basketball players. The interactive exhibits measured how high we could jump to catch a rebound or dunk and also included a virtual reality basketball game and pop-a-shot.
After the Player’s Gallery, we went down to Center Court on the first floor where there was a regulation basketball court with two pro-sized hoops and also different hoops lining the walls from a peach barrel to the newest hoop. There was also a dunk zone where almost everyone can find the perfect sized hoop to dunk on.
Finding the perfect hoop to practice my dunks
In the Basketball Hall of Fame complex, there are several restaurants. We had lunch at Max’s Tavern where I ate a huge burger. After we were done, we raced back to Center Court for the free throw competition. All the participants lined up and took a regulation free throw. Those who made the shot stayed on the court while those who missed watched from the sidelines. The sudden death rounds continue until there are two finalists. In the final round, the two finalists then take three free throws each, and the whoever makes more becomes the winner. Out of about 40 participants of all ages, I won! My mom thinks I was lucky, but really, it came down to pure skill. This video shows my winning shot at the Basketball Hall of Fame Free Throw competition.
For winning the Free Throw competition, I received the competition ball, a drawstring backpack, a Basketball Hall of Fame hat and t-shirt, basketball cards, a miniature basketball and a net.
The Basketball Hall of Fame was a very fun place to visit, and I learned about basketball history and have a new appreciation for the sport. I recommend the Basketball Hall of Fame to anyone visiting Springfield, Massachusetts, especially basketball fans.
Thank you to Hotel LeVeque, Autograph Collection, LEGOLAND Discovery Center, COSI, the Franklin Park Conservatory, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and Zoombezi Bay for hosting our family’s visits. All opinions are my own.
Columbus, Ohio is near and dear to my heart because I lived there for three years as a law student at the Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law. Nancy and I both studied at Moritz and lived in the same apartment complex five years apart. While traveling and blogging may be two of my favorite pastimes, I’m a public finance attorney in the Cleveland office of Bricker & Eckler by day. Because Columbus is the state capital of Ohio and Bricker’s headquarters, I make the journey from our house in the Cleveland suburbs down I-71 to Columbus every few weeks on business. Columbus has grown exponentially since my college and law school years (now the 14th largest city in the U.S.) and is a great family destination. It has been several years since we visited as a family, so I took advantage of an unusually quiet summer weekend while my husband was attending a family wedding in Australia to take the kids (and my daughter’s stuffed monkey, Coconut) on a weekend getaway. Columbus is a city that offers more than meets the eye, and we made sure to pack many of the highlights into our weekend trip.
Where to Stay in Columbus, Ohio
A Review of Hotel LeVeque, Autograph Collection
We spent two nights at the Hotel LeVeque, Autograph Collection, which is ideally located at the corner of Broad and Front, just one block from the Capitol Square. We did not need our car between check-in on Friday night and check out on Sunday morning because everything on our itinerary was within walking distance of the Hotel LeVeque. We walked to the Ohio Statehouse, the Bricker & Eckler building, Columbus Commons, COSI, Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral and dinner at Condado. We parked in the adjacent garage and were wowed by the elegant marquee at the entryway before proceeding to the lobby. We immediately noticed the Hotel’s astronomical theme and starry decor. My husband does not yet know that I spent a lot of time coveting the lobby chandelier and wondering if we could find something like it for our front hallway.
Check-in was a breeze with absolutely no wait. Throughout our stay, the entire staff was extremely helpful and attentive, especially to the kids. After we collected our room keys, we headed to our classic double queen room on the eighth floor.
The room was decorated in gray tones. The entryway had laminate wood flooring that was perfect for kicking off our shoes. The closet included the usual hanging space, safe and ironing board and also a large golf umbrella and a coffee maker. The queen beds were dreamily comfortable with plenty of pillows. Gold framed mirrors were a beautiful touch. The kids were ecstatic to find a welcome gift on the desk and immediately set to work with their coloring books.
The luxurious bathroom included a humongous, subway-tiled shower with a rainfall nozzle and separate handheld shower head. I loved the sleek white on white decor and took some notes for my dream bathroom makeover. There was also a separate room for the toilet, which worked great for our family.
The window wells were the perfect vantage point for watching the street below, and the biggest excitement was when the boys spotted a Lamborghini and Ferrari on Broad Street.
The starry decor extends to the guest rooms. The most unique feature was the star projector, which we used both nights so that we felt like we were sleeping under the stars with this view. My son wants a similar projector for his room.
After unpacking and settling into our room, the kids were ready to go explore the hotel. We set off to the Fitness Center on the sixth floor. The Center was equipped with high-end machines and weights and provided earplugs, granola bars and water. The Fitness Center was not designed for kids’ use, but these two jumped on the treadmills for a few seconds before we headed to the lobby to continue our exploring.
There are so many beautiful artworks in the Hotel’s common areas that we felt as if we were in an art gallery.
There is a Starbucks located right outside the lobby lounge and so many comfortable spots to relax with a morning coffee.
Because I travel to Columbus regularly, I’ve stayed in at least a dozen other Columbus-area hotels, including about six other downtown hotels. Hotel LeVeque, Autograph Collection is easily my new favorite because of its location and amenities.
Best Things to Do in Columbus, Ohio
We could easily spend a week exploring museums and parks in Columbus, but we packed the sights that most appealed to us into our weekend. Here’s our overview of the best things to do in Columbus, Ohio in the order we visited and also a few that are on our family’s list for next time.
Our Weekend in Columbus
#1: LEGOLAND Discovery Center Columbus
Easton’s LEGOLAND is a Discovery Centers that serves as a miniature amusement park. This 36,000 square foot entertainment center opened in September 2018. At LEGOLAND, there are LEGO-themed rides, opportunities to build with LEGO, LEGO-themed play areas and a 4D movie theater. My kids love LEGO and were especially excited that my friend and her 10-year-old daughter were able to join us. We planned to arrive in Columbus in the late afternoon when most of the museums are closing and were pleased to find that LEGOLAND Discovery Center stays open until 7:00 p.m. We arrived at about 4:30 p.m. and explored this amazing indoor amusement park until closing time.
The kids were excited to ride the Kingdom Quest laser ride located immediately inside the entrance. Each rider has their own laser to zap beastly trolls and sneaky skeletons while collecting points and saving a princess. This ride reminded me of the Toy Story ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – just without the long line. The kids rode on Kingdom Quest several times with absolutely no wait.
Because our kids love to build with LEGO, they were excited about the police car building project in the Creative Workshop. Workshops are held throughout the day, and visitors get the chance to create different models using LEGO kits. The leader provided step by step directions projected onto a big screen. My four year old and I worked together, but she handled the lion’s share of construction.
It was so much fun watching a pile of LEGO bricks take shape into the police car. After playing with our cars for a few minutes, we disassembled our creations and put them back in the kits for the next visitors.
My four-year-old daughter declared the LEGO pool to be her favorite part of the Discovery Center. This tear-dropped shaped “pool” is filled with thousands of LEGO bricks. And, yes, she did dive into the middle.
Miniland was also a big hit. We’ve seen many LEGO exhibits, including Nathan Sawaya’s The Art of the Brick at the Carnegie Science Center last summer. The scale of Miniland’s recreations of Ohio landmarks, including the Ohio Stadium was beyond impressive. And, this room made my heart swell with O-H-I-O pride.
After playing in the LEGO City Play Area and the DUPLO Farm and riding the Merlin’s Apprentice Ride, we finished our visit to LEGOLAND in the 4D movie theater. The kids laughed nonstop throughout the short film, and they thought the 4D special effects were cool (especially the flying hot dog), even if we did get a bit wet. The LEGOLAND Discovery Center is the “ultimate indoor LEGO Playground.”
LEGOLAND Discovery CenterHours: The LEGOLAND Discovery Center is open every day, and hours vary by day of the week and season. The last entry is two hours before closing.
LEGOLAND Discovery Center Admission: Walk up general admission to the LEGOLAND Discovery Center varies by date but generally costs between $24 and $34. Savings are available for visitors who book online in advance.
LEGOLAND Discovery Center Parking: The West Parking Garage at Easton is adjacent to LEGOLAND Discovery Center. I parked in a surface lot with a three-hour limit and had to move my car before dinner.
Time Spent at LEGOLAND DiscoveryCenter: We spent about two and a half hours at LEGOLAND Discovery Center.
#2: Easton Town Center
Easton Town Center is an indoor and outdoor shopping complex that opened in the summer of 1999, right before I moved to Columbus to start law school. Easton started as a development by Les Wexner, the owner of Limited Brands, and has had multiple expansions and renovation projects since its opening.
Easton Station includes The Rooms at Easton, presented by COSI. These are themed rooms where visitors can explore science concepts. Our favorite was Community Creations, a room inspired by Yayoi Kusama’s The obliteration room, which we saw in Cleveland last year. We each added a strip of stickers.
Easton is a wonderful family destination, particularly in the summer when it hosts numerous events like the Easton Art Affair, a fine art craft show that was going on during our visit. It reminded me of New Orleans‘ Jackson Park with so many amazing artists exhibiting their pieces. There is also a fountain for kids under eight to splash around in. It was a bit chilly, and our youngest did not have her bathing suit, but she asked many times if she could try out the fountain.
Easton Towne Center Hours: Most retailers are open Monday to Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m.
Easton Towne Center Parking: Parking garages at Easton are free, surface lots provide free parking for up to three hours, and metered parking is available throughout the Center.
Time Spent at Easton TowneCenter: After finishing at LEGOLAND, we spent about two hours eating dinner and checking out the Easton Art Affair.
#3: Ohio Statehouse
The Ohio Statehouse is located in the center of downtown Columbus at Capitol Square. Unlike many state capitols inspired by the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the Ohio Statehouse’s Greek revival architecture was influenced by the Parthenon and completed before the Capitol. I am fortunate to attend an annual event inside the Ohio Statehouse, but, unfortunately, we did not have time for a guided tour on this particular visit.
The William McKinley Monument honors the Ohio native who served as the Ohio Governor and 25th President of the United States. The monument was completed in 1906, five years after McKinley’s assassination.
Ohio Statehouse Hours: The Ohio Statehouse is open to the public on Mondays through Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Ohio Statehouse is closed on public holidays.
Ohio Statehouse Parking: Underground parking is available 24 hours a day.
Time Spent at the Statehouse: We passed by the Ohio Statehouse several times during our weekend and spent about 30 minutes total. The guided tour is definitely on our list for our next visit.
#4: Bricker & Eckler Building
The law firm of Bricker & Eckler purchased the old, old post office in 1984 and restored and renovated the building to use as its headquarters. This is one of the few downtown buildings dating from the 19th century and is located across from Capitol Square at the intersection of South Third and State Street. It was my favorite building in downtown Columbus long before I became an employee. While the Bricker & Eckler building is not open to the public, we were fortunate to be able to stop in and take a break to relax in the lobby before continuing our Saturday morning walking tour.
Bricker & Eckler Building
#5: The John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons
The John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons is a six-acre park in the middle of downtown Columbus that opened in 2011 on the site of the former Columbus City Center mall. I remember when City Center opened as a premier shopping destination and witnessed its decline over my college and law school years as competing malls opened in the suburbs of Columbus. The Columbus Commons utilized the extensive underground parking constructed for City Center and features green space, Columbus Bicentennial Pavilion, a carousel, 12 gardens and open play. The Commons hosts over 200 events each year, and many of the events are free to the public.
Columbus Commons Hours: The Columbus Commons is generally open from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily.
Columbus Commons Parking: The Main Garage is located at 55 East Rich Street, and the Underground Garage is located at 191 South Third Street.
Time Spent at Columbus Commons: We spent only a few minutes in the Commons due to our packed schedule and ticketed events occurring both nights.
#6: COSI Columbus
The Center of Science and Industry or COSI, as it is commonly known, is a science museum and research center. COSI opened in its current space in November 1999, just a few months after I started law school. My first visit was five years ago in 2014 when I was eight months pregnant with my daughter. Our family loves science museums, so we were ecstatic to go back to COSI. Just like our first visit (which I coincidentally discovered occurred exactly five years before this visit when I looked at the previous pictures), our visit coincided with the Science of Big Machines event in front of COSI. This is an epic touch a truck opportunity that gives kids the chance to try out operating stationary construction vehicles. This hands-on learning opportunity was a huge hit five years ago when my boys were four and six. This year, my four and nine year olds each tried out a truck before heading back across the bridge to our hotel.
In the entryway, we were greeted by an enormous Foucault pendulum that demonstrates that the Earth is spinning. This may be the largest and most beautiful Foucault pendulum we’ve ever seen.
COSI is much more than a typical science museum. Of course, it has live shows, hands-on science experiments, a planetarium, and permanent and special exhibits. But, it also includes the American Museum of Natural History Dinosaur Gallery, which is larger than dinosaur exhibits at many natural history museums. The full cast of a T-Rex is certainly the highlight here. There is also an outdoor park that is open to the public. In 2017, COSI completed the construction of an underground parking garage to replace its surface lot. Moving parking underground opened up eight acres that are now used as a park, complete with a playground and fountains. This park space is heavily used by families, especially on beautiful summer days.
The exhibit that I was most excited about was The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited, which explored Henson’s groundbreaking work and more than 20 historic puppets. Henson died almost 30 years ago at age 53, but his impact on puppetry was unparalleled. It was a thrill to see some of my childhood “friends” up close and personal.
We also explored the Mythic Creatures special exhibit. Unicorns seem to be as popular as princesses these days, and my daughter especially enjoyed this exhibit, but the boys preferred the rat basketball live show. Our visit to COSI was cut short because my oldest wasn’t feeling well, but my friend offered to watch my younger two kids while I took my oldest to the hotel. They made flubber, explored the Ocean exhibit and watched the high-wire unicycle.
Families can easily spend an entire day at COSI exploring the exhibits. Luckily, the Atomic Cafe provides a wide variety of kids’ meals and some healthy options for when kids need refueling. Our kids are already talking about the next trip and plan to prioritize the Planetarium and Giant Screen Theater.
COSI Hours: COSI is generally open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily and 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on the last Friday of each month.
COSI Admission: COSI general admission costs $25 for everyone 13 and over and $20 for kids 2-12. Add on experiences such as the Planetarium, National Geographic Giant Screen Theater films, Motion Simulator rides and some special exhibits are available for additional fees.
COSI Parking: The closest parking is available at the Scioto Peninsula Underground Garage. Visitor parking costs $6 with the discount stamp available at the COSI Box Office.
Time Spent at COSI: My oldest and I spent about two hours at COSI, and my younger two children stayed on with my friend and spent four hours exploring.
#7: Franklin Park Conservatory
Franklin Park Conservatory is a botanical garden located on Broad Street a few miles from Capitol Square. We always enjoy conservatories, but the big draw for us was its signature collection of Dale Chihuly artworks. We have a fondness for Chihuly and have seen his works at the lobby of the Bellagio in Las Vegas, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh and even MudBugs Cajun Kitchen in Sanibel. None of those exhibits comes close to Franklin Park Conservatory’s Chihuly: Celebrating Nature, the largest Chihuly collection in a botanical garden. This current exhibit, which is on display through March 29, 2020, includes 13 Chihuly works that are part of the Conservatory’s permanent collection, four pieces of the Conservatory’s collection that have been reconfigured and five pieces on loan from Chihuly.
Dale Chihuly is an American glass sculptor who uses vibrant colors in his sculptures that often resemble flowers. The exhibit guide gets high marks for including art label descriptions for each piece and using color-coding to indicate which pieces are from the permanent collection, reconfigured or on loan. After being wowed by Chihuly’s Persian Window, we passed under the Persian Ceiling with layered glass forms.
My oldest son has color vision deficiency and only sees a fraction of the colors that the rest of the family can see. To him, many of Chihuly’s selections do not seem bold or vivid, but he likes the forms. However, this Garden Fiori, on loan for this exhibit, was an exception and looked brilliant to him and easily became his favorite of the exhibition.
The Lime Green Icicle Tower, also on loan, was the focal point of the Sculpture Garden. It reminded me of the taller and skinnier version exhibited in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
There is something magical about butterflies, and it is always exciting to see one up close. The Conservatory’s Blooms & Butterflies exhibit is located in the Pacific Island Water Garden.
The Kids Can Design Glass Art Studio gives kids the chance to make their own Chihuly-inspired creations.
Scott’s Miracle-Gro Foundation Children’s Garden offers active experiences in nature for children. My daughter splashed in the Headwaters and Sandstone Creek, which were inspired by the nearby Hocking Hills before all three kids headed to the Canopy Walk and Nature Play Zone.
It’s no surprise that the Franklin Park Conservatory was recently named by USA Today as #5 on the 10 most beautiful places list. The combination of Chihuly sculptures and nature exhibited here is nothing short of breathtaking.
Franklin Park Conservatory Hours: The Franklin Park Conservatory is generally open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Franklin Park Conservatory Admission: Franklin Park Conservatory general admission costs $19 for visitors age 13-59, $16 for visitors over age 59 and $12 for children age 3-12.
Franklin Park Conservatory Parking: A free adjacent parking lot is available for visitors.
Time Spent at Franklin Park Conservatory: We spent only about an hour and a half at the Franklin Park Conservatory because our visit was postponed due to my son’s illness. However, we could have easily spent two to three hours exploring the Conservatory and playing in the Children’s Garden.
#8: The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has been nationally recognized among the best zoos in the U.S. and was recently named as the country’s #5 zoo by USA Today. The enormous Zoo is organized by regions. As soon as we entered, we hopped on the shuttle to the Heart of Africa exhibit and then weaved our way back to the entrance, saving us a lot of steps. My four year old rarely uses a stroller, but after a few hours in the Franklin Park Conservatory, I was glad that we brought the stroller and comfortable walking shoes. We saw so many animals up close, but those little legs would have struggled with the long walk on a hot day.
The large enclosure housing at least a dozen giraffe and also zebras in the Heart of Africa was so realistic that we felt as if we were on safari in Africa.
As a special treat, our kids took turns feeding a giraffe. They liked getting up close and personal with the giraffe.
The Polar Frontier exhibit features polar bears. My nine-year-old son recently completed a research project on polar bears, and we learned that they can close their ears underwater and many other fascinating facts. The enclosure features a large, chilled pool, and we were excited to see one close up.
The Shores & Aquarium, which featured manatees, sea turtles, stingrays and many other aquatic creatures, was my 11-year-old son’s favorite part of the Zoo.
Elephants are another family favorite. We noticed that the Asian elephants at the Columbus Zoo have much smaller ears than the African elephants at the Cleveland Zoo.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is one of the largest zoos in the United States and offers many shaded areas perfect for viewing animals on sunny days. My daughter liked the dozens of animal sculptures around the zoo for photo opportunities, and we had to take pictures at almost everyone. There is so much to see and do that it’s possible to spend an entire day exploring all the regions and combine a visit to the Zoombezi Bay water park or Jungle Jack’s Landing amusement area.
Columbus ZooHours: The hours of the Columbus Zoo vary by day of the week and season but are typically 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. during the summer months.
Columbus Zoo Admission: Admission to the Columbus Zoo costs $21.99 for visitors ages 10-59 and $16.99 for visitors ages three to nine and over 59. The Columbus Zoo-It-All experience includes Zoo admission as well as Jungle Jack’s Landing, Dinosaur Landing, the 4D theater, carousel and pony rides cost $36.99 for visitors ages 10-59 and $31.99 for visitors ages three to nine and over 59. All pricing is based on 2019 admission rates.
Columbus Zoo Parking: Parking is available in an adjacent surface lot for $10 per car.
Time Spent at the Columbus Zoo: We spent about two and a half hours at the Columbus Zoo.
#9: Zoombezi Bay
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium owns the adjacent water park, which is one of the most popular water parks in the Midwest. The kids were desperate to dip their toes into the fountains at Easton, COSI and the Franklin Park Conservatory and had been waiting for Zoombezi Bay all weekend. They thoroughly enjoyed their time at the Zoo, but after about two and a half hours were ready to cool off in Zoombezi Bay. We were glad that we brought our pool bag with us to the Zoo and exited directly to Zoombezi Bay without first stopping at our car. The first stop inside the entrance was the bathhouse and then the lockers. The $10 small lockers were sold out for the day, so we rented a medium locker to store our clothes and valuables while we swam. We selected our code and were able to open our locker as many times as we needed during our visit.
We headed to Baboon Lagoon, a multi-level play structure for water exploration. The water sprays and 1,000 gallon bucket that tipped every few minutes was a bit overwhelming for my four year old daughter but perfect for my sons. The kids also liked the Otter Banks play area.
The whole family enjoyed the Roaring Rapids Action River, a lazy river with inner tubes, waterfalls and wave generators that weaves throughout the entire water park.
We also enjoyed the Wild Tides Wave Pool (pictured here below closing for the day). My boys headed straight for the deeper part of the pool while my daughter waded in the pool’s zero-entry edge and jumped over the breaking waves.
The lines for the large slides were quite long, but the boys did wait for Big Boa Falls for the gravity-defying experience of the uphill water slide.
The Tiny Tides area was designed for the youngest visitors. The slides were much smaller, and there was plenty of space to splash around in the wading pool.
The kids’ only other water park experiences have been at Kalahari. Many of the attractions at Zoombezi Bay were similar but on a much larger scale. And, we enjoyed taking advantage of the park on this beautiful summer day. We unexpectedly stayed until closing at 8:00 p.m., and all three kids fell asleep in the car on the way home.
Zoombezi Bay Hours: Zoombezi Bay is open from mid-May to Labor Day. Hours vary throughout the summer.
Zoombezi Bay Admission: Admission to Zoombezi Bay costs $29.99 for visitors ages 10-59 and $23.99 for visitors ages three to nine and over 59 and includes admission to the Columbus Zoo on the same day. Add-on experiences to Jungle Jack’s Landing, Dinosaur Landing, the 4D theater, carousel and pony rides can be purchased for additional fees. All pricing is based on 2019 admission rates.
Zoombezi Bay Parking: Parking is available in an adjacent surface lot for $10 per car.
Time Spent at the Zoombezi Bay: We spent about three and a half hours at the Zoombezi Bay. It took us about 30 minutes to walk from the Columbus Zoo, enter Zoombezi Bay and get changed into our swimming attire.
Other Great Columbus Family Activities
There are so many more great family-friendly activities in Columbus. While we couldn’t fit them all in during our visit, I’ve had the chance to more fully explore during the three years I lived here and during my frequent visits back. These are still on our list for next time.
#10: Columbus Museum of Art
Columbus Museum of Art features American and European modern and contemporary art along with folk art, glass art, and photography. The Columbus Museum of Art is located downtown, and I’ve been fortunate to visit several times. My favorite artwork is the Chihuly sculpture in the Museum’s Derby Court. We couldn’t fit a trip to the Columbus Museum of Art into our weekend itinerary, but the Museum offers free admission every Sunday.
#11: National Veterans Memorial and Museum
The National Veterans Memorial and Museum opened along the Scioto River in October 2018 on the site of the former Ohio Veterans Memorial, which most attorneys in Ohio remember as the convention center where they sat for three days at folding tables to take the bar exam. The National Veterans Museum is dedicated to the experiences of veterans by incorporating personal stories. Veterans receive free admission and parking.
#12: Grange Insurance Audobon Center
The Grange Insurance Audobon Center is a nature center within the 120-acre Scioto Audubon Metro Park. The Center is a great place for a nature hike, a spectacular view of downtown Columbus, bird watching and rock climbing. I attended a series of meetings in the Center earlier this year and loved watching the seasons change from the wall of windows in the conference room.
#13: Ohio Theatre
The Ohio Theatre in Columbus is located on State Street across from Capitol Square. As a law student, I saw Beauty and the Beast at the Ohio Theatre, and I’ll always remember the Ohio Theatre as the venue for my law school hooding and my swearing-in ceremony. The Ohio Theatre hosts Broadway shows, concerts, live events and movies. Its CAPA Summer Movie Series is the longest-running classic film series in America and currently celebrating its 50th year. Tickets cost only $5 each, and strips of 10 can be purchased for $30.
#14: Palace Theatre
The Palace Theatre in Columbus is a performing arts venue located at the base of the LeVeque Tower next to Hotel LeVeque. Its design was influenced by the Palace of Versailles. As a law student, I saw my all-time favorite Broadway show, Rent, for the first time from the front row of the Palace Theatre. The Palace Theatre hosts many family-friendly events, including Peppa Pig Live andWild Kratts Live 2.0.
Where to Eat in Columbus, Ohio
Cameron Mitchell restaurants were taking off in Columbus when I was in law school, and the brand continues as a dominant force in the local food scene, and there are now restaurants all over the United States. There are so many more restaurant options than there were during my student days, and we chose our dining options based on location and cuisine. We were certainly not disappointed.
Northstar Cafe at Easton Towne Center
Northstar has five Columbus locations that each serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Diners order their food from the counter, pay and then find a seat in the restaurant. I chose the Pad Thai during our meal at the Northstar Cafe at Easton Towne Center and was not disappointed.
Condado
Condado features a build-your-own-taco concept, and we visited its original restaurant for dinner on North High Street. The kids loved all the options to create one-of-a-kind tacos while I chose from the taco suggestions menu. Condado was decorated with Day of the Dead decor and served a tasty margarita.
Wendy’s
Wendy’s was founded in Columbus in 1969 by Dave Thomas and is a Columbus institution. It’s considered the world’s third-largest hamburger chain after McDonald’s and Burger King. We grabbed a tasty but quick lunch between our visits to the Franklin Park Conservatory and Columbus Zoo. The kids even talked me into ordering Frosty’s that they could split.
Our Family’s Columbus Weekend
We had a memorable family weekend in Columbus and didn’t have to pack our passports or book plane tickets. The museums and parks in Columbus make it an ideal family vacation destination for those living in the Midwest and beyond. My kids would certainly go back in a heartbeat and hope that spending a weekend in Columbus becomes an annual tradition. Planning a trip to the Midwest? Check out our series of posts on Ohio.
London may not be known as a budget city for travelers but offers seemingly infinite free attractions. In addition to iconic landmarks like Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Nelson’s Column, Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace, there are many free museums, including four that are among the world’s top ten most visited museums each year. Exhibits in these museums include the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon frieze, Apollo 10, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Darwin’s specimens, the world’s largest portrait collection and the remains of the London Wall from about 200 A.D. With so much variety, there really are free museums in London for everyone. Our family barely scratched the surface of London’s museums during our three trips there with kids but have been lucky to visit a few of London’s amazing museums as a family without paying any admissions fees. To round out our list, we asked some fellow travel bloggers for recommendations for the best free London museums for kids:
Free Museums in South Kensington
#1: London’s Natural History Museum
My kids really enjoy natural history and have visited natural history museums in Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.London’s Natural History Museum definitely did not disappoint. The cathedral-like building in South Kensington is stunning, and we were greeted by Dippy, a diplodocus skeleton featured in Hitze Hall, the main hall of the museum. This dinosaur reminded us of Sue, the T-Rex featured in the Field Museum’s main hall. We were excited to learn that the cast of Dippy was a gift from Andrew Carnegie at the request of Edward VII. Since our visit to London, we’ve seen the original skeleton on display at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
Replacing iconic main hall dinosaurs seems to be a recent trend in natural history museums. Just as Sue was replaced at the Field Museum with a cast of Maximo, a titanosaur, and the world’s largest dinosaur skeleton in 2018, Dippy was replaced with Hope, a blue whale’s skeleton in 2017. While Dippy was quite a centerpiece, one of the biggest takeaways from our trip to London’s Natural History Museum was that the blue whale is the world’s largest animal. So, my boys would probably approve of the change. Admittedly, it must be easier to photograph Hope, who is suspended from the ceiling, without getting scores of other visitors in the shot as we found when trying to photograph Dilly. We can’t wait to see Hope, whose installation is shown on this time-lapse video.
The Dinosaur Gallery one-ups the other dinosaur exhibits we have visited by adding animatronics. The enormous animatronic Tyrannosaurus Rex is the highlight of the exhibit. Visitors stand in a line (which is known as a queue in London) that eventually inches past the T-Rex.
The Natural History Museum was originally designed to house the British Museum’s natural history collection, particularly Charles Darwin’s samples, so there are plenty of animal specimens. My younger son got up close and personal with the lion exhibit. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and highly recommend London’s Natural History Museum for kids of all ages.
London’s Natural History Museum Admission: There is no general admission to visit London’s Natural History Museum, but some temporary exhibits do require an admission fee.
London’s Natural History Museum Hours: London’s Natural History Museum is generally open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:50 p.m.
Closest Underground Stop to London’s Natural History Museum: South Kensington
#2: London’s Science Museum
Kids who have a passing interest in space travel, experiments, technology or transport would love London’s Science Museum. It’s the best London museum for kids, and visitors can explore free exhibits including some of the most iconic objects created over the past 250 years – from Apollo 10 to the first Apple computer as well as the first submarine. While the Museum is free, visitors can also purchase tickets for the WonderLab to take part in live experiments at the Chemistry Bar or watch 3D IMAX movie features on space travel and natural phenomena. The Science Museum is a great place to visit on a cold and rainy day thanks to the play area for smaller kids on the lower level.
London’s Science Museum Admission: There is no general admission to visit London’s Science Museum, but donations are welcome, and tickets are required for special exhibits and the IMAX cinema.
London’s Science Museum Hours: The Science Museum is generally open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily and closed December 24-26.
Closest Underground Stop to London’s Science Museum: South Kensington
Recommended by Katy Clarke from Untold Morsels. Find out more from Katy about 3 days in London.
#3: Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum, one of South Kensington’s Big Three free museums, is purely dedicated to art and design. It’s not as immediately child-friendly as its neighbors, the Natural History Museum and Science Museum. There are no dinosaurs or flight simulators here, but it does have daily free activities and events for children. Kids age 5 to 12 can borrow a backpack of activities to help them explore the Museum’s while paper trails and hands-on discovery areas help to bring the exhibits to life. Pop-up performances and making sessions appear on weekends and school holidays, too. But another important feature is the John Madejski Garden, an outdoor courtyard in the heart of the Museum. On sunny days, families gather around the pond to eat packed lunches and relax or purchase ice-cream and refreshments in the Garden Café. If it’s a less sunny day, the V&A’s main café is a historic work of art in its own right!
Victoria and Albert Museum Admission: There is no general admission to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum, but there is a separate admission charge for some exhibitions and events, which may require advance booking.
Victoria and Albert Museum Hours: The Victoria & Albert Museum is generally open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Fridays. The Victoria & Albert is closed December 24-26.
Closest Underground Stop to the Victoria and Albert Museum: South Kensington
London’s National Gallery is located in Trafalgar Square and houses a relatively small collection of about 2,300 paintings, almost all are world-famous and on permanent display. The National Gallery is the fourth most visited art museum in the world with over six million visitors annually. The Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum are the only more popular art museums.
The Gallery’s entrances are located off of Trafalgar Square. We used the side entrance, which is more stroller friendly than the beautiful main entrance. Our focus was the Impressionist Gallery that holds some of the world’s most famous paintings by Claude Monet, Pierre Renoir and Vincent Van Gogh. Monet’s paintings on exhibit here include Gare St. Lazare and The Water-Lily Pond. Van Gogh’s Sunflowers is one of the most recognizable paintings on exhibit. Van Gogh only created about 800 oil paintings in his life, including several variations of these sunflowers. Similar versions are displayed in the Van Gogh Museum and Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Museum of Art, which purchased Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers for about $40 million in 1987, which was a record at the time. When considering those amounts, it’s hard to believe that Van Gogh relied on his brother for financial support during his lifetime.
Our budding artist was very interested in Van Gogh’s Sunflowers
Our boys were particularly fascinated by Georges Seurat’s massive Bathers at Asnières. Seurat masterfully uses pointillism, a painting technique that uses small, distinct dots of varying colors to form an image. It’s much harder to see how the patterns of dots form an image when observing the painting up close, and the boys learned to step back to see the image more clearly. While we were not able to explore the entire National Gallery, this is definitely a museum that we could visit again and again.
London’s National Gallery Admission: There is no general admission to visit the National Gallery, but some temporary exhibits do require an admissions fee.
London’s National Gallery Hours: London’s National Gallery is generally open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily and from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Fridays. The National Gallery is closed on January 1 and December 24-26.
Closest Underground Stops to London’s National Gallery: Charing Cross and Leicester Square
#5: London’s National Portrait Gallery
When London’s National Portrait Gallery opened in 1856, it was the world’s first portrait gallery. The National Portrait Gallery now contains the world’s most extensive portrait collection with approximately 200,000 works. The collection most notably includes portraits of important, famous and royal Brits, including members of the royal family, celebrities, politicians, artists and writers. Visitors have the chance to view history through portraits, photographs and sculptures arranged chronologically from 1500s to modern-day.
King Henry VIII is one of the most infamous Brits and is featured in the center of the bottom row below. After their visit to the Tower of London, our boys were particularly excited to check out this royal portrait wall.
We loved learning about history and art at London’s National Portrait Gallery and recommend it for all family travelers.
London’s National Portrait Gallery Admission: There is no general admission fee to visit London’s National Portrait Gallery, but some temporary exhibits do require an admissions fee.
London’s National Portrait Gallery Hours: London’s National Portrait Gallery is generally open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Fridays. The National Gallery is closed on December 24-26.
Closest Underground Stops to London’s National Portrait Gallery: Charing Cross and Leicester Square
Free Museums in Bloomsbury
#6: British Museum
The British Museum allows visitors to journey through time and around the world, without leaving London. While most people visit for the Ancient Egyptian exhibit and to see the Rosetta stone, there’s much more. Visitors can use the regular audio-guide for a more formal experience or the interactive family guide to play games throughout the Museum. With either guide, everyone will love learning about the burial rituals of Egypt, seeing hundreds of natural history specimens in the library and looking up at the Maori from the mysterious Easter Island. This is a museum where visitors could spend days properly discovering it all or skim the surface in only a few hours.
British Museum Admission: There is no admission charge for the British Museum.
British Museum Hours: The British Museum is generally open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The British Museum is closed on January 1 and December 24-26.
Closest Underground Stations to the British Museum: Barbican and St. Paul’s
The Museum of London is a fascinating and beautifully presented introduction to the city itself. It is located north of St. Paul’s Cathedral, and its permanent galleries describe a timeline from prehistory to the present day, and special temporary exhibitions take angles – recent and current examples range from the story of London’s secret rivers to the impact that animals from lions to bees have had in the city’s story. We learned that London was the richest and most populous city in the world one century ago.
My kids were of course fascinated by the disgusting “Fatberg!” story of London’s sewer blockage, and my husband loves the Museum mostly because it is in the Barbican, which is either a wonderful icon of architectural history or the most repugnant set of concrete tower-blocks on the planet, depending on the viewer.
Museum of London Admission: There is no admission charge for the Museum of London.
Museum of London Hours: The Museum of London is generally open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Closest Underground Stations to the Museum of London: Barbican and St. Paul’s
The Tate Modern is the sixth most visited art museum in the world and houses modern and contemporary art from the 20th and 21st centuries in a former power station. Unlike most art museums, which are presented chronologically, the Tate Modern is organized by themes. We last visited in 2015, and a 10-story addition opened two years later in 2017.
Displays change frequently, and many exhibits come from the Tate Collection, which includes the United Kingdom’s national collection of British Art. The expansive Turbine Hall can showcase large-scale work. London’s Tate Modern is an extremely kid-friendly art museum. The website has a special page dedicated to visiting families that explicitly states that women are welcome to nurse wherever they feel comfortable – which is exactly what I did while the boys explored the interactive building area.
Amazing interactive building exhibit
The view of St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Thames and the Millennium Bridge from the balcony should not be missed. The Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian bridge that was completed in 2000 to connect the Tate Modern to St. Paul’s Cathedral, but an unexpected sway required it to close almost as soon as it was opened and undergo almost two more years of additional modifications.
Tate Modern Admission: There is no general admission to the Tate Modern, but donations are welcome.
Tate Modern Hours: The Tate Modern is generally open Sundays through Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily and Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Closest Underground Stop to the Tate Modern: Southwark and St Paul’s
Free Museum in Forest City
#9: Horniman Museum and Gardens
Opened in 1901, the Horniman Museum and Gardens in Southeast London is a brilliant free and child-friendly museum. The Horniman houses artifacts procured by Frederick John Horniman on his world travels in the 19th century. Aside from the aquarium and special exhibitions, all galleries and parks are free to enter.
Toddlers will love the music room where they can beat African drums and experiment with unusual Asian instruments. The main gallery contains hundreds of taxidermy animals from across the world. Children especially adore the famous gigantic stuffed walrus. It’s an amazing place to learn about other cultures and to inspire a love of nature.
Every day, free workshops for children are offered to those who register at the front desk. The attached Horniman Gardens are beautiful with views over London, farm animals, a music laboratory for children and a stunning conservatory. In the summer, it’s easy to spend a whole day in the museum and gardens.
Horniman Museum and Gardens Admission: There is no admission charge for the Horniman Museum and Gardens.
Horniman Museum and Gardens Hours: The Horniman Museum is generally open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and closed December 24-26. The Horniman Garden closing times vary by season.
My favorite place to visit whenever we’re in London is the Saatchi Gallery on King’s Road. This area is great with its many restaurants and upscale shopping, and it’s the perfect place to house a contemporary art gallery. I find that modern art is easier to keep the kids’ attention than the more traditional galleries, it’s bigger, brighter and sometimes they can touch it! My daughter loves visiting the Saatchi as much as I do to see its ever-changing exhibits.
The Saatchi sometimes holds child friendly workshops and talks, their ethos is to make modern art accessible to all so children are very welcome. Previous exhibits have included Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, and the Saatchi in constantly showcasing, new, little known artists. Just think, it’s possible to introduce kids to the next big thing in the art world! Some exhibits are not so child friendly so I would check the website before visiting and avoid these areas. Most exhibits are not roped off so keep an eye on young children to ensure they’re not touching the artwork although some pieces are interactive such as the multimedia installations.
Because the rooms are spacious and clean, it’s easy to get around the Saatchi with a stroller. There’s also a lovely open space at the front of the Gallery for the kids to burn off some energy either before or after a visit.
Saatchi Gallery Admission: There is no general admission to the Tate Modern, but donations are welcome.
Saatchi Gallery Hours: Generally open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Closest Underground Stop to the Saatchi Gallery: Sloan Square
Thank you to the Carnegie Science Center, the National Aviary, the Andy Warhol Museum, the Duquesne Incline, the Senator John Heinz History Center, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, The Frick Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium for providing complimentary tickets for my family and to the Drury Inn for hosting our stay. All opinions are my own.
Pittsburgh is known for its steel production, bridges and sports teams. It’s only about two hours from our home in Cleveland and where my college roommate lives, so we regularly visit several times each year. In the 19th century, Andrew Carnegie became one of the richest people in the world by modernizing steel production in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, where the Monongahela River joins the Ohio River. Now called the “Steel City,” Pittsburgh used to be known as the “Smoky City” because of so much pollution from the mills. Very little of its industrial past remains in this city now known for its hills, bridges, parks and biking and jogging trails. In our many visits, we have found so many gems. Here are some of the best things to do in Pittsburgh with kids:
Best Things to Do in Pittsburgh’s North Shore
Pittsburgh’s North Shore boasts picturesque views of Pittsburgh’s downtown, sports venues and world-class museums. It’s just a short drive (or even walk) from downtown.
#1: Carnegie Science Center With Kids
The Carnegie Science Center is my boys’ favorite museum, and they’ve been to dozens all over the world. While the “science” portion of the Carnegie Science Center is pretty impressive, the real draw for my kids is Highmark SportsWorks®, which is housed in an adjacent building and uses more than 30 interactive sports exhibits to show how physics, anatomy, biology and chemistry control sports.
We visit the Carnegie Science Center several times a year and generally aim to arrive right at the 10:00 am opening and head straight to the Ropes Challenge in Highmark SportsWorks® because the line can get quite long by mid-morning. The Ropes Challenge consists of a series of challenges, including a rope bridge, rolling logs and a horizontal net and culminates with a zip line. I think it’s the zip line that makes this my boys’ favorite “exhibit” ever. The Ropes Course is for children who are at least 48 inches, but the SkyTykes Ropes Course offers younger kids an age-appropriate version that my daughter loves. Other highlights in the sports complex include a 24-foot rock climbing wall (which even my four year old daughter tried out), a batting cage, a 10-meter dash and various challenges for endurance and balance.
Roboworld is considered the world’s largest permanent robotics exhibition and features more than 30 interactive displays. Our favorites include a robot who shoots baskets with impressive precision and another who challenges visitors in air hockey.
The Miniature Railroad & Village is a fun but unexpected exhibit at the Science Center. This enormous village with model trains includes scenes of western Pennsylvania from the 1880s to the 1930s and includes over 250,000 trees. Of course, our favorite miniature was Fallingwater.
Much of the Carnegie Science Center is geared for kids age six and up, but there are many fun exhibits for toddlers and preschoolers, especially the Little Learner Clubhouse. My daughter has visited numerous times between the ages of one and four and always has a blast with her brothers. We recommend the Carnegie Science Center as one of the most fun things to do in Pittsburgh for kids.
Carnegie Science Center Facts: The E-motion cone, which is a large inverted cone on top of the Science Center was installed in 2000. It is lit up at night with colored lights that signal the weather forecast for the next day. Red means warmer, blue means cooler, and green means no change. The cone flashes when precipitation is expected, and the color yellow indicates severe weather.
Carnegie Science Center Hours: The Carnegie Science Center is generally open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Because of its proximity to the Steelers’Heinz Field, the Carnegie Science Center is closed when the Steelers have home games with 1 pm or 4 pm kickoff times and may close early for evening games.
Carnegie Science Center Admission: General admission costs $19.95 for adults, $14.95 for seniors and $11.95 for children ages 3-12. Children under three and ASTC members are free.
Carnegie Science Center Parking: Parking is available in the lot in front of the Carnegie Science Center for $5.
#2: National Aviary With Kids
The National Aviary in Pittsburgh is home to over 500 birds from more than 150 species and a fun thing to do in Pittsburgh with kids. The National Aviary offers walk-through habitats that allowed us to see the birds up close. My kids, who were not sure what an aviary was when I told them about our planned trip, learned so much about different bird species. I was thrilled to find two bald eagles in the first habitat.
The African penguins were definitely a highlight of our visit. Because African penguins are used to a temperate climate, they live in their outdoor habitat all year. Visitors can view them through windows from the inside of the National Aviary. As an added bonus, kids can reach special windows to see the penguins up close by climbing through tunnels.
Each penguin has a band with his or her name. There are daily penguin presentations for visitors to learn more about these amazing birds.
My oldest son particularly enjoyed the wetland habitat. He was fascinated by how the flamingos marked their territory by spreading their wings. We also saw peacocks and other birds wandering on the pedestrian path with us.
We were excited to participate in the lorikeet feeding. We each got a dish of nectar and entered the habitat to feed. While this was something that pushed me out of my comfort zone, it was pretty amazing to hold a lorikeet on my wrist and watch it eat. I barely felt its feet on my wrist, and it quickly polished off the nectar in my bowl. A limited number of tickets are available at each entrance for the feedings. We arrived just before the 11:30 a.m. feeding and took our place at the end of the line. We only had to wait a few minutes for our turn, but the birds were “slowing down.” Next time, we’ll make sure to arrive at least five minutes early.
My boys each had a turn on Birdly, a full-body immersive virtual reality flying simulator that allowed them to experience flying like a bird in Manhattan for 2.5 minutes. After a quick demonstration, they learned how to maneuver up and down and turn and really felt like they were flying. This was probably the most unique part of our visit to the aviary, and they would love more opportunities to fly.
National Aviary Facts: The Helen M. Schmidt FliteZone Theater was part of the National Aviary’s 2009 $17.5 million expansion project and is the world’s first only indoor theater constructed for the presentation of live, free-flight bird shows.
National Aviary Hours: The National Aviary is generally open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
National Aviary Admission: Admissions costs $17 for adults and $16 for seniors and children 2-12. Children under 2 are free.
National Aviary Parking: Parking is available in the lot behind the Aviary and costs $5. Metered parking is available in front of the National Aviary.
#3: Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh With Kids
The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is an interactive museum for kids that we have visited several times with kids ages 1 through 10. It’s geared for the eight and under crowd, but my oldest enjoyed visiting the Museum with his brother and sister and creating on draw bots in the MAKESHOP®. The project involved hot glue, tape, boxes, motors and a lot of trial and error to anchor markers to a motor and make them move on their own. This was definitely my boys’ favorite exhibit at the Museum. My daughter was too young to create a draw box on her own, but she enjoyed spectating and working on a draw bot with one of the Museum guides (who did most of the heavy lifting).
Other hands-on opportunities for creation are available at the Studio, which is housed in a former planetarium and is a beautiful and bright space to inspire creative juices, and smocks are available. Many craft projects are available for kids who love art and parents who appreciate prepared projects and easy clean up.
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh Facts: Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood was filmed in Pittsburgh from 1968 to 2001, and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh maintains some great memorabilia.
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh Hours: The Children’s Museum is generally open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh Admission: Admissions costs $16 for adults and $14 for children 2-18. Children under 2 are free.
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh Parking: Parking is available in the lot behind the Museum and costs $6 for non-members.
#4: The Andy Warhol Museum With Kids
Our children love art museums, and we’ve visited over a dozen around the world, but none dedicated to the works of a single artist or pop art. The Andy Warhol Museum is the largest museum in North America that is dedicated to a single artist and is one of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. Andy Warhol was a Pittsburgh-born pop artist who died in the 1987. The Museum opened in 1994 in a renovated warehouse and now contains an extensive collection of paintings, prints, sculptures, photographs and films.
The Factory on the Museum’s underground level also provides kids an opportunity to try watercolor painting, blotted-line drawing, acetate collage and silkscreen printing. There is also a children’s play area for the youngest guests to explore and create.
During our visit to The Andy Warhol Museum, we learned about the life and works of Andy Warhol. Our children particularly enjoyed the bright colors and the portraits. The portraits reminded me of my visit to Casa Lever, a New York restaurant that features a collection of original Warhol portraits. A few months after our visit, my sons identified Andy Warhol in a Burger King commercial during the Super Bowl.
Andy Warhol Museum Facts: The Museum’s 17 galleries contain 900 paintings, almost 2,000 works on paper, more than 1,000 prints, 77 sculptures and 8,000 photographs, films and videotaped works.
Andy Warhol Museum Hours: The Andy Warhol Museum is generally open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 am to 10 pm on Fridays. The Museum is closed on Mondays.
Andy Warhol Museum Admission: Admissions costs $20 for adults, $10 for students, children and seniors. Children under three are free. Admission is half price on Fridays from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Andy Warhol Museum Parking: Parking is available in the lot behind the Museum and costs $6 for non-members.
#5: Water Steps With Kids With Kids
The Water Steps are a popular attraction in the North Shore Riverfront Park on the bank of the Allegheny River. The Water Steps are a perfect location for kids to cool off during the summer months and enjoy Pittsburgh’s beautiful cityscape views. We visited with local friends who gave us the heads ups to bring swimming attire and towels for the kids.
It was a bit of a trek along the waterfront from the Carnegie Science Center, but the kids loved splashing around with their friends in the water, which reaches about 18 inches deep in parts.
Great way to cool off
Water Steps Facts: Over 1,500 pieces of sandstone from a Butler County quarry were used to construct the Water Steps.
Water Steps Admission: There is no admission charge to visit Water Steps.
Water Steps Parking: We walked to the Water Steps from the Carnegie Science Center. The best bet for parking is to find a meter nearby or use one of the lots near Heinz Field.
Water Steps Kid Warning: My three year old was able to easily climb up and down the stairs on her own, so I was able to watch from the side of the Steps. However, young toddlers would probably need hovering parental presence in the water.
#6: Tribute to Children With Kids
We visited Tribute to Children, including the Fred Rogers Memorial Statue, during our walk from the Water Steps to the Carnegie Science Museum. Our kids are not really familiar with Mr. Rogers, who was a Pittsburgh native, but were intrigued by this statue of a man who was part of our childhood. I also tried to explain the tenuous connection to Daniel Tiger, a favorite television show of my daughter’s. This 2009 statue by Robert Burks was created after Fred Roger’s 2003 death from stomach cancer and depicts him tying his shoes. The statue is located on the River bank in front of the arch of pier with a keyhole design.
Tribute to Children Facts: Tribute to Children was a gift from the people of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County honoring children and celebrating the life of children’s entertainer, Fred Rogers.
Tribute to Children Admission: Admission is free to visit Tribute to Children.
Tribute to Children Parking: We walked to Tribute to Children from the Carnegie Science Center. The best bet for parking is to find a meter nearby or use one of the lots near Heinz Field.
#7: PNC Park With Kids
PNC Park is the home stadium of the Pittsburgh Pirates. This Major League Baseball field is located along the Allegheny River. A baseball game is fun, family activity and great for kids of all ages. Few baseball stadiums have a comparable cityscape view.
PNC Park Parking: Parking is available on the North Shore and downtown.
Things to Do in Pittsburgh’s South Shore
#8: Duquesne Incline With Kids
The Duquesne Incline in Pittsburgh is an amazing example of living history that combines a trolley ride up Mount Washington, engineering genius and an amazing city view. The beautifully detailed original trolley cars sit on platforms that keep them level while transporting Pittsburghers and visitors up and down Mount Washington without a driver. The 794-foot wooden track is not only an engineering masterpiece but also a work of art.
At the station at the top, there are historical exhibits that provide an overview of the history of Pittsburgh and its inclines. The David H. Miller Working Museum offers visitors the chance to see the Incline’s hoisting machinery up close. The Incline still uses its original hoisting equipment that features giant cogs with wooden gear teeth.
The highlight of the Incline is the magnificent view of Pittsburgh’s “Three Rivers” – the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River, which together form the Ohio River and the Pittsburgh’s “Golden Triangle” central business district. Other highlights include views of the outline of Fort Duquesne, the Steelers’ Heinz Field, the Pirates’ PNC Park, the Carnegie Science Center and many bridges (up to 18 can be visible).
Duquesne Incline Hours: The Duquesne Incline is open every day (including Thanksgiving Day when we visited). The Incline is open on Monday through Saturday from 5:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. and on Sundays and Holidays from 7:00 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Duquesne Incline Admission: Adults tickets cost $2.50 each way and tickets for children ages 6-11 cost $1.25 each way. There is no charge for children under 6 and seniors over 64. The Duquesne Incline accepts only Port Authority bus tickets or cash and requires exact change.
Duquesne Incline Parking: There is free parking available at 1197 West Carson Street and paid parking at the Station Square lot across from the lower entrance.
#9: Point of View Park With Kids
We somehow missed Point of View Park when we visited the Duquesne Incline. Point of View Park is a short walk from the Duquesne Incline’s Upper Station. It’s a favorite spot of a friend of mine who has family in Pittsburgh. He proposed to his wife, took wedding pictures and announced his first child at this scenic overlook. Point of View is a bronze sculpture depicting a 1770 meeting between George Washington and Seneca leader Guyasuta in which they were examining land for settlement. We’ll definitely be making a stop here on our next trip to Pittsburgh.
Photo credit: Bryant Eckert
Point of View Park Facts: The landmark public sculpture was created by James A. West
Point of View Park Hours: Point of View is open 24 hours.
Point of View Park Admission: There is no admission fee to visit Point of View Park.
Point of View Park Parking: There is no dedicated parking lot for Point of View Park but street parking available nearby.
Things to Do in Pittsburgh’s Downtown
#10: Senator John Heinz History Center With Kids
During our August 2019 trip to Pittsburgh, we visited the Senator John Heinz History Center, which is associated with the Smithsonian Institution. We thoroughly enjoyed our lovely morning at the Heinz History Center. It was a quiet and somewhat dreary morning at the end of summer when we arrived at the renovated warehouse in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. We walked from our hotel in the central business district. We started in the Great Hall where the kids loved the Heinz Hitch, a horse drawn wagon that traveled to national events and the street car.
The Heinz Hitch
My daughter spotted the slide from across the Hall and found her way to the Kidsburgh exhibit in a loft overlooking the Great Hall with stairs leading up and a slide to return to the Great Hall. She would have been content to stay in the Kidsburgh exhibit for the entire morning and rode the slide countless times before we set off to the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum.
Kidsburgh slide
My boys are sports enthusiasts, but they don’t particularly follow Pittsburgh sports. Unlike most Clevelanders, we harbor no ill will against Pittsburgh’s sports, either. Because we have close friends from Pittsburgh, we regularly support area sports teams when they aren’t competing against Cleveland. My boys closely examined the exhibits in the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum and gained a new respect for the Steelers, the Penguins and the Pirates. My older son commented, “I didn’t realize how good Pittsburgh sports teams really were.” Clevelanders may have waited for decades to win a national championship, but it happens fairly regularly for Pittsburgh, especially in football and hockey. Without a doubt, the table hockey game was the highlight of the Sports Museum. My boys came back for a second round at the end of our visit.
The Discovery Place offered many opportunities for hands on learning and exploring at different innovation stations. My favorite was a pattern challenge.
The Discovery Place
We learned all about Heinz ketchup in the Heinz exhibit, which features the world’s largest collection of Heinz artifacts. We now know the significance of the 57 and the famous ketchup is celebrating 150 years. The 11-foot ketchup bottle created from 500 individual bottles was also memorable.
My favorite exhibit was Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. The famous children’s show I remember from my childhood was filmed in Pittsburgh, the hometown of Fred Rogers. This exhibit featured sets, puppets, props and other artifacts. I felt like I was stepping back 35+ years and right into the Mister Roger’s set. My kids are not familiar with Mr. Roger’s, but my daughter is a fan of Daniel Tiger, a 21st century spinoff of the famous children’s program.
King Friday XIII’s Castle
We had a memorable visit to the Senator Heinz History Center and learned a great deal about Western Pennsylvania.
Heinz History Center Hours: The History Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and closed for New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas each year.
Heinz History Center Admission: As of August 2019, Admission for adults costs $18, for children ages 6-17 and students with a valid school identification costs $9 and for senior citizens over 61 costs $15. There is no admission for children age five and under.
Heinz History Center Parking: There are several options for nearby parking with daily rates as low as $3.
Time Spent at the Heinz History Center: We spent about 2.5 hours, including lunch at the Cafe.
#11: Point State Park With Kids
The Point State Park (aka the “Point”) is a state park in downtown Pittsburgh located on 36 acres at the point of the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River form the Ohio River. The Point is the tip of Pittsburgh’s “Golden Triangle.” We walked to the Point from our downtown hotel and also viewed the Point from along the edges of the Three Rivers, and we have spotted it from the Duquesne Incline, the Carnegie Science Center, the Fred Rogers Memorial Statue and the Water Steps.
At the Point, stones are used to depict the outline of Pittsburgh’s oldest structures, Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne, which were used in the French and Indian War. The fountain in Point State Park sprays water up to 150 feet during the warm weather months. The kids enjoyed the view of the area bridges, the Duquesne Incline, the Carnegie Science Center and Heinz Field from the tip of the Point.
Walking on the Fort Duquesne outline.
Point State Park Facts: Fort Duquesne was originally built by the French. Its occupants burned and abandoned the Fort before the British seized it. The British built Fort Pitt near the destroyed Fort Duquesne.
Point State Park Kid Warning: The Point abuts rivers on all sides without a barrier, so it’s important to keep a close eye on young children.
Point State Park Hours: The Park is open daily from sunrise to sunset.
Point State Park Admission: There is no admission charge to enter the Point State Park.
Point State Park Parking: Point State’s parking lot is located along Commonwealth Place across from the Post Gazette building.
Things to Do in Oakland
#12: Carnegie Museum of Natural History With Kids
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History has a premier dinosaur collection, Dinosaurs in Their Time, which features a Diplodocus carnegiifossil discovered in 1899. This dinosaur exhibit also includes two Tyrannosaurus Rex skeletons and a triceratops skeleton and is the world’s largest collection of Jurassic dinosaurs.
One of two Tyrannosaurus Rex skeletons
During our last visit, we attended the Live Animal Encounter at the Earth Theater and enjoyed seeing live animals up close. Another favorite is the 1,300 gemstone specimens in the Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems are artistically displayed and fascinated my kids.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History Facts: Carnegie gifted a cast of its diplodocus skeleton to England at the request of Edward VII, and “Dippy” was featured in Hitze Hall of London’s Natural History Museum for many years before being replaced by Hope, a blue whale skeleton, in July 2017.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History Hours: The Museum is generally open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and from 10 am to 8 pm on Thursday. The Museum is closed on Tuesday.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History Admissions: Admission for adults is $19.95, seniors 65 and over is $14.95 and children ages 3 to 18 and students is $11.95. Children 2 and under are free.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History Parking: The Carnegie Museum of Natural History shares a building the with Carnegie Museum of Art, and adjacent surface-lot parking is available. Museum weekday visitors receive a voucher to reduce the cost of parking, which is currently $7 for 2-4 hours. Evening and weekend parking costs $7.
#13: Carnegie Museum of Art With Kids
The Carnegie Museum of Art was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1895 and is housed in the same building in Oakland as the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The most unique feature of the Carnegie Art Museum is the Hall of Architecture, which is the one of the world’s largest collection of plaster architectural casts. Andrew Carnegie financed a tinted cast of the West Portal of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard, which may be the world’s largest architectural cast. The Hall also includes almost 140 other full-size plaster casts. After our recent visit to Paris and Italy, we particularly enjoyed examining the plaster casts of the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and other icons that reminded us of architecture and sculptures we saw on our trip.
Like most major art museums, its impressionist gallery includes paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet. Van Gogh’s Wheat Fields at Auvers Under Clouded Sky is one of his famous series of wheat field paintings.
Our favorite sculpture was Phyllida Barlow’s 2012 untitled: upturnedhouse, 2.
Carnegie Museum of Art Hours: The Carnegie Museum of Art is generally open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday. The Museum is closed on Tuesday.
Carnegie Museum of Art Admissions: Admission for adults is $19.95, seniors 65 and over is $14.95, children ages 3 to 18 and students is $11.95. Children 2 and under are free.
Carnegie Museum of Art Parking: The Carnegie Museum of Art shares a building the with Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and adjacent surface-lot parking is available. Museum weekday visitors receive a voucher to reduce the cost of parking, which is currently $7 for 2-4 hours. Evening and weekend parking costs $7.
#14: Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens With Kids
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens was an amazing gift to the city of Pittsburgh from real estate magnate Henry Phipps. It was the perfect destination for extra doses of oxygen and vitamin D. The pathways through the different rooms made it easy for me to keep an eye of all three kids simultaneously, and we didn’t mind making our way at my daughter’s snail’s pace.
The kids were all awe-struck by all the beautiful gardens and truly enjoyed each and every room. The indoor and outdoor gardens were all beautifully curated and maintained. A few of our favorites include: the Cuban taxi (an unexpected but joyous find at a conservatory, especially because of the sign encouraging kids to hop inside), the Butterfly Forest, the Serpentine Room and the Desert Room.
Butterfly picture captured by my 10 year old son
The Phipps includes several glass chandeliers by artist Dale Chihuly, whose work was featured in a special exhibit in 2007 to 2008. The Phipps purchased several chandeliers from the exhibit for its permanent collection, including Goldenrod, Teal and Citron located in the Welcome Center and the Desert Gold Star, located in the Desert Room. The Chihuly pieces usually located in the Palm Court had been removed during the renovation.
Desert Room and Chihuly’s Desert Gold Star glass chandelier
Phipps Conservatory Facts: The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens was founded in 1893 and is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.
Phipps Conservatory Hours: Free parking is conveniently located in the center island on Schenley Drive.
Phipps Conservatory Admission: Free parking is conveniently located in the center island on Schenley Drive.
Phipps Conservatory Parking: Free parking is conveniently located in the center island on Schenley Drive.
My boys are really love cars and found the Cars & Carriages Museum very exciting. The 1914 Ford Model T Touring was a highlight. The Frick’s car collection is so large that only about half of its cars are exhibited at any one time.
Ford Model T Touring
After spending the morning at the Phipps Conservatory, the kids were also excited to check out the Frick Greenhouse. This active greenhouse is a renovation and reconstruction of the greenhouse used by the Frick family from 1897 until the 1970s.
The Greenhouse at the Frick Pittsburgh
My college roommate recommends the tea at the Café at the Frick, and we’ll definitely have to try some during our next visit. Find out more about the visiting the Frick Pittsburgh.
Frick Pittsburgh Facts: Industrialist Henry Clay Frick and his wife, Adelaide Howard Childs Frick lived at Clayton with their four children from 1883 to 1905. Their daughter, Helen Clay Frick guided preservation efforts at Clayton and returned to live here shortly before her 1984 death. The property opened to the public in 1990.
Frick Pittsburgh Admission: There is no admission charge to enter the Frick Art Museum, the Car and Carriage Museum or the Scenic Grounds and Greenhouse. Tours of Clayton cost $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and students, $8 for children 16 and under. Babies in arms are free. Admission fees are charged for special exhibitions. Tour and tours of Clayton.
Frick Pittsburgh Hours: The Frick Pittsburgh is generally open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Frick Pittsburgh Parking: Free parking is available in the adjacent lot located off of Reynolds Street.
Things to Do in Highland Park
#16: Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium With Kids
The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is one of the few major zoo/aquarium combinations in the U.S. and is a great place for kids to learn about mammals and aquatic life. The Pittsburgh Zoo includes more than 10,000 animals (including 1,000 bats) and 20 threatened or endangered species. We have visited the Pittsburgh Zoo twice – once when my boys were age two and four and a second time when our three kids were age five, nine and eleven. The Pittsburgh Zoo is enormous, but my five year old was a real trooper and had a work out walking quite a few miles on her little legs.
The African Savanna was one of our favorite areas of the Zoo. As always, my daughter was thrilled by the flamingos as we entered the Savanna. We were lucky that the black rhinoceros were very active. The black rhinos, which are actually light gray, are an endangered species, but several calves have been born in recent years in Pittsburgh.
Black rhinos
We moved on the the African elephants, the largest mammals that live on land and the Masai giraffe, the tallest mammals living on land. While exploring the African Savanna, we worked up enough of an appetite that we decided to take a break and eat some sundaes from Swahili Ice Cream. It was the perfect late morning snack.
Kids Kingdom was another highlight of our visit. My daughter could have spent hours at the Animal Connection playground and was particularly ecstatic to crawl through all the tunnels like the naked mole rats. I could never find her when she was actually in the tunnels, but we chatted back and forth while she explored.
Animal Connections playground
My kids really enjoy getting a good view of aquatic animals. The sea lion exhibit was a highlight, and the indoor aquarium was the perfect place to end our Pittsburgh Zoo visit. By the time we reached the PPG Aquarium, the August sun was beating down, and the air conditioning was glorious. My kids spent a long time at the side of the touch tank. My boys each carefully touched the sting ray several times. My daughter desperately wanted to but always pulled her hand out of the water just when the sting ray got close enough.
Sea lions
The Pittsburgh Zoo was definitely a great outing with kids.
Pittsburgh Zoo Facts: The Zoo had a very rare elephant born in captivity (less than 20 have been born since 1995) in 2017, but the calf unfortunately died at three months.
Pittsburgh Zoo Hours and Admission: The Pittsburgh Zoo’s hours and admission varies by season.
Pittsburgh Zoo Parking: Parking is available at the Pittsburgh Zoo is free for visitors.
Things to Do in West Mifflin
#17: Kennywood Park With Kids
Our family had so much fun at Kennywood Park, a traditional amusement park located about 20 minutes southeast of downtown Pittsburgh in West Mifflin. Kennywood opened in 1899 and is one of two parks in the country that has been designated as a National Historic Landmark because it features rides and structures that are more than 100 years old. Kennywood made me nostalgic for Geauga Lake, an amusement park outside of Cleveland that I visited annually when I was young. Our family loved our day at Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh and hopes to make this trip an annual tradition.
Wave Swinger
Our visit to Kennywood Park was a marvelous, nostalgic day spent riding rides together. It was only about a 2.5 hour drive from Cleveland and very affordable for Ohio visitors. A current promotion for Ohio residents offers $34.99 admission. We added visits to several area attractions during our three-day, two-night stay in the Steel City and had a lovely time. While we did not ride the new Steel Curtain roller coaster on this visit, there were no shortage of thrill rides for our family. Even though I get nauseous on any ride that spins or sways, but I still do love that feeling of my stomach dropping. I particularly enjoyed the Thunderbolt, a classic wooden coaster that is almost 100 years old and last renovated over 50 years ago. The Thunderbolt offered the perfect thrill level for my two boys and me, and we rode it twice.
Thunderbolt
With kids in all three major height categories – under 48 inches, under 54 inches and over 54 inches, we appreciate that Kennywood offers some fun rides that we can enjoy as a family, including the Merry-Go-Round and several family rides in Kiddie Land and Thomas Town. Auto race was a particular favorite, and the five of us piled into three separate cars and rode around the track one after another.
Journey With Thomas
My daughter would have been happy to spend our entire day at Kiddie Land, which featured 15 classic rides for kids under 48 inches and Thomas Town, Kennywood’s new 2018 theme area. My daughter rode with her two arms stretched high into the sky on almost every ride. She’s still a little nervous about kiddie coasters, though and skipped Lil’ Phantom. Maybe next year….
Orbiter
Kennywood Hours: Kennywood hours vary by month and day, and the Kennywood calendar is available online.
Kennywood Admission: Kennywood gate prices range from vary for weekday and weekend visits and are available on the Kennywood website. Kennywood discount tickets are available on the website and at Giant Eagle grocery stores.
Time Spent at Kennywood: We spent about 7.5 hours at Kennywood Park. It was nonstop fun, but we were definitely exhausted at the end.
Kennywood Height Requirements: Each ride has its own posted height requirements.
Kennywood Weather: It’s always important to check the weather and be prepared before visiting Kennywood. Don’t forget to apply and reapply sunscreen.
Kennywood Events: Kennywood Park offers a variety of events throughout the season. The Fall Fantasy Parade occurred during our visit. We caught a bit of the parade but on our way to take advantage of the short line for Thunderbolt.
Kennywood Park Map: Make sure to pick up a map before setting off to explore Kennywood.
Where to Stay in Pittsburgh With Kids
Drury Inn Pittsburgh Airport Settlers Ridge With Kids
When we planned a last minute trip to Pittsburgh over Thanksgiving weekend last year, we booked a night at the Drury Inn & Suites Pittsburgh Airport Settlers Ridge because we scored a great deal through Priceline. Airport hotels are rarely memorable, and we were really just looking for a hotel with last minute availability that had a pool and didn’t break the bank. We didn’t realize that the Drury Inn Settlers Ridge was a newly constructed hotel that had just opened in May 2018, and we were wowed when we entered the lobby that featured ultra-modern decor. Hotel renovations are common, but with renovated hotels, there are often vestiges of dated interiors somewhere on the property. At the Drury Inn Settlers Ridge, everything is clean and neat. We really felt as if we were staying at a luxury hotel.
Lobby area
Drury Inn Guest Room
Our double queen room featured two comfortable beds, granite counter tops and modern interior. We particularly closely examined all the framed Pittsburgh-inspired wall art. Our room also had a refrigerator, which was perfect for our left overs. Everything was clean and fresh, and the beds were oh so comfortable.
Our guestroom
The bathroom featured a large granite vanity with plenty of space for everyone’s toiletries, tiled floor and enormous mirror. There were dispensers in the shower with shower gel, shampoo and conditioner that eliminated the unnecessary waste that usually comes with those trial sized bottles. While I’m often fumbling around in the dark trying to find the bathroom light switch without waking the rest of the family, the motion sensing light in the bathroom was the perfect solution. Towels, tissues and a hair dryer were all easily accessible and well-organized.
Drury Inn bathroom
Drury Inn Kickback
We checked in as the Kickback was beginning. All Drury Inn properties host a nightly happy hour with free food and beverages between 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Daily menus are available on the Drury Inn’s website. My husband and I each received drink vouchers and drink cards to purchase additional drinks for a whopping $.75 each.
Drury Inn Kickback voucher
The quality and quantity of the heavy appetizers and drinks was unexpectedly good, and there was plenty of space for the crowd in the dining room. We planned to have a quick snack before heading to the pool but ended up having seconds and thirds at our trendy circular booth. After removing decades old wall paper in two homes, I found myself kind of coveting the printed geometric patterns and trying to figure out where I might be able to add a papered accent wall at home. The kids were so excited about the Kickback and the indoor pool that they decided that they didn’t want to leave the hotel and convinced us to order pizza instead of going out for dinner. For Drury Inn visitors who decide to do the same, we recommend Vocelli Pizza in Robinson. Vocelli will deliver to the Drury Inn, but we opted for carry out. Just remember to ask for paper plates and napkins.
Dining area
Drury Inn Pool
After dinner, it was pool time. Our neighborhood pool had closed for the season several months earlier, so the kids were ecstatic to get wet and dip their toes in the hot tub. Unlike most hotel pool decks that seem to always be desperately in need of a renovation, I was happy to chaperone my kids in this new pool with beautiful tiles.
Drury Inn Settlers Ridge pool
The Drury Inn keeps its popcorn, soda and coffee machines running until late in the night, and water is always available. Drury Inns also offer all guests daily hot breakfasts. We were truly amazed by the value that this hotel offered and have recommended it to several friends.
Breakfast
We were thrilled when Drury Inn offered to host our return visit to its Settlers Ridge location in August 2019. After a long day at Kennywood Park, we missed the Kickback and were too exhausted for a swim, but we thoroughly enjoyed our double queen suite. The bedroom area was set up virtually identically to our double queen room. The two room suite and extra pull out couch better accommodated our family of five than the standard room. There were also flat screen hotels in each room and a large sitting area. We thoroughly recommend the Drury Inn Settlers Ridge and are certain to return.
Find Out More About Pittsburgh Family Activities
We recommend a visit to Pittsburgh with kids. Interested in finding out more about Pittsburgh kids’ activities? Check out our other blog posts about Pittsburgh and nearby Fallingwater.
Thank you to Hale Farm and Village for providing complimentary tickets for my family. As always, all opinions are my own.
Hale Farm and Village is a historic property that features preserved buildings and craft and trade demonstrations. The costumed docents and artisans are each brilliant story tellers and really brought mid-nineteenth century Ohio history to life. Hale Farm is located in Bath, Ohio near Akron and about 30 minutes southeast of Cleveland on the original homestead of Jonathan Hale. Because Ohio history is near and dear to my parents, who are each Ohio natives who both majored in history, Hale Farm was a perfect place to spend their 50th wedding anniversary. We all thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this open-air museum of the Western Reserve Historical Society and recommend Hale Farm and Village as a fun and educational destination for a day out with kids.
The golden anniversary couple
Visiting Hale Farm With Kids
Our first stop was at the Hale Sheep Barn where one of the artisans was demonstrating broom making. The brooms are made of broomcorn, which is grown on site. Broomcorn is actually not corn at all but a sorghum. Brooms are not only used for floors but also for barn ceilings to remove potential fire hazards like cobwebs.
We then visited the blacksmith shop where the blacksmith was making a decorative leaf. We got to see him heat and shape the leaf, which is sold as a necklace pendant in the gift shop.
Glassworks was my favorite craft demonstration. We watched the glassmith expertly shape the glass to make a Christmas ornament. She then placed it in a furnace so that it would cool slowly enough and not crack or shatter. The final products were also available for sale at the gift shop in the Visitor’s Center.
Pottery was my eight year old son’s favorite craft demonstration. The potter explained the techniques he used to shape the clay into a mug on the wheel. Once shaped, the clay needs to dry overnight to leather hard. At this point, the potter can smooth the bottom surface and then waits until the piece is bone dry before firing it using a kiln. Salt is used in the kiln to glaze each piece, and the final product is dishwasher and microwave safe. This presentation convinced my son that he would really like to try his hands on a pottery wheel and make a bowl.
A number of historic homes have been moved from around northeast Ohio and reconstructed on Hale Farm’s property across Oak Hill Road from the Visitor’s Center. The relocated homes include the Jonathan E. Herrick House, the Jonathan Goldsmith House, the Stow House, the Jagger House and the Saltbox Home and feature period-appropriate furnishings and decorations. My four year old noticed on her own that the homes did not have bathrooms, and a docent gave her a brief lesson on outhouses. The kids now have a new appreciation for indoor plumbing. We also noticed the stark differences between the highly decorated rooms used to entertain guests with the stark private quarters used only for the family.
The parlor of the Jonathan Goldsmith House
Another building relocated to Hale Farm include the law office of Benjamin Franklin Wade. Wade was particularly notable as president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate in 1868 when President Andrew Johnson was impeached. He would have become Acting President if Johnson was convicted. There is also a church and a log schoolhouse, where we participated in a mock classroom and learned about common discipline techniques used in 1858. My kids are glad that school facilities have improved considerably since the mid-1800s when school fees were about $2 per student per year.
Every summer, Hale Farm hosts the largest Civil War reenactment in Ohio. We got a preview during our visit, which was the day before the weekend event began. We met many reenactors on site to prepare and a few horses, too.
The 2018 event on August 11-12 features a reenactment of the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Field commanders have a basic script, but reenactors simply follow the orders they receive from their commanders. They find it more fun to improvise rather than memorize a script. The reenactors travel from all over Ohio and even as far as Tennessee to participate in the event. Throughout the weekend, they each stay in historic period tents that they set up on site. These canvas tents do not use modern conveniences like nylon, zippers or mesh windows. Nonetheless, we learned if these tents are set up properly, they rarely become waterlogged.
Tent village set up by reenactors
Why We Loved Hale Farm With Kids
Our family had the perfect day for a visit to Hale Farm and Village. The grounds were not overly crowded, likely due to threatened rain that held off until we were headed back to our car. Our family was able to personally interact with all of the artisans and docents and asked many questions at this living history museum to gain a better understanding of pioneer life. We also really enjoyed our preview of the Civil War Reenactment without the hundreds of visitors expected for the weekend event. Hale Farm is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2018, and many events are scheduled to celebrate this milestone. We definitely recommend visiting Hale Farm with kids. It’s one of the best living history museums in Ohio.
Pro-tips:
Hale Farm Tickets: Hale Farm admission costs $10 for adults age 13 and older and $5 for youth age 3 to 12. Visitors age 2 and under and active military are free.
Hale Farm Hours: Hale Farm is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesdays through Sundays in June, July and August and on Saturdays and Sundays in September and October.
Hale Farm Parking: A large parking lot is available next to the Visitor’s Center.
Hale Farm Map: The Village layout is generally self-explanatory, but it’s helpful to pick up a map when purchasing tickets and inquire about which sites are open.
Hale FarmCaution: The Village spans both sides of Oak Hill Road, so use caution when crossing the street with small children.
Eating Near HaleFarm: The Winking Lizard in Peninsula is a great, family-friendly option for lunch after visiting Hale Farm. If there is a wait for a table, the kids can check out the lizard and the endless free popcorn.
Every so often, we encounter a place that is so fabulous for those traveling with kids that it is worthy of being featured on its own. For more fabulous locations, please check out our other Spotlight features! Also, be sure to check out all our category of posts on Cleveland with kids.
Thank you to the Lamborghini Museum and the Ferrari Museum for hosting our family’s visits. As always, all opinions are my own.
My eight and ten year old boys are sports car enthusiasts, and Lamborghinis and Ferraris are particular favorites. When we planned to spend time in Venice and Florence on our summer vacation, my husband decided that visiting the Lamborghini Museum and the Ferrari Museum would be a dream come true. Since we were planning to visit plenty of art museums, churches and historical sites during our trip to Italy and Paris, it only seemed fair to add these car museums to our itinerary for our young car aficionados.
Lamborghini and Ferrari Tours in Italy
Travel to Modena, Italy
Unlike all the other attractions on our itinerary, the Lamborghini Museum and Ferrari Museum are not in the middle of a major metropolitan area or easily reachable by train. Because rental cars are not available from the pedestrian only city-center of Venice, we chose to take a train from Venice to Bologna and pick up a rental car near the Bologna train station. We hoped to have some time to explore Bologna, but getting to the rental agency and picking up our rental car took longer than we anticipated, so we immediately headed toward Modena, which is known as the “Land of Motors”, as soon as we got into our car.
Visiting the Lamborghini Museum in Italy
After an absolutely lovely three course, fixed price lunch at Glamour Caffe e Cucina, our boys spotted a white Lamborghini behind us, and the anticipation jumped up a few notches. A few minutes later, we reached the Lamborghini Museum in Sant’Agata Bolognese. Ferruccio Lamborghini founded Automobili Lamborghini in Sant’Agata Bolognese in 1963. The Museum has two floors with about 25 exhibited cars. Its collection includes both current and vintage cars, and its current temporary exhibit, Film Emotions, features cars appearing in Hollywood films. My favorite was Christian Bale’s Aventador LP 700-4 from Batman The Dark Knight Rises.
The exhibit included its own version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a number of other famous Lamborghinis, including a classic matte black Jalpa from Rocky IV, a Countach from The Cannonball Run, the Huracán Coupé from the 2016 Marvel movie Doctor Strange and an orange Miura P400 from The Italian Job.
We all oohed and aahed over the cars displayed in the Museum while my husband and sons waited for their Factory Line Tour to begin. Only two Veneno prototypes, three Veneno coupes and nine Veneno Roadsters were ever manufactured, including this one, which is my 10 year old son’s favorite car. One of the five Veneno coupes was listed for $9.4 million last year.
2014 Veneno Coupe
My eight year old son’s favorite Lamborghini was the 2015 Huracán GT3, which was Lamborghini’s first race car developed at Sant’Agata Bolognese.
Because we are in the market for a new SUV, the boys were trying to get my husband and I to consider the Urus, the world’s first super sport utility vehicle. This 4/5 passenger beauty is the fastest SUV in the world with a top speed of 190 miles per hour. Unfortunately, we did not place an order during our visit….
Lamborghini Urus SUV
The Lamborghini Factory Line Tour was the absolute highlight of our visit, but no photography was permitted. Guests store their camera equipment, phones and wallets in lockers before heading to the factory floor, which employs about 200 workers. My husband and sons learned that assembly of the Huracán includes 23 stations, and only 13 Huracáns are completed each day. They were absolutely thrilled to watch the assembly of the V12 Aventador, which includes 12 stations. About 5.5 V12 Aventadors are completed each day, and everything can be customized. A Lamborghini is typically delivered to a first-time customer approximately one year after the order is placed, but repeat customers can get subsequent cars faster. One owner has more than 90 Lamborghinis! More Lamborghinis are sold in the US than anywhere else in the world.
The boys were especially impressed to see how every part of each Lamborghini’s interior is wrapped in perfect leather. Lamborghini factory workers examine leather and identify any imperfections. Then, a computer program determines patterns to utilize as much of the perfect leather as possible, discarding any portion with even the tiniest imperfection. At the end of the tour, the boys each received a leather sample with an embossed Lamborghini bull.
Admission to the Lamborghini Museum costs €15 for adults, €5 for kids aged 6-14 and is free for kids aged 0-5. A combination ticket to the Museum with a factory tour costs €75 for adults and €50 for kids aged 6-14. Children aged 0-5 are not permitted on the factory tour, so my daughter and I continued to explore the Museum while my husband and boys went on the tour. I have to admit that I imagined myself in the driver seat of quite a few of those Lamborghinis. We not only enjoyed checking out the cars but also loved the Museum’s vending machine, which was full of inexpensive treats and bottled water for €.32, which was the cheapest price we found anywhere on our trip. There is something available for purchase at the Lamborghini Museum that won’t require a second mortgage : ). The Lamborghini Factory tour was an absolute trip highlight for our kids.
Lamborghini Aventador
Visiting the Ferrari Museum in Italy
We next headed to the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, about a 45 minute drive. This classic car museum in Ferrari’s headquarters explores the history of the Ferrari cars and, of course, the Prancing Horse.
The Museum’s exhibits featured the life of Enzo Ferrari, who was born in 1898 in Modena, and the development of Ferraris. The walls of the Museum are covered with history, photographs and exhibits. Ferrari made his first car in 1929 and said, “If I were to say that when I started out I imagined making more than just one car, I’d be lying.” Obviously, the world is glad that Ferrari accomplished more than he intended. The Ferrari Museum also included a number of vintage cars, including the 290 MM, my older son’s favorite vintage model.
My favorite was the 250 GT Berlinetta. Even though the model shown was not the classic Italian red, I loved the creative paint job with the heart on the hood.
Another exhibit showed cars driven by Enzo Ferrari, who clearly had no shortage of amazing cars at his disposal.
My sons’ favorite Ferraris were the 488 Pista and F12 TDF. The 488 Pista featured uniquely shaped lights and a super-sporty paint job. TDF, which is short for Tour de France, offers track level performance on the road. It can reach 62 miles per hour in 2.9 seconds.
Ferrari 488 PistaFerrari F12 TDF
We also enjoyed the beautiful classic red Ferrari 812 Superfast, which debuted in 2017 and has a top speed of 211 miles per hour.
A big highlight of the Ferrari Museum was the Formula 1 cars. Of Ferrari’s 1,600 employees, about 450 work on Formula 1 cars. Ferrari has been producing Formula 1 cars since 1950, and Ferraris have won 31 world championships. My eight year old was excited to see the Ferrari Formula 1 race cars and the Wall of Fame with each racer’s helmet.
Ferrari Formula 1 Race Cars
Admission to the Ferrari Museum in Maranello costs €16 for adults and €6 for children 0-18 who are accompanied by family members. A combined ticket for the Modena and Maranello Museums costs €26 for adults and €10 for children 0-18 who are accompanied by family members. Production line factory tours are not available to the public, but there is a bus tour that departs at 12:30 and 1:30 each day.
Why We Loved the Lamborghini Museum and Ferrari Museum For Kids
Our visits to the Lamborghini Museum and Ferrari Museum were the perfect trip off Northern Italy’s beaten path and a nice compliment to the art, architecture and history that we focused on during our time in Italy. Even though I am admittedly not a supercar enthusiast, I thoroughly enjoyed checking out all the cars, which were each works of art in their own right. It was an amazing experience, even though we didn’t have the chance to test drive any of the supercars. We’ll absolutely arrange that on our next trip : ).
Trying to decide between the Ferrari or Lamborghini Museum? There’s no bad choice. Planning a family trip to Italy, check out our other blog posts about Rome, Florence and Venice and our listing of all destinations in Italy.
Science museums offer interactive and hands-on exhibits to inspire excitement for STEM learning. Many science museums also participate in the ASTC Travel Passport Program, which provides members of participating museums free reciprocal admission to hundreds of natural history, science and children’s museums around the world. We asked some of our fellow family travel bloggers for favorite science museums they’ve visited and came up with this list of the best science centers in the world (asterisked museums are participants in the ASTC Travel Passport Program).
Best Science Museums for Kids
#1: Arizona Science Center With Kids* (Phoenix, Arizona)
There are two things that make for a great science museum: interactive exhibits and engaging explanations. We found both of those in spades at the Arizona Science Center! We visited with our 3 and 5 year old children and found meaningful, hands-on stations to suit everyone in the family along with easy-to-understand signage everywhere. There’s almost an entire floor dedicated to the human body, a huge section on mechanics and even a large area covering extreme weather (perfect for my Storm Chasers-loving husband). The Center always shows interesting and age-appropriate films at its IMAX theater and has a fantastic cafe on-site that offers food that is both healthy and fun. A visit to the Arizona Science Center is the perfect way to escape the Phoenix heat with kids, and bring your ASTC member card for free admission!
Recommended by Melissa Conn from The Family Voyage. Find out more from Melissa about great family activities in Phoenix.
#2: California Academy of Sciences With Kids (San Francisco, California)
The California Academy of Sciences is both a natural history museum and a science museum all in one! The Academy has a rain forest, aquarium (with a touch and feel tide pool), planetarium, living roof, and a section where they provide African wildlife exhibits – including real penguins! The playroom is a favorite with our 1 and 3 year old children, too. Visitors can’t forget the albino alligator, Claude, who lives in the swamp of the Academy. We’ve had a membership to this museum since before we had kids, and we now continue to renew it because there is truly something for everyone. It’s located in a central part of the Golden Gate Park, so it’s a perfect spot to stop while you are exploring San Francisco.
Recommended by Emily Jenks from Henry and Andrew’s Guide. Find out more from Emily about San Francisco with kids.
#4: Cite des Sciences et de l’industrie With Kids (Paris, France)
Housed inside a giant concrete block, the Cite des Sciences is the largest science museum in Europe. It has several permanent exhibits featuring sciences, mathematics and technology. Visitors can explore the human brain, learn about the origins of the universe and see how man has developed technology, among other things. Don’t miss the Geode at the back of the museum; this enormous reflective globe contains a state of the art IMAX and virtual reality cinema.
Children will be especially interested in the Cite des Enfants (Children’s City) where they can join a 90 minute session and explore experiments and interactive tasks, while learning about their bodies and the physical world. Older children can also play in a TV studio and a garden. The sessions are split by age: ages 2 – 7 and 5 – 12. Kids don’t want to leave!
After exploring the exhibits in the museum, take a walk in the Parc de la Villette behind the museum to see its modern, industrial architecture. The Cite des Sciences is a little off the main tourist trail in Paris, but it’s reached easily enough from the Gare du Nord. There’s no general admission fee, but individual exhibits do require admission, and pre-booking the children’s city is a good idea to avoid the long queues.
Recommended by Emily Cole from Kids and Compass. Find out more from Emily about Paris with small kids.
#5: The Franklin Institute With Kids* (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
The Franklin Institute is a science and technology center in Center City in Philadelphia. It’s named for Philadelphia’s beloved citizen and Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin, who wore many hats but most notably as a scientist and inventor. When we go to Philadelphia to visit family in the suburbs, my children always insist on visiting the Franklin Institute.
Visitors can easily spend an entire day at this center because there is so much to do. The Institute has special exhibits that rotate regularly. For example, we have enjoyed exhibits on Pompeii and the Terracotta Warriors. There is an IMAX theater, a planetarium and many interactive exhibits. For example, there is a giant human heart that visitors can walk both around and through, while exploring the different parts of the organ. Even though the Institute is very popular, it never feels crowded because it is so large. It’s easily one of the best science centers we have ever visited.
Luray Caverns is basically the Geology Hall of Fame. Located in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, Luray is the largest and most visited caverns in Eastern America. This one of a kind attraction combines geology, chemistry and even music. Admission tickets include a guided tour, which departs every 20 minutes after 9 a.m., and access to the The Luray Valley Museum, the Car and Carriage Museum and Toy Town Junction. Families can also buy additional tickets to the Rope Adventure Park and Garden Maze. The guided tour leads visitors through well lit, paved walkways to view and explore towering stone formations and natural wonders. Our family stopped at this one of a kind center on a road trip to Georgia, and I literally had to drag my kids out of there. My science and history loving children were in awe of the enormous chambers filled with towering stone columns, draperies and crystal-clear pools. For visitors looking for a unique science museum that offers hands on and experienced based learning in a stunning environment, Luray Caverns should be on your East Coast itinerary.
#7: Magna Science Adventure Centre With Kids (Rotherham, England)
We love the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham, Yorkshire. It’s based around air, fire, water and Earth with different exhibit areas for each. The Centre is set in an old steel works, and the space is massive and actually a little spooky. There is a big melt every hour with fireworks and other sounds to demonstrate how they used to melt the steel. Each of the pavilions has different interactive displays for young and old to play with and explore. Our particular favourites are watching a tornado of fire ignite in the fire pavilion, playing with pretend rocks and blowing holes in rocks in the Earth pavilion and shooting water canons at targets in the water pavilion. There’s also one of the biggest playgrounds I’ve ever seen that has a splash park in the warmer months. The added cherry on top is that once visitors have paid for one visit they can return as many times as desired for the next 12 months without charge.
#8: National Science and Technology Museum Leonardo da Vinci With Kids* (Milan, Italy)
The National Science and Technology Museum Leonardo da Vinci is the biggest science museum in Italy. The outside of the 16th-century monastery that houses the museum is nothing to look at, but the inside is amazing. The Museum has a huge collection of sixteen thousand technical scientific objects, dating back to the 19th century. There’s a gallery with drawings by Leonardo Da Vinci and 130 scale models that are based on his sketches. Furthermore, the Museum has exhibits about energy production, communication, computers, iron and steel industry and space travel. The transportation section takes up a large part of the museum, with various (parts of) ships, a collection of locomotives and train carriages, numerous airplanes and even a full-size helicopter. Our son was also really impressed by the huge military submarine Enrico Toti that sits in the garden. We only spent a morning at the museum with our toddler and did not nearly have enough time to see it all.
Recommended by Lisa van den Berg from Flip Flop Globetrotters. Find out more from Lisa about things to do in Milan with kids.
#9: Nagoya City Science Museum and Electricity Museum With Kids (Nagoya, Japan)
The Nagoya City Science Museum in Nagoya, Japan houses the biggest planetarium in the world. The 30 minute planetarium show about the galaxy and constellations, featuring a highly realistic starry sky, will leave the viewers in awe even though it isn’t dubbed in English. Visitors will also enjoy various exhibits such as the Tornado Lab, Deep Freezing Lab and Electric Discharge Lab.
For Nagoya visitors who love science, the Electricity Museum is a family-friendly attraction in Nagoya, Japan where kids and adults can enjoy learning how electricity works and its importance to the people of Japan. We toured the museum through the Nagoya Sightseeing Tour Bus, and the entrance ticket is free for everyone. It offers hologram images where visitors can see the pioneers in Japanese electricity and there are interactive tools on display and a science plaza where kids can experiment and be familiarized with different science laws. The main attraction of this museum is the OHM Theater where guests can participate in quizzes and competitions as video game characters on their impressive 29-foot screen.
#10: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry With Kids* (Portland, Oregon)
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (“OMSI”) in Portland, Oregon, is not somewhere visitors might think of bringing a child, and we worried whether our son would enjoy it. We wanted to visit the special exhibition OMSI had about Pompeii, but we were delighted to find lots for kids to enjoy. We were totally blown away by it. The Science Playground was by far our son’s favourite section. Designed for kids ages 0-6, there were water tables, sand pits and lots of different sections for free-play, learning and discovery. The Planetarium was also a hit with our young son, and the rest of the museum was filled with different exhibits for children of all ages. One thing we missed during our visit was USS Blueback, the submarine that was featured in The Hunt for Red October and now permanently docked beside the museum. I was gutted to learn that we had missed it, but it’s a perfect excuse for a return visit!
#11: Perot Museum of Nature and Science With Kids* (Dallas, Texas)
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is not merely a science center. This awe-inspiring, 160,000 square foot structure is a state-of-the-art experience intersecting the worlds of engineering, science, architecture, nature and sustainability. With eleven permanent exhibits, six learning labs and one traveling exhibit, the sprawling six floors deliver excitement. My fourth-grader loves the Rose Hall of Birds where visitors can build and fly their own bird. The Leap Frog Forest enchants my toddler as kids of all ages can crawl, jump and play life-size leapfrog. Both kids agree that the top attractions are:
Sports: Practice an athletic move then film yourself in “Motion Lab” or challenge a T-Rex, Dallas Cowboy or cheetah in a timed race at “Run.”
Life Then and Now: Build your own dinosaur then send it to battle.
Engineering and Innovation: Lead pre-built robots on missions or program one yourself using visual coding stations.
But, don’t forget to squeeze in some other special engagements. Marvel at the Perot Dinosaur, a new species found by Perot Museum Paleontologists. Crack open an Amethyst Geode that stands 5 feet tall. Visitors can also get their groove on at Harmony Park, watch a 4D Film at the National Geographic Experience Theater or view a real brain and stem at “Being Human.”
#12: Science World at TELUS World of Science With Kids* (Vancouver, Canada)
Science World at TELUS World of Science is one of the best science museums we have visited. Not only does it stand out in terms of location and architecture, but it also has diverse displays, hands-on experiments and award-winning playgrounds. Most displays are designed to be intuitive, and children and grown-ups are encouraged to try things out and have fun while exploring the museum and learning. Kids can try to weigh a hippo, climb on a rotating climbing wall and crawl through a beaver lodge. There are regular live demonstrations throughout the day, and we planned to visit for 2 hours and end up staying for 4.5. Science World is one of Vancouver’s must-do kid-focused tourist attractions.
#13: Scienceworks With Kids (Melbourne, Australia)
For parents of children constantly asking “why” about everything, Scienceworks in Melbourne feeds the curiosity of young minds. Offering a wide range of kid friendly exhibits with hands on activities, and live demonstrations, this child-focused museum makes learning about science fun and exciting.
For little space lovers, the planetarium teaches kids about planets, constellations, and their home planet Earth through a kid-friendly animated film. With reclining seats and a domed roof, visitors can sit back and enjoy the show. Kids also love the “lightning room” which is a 120-seat auditorium that presents demonstrations to teach children about electricity. Learn about dinosaurs, the ocean, bugs and insects, and much more. For those visiting Melbourne, Scienceworks is a great day out for the whole family.
There are so many of these best science museums in the world that are now on our travel list. For more amazing museums for young scientists, check out the Best Natural History Museums in the World!
Our kids lovemuseums, and we often visit natural history museums while we travel, particularly those that participate in the ASTC Travel Passport Program, which provides members of participating museums free reciprocal admission to hundreds of natural history, science and children’s museums. Natural history museums are a great way to extend classroom learning. We asked our fellow family travel bloggers for their favorites and came up with this list of the best natural history museums in the world (asterisked museums are participants in the ASTC Travel Passport Program):
Best Natural History Museums With Kids
#1: American Museum of Natural History With Kids* (New York City, New York)
The American Museum of Natural History is the largest Natural History museum in the world and is housed in a beautiful building in New York’s Upper West Side, right outside Central Park. It’s crammed full of artifacts from land, sea and space and is super family friendly for visitors with kids. Our favourite section (and I think the favourite for the majority of visitors) is the Hall of Ornithischian Dinosaurs, which contains a huge selection of dinosaur fossils. There is a T-Rex, a stegosaurus, a triceratops and loads more for any dino fans. But it’s not only dinosaurs, the Museum also has a fantastic oceans exhibit – home to the amazing 94 foot long blue whale model, halls featuring birds and reptiles halls (watch out for the 25 foot python!), exhibits about human origins and cultural diversity and a fantastic section about space. All around the museum are interactive touch screens with more information, and don’t all kids love a touch screen?! General admission for adults costs $23 and $13 for children. The Museum opens daily at 10 am, which is the best time to visit to avoid the crowds.
#2: Denver Museum of Nature and Science With Kids* (Denver, Colorado)
We are privileged to have a world-class nature and science museum in Colorado. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science has something for everyone with an interest in natural science. The Museum has an IMAX Theater and planetarium with various shows. Traveling exhibits include such divergent topics as Vikings, bioluminescent animals, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The permanent exhibits showcase outer space, animals from around the world, the intricacies of our bodies, Egyptian mummies, and prehistoric dinosaurs.
But we love bling, so our favorite museum exhibit is the gems and mineral showcase. As self-professed rock hounds, we love to see the awe-inspiring collection of minerals and gemstones. Indigenous Colorado gemstones include aquamarine, amazonite, and the very rare rhodochrosite. The largest gold nugget found in Colorado is also on display. We always learn new things about the gemstones and minerals during our visits.
#3: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa With Kids (Wellington, New Zealand)
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (commonly referred to as “Te Papa”) is mind-blowing and an unmissable stop on a New Zealand itinerary. Perched on the waterfront in Wellington, this 6 story building is stuffed with awe-inspiring exhibitions on Aotearoa/New Zealand’s history, it’s natural world and cultural treasures. Te Papa Tongarewa (meaning ‘container of treasures”) is literally packed with hands on, interactive exhibits, which our kids, ages 6 and 3 loved. Far from dragging them around the museum, they ran from exhibit to exhibit excited and totally engaged. The five main collections are Arts, History, Taonga Māori, Pacific Cultures, and Natural History. From impressive native species such as the pygmy blue whale skeleton and the world’s largest specimen of the rare colossal squid (weighing 496 kg!) to more light-hearted exhibits such as Peter Jackson replicas of Orcs to more sobering inclusions such as the current Gallipoli exhibition, Te Papa is, in our opinion, one of the greatest museums in the world. FREE ENTRY apart from specific touring exhibitions. Allow a full day!
#4: National Museum of Natural History and Science With Kids* (Tokyo, Japan)
The best museum in Ueno Park for families with kids is the National Museum of Natural History and Science. This is the huge building with a concrete blue whale on one side and a locomotive on the other. That basically sums up what the museum is about – the encounter of people with nature, which in Japanese culture is a continuum rather than a disruption.
The Museum tells the story of how people came to Japan (via Okinawa), and how the islands looked before they came. That part of the museum is pretty conventional, although English explanations are limited. Audio guides are also available.
The coolest part of the museum is the “global gallery”, which goes down three levels into the ground, with dinosaurs in the middle. The cartoon movie explanation of evolution one floor below is also very interesting, a bit tongue in cheek, although everyone looks like an American cartoon from the 1950s. We were entertained by the exhibit representing the smart phone as the peak of evolution.
The upper floors of the global gallery contain exhibits about technology, Japanese technology of course. The upper floors are where kids will get their most lasting memory of their visit in ComPASS, the space for children’s play and communication. It was recently opened after a renovation and is really fun for the kids. It is so popular that visitors have to get a queue ticket at the information desk at the first floor.
Especially on rainy days, the museum can be crowded. Bring a packed lunch and eat it in the lunch space on the basement floor of the old building (the “honkan”). There are two restaurants, but the wait could be as long as several hours to be seated. Except for the dinosaurs, children do need adult explanation of the exhibits but absolutely love exploring this fact-packed museum.
#5: Natural History Museum With Kids (London, England)
There is so much to captivate children at London’s Natural History Museum whether they’re into dinosaurs and furry owls or giant whales and tiny insects. Visitors can feel the earth move in the Earthquake machine, play detective games around the museum and visit colorful butterflies in the Butterfly House. The hands-on Science Centre is a great place for children to examine specimens from around the world, using microscopes and other instruments.
The most popular gallery is the Dinosaurs, where visitors can get up close to prehistoric specimens, including the skull of a plant-eating Triceratops, an Iguanodon, one of the first species of dinosaur, and of course, the formidable Tyrannosaurus Rex. Hope, a 25 meter long blue whale skeleton, is suspended from the ceiling of the main hall. The Natural History Museum is open daily and admission is free.
Recommended by Nicky of Go Live Young. Find out more from Nicky about London with kids.
#6: Natural History Museum (Vienna, Austria)
Vienna’sNatural History Museum was one of the highlights of our trip to Vienna with our kids, aged 3 and 1 years old. We actually pushed this activity as one of the last, since it isn’t specifically geared towards kids, but we are so glad we didn’t miss it! For kids who love animals, this place is a must. We toured the taxidermy exhibit on the top floor of the Museum, where taxidermy of every kind of mammal imaginable was exhibited 3 times and saw every kind of mammals imaginable! The architecture is absolutely breathtaking, and the Museum is enjoyable for adults too. Even our 1-year-old was amazed at all the animals. Families visiting Vienna with kids should not push this museum off – it’s totally kid-friendly and adult friendly too!
#7: Natural History Museum of Marseille With Kids (Marseille, France)
There may be countless natural history museums in the world, but not many of them are housed in magnificent 19th century palaces. If you happen to be in the city of Marseille in the south of France, make sure you visit the Natural History Museum of Marseille located inside the Palais Longchamp. Why our family loves this museum:
It contains thousands of zoological, botanical, mineral and fossil specimens, some of them long extinct.
It has four permanent exhibits: Safari Room, Provence Room, Human Earth and Land of the Living.
It has an old-fashioned feel to it. It was founded in 1819, and we felt like we were indeed stepping back to the 19th century when visiting it.
There is a great interactive display for kids.
It has free admission on the first Sunday of each month.
#8: Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum With Kids* (Washington, D.C.)
We recently traveled to Washington D.C. on our recent White Christmas trip to the U.S., and visiting a few of the Smithsonian Museum’s was top of our list. First up was the National Museum of Natural History, located on the National Mall near Capitol Building. I wasn’t sure how interested the kids would be and had expected that we would whip around this museum in a few hours. How wrong was I, as we took a whole day exploring this Museum, and I still feel that we rushed through some parts of it.
The Museum is reported to be home to approximately 126 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, human remains and human cultural artefacts. The kids most enjoyed the interactive areas, particularly where they were able to place items under a microscope and analysis them. There are a large number of animals from each continent on display, including animals that are now extinct. My son was also very interested in the Egyptian, artefacts including the mummies on display. The museum is huge, and visitors could spend a week here and still not see if all. A full day gave us a good look around and kids enjoyed every minute of it.
#9: South Australian Museum With Kids (Adelaide, Australia)
The South Australian Museum is one of the most visited museums in Australia. With five floors of exhibits covering fossils, mammals, Ancient Egypt, special exhibition spaces and more plus Aboriginal and Pacific Cultures collections, the South Australian Museum offers plenty for young and old. With so many interactive hands on activities, kids will absolutely love it here. No doubt they will love checking out the various world mammals, learning about the various South Australian biodiversity and checking out the giant squid that spans across four floors dangling in an elevator shaft!
During the school holidays, the Museum has free school holiday programs attracting more than 5,000 school kids each holiday period. The Discovery Centre Team located on level 1 is more than happy to have a chat about any of the exhibits, and visitors can also see bees making honey, which is sure to keep little, and big kids busy for a while. The Discovery Centre is open from 11am-4pm weekdays, and 11am-3pm weekends and public holidays. The Museum is open every day from 10am-5pm, including weekends and public holidays. Entry is free; however some exhibitions may charge an admission fee.
Recommended by Melissa Delaware of Thrifty Family Travels. Find out more from Melissa about Adelaide with kids.
We love natural history museums with kids and can’t wait to visit all of these world’s best natural history museums. For more amazing museums for young scientists, check out the World’s Best Science Centers With Kids!
Chartered by a unanimous act of Congress in 1980 and located adjacent to the National Mall, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is America’s national institution for documenting, studying, and interpreting the Holocaust. Open daily from 10am – 5:30pm (closed Yom Kippur and Christmas), I recently visited the museum (without kids) and was delighted to find that one of the exhibits, “Remember the Children: Daniel’s Story,” is an ideal way to expose young elementary age children to the horrors of the Holocaust.
Growing up in Los Angeles, I distinctly remember visiting the Museum of Tolerance shortly after its opening in February of 1993. As a child of approximately 10 years of age, I remember the weeks leading up to our visit that our curriculum focused on the Holocaust and the events leading up to and surrounding World War II. Coming from an immigrant family with busy parents, the Holocaust simply was not something that had ever been discussed as a family, and it was not something I had come across in my movies or books prior to learning about it in school.
Decades later and now a parent myself, the Holocaust is something that comes up frequently in our readings and even in popular cultural references. My son, who is not quite nine years of age, has asked questions about the Holocaust, but without any training in how to expose or introduce young children to such a sensitive topic, we’ve largely kept it to the basics. I quickly realized during my recent visit to the Holocaust Museum, that the Daniel’s Story was just the roadmap I needed to introduce my young son to the Holocaust.
Daniel’s Story allows visitors to experience the Holocaust from the perspective of Daniel, a young boy living in Germany during the Holocaust. The exhibit begins with a short film, narrated by Daniel, and then carriers visitors through Daniel’s world as it changes throughout the Holocaust. Daniel’s diary entries serve as the primary text of the exhibit and the story begins in Daniel’s home in Nazi Germany and takes visitors through their transition to the ghetto, the concentration camps, and finally, to the end of the War.
As depicted in the photos above, the exhibit allows children to actually touch and feel the environment. Here we are in located in the ghetto, and there are rules posted on the walls and objects littered throughout the room. Similarly, when in Daniel’s home or the later concentration camp rooms, visitors have the opportunity to sit at the tables or lay on the “beds.”
After touring Daniel’s Story, I quickly popped upstairs to the permanent exhibit. From March 1 to August 31, timed entry tickets to the permanent exhibit are required. Same day tickets are available online and in person, but it is also possible to request tickets in advance online. I requested an advance ticket (which cost $1), but free tickets were available in person on the day of my scheduled entry. Note that it is not possible to enter prior to your scheduled visit time.
The Museum recommends visitors allocate one to three hours to visiting the permanent exhibit and I concur. Even for my mid-day visit in early March, there was a heavy group of people and it took quite a bit of time to see everything. Moreover, the permanent exhibit is large – it winds throughout the building and presents a chronological narrative of the Holocaust using artifacts, film footage, and photographs. It is easily an exhibit that I could have devoted an entire day to exploring, and I was sad that I did not have as much time as I would have liked to have spent there. That said, I am glad that my first visit to the Holocaust Museum was unaccompanied by third grader as I believe the permanent exhibit would have been too much in terms of his first visual exposure to the Holocaust. I have already planned a return visit for Daniel’s Story, with my son soon, but will wait another year or so before visiting the permanent exhibit with my eight year old.
Be sure to check out our entire category of posts on things to do and places to visit in Washington, DC with kids! We are so lucky to call this place home and hope that our tips and tricks come in handy as you plan your own adventure in Washington, DC with kids!
Every so often, we encounter a place that is so fabulous for those traveling with kids that it is worthy of being featured on its own. For more fabulous locations, please check out our other Spotlight features!
We also enjoyed the 
We then visited the blacksmith shop where the blacksmith was making a decorative leaf. We got to see him heat and shape the leaf, which is sold as a necklace pendant in the gift shop.
Recommended by Melissa Conn from The Family Voyage. Find out more from Melissa about great 
Recommended by Emily Cole from Kids and Compass. Find out more from Emily about 
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The museum is huge, and visitors could spend a week here and still not see if all. A full day gave us a good look around and kids enjoyed every minute of it.
