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Best Things to Do in Cleveland With Kids
Thank you to the Great Lakes Science Center, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Goodtime III, the Nautica Queen, the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, the Cleveland Museum of Art the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, and the Children’s Museum of Cleveland, for each providing complimentary tickets for my family. All opinions are my own.

While our family loves to travel internationally and explore the world, we are based in the Cleveland, Ohio, and many of our adventures take place close to our Midwest home. Cleveland is rich with history, art and culture and has so many opportunities for young families. While it may not be at the top of every traveler’s bucket list, Cleveland offers so much for traveling and local families to explore, and we always have plenty of options whenever we have a day off. Our list of the best things to do in Cleveland with kids includes something for everyone and also several free activities.

Family Attractions in Downtown Cleveland

#1: Great Lakes Science Center With Kids

The Great Lakes Science Center opened next to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 to support STEM learning. Its North Coast Harbor location on the shore of Lake Erie is a picturesque setting. We have visited the Great Lakes Science Center many times, and our kids particularly love the hands-on exhibits in the main exhibition space on the second level. My kinesthetic learner and his two siblings could spend hours trying out everything.

Hands-on exhibits

Watching films in the six-story Cleveland Clinic Dome Theater is always a highlight. We’ve recently seen Rocky Mountain Express and Natural Parks Adventure. The IMAX photography really makes us feel like we’re seeing the scenery ourselves, and National Parks Adventure particularly reminded me of my trips to Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon.

Cleveland Clinic Dome Theater

The NASA Glenn Visitor Center has been housed at the Great Lakes Science Center since 2010. The highlight of this exhibit is the 1973 Skylab 3 Apollo Command Module. Visitors can try out a nearby replica capsule, which, even with the door removed, was so small that it screamed claustrophobia and made me wonder how the astronauts handle such confined spaces.

1973 Skylab 3 Apollo Command Module

Another favorite exhibit is the Cleveland Creates Zone, which offers various activities for kids to invent, design and tinker. Each area includes all the materials needed to create and test designs. My kids enjoy the Creates Zone every time we visit the Great Lakes Science Center and could spent hours testing and refining their rockets and parachutes for hours. On our last visit, we watched a special physics program in this area that focused on force and motion and absolutely captivated my boys.

Physics Demonstration on Force and Motion

Additionally, the William G. Mather is docked outside the Science Center, but we always seem to visit in the winter when it is closed. A visit to the Mather is one of the few items still on our Cleveland bucket list.

William G. Mather

My kids love hands-on opportunities to explore science, technology, engineering and math and are always asking to visit the Great Lakes Science Center.

Find out more about the Great Lakes Science Center.
- Great Lakes Science Center Admission: Adult admission costs $16.95, admission for children ages 2-12 costs $13.95, admission for seniors over age 65 costs $14.95, and admission for college students costs $15.95. Children under age two are free.
- Great Lakes Science Center Hours: The Science Center is typically open from 10 a.m. to 5. p.m. every day during the summer and Tuesdays through Sundays during the winter. Note that due to its proximity to FirstEnergy Stadium and the large number of tailgating revelers in the area, the Great Lakes Science Center is closed on the Browns’ regular season home game dates.
- Great Lakes Science Center Parking: Parking at the Great Lakes Science Center is conveniently available in the 500-car attached garage, and visitors receive a reduced $8 rate with validation. I paid for parking at the Box Office and avoided looking for a pay station or fumbling with my credit card when exiting. Visitors entering through the parking garage arrive on level 0. There are also meters in front of the Science Center, but the two-hour limit really does not provide enough time to fully explore.
#2: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame With Kids

Cleveland was chosen as the site of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, and the Rock Hall opened in 1995. The Rock Hall definitely draws tourists to the area, and I am fortunate to have one of Cleveland’s claim to fame just across the street from my office. I’ve always loved the I.M. Pei design that incorporates a glass pyramid and reminds me of the Louvre.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Our family last visited in December 2017. We started our tour at the Legends of Rock permanent exhibit, which includes artifacts such as handwritten drafts, instruments and costumes. The British Invasion exhibit is the world’s largest artifact-based collection of the Beetles. The Rock Hall also has always featured a standing Elvis exhibit with many artifacts and an exclusive 14-minute Elvis video. The kids particularly enjoyed the costumes. It’s always surprising to see first-hand how small many of the musicians are in real life. I did feel really old when my younger son asked if Michael Jackson was a basketball player and realized that the King of Pop actually died before he was born.

Michael Jackson’s jacket

The boys were pretty excited to find costumes of musicians they recognized like Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift. We are all still amazed that Lady Gaga actually wore this contraption.

Lady Gaga outfit

We noticed more families with young children touring the Rock Hall than we expected. While our kids are not familiar with most of the featured musicians, they enjoyed the multi-media exhibits. My husband and I could have easily spent a few more hours perusing the exhibits, but our shorter highlight tour was a perfect Rock Hall introduction for our kids.

Find out more about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Admission: General Admission to the Rock Hall costs $26 for adults, $16 for kids age 6-12 and $24 for seniors over age 64. Children ages five and under are free.
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Hours: The Rock Hall is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays all year around and on Wednesdays through Saturdays during the Summer months. The Hall of Fame is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Parking: Parking is available at the Great Lakes Science Center garage, and Rock Hall visitors receive a $2 discount with validation.
#3: Goodtime III With Kids

In June 2018, our family spent an amazing summer afternoon cruising on Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River aboard the Goodtime III, Cleveland’s largest sightseeing vessel. The ship’s four decks offer indoor and open air seating for up to 1,000 passengers to enjoy the view of Cleveland’s skyline, its many bridges and all the new development at the East Bank of the Flats. The Narrated Sightseeing Tour is especially kid-friendly and a great way for visitors (and residents!) to learn about Cleveland’s downtown from a unique perspective. A ride on the Goodtime III with kids is a particularly good first boating experience for young passengers, and the views of downtown Cleveland just can’t be beat.

Boarding the Goodtime III

Because there were only about 150 passengers on our mid-week afternoon cruise, we had plenty of seating options throughout the ship. The kids excitedly tried out a half a dozen views before we even left the dock.

Checking out the views while docked on the Ninth Street Pier

The ship departed exactly as scheduled, and visitors need to arrive in time to board before departure or will be stuck on shore. We enjoyed an hour of narration about Cleveland’s history, buildings, bridges and trivia and then a second hour of music on the ship’s sound system, which was fun to listen to while watching the ever-changing views.

Cleveland Flats

At the end of cruise, my daughter took full advantage of the dance floor to try out some of her moves. We were lucky to take advantage of a beautiful summer afternoon and truly enjoy our hometown from a new perspective. Our kids would love to make an afternoon on the Goodtime III an annual tradition, and I’m sure they would see and learn different things on each cruise.

Find out more about the Goodtime III.
- Goodtime III Admission: General admission for the two-hour Narrated Sightseeing Tour costs $18 for adults and $10 for children, and reservations are available online for a small booking fee. Children under five are free, but need a ticket to board. Advance reservations are required for special events and any trip that includes a meal.
- Goodtime III Hours: Exact timing for the seasonal cruises varies by day. Check out the online schedule for details.
- Goodtime III Parking: Parking is conveniently located at the East Ninth Street Pier Parking lot and costs $10 for 2-3.5 hours.
#4: Federal Reserve Bank Learning Center and Money Museum With Kids

The Federal Reserve Bank Learning Center and Money Museum opened in 2006 and was a huge hit with my kids. The Federal Reserve Bank Building’s exterior was designed to resemble an Italian Renaissance palace. Creation of the Money Museum was a brilliant way to use the former bank teller windows that were vacated after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.

Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland

The Money Museum is a unique history and learning center that offers multi-media experiences and activities to teach visitors about the history of currency. Through the Follow the Yellow Brick Road exhibit, we learned that many consider L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz an allegory about money policy. We’ll never look at the Yellow Brick Road in quite the same way. The kids loved the interactive exhibits and the two-story money tree. Make sure not to forget to design your own dollar bills before leaving.

Money Tree
- Money Museum Admission: There is no admission fee to visit the Money Museum.
- Money Museum Hours: The Money Museum is generally open Mondays through Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. but closed on all bank holidays.
- Money Museum Parking: Parking is available at a number of downtown garages.
#5: Cleveland Public Library With Kids

The Cleveland Public Library‘s Main Library is known as the People’s University and a wonderful place to visit with children. The historic Main Library Building is almost 100 years old and resembles a museum. The research library has a vast collection, and the kids loved the Superman statue.

Superman statue

We visited the special exhibit, The World of Puppets: From Stage to Screen, which occupied a stunning cathedral-like space on the first floor. The museum-quality exhibition reminded us of the puppet exhibit at COSI that we enjoyed a few months earlier. In addition to the many puppets on display, there was a puppet show area where my daughter produced her own show.

The World of Puppets: From Stage to Screen
- Cleveland Public Library Admission: There is no admission fee to visit the Cleveland Public Library.
- Cleveland Public Library Hours: The Cleveland Public Main Library is generally from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays.
- Cleveland Public Library Parking: Parking is available at a number of downtown garages.
#6: Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument With Kids

The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument is dedicated the veterans of the American Civil War from Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. It opened on July 4, 1894 and is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2019. The Monument is located in the southeast quadrant of Public Square and features a 125-foot column with a statue of the Goddess of Liberty on top.

Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument

Inside the Monument, the names of 9,000 Civil War veterans from the area are listed on marble tablets affixed to the walls. We also learned that body of Abraham Lincoln was placed in this same quadrant of Public Square on April 28, 1865, and tens of thousands of mourners paid their respect to the assassinated President.

Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument interior
- Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument Admission: There is no admission fee to visit the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument.
- Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument Hours: The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. during the summer months.
- Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument Parking: Parking is available at a number of downtown garages.
Family Attractions in the Flats

#7: Nautica Queen With Kids

The Nautica Queen is Cleveland’s dining cruise ship that departs from the West Bank of the Flats for lunch and dinner cruises. Our family took a lunch cruise on the day before my kids started a new school year in August 2019, and it was an amazing way to end a lovely summer. While the forecast showed rain a day or two before our cruise, we ended up with picture perfect blue skies and an ideal 75 degree temperature.

Nautica Queen

As soon as we embarked the ship, we were directed to our table on the middle level. We ordered sodas and explored the top deck before the buffet lunch was served. Our meal included salad, beef, pasta, fish, chicken, oven-roasted potatoes, seasonal vegetables, dinner rolls, cheesecake, coffee, tea and ice tea. And, our lunchtime view was unbeatable as we cruised on the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie while passing historic bridges and all the sights of Downtown Cleveland.

Lunch on the Nautica Queen

My favorite part of the cruise was definitely the view from the top deck. We spent most of our time up there after finishing our lunch. The railings were high, and I felt very safe for even my youngest child. My daughter particularly loved the dance floor and kept asking to return for a song or two. While I may have missed the wind blowing through my hair while accompanying her on the inside deck, the view most definitely never disappointed. We were all sad to disembark at the end. There probably is not a better way to really feel like a visitor in our hometown other than spending an afternoon on a cruise.

View from the Nautica Queen
- Nautica Queen Admission: Rates vary by day but as of August 2019, two-hour weekday lunch cruises with gratuities generally cost $29.65 for adults and $18.95 for children under 12 and two and a half hour weekday sunset dinner cruises with gratuities cost $35.59 for adults and $22.52 for children under 12. Sunday brunch cruises and Friday and Saturday dinner cruises cost more than weekday cruises.
- Nautica Queen Hours: The schedule for Nautica Queen cruises is available online.
- Nautica Queen Parking: Parking is available in an adjacent cash-only parking lot for generally $3-6. There is also free street parking on nearby streets.
#8: Greater Cleveland Aquarium

The Greater Cleveland Aquarium opened in its current location in the Flats’ FirstEnergy Powerhouse in 2012 and remains Ohio’s only free-standing aquarium. The Powerhouse building was originally constructed in 1892 as a power station and is a unique setting for an aquarium. My prom was held in this building, and I absolutely love how this space has been repurposed and renovated. We last visited in December 2017 and headed straight to the diver presentation in the shark tank when we arrived. Watching the diver feed the aquatic life was the highlight of our visit. A special microphone allowed the diver to talk directly to the audience. During the presentation, we learned that most shark bites are really caused by mistaken identity. Sharks explore the world with their mouths, and surfers often look like fish from below.

Diver in the Shark Tank

The 230,000 gallon Shark SeaTube includes four species of sharks, stingrays, angelfish, a giant barracuda and a whole host of other ocean creatures. Visitors can literally walk under the tank to get a whole new perspective. If you want to take a peek into the shark tank in real-time, check out the shark cam.

Shark SeaTube

The Aquarium has more than 50 exhibits, 250 species and 1,450 animals from Lake Erie and all across the globe. Some of our favorite animals included the turtles, lion fish and clown fish with the stunning anemone.

Turtle hanging out

My son particularly enjoyed the Invertebrate Touch Pool where he got the chance to feel a starfish with the official “two-finger” technique. The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is an amazing place to learn about aquatic animals and get a glimpse of life under the sea.

Find out more about the Greater Cleveland Aquarium.
- Greater Cleveland Aquarium Admission: Admission to the Greater Cleveland Aquarium costs $19.95 for visitors age 13-99 and $13.95 for children age 2 to 12. There is no admission fee for visitors under age 2 and over 99.
- Greater Cleveland Aquarium Hours: The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is generally open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Greater Cleveland Aquarium Parking: Parking is available in an adjacent cash-only parking lot for about $3-6.
University Circle Attractions for Families

#9: Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland Museum of Art is the art museum we frequent most often. We’re so lucky to have one of the world’s best free art museums practically in our backyard. A massive expansion project was completed at the end of 2013 and increased floor space by 65% and included the glass-roofed Ames Family Atrium.

Ames Family Atrium

The Cleveland Museum of Art has a permanent collection of 45,000 works and significant Egyptian and Asian galleries. The Armor Court the ArtLens Gallery are our kids’ favorite exhibits.

Armor Court

We always make sure to spend a few minutes sitting on the bench in front of Monet’s Water Lilies (Agapanthus).

Monet’s Water Lilies (Agapanthus)

Rodin’s Thinker, which sits outside the front entrance, was partially vandalized by a bomb in 1970, and the statue’s lower legs were destroyed and have not been restored. We love spending time outside the Cleveland Museum of Art and walking around the Wade Lagoon.

The Cleveland Museum of Art features rotating special exhibits. Some of our favorites over the years were Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse, Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors and PROOF: Photography in the Era of the Contact Sheet.

Find out more about the Cleveland Museum of Art.
- Cleveland Museum of Art Admission: Admission to the Cleveland Museum of Art is free, but there are fees and sometimes advance reservations required for special exhibits.
- Cleveland Museum of Art Hours: The Cleveland Museum of Art is generally open daily on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The Museum is closed on New Year’s Day, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
- Cleveland Museum of Art Parking: Parking is available in the attached indoor garage, and the maximum daily rate is $16. There is also metered street parking available nearby.
#10: Cleveland Botanical Garden With Kids

The Cleveland Botanical Garden features the Eleanor Armstrong Smith Glasshouse, a 17,000 square foot conservatory that features two biomes – the desert of Madagascar and the cloud forest of Costa Rica. Together, these biomes house over 350 plant species and 50 animal species. We visit the Cleveland Botanical Garden almost every year.

Costa Rica exhibit

We enjoy visiting the Botanical Garden’s annual holiday tradition, Glow, an exhibit featuring holiday-inspired trees, gingerbread house displays and crafts. Admission to the Garden is often free during the Circle Fest in early December

Glow

The Hershey Children’s Garden was the first children’s garden in Ohio. It is open from March 31 to October 31 during regular Botanical Garden hours and a great place for kids to explore nature.

Hershey Children’s Garden
- Cleveland Botanical Garden Admission: Admission to the Cleveland Botanical Garden costs $12 for adults and $8 for children ages 3-12. Children age 2 and under are free.
- Cleveland Botanical Garden Hours: Cleveland Botanical Garden is generally open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. The Cleveland Botanical Garden and until 9:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays.
- Cleveland Botanical Garden Parking: Parking is available in the attached indoor garage, and the maximum daily rate is $16. There is also metered street parking available nearby.
#11: Cleveland Museum of Natural History With Kids

We were members of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for many years. Our kids especially enjoy exploring the planetarium, the dinosaur exhibit, the gemstones, the toddler-friendly Smead Discovery Center, and the Shafran Planetarium & Mueller Observatory. Like many natural history museums, the dinosaur exhibit is a favorite for our family.

My daughter has a special fondness for Lucy, a paleontology icon. The 3.2 million year old Australopithecus afarensis partial skeleton was discovered in 1974 by team led by former Museum curator, Dr. Donald Johanson, and we never miss saying “hello” to her replica.

Visiting Lucy

The outdoor Perkins Wildlife Center opened in 2016, drastically expanding the Museum’s outdoor animal exhibitions. There is a new exhibit around each of the winding pathways, including Ohio’s famous bald eagle.
- Cleveland Natural History Museum Admission: Admission to the Cleveland History Center costs $17 for adults and $14 for seniors age 62 and over, college students with identification and youth age 3-18. Children under three and are free.
- Cleveland Natural History Museum Hours: Cleveland History Center is generally open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.
- Cleveland Natural History Museum Parking: Parking is available in the attached indoor garage, and the maximum daily rate is $16. There is also metered street parking available nearby..
#12: Cleveland History Center With Kids

The Cleveland History Center is the headquarters of the Western Reserve Historical Society and features collections that cover community and family history. The History Center features the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum, the Hay-McKinney Mansion, the Kidzibits Hands-on Gallery and the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel.

Carousel

My kids’ love the antique car collection and learning about the evolution of the automobile. The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum’s impressive collection of automobiles includes more than 170 antique automobiles.
- Cleveland History Center Admission: Admission to the Cleveland History Center costs $10 for adults, $9 for seniors age 62 and over, $7 for veterans and $5 for children ages 3-12. Children under three and active military are free.
- Cleveland History Center Hours: Cleveland History Center is generally open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.
- Cleveland History Centers Parking: Parking is available in the attached surface lot off Magnolia Drive and costs $8 for two hours with a $15 daily max. There is also metered street parking available around University Circle.
#13: Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland With Kids

The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA) is one of only 20 modern art museums in the United States. MOCA opened its new facility in $27.2 million building designed by Farshid Moussavi in 2012. The main exhibition space on the fourth floor is a wide-open space that is very different from the typical gallery in traditional art museums with paintings and sculptures. The exhibit we saw during our January 2018 visit did not have any barriers. While the exhibition featured in this space changes several times a year, it is probably best suited for children over five.

My kids’ favorite part of our visit to MOCA was the Marjorie + Anselm Talalay Classroom on the third floor where visitors can create their own art. My kids had so much fun creating works inspired by the exhibition that I invested in in a colored tape dispenser for their use at home.

Marjorie + Anselm Talalay Classroom

MOCA is a great resource for Cleveland families and encourages children to use their imaginations to create art in non-traditional ways.

Find out more about MOCA.
- Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland Admission: General admission to MOCA is now free.
- Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland Hours: MOCA is generally open Tuesdays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fridays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland Parking: Metered parking and garages are available nearby.
Family Activities in Midtown

#14: Children’s Museum of Cleveland With Kids

The Children’s Museum of Cleveland reopened, in November 2017, in the former Stager-Beckwith Mansion, one of the four remaining mansions still standing on Millionaire’s Row. The Millionaire’s Row mansion in Midtown had most recently served as the main campus for Myers University and an elegant banquet hall. We had been members of the Museum at its previous location in University Circle when my oldest son attended preschool nearby and love the larger and updated space.

Although my boys both are beyond the target age for any children’s museum, they have fun exploring the Children’s Museum with their young sister when we visited in January 2018 and August 2019 I think their favorite exhibit was the Wonder Lab, an industrial science laboratory with water tables, whirlpools and jets. My sons largely ignored the water features but spent most of their time building ball tracks on the magnetic wall.

Adventure City is located in what was the ball room of the Stager-Beckwith Mansion and Myers University. One of my best friends hosted her wedding reception in this space that now features an amazing indoor two-story climber with a construction site theme. The space also recreates the much-loved grocery store, doctor’s office, nursery and kitchen that were featured in the Museum’s prior location and also adds an auto shop. This indoor play area is constructed from smooth wood not suitable for outdoor playgrounds.

This climber was enormous

Serious grocery shopping

Making Miniatures features a collection of dollhouses created by local artist, Cathy Lincoln, and completely entranced my daughter. Each house was placed on a pedestal and enclosed with a plastic casing. Children could get up close by standing on small step stools and carefully explore the houses with available flashlights. My boys were less enthusiastic about dollhouses, but they enjoyed searching for the tiny CMC logos hidden in each house.

She carefully examined each and every dollhouse

Arts & Parts is a bright art studio with different prepared art projects for children to create. My kids loved that they could tinker, glue and hammer. I loved that all the materials had been prepared for creating, and clean up was easy.

The Museum also features a Sensory Friendly Room for children who get overwhelmed in loud and crowded spaces and the Meadow for infants and toddlers. While only vending machines are available on site, the Café offers tables and a microwave for families packing lunch. There are also party rooms.

The Museum is geared for visitors aged birth to eight. My nine and eleven year old boys accompanied their sister and enjoyed the Wonder Lab and Adventure City. But, there were times where they were a bit bored – especially in the Making Miniatures and Art & Parts exhibits. If the youngest child in your group is over eight, this may not be your ideal activity or, perhaps, plan only a short visit. The former Stager-Beckwith Mansion is an ideal setting for the Children’s Museum of Cleveland, and my kids had so much fun exploring, imagining and creating.

The new home of the Children’s Museum of Cleveland

Find out more about the Children’s Museum of Cleveland.
- - Children’s Museum of Cleveland Admission: Admission costs $12 for all visitors over 11 months. Children 11 months and younger are free.
  - Children’s Museum of Cleveland Hours: The Children’s Museum of Cleveland is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Museum is closed on Independence Day, Labor Day, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
  - Children’s Museum of Cleveland Parking: Free parking is available in an adjacent surface lot.
Family Activities in Old Brooklyn

#15: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is one of the Cleveland area’s most popular attractions and hosts more than one million visitors annually. The Zoo features the Australian Adventure, African Savanna, Northern Wilderness Trek, the Rosebrough Tiger Passage, the Primate, Cat & Aquatics Building, Waterfowl Lake, the RainForest and Asian Highlands. When our kids were young, we were Zoo members for years, and our kids learned first-hand about elephants, giraffes, lions and kangaroos from our visits. We still enjoy a Zoo trip at least once a year.

We have watched as new exhibits such as the Elephant Crossing and Asian Highlands, the Rosebrough Tiger Passage and Asian Highlands have opened and always enjoy a visit to the Zoo.
- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and RainForest Admission: Adult admission costs $16.95, admission for children ages 2-11 costs $12.95 and admission for seniors over age 62 costs $14.95. Children under age two are free. Tickets can be purchased online for a savings of $2 each. Admission to the Zoo only is free on Mondays for residents of Cuyahoga County and Hinckley Township with identification.
- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Hours: The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m and stays open until 6 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays during the summer months. The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is closed on New Year’s Day and Christmas Day.
- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Parking: Free parking is available in an adjacent surface lot.
Find Out More About Cleveland With Kids

There are so many kid-friendly things to do in Cleveland, an up and coming destination. These five amazing museums are just the tip of the iceberg. Spending time in Northeast Ohio, check out our favorite activities in Cleveland with kids.
October 13, 2019
Best Free London Museums For Kids
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!

Photo Credit Mummy Travels
- 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
Recommended by Nancy from Map and Family. Find out more from Nancy about the things to do with teens in London.

Free Museums in Trafalgar Square

#4: London’s National Gallery

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.

Image by Tasos Lekkas from Pixabay.
- 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
Recommended by Kyla from Where Is The World.

#7: Museum of London

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
Recommended by Ania from The Travelling Twins.

Free Museums in the South Bank

#8: Tate Modern

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.
Recommended by Kirsty from World for a Girl.

Free Museums in Chelsea

#10: Saatchi Gallery

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
Recommended by Karen from Are We There Yet Kids.

So Many Amazing Free London Museums for Kids

When considering a family trip to London, remember that many of the most popular attractions are free to visit, including London’s museums of art, science and history. This London museums list can create the perfect family itinerary for London. Also check out our posts on Planning a Trip to London With Kids, the Best Places to Visit in England With Kids, Top Attractions in London for Families, Best London Parks With Kids and the Tower of London with Kids.
June 18, 2019
A Visit to the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum in Sanibel

Thank you to the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum for providing complimentary tickets for my family. All opinions are my own.

Our visit to the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum on Sanibel Island was the perfect end to our family’s long weekend in Florida. Sanibel Island is regularly designated as the best shelling beach in the world, and honestly, shelling was a main draw for us when deciding where to spend the weekend on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Hunting for shells on the beach in Treasure Island and Clearwater was a highlight of our trip last winter. At the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum in Sanibel, we learned about different species of mollusks and the wide variety of shells that they make. This educational opportunity provided the context we needed to better understand the shells we found in Sanibel.

Sanibel Shelling

We woke up at sunrise on both of our mornings in Sanibel and headed straight to the beach. This gave us the chance to watch the sunrise over the ocean during prime shelling time as the beach was covered with shells that had washed up into the sand overnight. My husband found more unusual shells a few feet into the water. Serious shellers had nets, but because we weren’t that savvy, he used his hands and found some very interesting shells.

Our visit to Sanibel Island coincided with the Annual Shell Festival. Our family visited the Festival and scoped out all the shell varieties that were available for sale along with shell art. We also had a preview of the National Shell Museum by visiting their mobile tank unit, which was staffed by middle school experts practicing their presentation skills.

History of the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum

The National Shell Museum was incorporated in 1986 and was originally housed in a shack. Early supporters and donors included Raymond Burr of Perry Mason fame. Burr helped with the Museum’s first capital campaign and donated his collection of cowries from Fiji to the National Shell Museum. Burr died before the Museum’s current building opened in 1995 on land donated by the Bailey and Matthews families, and the circular garden in front of the Museum was dedicated in his honor.

Raymond Burr’s collection of Fijian cowries

The “National” designation was added to the Museum’s title in 2014 because it is the only professional museum in the U.S. devoted to shells. The Museum began a $6 million renovation project in January 2019. The project includes a new aquarium that is expected to open in 2020.

Visiting the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum

The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum on Sanibel Island is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The National Shell Museum’s operations are fully funded by admissions fees and charitable contributions. Admission costs $15 for adults, $9 for children ages 5-13 and seniors. There is no admissions fee for children under 5.

Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum

Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum – Scavenger Hunt

We visited the National Shell Museum on our last afternoon in Sanibel. Our kids each received a scavenger hunt when we arrived, and we started our tour in the main exhibition space. The kids found many of the shells featured on the scavenger hunt in the Children’s Learning Lab. Our eight and eleven year old sons completed the hunt independently. Our four year old needed some assistance but quickly matched the shell pictures on the scavenger hunt to those in the display cases. The Museum brilliantly utilized tear strips on the scavenger hunt worksheets so kids didn’t need to carry around writing instruments. It was a great activity to help kids investigate the main exhibition space, and they received a shell and a wrist band or coloring book when they turned in their completed worksheet at the main desk.

Completing the National Shell Museum’s scavenger hunt

Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum – Record Breaking Sized Shells

The exhibit of world-record shells was another hit. My kids are fascinated with world records. Each year, we purchase the updated copy of Guinness Book of World Records, and my boys spend hours reading the pages. My boys checked out the entries on mollusks in the recent editions but did not find any of the Museum’s shells featured. The Museum’s world record shells include the goliath conch, the lightning whelk, the Atlantic trumpet triton, and the horse conch. The horse conch is two feet long!

The world’s largest horse conch

Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum – Mollusks in Action

The Museum rotates two, 30-minute educational films on shells every half hour. We watched Mollusks in Action, which was filmed locally. Our four year old was so exhausted from her morning at the beach and pool and found the dark room to be a perfect place to nap, and so my husband stayed with her for the second presentation while I headed to the art room with two enthusiastic boys ready to create some shell animal art.

Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum – Shell Animal Art

Shell animals were available for purchase at the Shell Festival, but the kids were itching to make their own. The National Shell Museum made an otherwise messy and complicated art project super fun and easy, so I was all for it. The art room includes thousands of shells separated by type into clear plastic bins, hot glue guns, covered tables and a wrapping station. Each guest is permitted to make one animal with 12 or fewer shells. There are a number of examples to copy, but my eight year old chose to create a dolphin on his own and then became super creative and placed the dolphin on top of a decorative shell “stand.” My eleven year old made a starfish and then placed it inside a large shell. They each asked for my advice in their shell selection but were able to work the hot glue guns and create their animals with minimal assistance.

At the end of our visit, our well rested daughter woke up and wanted her turn to make shell art. She chose to make a butterfly. I had to take the lead on most of the gluing, but she selected and placed the shells. After each creation was complete, we wrapped them in newspaper and carried them home in small brown paper bags.

Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum – Tank Talk

The Tank Talk is definitely not to be missed during any visit to the National Shell Museum. Tank Talks are offered four times each day at 11:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. The standing room only crowd for the 2:30 p.m. presentation listened intently to Bubby, a Florida master naturalist and general shell expert. Bubby was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic and held the attention of the whole audience for the duration of her 30-minute presentation. The Museum reports that 90% of the visitors to the National Shell Museum are not aware that shells come from living animals, but no one can leave Bubby’s presentation without a clear understanding that shells are the exoskeletons of mollusks such as snails, clams, oysters and many others.

The presentation included some scientific shelling terms, but Bubby defined each in kid-friendly jargon. We learned that gastropod means “stomach foot” because these mollusks with whirl around shells use what looks like a stomach to move. The horse conch, which is the Florida state shell, is the largest gastropod in the Atlantic Ocean and therefore the top mollusk predator. We also learned that most mollusks use calcium and carbon from the ocean to form calcium carbonate shells.

I particularly enjoyed Bubby’s discussion of lightning whelks. Female lightening whelks are larger than the males because they hold the eggs. Each of their egg castings hold 300-1,000 eggs. We got to see tiny eggs under a magnifying glass. The eggs were tiny versions of the full-sized shells.

Lightning whelk eggs under a magnifying glass

We also learned that the most coveted shell in Sanibel is the junonia. Junonia shells are so rare because junonia live in the Western Atlantic at depths of 100 feet to 400 feet. Because of the junonia’s deep water habitat, few shells wash up on Sanibel’s shores, and shellers who find a junonia shell are often featured in the local paper. The shells have spots that remind me of a giraffe, and I thought the shell was particularly beautiful before I knew it was so rare. In over 40 years of shelling, Bubby has never found one on her own, but a casual sheller next to her on the beach picked up two a few years ago. Before leaving the Museum, we checked out the junonia exhibit in the main exhibition space with a new understanding of the precious shell.

Bubby told us that different winds, tides and currents effect what shells come up on the beach on any given day. The best shelling is often right after a big storm. We also learned that the collection of live shells is strictly prohibited in Sanibel, and any living shells found marooned on the beach should be carefully placed into the Ocean. Too often, tourists find a living mollusk and throw it back into the Atlantic, which could seriously injure the animal.

Our Review of the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum

We spent about 2.5 hours at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum. Our kids were engaged throughout the visit and gained a deeper understanding of shells. We definitely recommend a trip to the National Shell Museum to any family visiting Sanibel Island. This unique educational opportunity truly deepened our knowledge of mollusks, and we will never look at a beach the same. We only wish we went to the Museum at the beginning of our time in Sanibel.

March 17, 2019
Best Natural History Museums in the World
Our kids love museums, 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.

Recommended by Karen from Are We There Yet Kids.

#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.

Recommended by Lance Hale from Family Well Traveled.

#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!

Recommended by Mags Nixon from The Family Freestylers.

#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.

Recommended by Wisterian from Wisterian Watertree.

#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’s Natural 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!

Recommended by Emily Jenks from Henry and Andrew’s Guide.

#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.

Recommended by Bea from PackYourBags.Org. Find out more from Bea about the Natural History Museum of Marseille.

#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.

Recommended by Sally Lucas from Our 3 Kids v the World.

#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!
June 15, 2018
Travel Tips: ASTC Passport Program

Participation in the ASTC Travel Passport Program is an amazing value. Our family membership to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History comes with perks like reduced parking rates, guest passes and invitation to members-only events in addition to unlimited visits to the Museum and free shows at its Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium & Ralph Mueller Observatory. Because of the Museum’s affiliation with the ASTC Travel Passport Program, we also receive free reciprocal admission at hundreds of natural history, science and children’s museums.   The ability for our family to use the ASTC Passport Program to visit member museums around the country for free is a huge value!

What does the ASTC Passport Cost?

Each ASTC Passport member charges its own rate for a membership. Our family membership to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History costs us $90 a year.

ASTC Passport Review

We have had this membership for approximately two and a half years. Honestly, we don’t immediately renew when it expires but wait for the next opportunity when we want to visit the Cleveland Museum of Natural History or one of the other ASTC member museums and sign up for a new membership.   When visiting Los Angeles last Fall, we decided while walking down the Hollywood Walk of Fame that we wanted to go to the La Brea Tar Pits next. I called my husband from our Uber and had him purchase a membership online. Minutes after he sent me the confirmation email, I used it to get free admission into the Tar Pits. Since then, we’ve used our current membership for admission for several trips to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, two visits to the Carnegie Science Center and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. The value of those museum visits are about four times of the cost of our membership, and we still have five months left, including summer break.

Nancy is very fortunate to live in Washington, DC and have the free Smithsonian museums at her doorstep. She never considered purchasing a museum membership to use solely for travel until this spring. Her family purchased a membership to a local children’s museum and used it for free admission when visiting Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena and plans to use it to visit more museums when traveling.

Our family has visited 10 amazing ASTC affiliate museums and always looks forward to our next opportunity to use our membership.

#1: Adler Planetarium – Chicago, Illinois

My older son wanted to be an astronaut through pre-school, and both boys had a great time visiting the Adler Planetarium, which was the first planetarium in the western hemisphere.  The beautiful stone building houses many interactive exhibits and three theaters, including the most technologically enhanced planetarium theater and a high-definition 3D theater. Our boys were aged three and five at the time of our visit and enjoyed the interactive exhibits focusing on the planets, solar system and space exploration, and, of course, the planetarium show.

#2: Carnegie Science Center – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Of the dozens of museums my 10 year old has visited, the Carnegie Science Center is his favorite. He’s probably not alone, as this is Pittsburgh’s most popular museum. The “science” portion of the museum is pretty cool, but the real draw for him 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. The Ropes Challenge consists of a series of challenges, including a rope bridge, rolling logs and a horizontal net that culminate in a zip line and is probably my boys’ favorite “exhibit” ever, especially the zip line. Other highlights of the sports complex include the SkyTykes Ropes Course, located under the Ropes Challenge, a 24-foot rock climbing wall (which even my daughter tried out), a batting cage, a 10-meter dash and various challenges for endurance and balance. This bright complex is a perfect place for kids to burn energy, especially on cold or rainy days.

Inside the Carnegie Science Center, my boys’ favorite exhibit is Roboworld, which is considered the world’s largest permanent robotics exhibition. Roboworld features more than 30 interactive displays, including a robot who shoots baskets with impressive precision and another who challenges visitors in air hockey. My kids could spend hours playing air hockey with a robot or comparing basketball precision.

#3: Center of Science and Industry – Columbus, Ohio

The Center of Science and Industry, commonly known as “COSI” is a comprehensive science museum with more than 300 interactive exhibits. We were fortunate to visit several years ago during the week that COSI hosted its annual outdoor Big Machines exhibit. At the time, our four and six year old boys were at the height of their machinery enthusiasm and absolutely loved “touch a truck” events. So, it was a bit of a challenge to get them away from the trucks and inside COSI. Once inside, we discovered that COSI nails the “hands on” aspect of science, particularly with its lab spaces and hallway exhibitions.

#4: Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

A dream climber for kids

The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is an interactive museum for kids with great activities and hands-on creating opportunities for kids of all ages. The two-story climber attracted my 3.5 year old daughter like a magnet. She had to make it to the top and then back again. I was nervous about her exiting at the top until another mom assured me that the entrance and exit were both located at the bottom. As soon as we arrived, she headed straight for the two-story climber that thankfully has entrance and exit openings only at the bottom.

My boys happily worked in the MAKESHOP® just opposite the climber while I hung out at the wall dividing the two areas to keep an eye on all three children. The kids used household boxes to anchor markers in place and then attached motors to make them move on their own. The project involved tape, hot glue and a lot of trial and error, and this was my boys’ favorite exhibit at the Museum. The Museum’s Studio also offers hands-on creating opportunities for kids of all ages. This multimedia space offers wonderful supplies that allow kids to create paint, sculpt and silkscreen. The Studio is housed in a former planetarium and is a beautiful and bright space to inspire creative juices.

#5: Cleveland Museum of Natural History – Cleveland, Ohio

We are members of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, which is located in University Circle, about 15 minutes from our house. So, this is the ASTC museum we visit the most frequently. Inexpensive metered parking is usually available on Wade Oval, right outside the Museum. Because of our membership, I occasionally bring my oldest and youngest for a short visit while my husband accompanies our middle child to his nearby piano lesson.   It’s also a snow day favorite or something we combine with a trip to the Cleveland Museum of Art, which is located around the corner.

In good weather, we often enjoy the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden, which opened in the Fall of 2016 and features living plants and animals that are native to Ohio. The dinosaur collection may not compare to those of the National Museum of Natural History – London, the Field Museum or the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, but the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton is still pretty cool, and there is a mastodon skeleton that was found in the region. Lucy, the reconstructed cast of female hominid who lived over 3 million years ago is the a perennial favorite of my kids. Lucy’s skeleton was discovered in Ethiopia in 1974 by Donald Johanson, the curator of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. I have a series of pictures of my two youngest standing next to Lucy at various ages.

We always try to catch a planetarium show at Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium & Ralph Mueller Observatory. My daughter is a huge fan of the One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure, and even though my boys have seen it more times than we can count, they agreed to accompany her the last time that the timing aligned – albeit after a few eye rolls.

#6: The Field Museum of Natural History – Chicago, Illinois

The Field Museum is one of the world’s largest natural history museums. It opened in 1893 and was named to honor its first major benefactor, Marshall Field, the founder of the Chicago-based department store who donated $1 million to the Museum in 1894. It is located on Museum Campus along Lake Michigan and also boasts one of the world’s best dinosaur collections, including Sue, the world’s most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, which was prominently displayed in the main hall of the Museum until 2017. With two young boys aged three and five who were excited about prehistoric creatures, we definitely did not miss the dinosaur exhibit.

We also explored an Egyptian tomb in the three-story Inside Ancient Egypt exhibit. This exhibit includes one of the world’s largest collections of human mummies. This was our boys’ first exposure to Egypt, but they were fascinated and have since enjoyed Egyptian exhibits at the National Museum of Natural History and the Cleveland Museum of Art.

#7: Great Lakes Science Center – Cleveland, Ohio

While we cannot use our membership to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for free reciprocal membership to ASTC member museums within a 90 mile radius of our home, we recently visited the Great Lakes Science Center as part of a NASA Free Evening. The event feature science-related programming and Astronaut Terry Virts, the author of View from Space. Our kids thoroughly enjoyed hearing Virts describe his experiences on the space station.  Virts’ presentation and slide show inspired them to thoroughly explore the NASA Glenn’s Visitor’s Center, including the 1973 Skylab 3 Apollo Command Module. They also enjoyed trying out all the hands-on exhibits and building with Lego as part of the Science Center’s special exhibit.

#8: La Brea Tar Pits & George C. Page Museum – Los Angeles, California

The LaBrea Tar Pits & Museum are dedicated to La Brea’s shallow pools of oil that coagulated into asphalt and trapped Ice Age animals.  The Tar Pits are registered as a National Natural Landmark, and over 3.5 million fossils have been found on the site, with excavation continuing year round at Project 23 and seasonally at Pit 91. My son was fascinated by the Fossil Lab where you can watch paleontologists working on specimens collected from Project 23.   After viewing the completed fossils, watching Titans of the Ice Age, the 25-minute 3D movie featured in the Museum’s theater, and observing the Fossil Lab, my son had an opportunity to try separating fossils himself. With all these great hands on opportunities, it’s not surprising that the stop at the La Brea Tar Pits & Museum was his favorite of our trip.

#9: Maryland Science Center – Baltimore, Maryland

The Maryland Science Center is another phenomenal science museum located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. This was the first science museum we visited as a family. We were skeptical if our one and three year old boys were old enough for the Science Center, but they had a blast, especially while exploring the Spacelink exhibit and the Kids Room, which includes a large water play area.  We also enjoyed a show at the IMAX theater.

#10: Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History – Washington, D.C.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History is an amazing free admission museum on the National Mall. It was the world’s most visited natural history museum in 2017. The Museum’s collection includes over 126 million specimens. Our favorite is the Hope Diamond, the 45.5 carat grayish-blue pendant surrounded by 16 diamonds that is reportedly insured for $250 million.   The Hall of Fossils includes 46 complete skeletons and is currently undergoing a massive $45 million, five-year renovation and scheduled to reopen in 2019.  The iconic 14-foot tall elephant is the focal point of the entry rotunda.

For traveling families who enjoy natural history museums, science centers and children’s museums, investing in a membership to the ASTC Travel Passport Program museum can be an amazing value. Next on our list is the Ontario Science Centre, which was one of my favorite museums that I visited as a child. Make sure to check out our other posts on other ASTC museums, including children’s museums, natural history museums and science museums.

May 18, 2018
Pittsburgh With Kids: Five Fun Family Activities
Thank you to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Duquesne Incline for providing complimentary tickets and a tour for my family. 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 often get the chance to visit. 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 affectively 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.

Accommodations in Pittsburgh With Kids

My husband often travels to Pittsburgh for business, so I took a few days off over our kids’ recent Spring Break, and the rest of the family tagged along for a two day trip. We stayed at the Fairmont Pittsburgh and were very fortunate that our room was available when we checked in at 9 am. It was great to drop off our bags and freshen up before heading off to explore some museums. The Fairmont offers well-appointed guest rooms and luxurious and bright bathrooms, complete with a bathtub and separate shower area. There is no pool, but we have never found a hotel in downtown Pittsburgh that offers a pool. My kids’ only complaint was that the room didn’t have two bathrooms like our suite at the Treasure Island Beach Resort. Sorry, kids, a hotel room with two bathrooms is not the norm….

Our room at the Fairmont

Our bright and beautiful bathroom

Our trip happened to coincide with the Pirates‘ Opening Day, and we were lucky to have a view of PNC Park from our window. Our boys enjoyed checking out the festivities while their sister attempted to nap in the afternoon. Strangely, we couldn’t find the game on television, but score updates from Siri sufficed, and a single firework signaled the Pirates first home win of the season.

A room with a view of Opening Day

Food in Pittsburgh With Kids

The Fairmont is centrally located downtown, but it was pretty cold during our visit, so we didn’t do as much exploring as we would have liked. We did met my college roommate and a friend around the corner at NOLA on the Square for happy hour. NOLA nailed the New Orleans vibe, both in its architecture and the art work displayed on the walls. Because it was a relatively quiet Monday night, our group of seven was seated in the dining area but permitted to order from the pretty amazing happy hour menu. With $4 cocktails, $4 appetizers and $1 gumbo ya-ya, we’ll definitely be back the next time we are in town.

After happy hour, we all enjoyed a delicious dinner at Nicky’s Thai Kitchen. My husband regularly frequents Nicky’s and knows that their 1-5 rating is spicier than most. Our family often orders our food in the hot category, but three was plenty spicy for us. My husband once ordered a four and totally regretted it.

We really enjoyed our quick trip to Pittsburgh with kids and recommend these five fun family activities to other family travelers:

#1: Carnegie Science Center With Kids

It’s no secret that my kids love museums. Of the dozens of museums my 10 year old has visited, the Carnegie Science Center is his favorite. He’s probably not alone, as this is Pittsburgh’s most popular museum. The “science” portion of the museum is pretty cool, but the real draw for him 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. The Carnegie Science Center is part of the Carnegie Museums, and members can visit all four on the same membership, but we use our ASTC Travel Passport Program membership for free entry.

When we visited the Science Center on the day after Thanksgiving, the line for the new Ropes Challenge was too long. So, on this visit, my sons went straight for the Ropes Challenge line when we arrived. The Ropes Challenge consists of a series of challenges, including a rope bridge, rolling logs and a horizontal net that culminate in a zip line. This is probably my boys’ favorite “exhibit” ever, especially the zip line.

My daughter was pretty excited to try the SkyTykes Ropes Course, located under the Ropes Challenge, while her brothers waited for their turn.

My little explorer

Other highlights of the sports complex include a 24-foot rock climbing wall (which even my daughter tried out), a batting cage, a 10-meter dash and various challenges for endurance and balance.

Father-son climb

Race against Olympic sprint times

My kids may not have left the Highmark SportsWorks^® with a deeper understanding of center of mass and inertia or reciting facts about physics or biology, but the interactive exhibits are certainly fun and provide some basic exposure to the concept that science is everywhere. This bright complex is also a perfect place for kids to burn energy, especially on cold or rainy days.

Inside the Carnegie Science Center, my boys’ favorite exhibit is Roboworld, which is considered the world’s largest permanent robotics exhibition. Roboworld features more than 30 interactive displays, including a robot who shoots baskets with impressive precision and another who challenges visitors in air hockey. My kids could spend hours playing air hockey with a robot or comparing basketball precision.

We also checked out the Little Learner Clubhouse for the first time on our last visit. Because many exhibits focused on a younger audience have an age limit for participation, we often avoid them even when we have two adults. However, I was glad that this exhibit is designed for children six and under and their families. So, my older sons were able to accompany their younger sister, who absolutely loved the water table. Even though this exhibit was clearly geared for younger children, my boys had fun with the tomato stand.

The Miniature Railroad & Village is a fun but unexpected exhibit at the Science Center. This enormous village provides a tour of western Pennsylvania and includes over 250,000 trees. Of course, our favorite miniature was Fallingwater.

We’ve had lunch at Center’s River View Café several times. The Café is currently under renovation and open with only a limited menu, but its convenience is key as there really does not seem to be any other lunch options within walking distance. My kids thoroughly enjoyed their hot dog kids’ meals and cheese steak sandwich. A new wing is also currently under construction, but the exhibits are all open during the renovations.

E-motion cone
- Kid 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.
- Pro Tip: 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.
#2: Carnegie Museum of Natural History With Kids

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History was founded in 1896 by Pittsburgh industrialist, Andrew Carnegie, and gained notoriety in 1899 when its scientists found the fossils of the Diplodocus carnegii. 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. Dippy is currently on tour across the United Kingdom for the next two years. The original diplodocus skeleton was admittedly a major draw for us to visit the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. It is housed in a space that oddly resembles a hotel lobby, but the exhibit is still a dream for any young paleontologist.

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History maintains one of the world’s most prominent dinosaur collections. The Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibit is the world’s largest collection of Jurassic dinosaurs and the third largest collection of mounted dinosaurs in the US and includes two Tyrannosaurus Rex skeletons and a triceratops skeleton.

One of two Tyrannosaurus Rex skeletons

My kids are fascinated by gemstones, so the Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems was a big hit. Over 1,300 specimens are artistically displayed throughout several rooms.

I see a few that I’d like

The Bone Hunters’ Quarry gives kids 10 and under a chance to dig for bones with brushes and chisels. This interactive exhibit occupied my children for a solid 10-15 minutes until the 10 year old started getting bored.
- Kid Facts: The diplodocus skeleton was found on an expedition to the Morrison Formation sponsored by Carnegie. The Morrison Formation in Utah is the most fertile source of North American dinosaur fossils.
#3: 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. One of the most unique features of the Carnegie Art Museum is the Hall of Architecture, which includes the world’s third-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. Saint-Gilles-du-Gard is considered one of the most beautiful Romanesque portals. The Hall also includes almost 140 other full-size plaster casts.

We were also pretty excited to find the special exhibit, Hiroshige’s Tōkaidō Road, had opened just a few days before our visit. This series of woodblock prints depicts landscapes and people that master printmaker, Utagawa Hiroshige, encountered when traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto. We enjoy Hiroshige’s art so much that we have one of his prints at home, but our print is not one of this series. This special exhibit includes a complete set of 55 prints from the first (Hōeidō) edition of Hiroshige’s Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō. Vincent Van Gogh collected ukiyo-e with his brother, and their collection included Hiroshige’s works. Van Gogh incorporated similar bright colors, natural details and unconventional perspectives into his own works.

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 was one of his famous series of wheat field paintings. While Van Gogh and Monet are our favorites, we didn’t make it here until well past nap time for my three year old, who found the large bench very comfortable.

Van Gogh’s Wheat Fields at Auvers Under Clouded Sky

Monet’s Water Lilies (Nymphéas)

I love the convenience of two museums in one, which made it logistically possible to visit two museums on the same day we drove to Pittsburgh and still spend most of the afternoon relaxing in our hotel room. While we did not have a chance to explore all the galleries, the collection was impressive, and we look forward to future visits.
- Kid Facts: The Hall of Architecture contains the largest collection of plaster casts of architectural masterpieces and the third largest in the world (behind the Victoria and Albert Museum and Musée national des Monuments Français).
#4: Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh With Kids

The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is an interactive museum for kids that is also a member of the ASTC Travel Passport Program. We visited twice previously before our recent trip, and this is the only museum where I have spent an entire day back when my boys were 1.5 and 3.5. While most families likely visit for only 2-3 hours at a time, there is definitely enough to occupy kids all day. We had a wonderful day thoroughly exploring each and every exhibit in detail and spending hours in the Studio creating works of art.

Our recent visit was during our second afternoon in Pittsburgh and took place after a morning at the Carnegie Science Center. My daughter didn’t get a nap until we were in the car headed back to Cleveland but was so excited about all the exhibits that she forgot to be cranky. As soon as we arrived, she headed straight for the two-story climber that thankfully has entrance and exit openings only at the bottom. Her brothers followed her in but quickly came out, indicating that the climber had a strong odor of feet. Nevertheless, this climber attracted my daughter like a magnet. She probably spent a solid 20 minutes climbing all the way to the top and then back down while my boys worked on draw bots in the MAKESHOP®. She did get a bit stuck at one point, but she got a bit of a boost from a slightly bigger kid and kept moving. At the very top, kids are out of sight for a few minutes, which was a bit disconcerting at first, but the other parents milling around at the bottom assured me that the same thing happened with their kids.

A dream climber for kids

My boys happily worked in the MAKESHOP® just opposite the climber while I hung out at the wall dividing the two areas to keep an eye on all of them. The kids used household boxes to anchor markers in place and then attached motors to make them move on their own. The project involved tape, hot glue and a lot of trial and error, and this was my boys’ favorite exhibit at the Museum. My daughter was too young to create one 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).

The Museum’s Studio offers hands-on creating opportunities for kids of all ages. Because we were short on time and stayed for a long time at the MAKESHOP®, we did not make it to the Studio this time, but it’s a beautiful multimedia space with wonderful supplies that allow kids to create paint, sculpt and silkscreen. The Studio is housed in a former planetarium and is a beautiful and bright space to inspire creative juices, and smocks are available. Because I am not crafty by nature, I really appreciate prepared craft projects.

The Studio’s ceiling

Creating in the Studio

My boys really enjoyed the Waterplay exhibit on our previous visits. Honestly, I judged other museum waterplay exhibits against this one for years. Previously, full length rain ponchos and crocs were available for kids to use while exploring in the water. This time, only smocks were available, and almost all the other kids had changed into swimming attire or had stripped down to their underwear, and it seemed more like a spray park than it had been before. An ideal day at the museum for me does not involve hauling swimsuits and towels, and even my three year old would not be comfortable wearing only panties in public. My kids were hesitant because they did not want to get soaked, so this exhibit definitely lost some of its luster this time around. While the snow table was unique, we all agreed that the Wonder Lab at the Children’s Museum of Cleveland is now our waterplay gold standard.

All geared up during a prior visit to the Waterplay area

My daughter was pretty excited to find a puppet of her friend, Daniel Tiger, in the Museum’s Nursery.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and will definitely be back. While some of the exhibits are more age appropriate for my daughter, her brothers had fun accompanying her as she explored those areas and particularly enjoyed the MAKESHOP®. I think it’s been offseason or rainy on each of our three visits, but we hope next time, we can check out the Backyard.
- Kid Facts: Mr. Rodgers’ Neighborhood was filmed in Pittsburgh from 1968 to 2001, and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh maintains some great memorabilia.
- Pro Tip: Try to visit the Studio first so that art masterpieces dry before it’s time to leave. The Studio is housed in a former planetarium and is a beautiful and bright space to inspire kids’ creative juices.
#5: 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. We visited on Thanksgiving before our turkey feast with friends. 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 was both an engineering masterpiece and a work of art.

Interior of the trolley car

Wooden track

At the station at the top, there are historical exhibits that provide an overview of the history of Pittsburgh, its many inclines and the engineering challenges that the engineers had to overcome to build and operate the Incline.

Trolley car traveling down the Incline

Tom Reinheimer’s tour of the Upper Station gave us an overview of the history of Pittsburgh, its many inclines and the engineering challenges that the engineers had to overcome to build and operate the Incline. Tom then took us to the David H. Miller Working Museum to tour of the Incline’s hoisting machinery. The Incline still uses its original hoisting equipment that features giant cogs with wooden gear teeth.

Hoisting equipment

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 city’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). For more details, check out our Spotlight feature on the Duquesne Incline.
- Kid Facts: USA Today recently named the Duquesne Incline as one of the 10 great streetcars, trams and funiculars.
- Pro Tip: The Duquesne Incline accepts only cash and requires exact change.
Find Out More About Pittsburgh With Kids

Interested in finding out more about visiting Pittsburgh with kids? Check out our other blog posts about Pittsburgh and nearby Fallingwater.
April 16, 2018