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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
Things to Do in Rochester With Kids
Thank you to the Strong National Museum of Play and the Rochester Museum & Science Center for hosting our family’s visit. All opinions are my own.

While planning a trip over the Fourth of July to visit my uncle in Amherst, Massachusetts solo with three kids, I knew that I would want to split up the nine hour drive from Cleveland. A few weeks before our trip, I heard an advertisement on a local radio station for the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester. I am not one who is easily swayed by advertisements of any sort, but we love museums, and one with the words “strong” and “play” really piqued my interest. Even though I’d never actually been to downtown Rochester, I thought to myself that the next time we drive through New York, we’ll have to check it out. Because Rochester is roughly halfway between Cleveland and Amherst, our visit to the Strong occurred much quicker than I ever imagined. We also planned a stop at the Rochester Museum and Science Center, and our five hour visit to Rochester was an ideal pit stop. There are a surprising number of things to do in Rochester with kids for families driving across the New York turnpike or otherwise visiting the city. We would definitely stop in Rochester again.

Museums in Rochester, New York

#1: Strong National Museum of Play

The Strong National Museum of Play is located in downtown Rochester and regularly considered one of the country’s top children’s museums. It’s definitely our favorite. The Strong Museum opened in 1982 and was initially based on the personal collection of Margaret Woodbury Strong, a philanthropist who was an avid collector of toys. The Strong features 100,000 square feet of exhibit space and the most colorful museum exterior that I’ve ever seen. With so many exhibits in this enormous museum, make sure to pick up a Strong Museum map at the front desk.

The Strong National Museum of Play exterior

Field of Play Exhibit at the Strong Museum

We started at the Field of Play exhibit, which includes hundreds of creative play activities and artifacts. The kids particularly enjoyed the drag racer simulator and the rock wall.

Drag racing

My kids really have never met a rock wall they haven’t wanted to climb. We have a tiny one on our back yard playset. The rock wall at the Strong was distinctive because the holds consisted of letters, numbers and animals.

Climbing the Rock Wall

There was also an exaggerated perspective room that made me feel nauseous, but my four year old dragged me back into it several times. Of course, parental supervision in the room was required. My boys have never had more fun with a puff of air than directing one through a cannon at a target. I honestly think my kids could have spent an hour in this exhibit alone. But, we knew we were short on time and had so many other things to see.

Directing a puff of air at the target

Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street Exhibit

Although my kids have never been regular Sesame Street watchers, they know all the characters. We were excited for the Sesame Street exhibit, and I couldn’t resist a photo opportunity with the 123 Sesame Street stoop. Even though the doors did not actually open, my four year old daughter was excited to stop by. This exhibit includes many Sesame-themed opportunities for imaginative play, including the Cookie Monster Foodie Truck.

The iconic 123 Sesame Street stoop

Wegmans Super Kids Market Exhibit at the Strong Museum

The Wegmans Super Kids Market exhibit was a realistic grocery store recreation. As we entered, the kids were instructed to get a cart, pretend to be shoppers and pick five items. Then, they transformed into the check out clerks to ring up their items and when they were done, they got to restock their items. While the kids were shopping, I remembered my sister raving about a grocery store exhibit she visited at a children’s museum a few years ago and wondered if it was at the Strong (it was!). I did not remember her museum recommendation and am pretty sure that she did not describe the museum with the words “strong” or “play” like the radio advertisement.

Checking out the produce

While our kids have played at many mini-grocery stores in other children’s museums, botanical gardens and science museums, this Wegmans one upped every other grocery store exhibit due to its realistic size and its cash registers that printed accurate receipts.

Accurate receipt

National Toy Hall of Fame at the Strong Museum

The National Toy Hall of Fame was established in 1998 and moved to the Strong in 2002. As we entered the National Toy Hall of Fame, I felt as if I was walking into one of the Toy Story movies. It was hard to pry my daughter away from the Big Wheel-powered ramp. I think the big wheel I had as a small child looked very much like this red and yellow model.

Big wheel at the Strong

The National Toy Hall of Fame inductees include iconic toys like Clue, Jack-in-the-Box, playing cards, hula hoop, LEGO, paper airplane and my favorite, the cardboard box. The exhibited toys on the second floor were more of a walk down memory lane of favorite toys from my childhood and many were foreign to my kids.

World Video Game Hall of Fame at the Strong Museum

The World Video Game Hall of Fame opened at the Strong in 2015, and currently, 24 games have been inducted. The Strong also includes eGameReveolution, a giant video arcade room featuring historic and current video games. I purchased a few dollars’ worth of tokens, and not surprisingly, my kids loved trying out the video games.

Winner!

My daughter’s video game experience is really minimal, but she played several rounds of Space Invaders, each with a little more excitement than the last.

Intense game of Space Invaders

Another walk down memory lane came with the Pong exhibit. Pong was our family’s first video game. My brother bought it at a rummage sale in the mid-1980s, and we connected it to our console television in the center of our living room and played for hours. Pong was one of the earliest video games and simulates table tennis. Players use knobs to move their paddle in a game that reminds me of Brick Breaker that I used to be addicted to on my Blackberry. It’s only a matter of time before my iPhone X looks as much as an antique as Pong does now, right?

Pong

Other Exhibits at the Strong Museum

My kids fully explored the Imagination Destination, and my daughter particularly enjoyed the role playing opportunities. All three got involved with constructing a shingle roof. One History Place gave them an opportunity to step back into the 19th century, and my son played on the parlor piano. Fairy tales and children’s literary classics came alive in Reading Adventureland. My daughter excitedly identified each of the scenes in the Fairy Tale Forest and then took off to explore the shipwreck of Adventure Island. We ended our visit with a ride on the Elaine Wilson Carousel.

Aquarium

The Strong Museum With Older Kids

While much of the Strong Museum is geared for kids eight and under, older children and adults appreciate the National Toy Hall of Fame and World Video Game Hall of Fame. My nine and eleven year old boys would not have spent so long on the first floor if their four year old sister was not with them. They followed her through the museum and played with her, but with slightly less exuberance than she had. My older kids and I thought that the enormous and colorful picture window was pretty impressive, but my daughter was much more interested in playing. We highly recommend a visit to the Strong.

Colorful picture window
- The Strong Museum Hours: The Strong Museum is generally open Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. In 2019, the Strong Museum is closed on October 25, November 28 and December 25.
- The Strong Museum Tickets: As of July 2019, Strong Museum admission costs $16 for visitors age two and older. Children under age two are free.
- The Strong Museum Parking: Free parking is available in an adjacent surface lot.
- Time Spent at the Strong Museum: We spent two and a half hours at the Strong Museum and would have stayed longer if we had not planned to visit the Rochester Museum and Science Center on the same day.
#2: Rochester Museum and Science Center

We proceeded from the Strong to the Rochester Museum & Science Center, a science, natural history and local history museum under one roof in downtown Rochester. It was very easy to travel from the Strong to the Rochester Museum and Science Center. Both have free, adjacent parking lots, and the drive between the two museums was only about five minutes. Visiting these two museums on the same day is a great way to combine imaginative and scientific play. We arrived about 90 minutes before closing and made sure to explore as much as we could.

Rochester Museum & Science Center exterior

The Rochester Museum & Science Center is a member of the ASTC Travel Passport Program. Like many science centers, there are many hands-on exhibits that my kids had fun exploring. We started in the AdventureZone exhibit on the ground level. My sons found the second rock wall of the day.

More rock wall fun

My daughter immediately headed to the puppet show area and started planning her performance.

Puppet show

Wholly Mammoth skeleton

The Rochester Museum and Science Center is unique because it combines a natural history, local history and science. There is not only a taxidermy exhibit featuring a gigantic wholly mammoth skeleton but also several exhibits that focus on the local history of Rochester and Western New York.

While museums often consist of a series of dark and windowless rooms, the Rochester Museum and Science Center has two large exhibit areas, the Patricia F. Hale Hands-On Gallery and the Reidman Gallery. Each gallery features large windows on three sides. The natural sunlight made the space naturally cheerful, and we returned to these exhibit areas several times.

Science fun

The kids gleefully darted from one exhibit to the next, trying to fit in as many science experiments as they could.

STEM learning

The kids’ favorite part of the Rochester Museum and Science Center was the Inventor Center, a hands on “maker space” where my three kids worked together to construct a car to deliver supplies to people trapped in a mountain pass. The kids planned, built and then enhanced the car and managed to pass the challenge just as the Inventor Center was closing.

The finished vehicle

We did not have enough time to visit the adjacent Strasenburgh Planetarium, but definitely have that on the list for our next visit to Rochester. The Rochester Museum and Science Center is a great place for hands on science and history learning.

Strasenburgh Planetarium
- Rochester Museum and Science Center Hours: The Rochester Museum and Science Center is generally open on Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on July 4, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
- Rochester Museum and Science Center Tickets: Rochester Museum and Science Center admission costs $15 for adults, $14 for seniors and college students and $13 for children ages 3 to 18. Kids under three are free.
- Rochester Museum and Science Center Parking: Free parking is available in an adjacent surface lot.
- Time Spent at the Rochester Museum and Science Center: We spent only about 90 minutes because of closing time.
Where to Eat in Rochester

#1: The French Quarter

We all really worked up an appetite with our museum exploration. We left the Rochester Museum and Science Center when it closed at 5:00 p.m. and headed straight to French Quarter, which was advertised as the best Cajun and Creole food in Rochester. My husband and I have visited New Orleans several times, including an April 2019 trip to Jazz Fest. While my kids have never been, we drag them to Cajun restaurants when we travel, and enjoyed a delicious meal at MudBugs in Sanibel this Spring. It’s no secret that we all love Cajun and Creole cuisine. We also loved the authentic New Orleans architecture and the bright red door.

Arriving at the French Quarter

Because it opened right as the Rochester Museum and Science Center closed, we were the first diners, but four or five other tables filled up while we ate. Our meal was tasty and served quickly. We were back on the road by 6 p.m. headed for our final destination of the evening, a hotel near Oneida, New York.

Traditional New Orleans architecture and art

#2: Tom Wahl’s

On our drive back from Amherst, we stopped again in Rochester for lunch. My parents suggested Tom Wahl’s for wahlburgers, gourmet hamburgers. While I don’t eat beef, my kids almost always enjoy a good cheeseburger but had one too many over our long weekend and opted for chicken instead. It was better than the average food court option! We stopped at the nearby Lands’ End Outlet before getting back on the road for home.

Home of the Wahlberger’s

Rochester With Kids

Our visit to Rochester was planned as a pit stop on our road trip to Amherst, Massachusetts and was an unexpected surprise. The Strong Museum and the Rochester Museum and Science Center both offer fun, hands-on learning enjoyable for both parents and kids. We would definitely recommend a trip to Rochester with kids!
August 10, 2019
Spotlight: California Science Center with Kids! (Los Angeles)

The California Science Center located in the heart of Los Angeles is an amazing facility for people of all ages to learn by doing! With over 400,000 square feet of space, the facility has over four major exhibit areas, including a Discovery Room, which is designed for scientists age 7 and under. My favorite thing about the center is that admission is free for all permanent exhibits!

On a recent sweltering day, we ventured to the California Science Center to check out the King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh special exhibit. As it is not part of the permanent exhibit, admission was not free, however, our party of six (immediate family + in laws) loved the exhibit – including my 3.5 year old who was riveted and engaged the whole time.

The King Tut exhibit is separated into two parts – the first part begins on the third floor and you are required to show your ticket in order to enter. The exhibit begins with a short movie, introducing King Tut and the exhibit.

Of the 150 artifacts on display at the exhibit, 66 had never before traveled outside of Egypt. Those artifacts were clearly marked with a “first time out of Egypt” label.

As we made our way through the exhibit, we were blown away by not only the quality of the artifacts which were all in pristine condition. The artifacts were also incredibly intricate and I can only imagine the skilled craftsmanship that went into creating each individual item.

My nine year old was able to really dig into the exhibit – he wandered around and read the signs and descriptions on his own, commenting as he went along. My 3.5 year old spent his time in the exhibit largely on his grandfather’s shoulders, but even he was engaged as his grandpa read him the descriptions and explained to him what we were seeing.

After making our way through the first part of the exhibit, we were given a card that would serve as our admission to Part II – located on the first floor. Before leaving the third floor, however, my nine year old decided he wanted to take a ride on the high-wire bicycle. For $3, he was strapped in and completed two back and forth journeys on the high-wire. He reports that it was great fun and wished that we had the time for him to do it again!

After finding our way down to the first floor, we handed over our cards and were granted admission into Part II – which focuses on the actual work of discovering and excavating the tomb.

Howard Carter is credited as the British archeologist who discovered the tomb, but I was tickled to learn, for the first time, that it was water boy, Hussein Abdel-Rassoul who first laid eyes on the tomb and reported the discovery to Carter and his crew of men.

The end of the exhibit featured a short film which introduced some levity into the whole King Tut fascination. My boys loved dancing to Steve Martin’s King Tut parody, which was playing in the background, as they watched the film.

Our exploration of the King Tut exhibit occupied us for over two hours, so by the time we made our way out of Part II, it was time to leave downtown to get home in time for a certain little one’s nap. Having caught a glimpse of the other exhibits at the California Science Center on our way in and out of the King Tut exhibit, I know that we will be visiting the museum frequently on hot days, as well as the rare rainy day in Southern California.

The California Science Center is located at 700 Exposition Park Drive in Los Angeles and is open to the public seven days a week, 362 days a year, with free general admission to its permanent exhibits. The King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh is a limited time engagement and I strongly encourage those who are able to visit! Note that once you leave the exhibit, re-entry is not permitted.

Be sure to check out our entire category of posts on things to do and places to visit in Los Angeles, California with kids! And, be sure to visit the California Science Center with kids!

Every so often, we encounter a place that is so fabulous for those traveling with kids that it is worthy of being featured on its own. For more fun locations, please check out our other Spotlight features!

July 17, 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
Spotlight: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center / National Air and Space Museum With Kids!
Located in Chantilly, VA, a quick 30-45 minute drive from Washington, DC, the Udvar-Hazy Center or, as we locals like to call it, “the Dulles Air & Space Museum” is an off the beaten path destination that I highly recommend for anyone visiting Washington, DC. Let’s face it, the weather in Washington, DC is fickle and there are many days during heavy tourist season where the weather is just too unpleasant to be outside. If you’re tired of being drenched in sweat the minute you step outside your hotel room, Dulles Air & Space is the place for you!

Dulles Air & Space has two large hangars, displaying thousands of aircrafts and space ships. When my kids were early walkers, we frequently took advantage of Air & Space’s wide corridors and open expanse of space to let our kids run and burn off their energy, especially in the winter or spring when the weather was frequently too cold or too wet for us to be outside.

My now eight year old started visiting Air & Space when he was just getting on two feet!

If you have any experience visiting museums with young children, you know that it can frequently be a harrowing experience to actually get anything out of it yourself. Between maneuvering the crowds, chasing little feet, and reminding sticky hands not to touch, we frequently find that we, as the adults, miss out on a lot of the experience. I’m happy to report that the Dulles Air & Space museum is different because the nature of the exhibits (airplanes and space shuttles!), makes it easy for even the adults to catch as glimpse before eager little feet run off. The Blackbird, the Concorde, the Enola Gay, and the Discovery Shuttle are all located at Dulles Air & Space and they’re impressive enough to catch the fancy of even the youngest museum goers.

Things to Note:
- The museum is open daily from 10am – 5:30pm and although admission is free, there is a parking fee of $15 per vehicle before 4pm.
- There is a McDonald’s cafe located on the second floor so if you get hungry and need to catch a bite to eat, that’s always an option.
- If you have older kids, there is also an IMAX Theater and Planetarium that may be of interest. My children also love to watch the preservation and restoration activities taking place in the Restoration Hangar, where there are frequently specialists working hard to assess and preserve artifacts for everyone’s enjoyment.
- Do not confuse the Dulles Air & Space Museum with the National Air & Space Museum in Downtown, Washington, DC. Both are operated by the Smithsonian, but are uniquely different. The downtown museum has traditional exhibits and a children’s science area that is fantastic for children ages 3-6. The downtown museum, however, can get extremely crowded during busy tourist season as it is located on the mall and within walking distance to most major tourist sites. The Dulles Air & Space Museum featured in this post can mostly be described as “a bunch of cool airplanes and space craft hanging out in giant hangars.” In other words, super awesome for little kids who need to burn off energy in sub-optimal weather conditions. It’s also a wonderful place to visit with older children, especially as they learn more about air and space travel. My oldest son is not quite at the age where the Enola Gay or the Concorde means anything to him – but you can be sure we will visit when he is!
Be sure to check out our entire category of posts on things to do and places to visit in Washington, DC. We are so lucky to call this place home and hope that our tips and tricks come in handy as you plan your own adventure in Washington, DC!

Every so often, we encounter a place that is so fabulous for those traveling with kids that it is worthy of being featured on its own. For more fabulous locations, please check out our other Spotlight features!
February 2, 2018
Cleveland With Kids: Five Fun Family Activities
Thank you to the Children’s Museum of Cleveland, the Great Lakes Science Center, the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for each providing complimentary tickets for my family. All opinions are my own.

Cleveland is typically not a city that comes to mind as a vacation spot but has been growing as a tourist destination in recent years. While venturing out of my office for lunch at North Coast Harbor this summer, I was surprised to find myself surrounded by casually dressed visitors rather than the usual business crowd. National Geographic Traveler‘s “2018 Best of the World” list recently named Cleveland as one of seven cities in its culture category. Editor George Stone described Cleveland as a city “that you kind of thought you knew but you don’t,” and we agree.

If you look beyond its historically bad reputation and unfortunate football team, Cleveland really does have a lot to offer both its residents and visitors. Playhouse Square is the second largest performing arts center in the country, behind only New York City’s Lincoln Center, and now boasts the world’s largest outdoor chandelier. The Cleveland Orchestra is world-renowned and considered one of the country’s “Big Five” symphony orchestras, and the hospital systems are consistently top-ranked. Cleveland’s downtown has added a number of hotels and residential housing developments.  A variety of amazing museums around the city, including the world’s only Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, offer something for everyone. In 2016, the Cavs won the NBA finals, hosted the Republican National Convention, completed a $50 million renovation to Public Square, and the Indians played in the World Series. LeBron James has led the Cavaliers to the last three NBA finals, and the Indians had a 22-game winning streak last season. There also is definitely a Cleveland food scene with world-famous chefs Michael Symon, Jonathon Sawyer, Rocco Whalen and Chris Hodgson each owning several hot spots in town.

If any of that is convincing enough to persuade you to travel to Cleveland, be warned that winters here are admittedly long and chilly.  The weather has been so bad recently that various area schools have closed for extreme cold, ice or snow on five different days this month. With that in mind, try to visit between April and October, if possible. The absolute best time to plan a visit is during a championship parade. But, Cleveland sports teams have been notoriously cursed, so there has actually been only one during my lifetime. I can assure you that my family was there to share the June 22, 2016 celebration with 1.3 million of our closest friends and family. We had a spectacular view of the festivities right from my office window.

With no championship parades in sight, we decided to make the most of our recent winter break staycation and truly become tourists in our own city and enjoy all it has to offer.   Our kids were thrilled to visit many of the city’s premier museums. Here are our five fun family activities in alphabetical order:

Fun Family Activities in Cleveland With Kids

#1: 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. We had been members of the Museum at its previous location in University Circle when my oldest son attended preschool nearby.  The Museum was housed in an old Howard Johnson’s restaurant. Although our boys thoroughly enjoyed their visits, the space was choppy with a few stairs here, there and everywhere such that it was a stroller nightmare. The Millionaire’s Row mansion in Midtown had most recently served as the main campus for Myers University and an elegant banquet hall. One of my best friends had her wedding reception in the space that now houses Adventure City. The new site and $10 million renovation really puts the newly expanded and totally accessible Museum in a different ballpark.

The Museum features these four permanent exhibits:
- The Wonder Lab is an industrial science laboratory with water tables, whirlpools and jets that particularly fascinated my daughter. My sons spent most of their time building ball tracks on the magnetic wall. This was my kids’ favorite exhibit.
Moveable ball tracks on a magnetic wall
- Adventure City offers 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. Building a car was a huge hit.
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, but the Museum seemed prepared for them. They placed a tiny CMC logo in each house for a “hide and go seek” challenge, which was right up their alley and occupied them while their sister carefully examined each dollhouse.
She carefully examined each and every dollhouse

My boys had fun finding the CMC logo in each dollhouse
- Arts & Parts is a bright art studio with different prepared art projects for children to create. My kids created paper lanterns and played with playdoh.
Playdoh creation

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

We visited right after New Year’s Day when most schools were still on holiday, and the Museum was packed. But the only real issue we had with the crowds was in the Coat Room. Despite the fact that this was the best Coat Room, which included shelves with baskets to help store cold weather accessories and lunches and also a window into the Wonder Lab below, it was a challenge to find a spare hanger when we arrived. The exhibits themselves were buzzing with activity but all accessible to my children.

The Museum is geared for visitors aged birth to eight. My nine year old enjoyed the Museum with his siblings – particularly the Wonder Lab and Adventure City and also joined their pleas for “five more minutes” when it was time to leave. But, he did get a bit bored in the Making Miniatures and Art & Parts exhibits and inquired whether it was time to move on. If the youngest child in your group is over eight, this may not be your ideal activity or, perhaps, only a short visit. I really love that adults are not admitted unless accompanied by children and that children are similarly not admitted unless accompanied by adults.

The former Stager-Beckwith Mansion is a huge improvement over the prior setting for the Cleveland Children’s Museum and definitely worth the wait. My kids had so much fun in this ideal place for kids to explore, imagine and create.

The new home of the Cleveland Children’s Museum
- Kid Facts: Anson Stager, who is known for creating the most effective secret code used during the Civil War, originally built this home in 1866. Stager sold the home a few years later to Thomas Sterling Beckwith, the founder of Cleveland’s first carpet and interior store. In the 19th century, this portion of Euclid Avenue was known as Millionaire’s Row and home to powerful industrialists, including John D. Rockefeller.
#2: 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 picturesque setting, and the wind turbine, which was installed in 2006, provides about 7% of the building’s electrical needs.

Great Lakes Science Center

We met friends visiting from out-of-town at the Science Center a few days after Christmas. Between our two families, we had five boys and one girl ages three to eleven. Even though it was mid-week, it was a very popular day due to the holiday. We started in the hands-on exhibits in the main exhibition space upstairs. This area was a bit of a zoo with the number of families running around, but the kids didn’t seem to mind at all. This exhibit checked all the right boxes for my oldest, who is a kinesthetic learner. He could have easily spent all day trying out absolutely everything.

Throw-back photo from a previous visit

She wanted to watch and try out everything

One of the kids’ favorite activities was building a catenary arch with a few other visitors. Each cushion needed to be arranged in number order and carefully held in place until the entire arch is completed. Due to the height, the final cushion required adult assistance, but the rest of the arch was predominately constructed by kids, who were very excited about the free-standing finished product.

Catenary Arch

After about an hour of intense scientific discovery, we took a break to watch the Rocky Mountain Express in the Cleveland Clinic Dome Theater. The film depicts the construction of the first transcontinental railway of Canada. The IMAX photography really makes viewers feel like they have been transported to Canada. The film not only had beautiful cinematography, but we learned a lot about the building of the Canadian railway. Naturally, we straight to All Aboard! The History of Trains after the film.

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.

At another exhibit in the Visitor Center, kids can operate a remote control rover using a controller and video screen. The rover itself is located across the room, and this simulation gives kids the chance to experience the challenges of remotely operating similar rovers exploring Mars.

Operating the Rover

We finished our time at the Science Center in the Cleveland Creates Zone, which offers various activities for kids to invent, design, tinker and create. The five boys were particularly fascinated by the rocket pod and tried several different designs.

We did not make it to the Polymer Funhouse, an area geared for scientists aged seven and under because half of our crew was too old. However, my daughter would have a blast there, especially on a less crowded day. We also couldn’t take the self-guided walk of the William G. Mather, which is closed November through April, but hope to come back in the Spring to check it out.
- Kid Facts: It cost about $120,000 to move the Apollo Command Module from the NASA’s Brook Park facility to the Science Center in 2010. The move required a year of planning but took only about 30 minutes to complete the 13-mile journey.
#3: Greater Cleveland Aquarium With Kids

The Greater Cleveland Aquarium opened in its current location in the Flats’ FirstEnergy Powerhouse in 2012 and remains Ohio’s only free-standing aquarium. When we arrived, the diver presentation was just beginning in the shark tank, so we decided to head straight there. Watching Matthew, the diver, feed the aquatic life was the highlight of our visit. A special microphone allowed Matthew to talk directly to the audience. 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 shark, stingrays, angelfish, a giant barracuda and a whole host of other ocean creatures. You 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

Beautiful lion fish

Clown fish (aka Nemo fish) are always a favorite for our kids.

My son particularly enjoyed the Invertebrate Touch Pool where he got the chance to feel a starfish with the official “two-finger” technique. The Aquarium is an amazing place to learn about aquatic animals and get a glimpse of life under the sea.
- Kid Facts: The Aquarium has someone on site 24/7 to check on the tanks and make sure all the animals are safe.
#4: Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland With Kids

The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA) is one of 20 modern art museums in the US. MOCA opened its new facility in 2012, and a video on its website shows the construction process in under three minutes. A Poet*hical Wager, opened in October 2017 to celebrate its fifth anniversary in University Square. In conjunction with its opening, MOCA announced that it would no longer charge entrance fees for guests under 18, which is a great benefit for families.

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 current exhibit also 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.

Many of the installations in the current exhibition, A Poet*hical Wager, challenge the viewer’s preconceived notions about art. Several docents were on hand to explain the background for this exhibition, which was inspired by the book of the same name by Joan Retallack. Most featured artists in this exhibit come from low-income backgrounds and third world countries. Mexico City artist Abraham Cruzvilleges contributed a black and red acrylic painting to cover up newspaper clippings, photographs, letters, tickets, napkins and other items. He also created an installation from various found objects in Cleveland that my daughter likened to a space ship.

Another memorable installation was Rashid Johnson’s Shea Butter, which was a cinderblock wall with shea butter used in place of mortar and sometimes in place of the cinderblocks themselves.

The third floor features an exhibit by British artist Phil Collins (not to be confused with the popular musician) that consists of listening booths that contain vinyl recordings for guests to play on actual record players. Collins anonymously recorded conversations from a homeless shelter phone booth in Cologne that offered free domestic and international calls. A group of musicians used the recordings to create the musical works contained on the records. The novelty of the record player was pretty exciting for my seven year old who had never used one before.

The enclosed Yellow Staircase, which includes a sound installation was a fun way to travel between floors of MOCA.

Yellow Staircase

My kids’ favorite part of our visit to MOCA was the Marjorie + Anselm Talalay Classroom on the third floor where kids could create their own art. To go along with the theme of the main exhibition, the Obfuscation Station encouraged kids to layer colored tape on top of magazine clippings. My kids had so much fun creating works inspired by the exhibition that I’m seriously considering investing in a colored tape dispenser.

Obfuscation Station

MOCA offers monthly Pre-K Play Dates on Saturday mornings. These events are free for kids. On the first Saturday of each month, MOCA offers free admission and family friendly workshops and activities courtesy of PNC Bank. MOCA is a great resource for Cleveland families and encourages children to use their imaginations to create art in non-traditional ways.
- Kid Facts: This $27.2 million building was designed by Farshid Moussavi, a world-famous architect.
#5: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame With Kids

When the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was established in 1983, Cleveland lobbied hard to be chosen as the site of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and won the honors in 1986. As a Cleveland native, I remember the excitement when Cleveland scored the Rock Hall and was lucky to tour it shortly after its 1995 opening. The Rock Hall is definitely a reason why some tourists decide to visit Cleveland.

The lobby area is impressively large and has a car suspended from the ceiling above the Café (which we also enjoyed). This was probably the first suspended car I’ve ever seen.

The Rock Hall features both permanent and special exhibits. The Legends of Rock is a permanent exhibit that includes artifacts such as handwritten drafts, instruments and costumes. The recently renovated Beatles’ exhibit is the world’s largest artifact-based collection of the famous English rock band. The Rock Hall also has always featured a standing Elvis exhibit that features different artifacts. My husband and son watched the exclusive 14-minute Elvis video.

The costume exhibits are really fun. 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 even found costumes of musicians they recognized like Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift. We are all still amazed that Lady Gaga actually wore this contraption.

We particularly enjoyed Rolling Stone: 50 Years, which includes celebrities’ letters and interviews and a stunning wall display of the magazine’s iconic cover images. This exhibit encompassed floors 4-6 of the museum, and now the boys have some familiarity with the popular culture magazine.

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 introduction for our kids.
- Kid Facts: Cleveland’s Alan Freed was the disc jockey who originated the term “rock ‘n’ roll.”
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.

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January 17, 2018