A Day at the Museum

Amazement Square: The Rightmire Children's Museum

Visitors can see science in action in the "Raceways" and "Voltageville" exhibits by connecting circuits and racing balls down a track. Or, they can get in touch with their artistic sides in the Imagination Studio and learn about sculpting, quilt- or printmaking, and art history. Each floor of the museum is connected by the Amazement Tower, the tallest indoor climbing structure in the country. The tower is composed of slides, ladders, tunnels, an illuminating staircase, glass elevator, and a zip line. Visit from September 27 to November 13 to take part in the Big Read Lynchburg, a series of events and activities inspired by the book Fahrenheit 451.

Other area attractions: Rotary Centennial Riverfront Skatepark and the Riverwalk Trail.

Boston Children's Museum

The Boston Children's Museum has been hands-on since its founding in 1913. Now there are 17 exhibits designed to encourage a child's interest in everything from art and culture to math and physics. Take your child through the "Kid Power" exhibit, which encourages healthy living with nutritious foods and fun physical activity. Or go to work in the "Construction Zone," where kids can build, tunnel, demolish, or even ride an authentic Bobcat. Visit before January 4, 2009 to take part in the "Airplay" exhibit, which teaches visitors the laws of motion with pinwheels and handheld fans, as well as letting them make music like the Blue Man Group with PVC instruments.

Other area attractions: Franklin Park Zoo and the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

Brooklyn Children's Museum

The world's first museum created expressly for children, this historic institution opened its doors for the first time in 1899. It's been under construction, but the newly expanded attraction will open its doors on September 20 as the first "green" museum in New York City. New exhibits will teach children about environmentally friendly practices and allow them to become scientists with activities based around ecology and conservation. The first traveling exhibit after the opening will be "Living in Space," offered through January 2, where kids can experience sleeping, working, and dressing like astronauts.

Other area attractions: Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Prospect Park Zoo.

Chicago Children's Museum

Let your kids explore three floors of exciting permanent and traveling exhibits at the Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier. Whether they're expressing their creativity in the "Inventing Lab," learning how to prevent danger in the Allstate Foundation's "Play It Safe" area, or experiencing what it was like to be a part of a dinosaur dig in 1997 in the "Dinosaur Expedition" authentic excavation pit. This fall, the museum will host the "Secrets of Circles," an exhibit exploring the use of circles in art and science.

Other area attractions: Navy Pier's Pier Park and Amazing Chicago's 4,000-square-foot Funhouse Maze.

Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

There are 150 semipermanent and traveling interactive exhibits at the Children's Discover Museum—all designed to help your children explore the world they live in. Current Connections teaches kids about energy—they can even generate their own electricity by cranking gears and working a pulley. Visit before January 11, 2009 and take part in "Alice's Wonderland," a 2,500-square-foot exhibit that teaches visitors about time, shadows, words, and physics by exploring the world of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Other area attractions: Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park with over 40 unique rides, gardens, and exhibits to explore.

Children's Museum of Houston

Founded in 1980 by a group of Houston parents, the Children's Museum of Houston now serves more than 750,000 annually, making it the third most frequented children's museum in the country. There are 11 permanent exhibits, including Kid-TV, which lets kids experience life as a TV news anchor, sound booth director, or camera operator. From September 27 to January 18, 2009, the museum will feature "Moneyville," an exhibit that teaches visitors about money and working—a kid can even get her face on a million-dollar bill. And in March 2009, the museum will open its doors to a newly renovated 83,000-square-foot exhibition space with seven brand-new exhibits.

Other area attractions: Houston Museum District and Hermann Park.

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis

The biggest and most popular children's museum in the U.S., there are five floors, a planetarium, and 11 galleries with educational exhibits, including areas about trains, dinosaurs, and family health. Check out the "Dragons Unearthed" exhibit, opening September 19, to find out how these mythical creatures have influenced cultures around the world for centuries. At the "Animation" exhibit, open until January 4, kids can learn about the art, math, science, and technology that goes into creating a cartoon.

Other area attractions: Indianapolis Zoo and White River Gardens for a wild adventure, including a Dolphin Adventure Show.

Children's Museum of Richmond

At this 44,000-square-foot museum, visitors can do everything from exploring a Virginia limestone cave to preparing and serving a meal—and then trace the food's journey through the human body! Other exhibits let visitors dig for fossils, act as teachers in a classroom, create a masterpiece out of recycled materials, and more. This October you can be among the first to play in the museum's new "Town Square" exhibit, where you can find out what it's like to work in six different careers, including a car-repair shop and a TV station.

Other area attractions: Metro Richmond Zoo, Three Lakes Nature Center & Aquarium, and the Science Museum of Virginia.

Creative Discovery Museum

With more than 12 exhibits to explore, there's no shortage of activities here, where kids can excavate dinosaur bones in a giant sandpit, pretend to be doctors in the Corner Clinic, or become rock stars in the recording studio. There's also the Inventors' Clubhouse and a "Barsamian" exhibit made especially for the museum that combines scientific principles with beautiful artwork. Visit from November 22 to February 1, 2009 to take part in the "Helping Hands" exhibit, which aims to teach children how to make a difference in their community.

Other area attractions: Tennessee Aquarium & Imax Theaters and the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.

EdVenture children's museum

At the biggest children's museum in the South, little ones can check out the world's largest "kid" and learn about the human body by exploring the 40-foot-tall Eddie. They can discover different career paths at the "World of Work"; check out a farm with a full-size tractor next to the "Little Pig Market"; or explore a Volkswagen Beetle at the "AutoWorks" station. In the summer, EdVenture offers "BubbLeoosa," where children can explore the shapes, sizes, and colors of a bubble blower that shoots out 25,000 bubbles per minute. In the winter, visit "Snowville" to learn about the North and South Poles, build an igloo, and discover the science of snow.

Other area attractions: Frankie's Fun Park and the Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens.

Grand Rapids Children's Museum

Kids can explore the world in ways they can't anywhere else, like getting inside a bubble or a beehive, or practicing being a grown-up with the Mercantile Wee Bank or the Mom and Pop Store. At the "To the Rescue" exhibit from September 18 through November 16, kids can experience the life of various rescue workers, from sliding down an escape slide to driving an ambulance or dispatching emergency vehicles.

Other area attractions: Michigan's Adventure amusement park and the John Ball Zoo Society.

Great Explorations: The Children's Museum

In keeping with its coastal locale, the museum offers several programs on the topic of water and marine life. Children get to play grown-ups in a kid-size grocery store or experience what it would be like to be a doctor, veterinarian, police officer, firefighter, or restaurateur. Tech-savvy kids can create cartoons or experiment with making sounds on computers. Kids can also build their own robots, scale the 18-foot climb wall, or take in a puppet show.

Other area attractions: Clearwater Marine Aquarium or the Egmont Key State Park. Or take your family on the Ghost Tour of St. Petersburg for spooky and fun vacation memories.

ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center

As the first public building in Charlotte to be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, ImaginOn is as friendly to the environment as it is to families. Visitors can flex their creative muscles through storytelling exhibits or by designing or performing a play in the Wachovia Playhouse or McColl Family Theatre.

Other area attractions: Levine Museum of the New South, the Mint Museum of Art, and the historic Charlotte Trolley.

Minnesota Children's Museum

In addition to five permanent exhibits, including a children's market where kids can work or shop, there's a water exhibit for making gooey paper art and a Habitot for toddlers to learn about the Minnesota environment. Visit this September 13 through February 1, 2009, to take part in "Ball-o-Rama," an enhanced version of the museum's permanent "Raceways" exhibit, which teaches children about physics with games modeled after Galileo's and Newton's experiments. If your visit falls between May and September, be sure to check out the Rooftop ArtPark and play in the streambed, shadow dome, or explore the 12-foot tree fort.

Other area attractions: Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the Como Zoo, and the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Portland Children's Museum

Kids can play paleontologist in the dinosaur-themed maze, learn about eco-friendly construction in the recycled arts studio, or join the construction crew for a 17-foot-high house. At the Clay Studio, kids can create masterpieces or try their stage chops by directing a production in the Play It Again Theater. Visit between September 26 and January 19 to take part in a traveling exhibit about Bob the Builder and his crew.

Other area attractions: Washington Park and the Oregon Zoo.

Strong National Museum of Play

Many of the exhibits at the Strong National Museum of Play are based on some of your children's most beloved characters, so you can step into the world of the Berenstain Bears or stroll down Sesame Street. Get close to nature in the Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden or Rainbow Reef aquarium, or climb inside a helicopter and man the controls. Visit from September 20 to January 4, 2009, and learn to see the world through a mischievous monkey's eyes in the "Curious George: Let's Get Curious!" exhibit.

Other area attractions: Seabreeze Amusement Park, Rochester Museum & Science Center, or the Seneca Park Zoo.