Family vacation ideas: Children's museums

Take a day (or weekend) trip to one of these children's museums.

By Time Out Kids staff Thu Mar 22 2012

Family vacation ideas

Photograph: Don Pearse Photography

Please Touch Museum
Photograph: Courtesy Please Touch Museum

Please Touch Museum
Photograph: Courtesy Please Touch Museum

Please Touch Museum
Photograph: Courtesy Please Touch Museum

Please Touch Museum
Photograph: Courtesy Please Touch Museum

Please Touch Museum
Photograph: Courtesy Please Touch Museum

Please Touch Museum
Photograph: Courtesy Please Touch Museum

Please Touch Museum
Photograph: Courtesy Please Touch Museum

Please Touch Museum
Photograph: Karin Hansen

Boston Children's Museum
Photograph: Ryan McMahon

Boston Children's Museum
Photograph: Karin Hansen

Boston Children's Museum
Photograph: Spencer Luckey

Boston Children's Museum
Photograph: Courtesy Mystic Seaport

Children's Museum Mystic Seaport, CT
Photograph: Courtesy Mystic Seaport

Children's Museum Mystic Seaport, CT
Photograph: Courtesy Mystic Seaport

Children's Museum Mystic Seaport, CT
Photograph: Courtesy of the Long Island Children's Museum

Long Island Children's Museum
Photograph: Courtesy of the Long Island Children's Museum

Long Island Children's Museum
Photograph: Courtesy of the Long Island Children's Museum

Long Island Children's Museum
Photograph: Surprise Photography

Mid-Hudson Children's Museum
Photograph: Surprise Photography

Mid-Hudson Children's Museum
Photograph: Surprise Photography

Mid-Hudson Children's Museum
Photograph: Courtesy New Jersey Children's Museum

New Jersey Children's Museum
Photograph: Courtesy New Jersey Children's Museum

New Jersey Children's Museum
Photograph: Michael Cinque

Children's Museum of the East End
Photograph: Michael Cinque

Children's Museum of the East End
Photograph: Michael Cinque

Children's Museum of the East End
Photograph: Julie Clements-Reagan

Children's Museum of Southeast Connecticut
Photograph: Julie Clements-Reagan

Children's Museum of Southeast Connecticut

Photograph: Don Pearse Photography

Please Touch Museum

Boston Children's Museum
A trip here isn’t complete without checking out the New Balance Climb. Kids will be amazed at the myriad  ways by which they can make their  way down the three-story structure, made up of curved platforms and nets. Children’s Wharf at 308 Congress St, Boston, MA (617-426-6500, bostonkids.org). $12, children under 1 free.

Mystic Seaport Museum
Pirate-loving tykes get a real taste of 19th-century maritime life at this 17-acre Connecticut institution. Kids can climb on sailing ships and lobster boats or pretend to sleep on one of the ship’s tiny beds. On-site restaurants featuring sandwiches and burgers come in handy when hunger strikes. 75 Greenmanville Ave, Mystic, CT (888-973-2767, mysticseaport.org). $24, children ages 6–17 $15, children under 6 free.  Check website for seasonal schedule.

Mid-Hudson Children's Museum
Budding young scientists peer at Hudson River fish through a periscope, gaze at constellations in the Starlab Planetarium and learn about the creation of the  Morse telegraph. Older kids can ham it up in the Disney Radio DJ booth. Special activities—including art workshops and science demonstrations—take place throughout the week. 75 North Water St, Poughkeepsie, NY (845-471-0589, mhcm.org). $7.50, children under 1 free. Closed Mondays.

Please Touch Museum
One of the first children’s museums in the country, the Philadelphia spot sports 38,000 square feet of interactive and hands-on exhibits. After gazing at a life-size replica of the Statue of Liberty’s arm and torch (made out of toys and games by artist Leo Sewell), head to the Roadside Attractions area. There, little drivers can repair a car, sit in the driver’s seat of a bus or design a fantasy vehicle. At River Adventures, tots learn about science by playing with bubbles and moving sailboats around a water table. The space’s newest exhibit, Railway Play, allows kids to  build and operate their own trains. Memorial Hall, Fairmont Park,  4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia, PA (215-581-3181, pleasetouchmuseum.org). $15, children under 1 free.