The Franklin Institute

If your kid can’t find something at this science museum to get excited about, you better check his or her pulse. A 20-foot-high marble Ben Franklin in the rotunda greets visitors upon arrival at this must-see stop in Philly. The Franklin Institute, though founded in 1824, remains on the cutting edge of science, learning and technology. Check out seriously not-lame exhibits such as Escape Rooms, the Fels Planetarium, the IMAX theater and virtual reality experiences. Then there are the perennial favorites: the four-story Foucault’s Pendulum, the Giant Heart, the 350-ton Baldwin steam locomotive and the 1948 T-33 Shooting Star jet.