The U.S. Space & Rocket Center celebrates all things out of this world – and who can resist that? The museum is one of the largest of its kind with around 1,500 items of space paraphernalia dotted throughout, alongside retired rockets including a Saturn V. That should be enough to thrill most kids but if not, virtual reality flights, simulators, IMAX films and regular children's workshops should do the trick.
Have your little ones learn about Indigenous cultures at this absorbing and poignant museum in Alaska’s biggest city. The centre is dedicated to preserving and showcasing Native heritage and historic lifeways, with exhibits covering everything from traditional dwellings to art. Kids will love spending time at the Gathering Place: here you can watch colourful dance performances, hear oral stories and watch demos of typical Native games.
This hugely popular museum is dedicated to kids of all ages, from babies to adults who enjoy being transported back to childhood. The 300-plus exhibits are all about interaction, engagement and sparking imaginations. Highlights include structures to climb up and around, a ‘forest’ of foam noodles, art studios and the Texture Cafe, with different fabrics and materials. Throw in an area dedicated to den building and a food market for kids’ role play, and it’s pretty much the dream.
Magic Springs prides itself on its family-friendly credentials. The seasonal theme park has plenty of rides for little daredevils, from carousels to ‘Krazy Kars’. Then there are bigger roller coasters for the bigger and/or braver kids, including the twirling and twisting yellow Gauntlet (pictured), guaranteed to get blood pumping and knuckles whitening. The adjoining water park also includes attractions for all ages, so families can really make a day of it.
Theme parks don’t come much more charming than this family favourite in southern California. Big and little kids alike can get their thrills on the GhostRider, an 118-foot (36m) juggernaut that’s billed as the longest, tallest and fastest wooden coaster on the West Coast. Once suitably dizzy, the family can explore the Ghost Town, with its old schoolhouse and blacksmith shop, and feast on a fried chicken dinner.
Selling itself as America’s only mountaintop theme park (the site sits 7,100 feet/2,164m above sea level), this fun attraction has plenty to keep families busy. You’ll need a stomach for heights to brave the Giant Canyon Swing, which launches riders over a cliffside above the Colorado River; or the Defiance Roller Coaster, which has the steepest freefall in the West. Whatever you do in the park, the dizzying heights mean you’ll always have fantastic views.
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This is the place to get kids excited about science in all its forms. The ultra-modern Connecticut Science Center is designed around a main atrium, with immersive galleries focusing on themes from DNA to outer space, while KidSpace has a whole host of textured displays for those under seven. There are temporary exhibitions – past displays have included dinosaurs and the science of sorcery in Harry Potter – and a theatre with 3D movies and live shows too.
With zones like Stratosphere, a huge interactive climbing frame and the nature-focused ECOnnect, Delaware Children’s Museum understands how to engage young minds. The exhibits are all hands-on and joyously fun, while also maintaining an educational theme throughout. What better way for a toddler to learn about how the world works than to play with giant building blocks or crawl through the hollowed-out trunk of a 350-year-old sycamore tree?
Walt Disney World Resort has been immersing visitors in pure magic since 1971, and most people linger for longer than a day. Kids will adore Magic Kingdom, a theme park crammed full of fairy-tale rides; and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, which opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios in 2019. It’s all joyous, though, with a good mix of character encounters, gentler rides and white-knuckle roller coasters.
Take a look at historic photos of Disney parks through the decades
Strolling around pretty gardens and peering at plants might not sound like every child’s dream, but this whimsical space has been designed with young imaginations in mind. Atlanta Botanical Garden is filled with colourful blooms, playful displays of topiary and endlessly fascinating Venus flytraps. A highlight is the Lou Glenn Children's Garden, whose outdoor play park comes complete with a treehouse area. A second location opened in Gainesville, north Georgia, in 2015.
Dole Plantation describes itself as ‘Hawaii’s complete pineapple experience’, which already sounds delightful. What started out as a food stand in 1950 has blossomed into a full-blown family attraction, complete with a large maze, gorgeous gardens and a grill serving traditional Hawaiian food alongside favourites like burgers. The Pineapple Express Train Tour is ever a crowd-pleaser, chugging around the plantation while guides explain the history of the pineapple.
This is the kind of niche museum that should charm all ages. The Idaho Potato Museum pays homage to the state’s famously good potatoes, claimed to be the best in the world. And it does so in the most whimsical and fun ways possible. The fascinating collection of memorabilia and paraphernalia includes a huge display of Mr. Potato Head figures. There’s even a giant potato complete with a dollop of sour cream out front, which is pretty much the ideal family photo opportunity.
Museum-rich Chicago has oodles of stuff to entertain the little ones, but you can’t go wrong with a trip to Navy Pier. It juts into Lake Michigan, heaving with carnival rides, including a 196-foot (60m) Ferris wheel, plus family-friendly restaurants and shops. Other highlights include the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, described as the pier’s cultural anchor, and the cheerful Chicago Children’s Museum. The lake vistas are pretty epic too.
A huge dinosaur crashing through the museum’s wall sets the tone of this creative spot in downtown Indianapolis. While the exhibits are geared towards kids, adults can learn something from the informative presentations too (a poignant display on the power of storytelling is a highlight). Other favourites include a magical carousel and a vibrant area dedicated to American pop culture.
Children – and railway buffs of any age – will adore this museum in downtown Council Bluffs. Housed in a Beaux Arts-style former library building, the Union Pacific Railroad Museum has displays of old timetables, equipment, uniforms, photos and posters. Best of all are the replica carriages designed to be explored inside and out.
Dinosaurs, Egyptian mummies, a shrunken head… this Wichita museum is filled with treasures that will delight curious kids and adults alike. The Museum of World Treasures focuses on global history, from the US Civil War to ancient Greece and Rome. Kids will also love taking part in scavenger hunts and escape-room style challenges.
White-knuckle roller coasters loom above watery rides and rapids at Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay. Teens and adults will love Skycatcher, a towering structure that circles thrill-seekers 130 feet (40m) above the park. The Family Wave Lagoon and Buccaneer Beach, meanwhile, are perfect for families with younger kids and offer some respite from the more frenetic fun.
Louisiana Children’s Museum has all ages covered with a range of educational, sensory and – above all – fun experiences. Exhibits are both inside and outside in the gardens, with highlights including a toy grocery store with working registers, a scavenger hunt through a classic Creole shotgun house and a giant bubble you can stand inside. The attached cafe, Acorn, takes young taste buds seriously with the best grilled cheese sandwiches and scratch-made burgers served alongside Louisiana classics.
With its dizzying collection of artworks and free-to-enter sculpture park, the Portland Museum of Art might just be the perfect place to instil an appreciation of the finer things into young minds. The permanent collection includes pieces by Andy Warhol and Claude Monet, while there are regular events and workshops with families in mind.
Port Discovery in Baltimore is often hailed as one of the best children's museums in America. It’s home to a large soft play area and plenty of kid-friendly exhibitions designed for hands-on engagement. Adults can join their children on the SkyClimber, a four-storey climbing frame with an underwater theme, or play captain on a life-sized cargo ship. There are also temporary exhibits, often with a focus on indigenous voices, history and culture, so it strikes a good balance between education and fun.
Boston’s Museum of Science combines interactive exhibits with an indoor zoo. What more could kids – and families, for that matter – want? The website claims it’s the most-visited cultural institution in New England, thanks to its blend of education and fun. Visitors can (safely) experience the power of lightning in the Theater of Electricity, or peek at animals such as cotton-top tamarins and red-bellied cooters (turtles), which are part of the museum’s species conservation programme.
Michigan’s largest theme park unveiled its much-anticipated Camp Snoopy back in 2021. The area, themed on Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts cartoon strip and named in honour of its black-and-white beagle, has five rides including the relatively gentle Beagle Scout Lookout, which mimics a trip in a colourful hot air balloon. The seasonal park, which closes for winter, also has a range of thrill rides and family fun from Swan Boats to slides and splash pools in WildWater Adventure Waterpark.
This 2.8-acre riverside park is both a recreational space and an important heritage site, so it ticks a lot of boxes for families looking for a relaxed yet educational day out. Water Works, opened in summer 2021 near St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge, is a sacred site for Dakota people who once inhabited the land. Indigenous art and heritage markers are dotted around the site, which also has fire pits and a sensory garden.
Science and space dominate this vast Gulf Coast institution. Suitably high-tech attractions include the 3D Immersive Theater, in which you can weather a virtual storm, and simulators recreating what it might be like to live on another planet. Needless to say, kids tend to be in their element and it enchants most adults too. Tickets include a bus tour of the NASA Stennis Space Center.
Heritage railways are a great family activity and the scenic journeys heading out of Brandson on this traditional railroad do not disappoint. You’ll chug through the picturesque Ozarks, twisting through tunnels and soaring across rushing rivers. Kids will particularly love the themed trains: for a winter adventure, book on to the Polar Express, which includes a visit from Santa Claus.
A towering and rather terrifying T-Rex skeleton is the highlight of the Museum of the Rockies, which has an impressive selection of other dinosaur fossils and bones on display. It isn’t all about prehistoric creatures, however. The natural history museum and research facility also has cultural and archaeological exhibits, planetarium shows and galleries dedicated to Yellowstone. There are regular family events and workshops designed for kids too.
Nebraska’s Aerospace Museum is home to an impressive collection of shiny, well-preserved aircraft, which is definitely the main source of interest for most kids. Beyond this are exhibits on strategic bombers used during the Second World War and a display dedicated to the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American military aviators in the US Army Air Corps. There's also a flight simulator and a Children's Learning Center committed to inspiring a new generation of pilots, astronauts and scientists.
Las Vegas is better known as an adults’ playground but Discovery Children’s Museum is a notable exception, and proves that even Sin City has a family-friendly side. It’s a perfect choice for an afternoon indulging children, since it's filled with loud, proud exhibits intended for interactive play. Zones are built around themes such as art and design, and science and the environment. After spending time along the Strip, adults will welcome this relaxed environment too.
Fairy tales and their characters are brought vividly and charmingly to life at Story Land, a family-run attraction that’s been a favourite day-out choice since its opening in the 1950s. The relatively compact site packs in rides dedicated to characters such as Cinderella and Mother Goose. A highlight is the Roar-O-Saurus, a giant wooden roller coaster with a vivid green dinosaur racing around its tracks. Shacks serving comforting American food will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters.
Six Flags Great Adventure has some head-spinning attractions that should keep teens and adults happy, while tamer rides and colourful areas geared towards younger kids make it a good all-rounder. Among the many highlights are Batman The Ride, which dips its passengers upside-down, and the gentler, pirate-themed Buccaneer, which swings riders back and forth in a giant ship. The huge site also has a drive-through safari experience and a range of shopping and dining options.
Then and now: captivating images of America's oldest theme parks
Albuquerque is well-known for its annual fiesta, which sees hundreds of brilliant balloons take to the skies. This unique museum celebrates the tradition and chronicles the fascinating history and science of the hot air balloon. Make time to duck into the gift shop: it’s filled with cute and covetable balloon-themed items such as hanging mobiles.
This grand old museum opened in 1869 and it’s been thrilling visitors of all ages ever since. The American Museum of Natural History is so enormous that it would take several days to see everything. Families shouldn’t miss the Hall of Biodiversity, which celebrates more than 160 of the world's species. Other highlights include the enormous blue whale model, a mammoth and a T-Rex skeleton.
Discovery Place has four family-friendly museums in its portfolio, but the science centre in Charlotte is arguably the best for families. The events schedule changes daily, with an IMAX theatre offering frequent educational shows, plus regular tours of the on-site aquarium. The hands-on element in areas like Thinker Space, where participants are encouraged to get imaginative and messy, should keep kids entertained.
How could a place called Bonanzaville not be a fun place to take the whole family? This museum complex covers 12 acres and houses more than 400,000 historic items. The highlight is the Pioneer Village, which showcases more than 40 interesting buildings from different eras, including a blacksmith’s shop, a creamery and a railroad museum.
No, not the one in New York. This is the other Coney Island, a popular water park in Cincinnati. Around since 1886, the small but fun-packed attraction houses the Challenge Zone: the largest Aquaglide pool obstacle course in the US. It features more than 150 feet (46m) of obstacles for participants to climb up and scramble over, plus slides, monkey bars and a balance beam (like a fun version of walking the plank). Kids will also love the mini golf course and paddle boats shaped like dragons and swans.
The FAM First Americans Museum opened in autumn 2021 and tells American history from the perspective of Oklahoma’s 39 distinct tribal nations. It’s a fascinating and educational visit for all ages, revealing facts such as how the state’s name comes from the Choctaw words ‘Okla’ and ‘Homma’, meaning 'Red People’, and how most of the groups moved here from their homelands across the US. A Tribal Nations Gallery tells the tribes’ collective stories alongside a Smithsonian Gallery filled with objects loaned from the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC.
From a buttercup-yellow US Coast Guard helicopter to the Hughes H-4 Hercules – a prototype completed too late for use in the Second World War – the range of aircraft on display at Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum is pretty much guaranteed to have kids and adults wide-eyed and slack-mouthed. There are more than 150 military and civilian aircraft and spacecraft exhibits here, alongside displays that celebrate the science, innovation and human endeavour behind the aviation industry.
This fun museum offers a fascinating insight into the maritime heritage of Philly and the surrounding area. The Independence Seaport Museum enjoys a sought-after spot on the Penn's Landing waterfront and preserves US Navy history through model schooners and antique warships, with a cruiser and submarine ready to be explored a short walk from the main building. Weather permitting, families can rent a boat or kayak out front to see the city from a different perspective.
The RISD Museum was established back in 1877 and has spent years curating its superb collection. More than 100,000 relics are here, from ancient antiquities to contemporary art, so there’s plenty to keep people of different ages happy. The galleries focused on ancient Egyptian art and culture are sure to captivate younger visitors, as are the ‘tours for tots’, with guides revealing the secrets of the museum via storytelling. Best of all, under-18s can visit for free, making it much more affordable for bigger families.
The kids won’t be complaining that they’re bored at this fun family-focused complex in the coastal city of Myrtle Beach. Spread out along the sand is Broadway at the Beach, a hub filled with cheerful shops and restaurants, plus a whole roster of amusements. Get lost in the mirror maze; check out the wax museum; make a splash at the water park; and ride on the classic carousel.
The kids will surely be in awe of this classic American attraction – the giant faces of four formative US presidents carved into South Dakota’s Black Hills. Ranger-led programmes will help them understand the history of the mountain sculpture and, through summer, there are interactive programmes specially geared towards youngsters. During the season, you can also catch an hour of hoop dancing and storytelling with a Lakota artist – the Black Hills are sacred to the region's Indigenous peoples.
Music City has plenty of tuneful attractions but the National Museum of African American Music is unmissable. It’s dedicated to celebrating the far-reaching musical contributions of African-Americans across different genres, from blues and jazz to hip hop and pop. It’s a great opportunity for all ages to learn about musical history and heritage from the era of slavery to the Harlem Renaissance and beyond, and everyone will love the interactive elements.
Visits to the world’s most famous space centre begin at Independence Plaza, home to a huge space shuttle replica that visitors can walk through. It’s a head-spinning introduction to a head-spinning attraction. Among many dazzling highlights are the Astronaut Gallery, displaying spacesuits coupled with stories about the people who wore them, and old and new Mission Control hubs. The accessible exhibits are suitable for all ages and live presentations offer a glimpse of life in outer space.
Part of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City’s Natural History Museum has around 1.6 million objects from dinosaur skeletons to a gallery of gemstones. Visitors should allow time to browse the shop, stocked with decorative items and jewellery. The Rio Tinto Center, the building in which the museum is located, is a real beauty too: it's a dark wood and glass structure set against a dramatic mountainous backdrop.
Montshire Museum of Science is a delight for kids, who can make music (or, perhaps more likely, noise), mess around with puzzles and blow giant bubbles. They can even help out with investigations in the Science Discovery Lab. The hands-on museum is an inside and out experience, with al fresco exhibits dotted across the 100-acre site and nature trails along the Connecticut River.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg has all bases covered for a family day out that will keep everyone equally entertained. The seasonal, European-themed park, which has been voted the world’s most beautiful, has twisty-turny roller coasters, colourful rides for toddlers, play areas, splash zones and animal interactions. There are some fun live shows and a variety of dining choices from a German-style 'bier room' to an Italian restaurant.
The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) is a beautifully bold and crazily colourful temple to contemporary popular culture, from movies to music. The architecture, all curved and crumpled steel, reflects the shiny displays inside. Founded in 2000, it’s a blend of the futuristic and the retro, with screen props, costumes, musical instruments and items from science-fiction films. Among highlights kids will adore are Gizmo from Gremlins, costumes from Disney movies and the Wicked Witch of the West’s hat from The Wizard of Oz.
New River Gorge was designated a national park in late 2020 and it has long been a favourite spot thanks to those incredible views over the bend in the New River, flanked by thickly forested hills. It’s also a popular whitewater rafting destination, with the river flowing in parts through canyons. Families can explore the glorious greenery on their own or take a ranger-led tour or nature walk.
The International Crane Foundation unveiled its new £7.2 million ($10 million) Cranes of the World attraction in May 2021, and it’s as delightful as it sounds. A new welcome centre, open from May to the end of October, introduces visitors to the different species of crane and the work the foundation is doing to save and protect the birds. People can peek at sandhill cranes through a viewing window, watching them in a natural wetland setting, before exploring 10 acres of grounds that are home to all 15 species of crane.
Part of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, which brings together five museums including the Plains Indian Museum and Whitney Western Art Museum, the Buffalo Bill Museum focuses on William Frederick Cody and other Wild West legends including Annie Oakley. Exhibits include possessions of the soldier, hunter and showman better known as Buffalo Bill, show props including wagons and a stagecoach, and a gallery of photos and paintings.