Children’s Museums Worth a Visit

Savannah Children’s Museum. Savannah, Ga. This museum is mostly outdoors with activities for kids Wednesday through Sunday. It is next to the Georgia State Railroad Museum, so you can have two adventures in one stop. savannahchildrensmuseum.org

Creative Discovery Museum. Chattanooga, Tenn. Programs include art lessons, science demonstrations and story times, and you’ll find traveling exhibits such as Thomas & Friends: Explore the Rails. cdmfun.org

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Indianapolis, Ind. From Barbie dolls to dinosaur bones, the museum’s collection is vast, and it’s learning and discovery programs superb, starting with a 3,200-piece Chilhuly blown glass tower that amazes and delights children and adults as you enter the museum. childrensmuseum.org

Brooklyn Children’s Museum. Brooklyn, N.Y. Founded in 1899, it’s the world’s first museum for kids. Among many activities, kids can make a pizza, learn about the diverse population living in New York or touch live animals at the Animal Outpost. brooklynkids.org

Duke Energy Children’s Museum. Cincinnati, Ohio. Kids can climb, crawl and explore in this museum, ranked in the top 10 in the United States. Its programs cover arts, science, reading and more. cincymuseum.org

Boston Children’s Museum. Boston, Mass. This museum has a 100-year history of entertaining and enlightening kids, with original programming in science, culture, the arts, literacy, health and the environment. bostonchildrensmuseum.org

Please Touch Museum. Philadelphia, Pa. Nothing hands-off about this museum, which encourages kids to touch and explore with programs and exhibits and special events such as “Plant Something Day.” pleasetouchmuseum.org

Kidsenses Children’s Interactive Museum. Rutherfordton, N.C. This 10,000-square-foot museum has wowed families with 12 interactive exhibits, workshops and other learning experiences for visitors to this small town (population about 4,000). kidsenses.org

Great Explorations. St. Petersburg, Fla. Kids will find plenty of places for creative play and learning at this hands-on museum that includes an art studio, pizza kitchen, building area, supermarket and more, plus a theater with live shows. greatex.org

Greensboro Children’s Museum. Greensboro, N.C. Kids are put to work on Main Street, operating a market or pizza parlor or performing in the theater. They can climb aboard a police car or a real tractor-trailer or DC-9 jet. gcmuseum.com

Children’s Hands-On Museum of Tuscaloosa. Tuscaloosa, Ala. Storytime, Movin’ and Groovin,’ Kiddie Kitchen and Small Fry Science are among the programs you’ll find at this museum, which also has an art studio and farm area and even a place for space exploration. chomonline.org

Children’s Museum of South Carolina. Myrtle Beach, S.C. Exhibits and activities keep kids engaged and learning in the 8,700-square-foot space. You’ll find an under-construction house that encourages kids to build, a bank for role-playing, a South Carolina fossil hunt, an exhibit on electricity, and much more. cmsckids.org

– Amanda Miller Allen