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With around 20,000 museums across the United States, it can be overwhelming to pick the right one. Still, it’s a worthwhile endeavor as children who visit museums can exhibit higher achievement in reading, math and science, according to the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
As a teacher with more than 20 years in education, from elementary to high school, who has visited many museums with my 12-year-old daughter, I have had extensive firsthand experience with children and museums. This helps me recognize what qualities make museums appealing to children.
According to the 2023 U.S. Family Travel Survey, 28 percent of grandparents said they planned to take a multigenerational trip to a museum in the next year. In the survey from the Family Travel Association, 63 percent of grandparents said they enjoyed spending extended time with their grandchildren.
“We create environments that complement the formal learning kids experience in their schools,” says Monica Ramsey, vice president of experience development and family learning for the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
“Museums are a great way to give children a learning experience without sitting in a classroom,” says Helen Stiles, former senior acquisitions and cataloging specialist for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. Stiles, who retired after 37 years at the museum, says children get to experience the exhibits firsthand.
This list of museums was selected based on parent and grandparent recommendations and by consulting more than two dozen experts and site directors, including Keith Darcey, the senior director of communications at the National WWII Museum; Mary Ellen Engman, marketing and communications manager at KidsQuest Children’s Museum; Angel Johnston, communications manager at Jamestown Rediscovery; and Jonathan Pishney, head of communications at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.
Time spent with grandchildren is precious, and with proper selection, visiting a museum is a great way to bring families together. This list is a starting point of favorite museums to encourage grandparents to get out and explore, and maybe learn a thing or two themselves.
Museums
Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawai‘i | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire |
New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming | Washington, D.C.
Alabama
U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville
At the home of the world-famous Space Camp, see the full-scale replica of the Saturn V rocket and the real-deal Saturn V. Visit Spark!Lab, a hands-on invention center, and the VR Explorer motion-based simulator. Tickets: $30 for those 13-plus; $20 for children 5-12; free for 4 and younger.
Alaska
Alaska Aviation Museum, Anchorage
Visit the world’s largest seaplane base with four hangars and more than 25 vintage aircraft, including the Stearman C2B, built in 1928. Interactive displays for kids include a virtual reality flight simulator. Tickets: $18 for adults; $15 for 65-plus, $11 for 3-13; free for 3 and under.
Arizona
Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson
With some 400 historic aircraft from civil, commercial, military and experimental flight, this museum brings out everyone’s inner aviator. See an SR-71 Blackbird, the world’s smallest biplane and a 747 jumbo jet. Press buttons, flip switches and pull levers just like a pilot. Tickets: $19.50 for adults; $16.75 for 65-plus; $13 for children 5-12; free for 4 and younger.
Arkansas
Scott Family Amazeum, Bentonville
Creating immersive learning experiences that integrate science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM), the Amazeum fosters curiosity and creativity. The 3M Tinkering Hub, Walmart Market and Pampers Studio Grow cater to children of all ages. Tickets: $14 in person or $12 online for those older than 2; free for 2 and younger.
California
Exploratorium, San Francisco
Named one of the coolest museums in the world by The New York Times for Kids, this attraction has more than 650 hands-on, interactive exhibits that encourage visitors to not only look but play. Touch a tornado, break light apart and even stop time. Tickets: $39.95 for adults; $29.95 for 65-plus, children 4-17, teachers, college students and people with disabilities; free for 3 and younger.
Colorado
Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Manitou Springs
Explore Native American architecture in hands-on experiences. Children can climb into rooms of replica Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings, with a ladder to access one area. Browse cultural displays including tools, pottery and weapons, and even grind corn. Tickets: $12.75 for adults; $10 for 60-plus; $8 for children 4-11; free for 3 and younger.
Connecticut
Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic
Swab the deck, cook in the galley, move cargo and dress in sailors’ garb. Older kids can visit the lighthouse drawing station and a puppet playhouse. Staff guide children in building toy boats; kids can explore a sailing ship, tugboat or fishing dragger model on their own. Tickets: $31 for adults; $29 for 65-plus; $27 for 13-17; $21 for 4-12; free for 3 and younger.
Delaware
Delaware Museum of Nature & Science, Wilmington
Delve into deciduous forests to bald cypress swamps, and see the dinosaurs in the PaleoZone. Staff members Miss Ofelia in the Nature Nook and Robbie in the Discovery Gallery are favorites, and don’t miss Dude, the museum cat, who went viral on The Dodo. Tickets: $14.50 for 3 and older; $4.25 for children 1-2; free for younger than 12 months. Note: There’s a 5 percent discount if visitors pay with cash.
Florida
Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, Palm Beach
A scavenger hunt throughout the house engages young visitors, and the Railcar 91 Tea Room, available November through April, is a “must do” experience with kids. Enjoy savory sandwiches, scones and sweets at the Gilded Age–style tea, then explore Henry Flagler’s original train car, which overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway. Tickets: $28 for 13 and up; $14 for children 6-12; free for children 5 and younger.
Georgia
World of Coca-Cola, Atlanta
Meet the lovable Coca-Cola Polar Bear, and discover the connection between scent and memory. Explore the history and intrigue of the secret formula for Coca-Cola. Sample more than 100 drinks from around the world. Tickets: $21 for 13-64; $19 for 65-plus; $17 for 3-12; free for 2 and younger.
Hawai‘i
Bishop Museum, Honolulu
Among 25 million historical, cultural and natural treasures, such as model canoes and woven mats, the Science Adventure Center has something for everyone, including animal lovers and those curious about how Hawaiʻi was formed. The J. Watumull Planetarium offers showings of “The Stars Tonight” and “Navigating By the Stars.” Tickets: $33.95 for adults; $30.95 for 65-plus; $25.95 for 4-17; free for 3 and younger; online discounts available.
Idaho
National Oregon/California Trail Center, Montpelier
Head west on the 1850s Oregon Trail, stopping by a gun shop and mercantile. The simulated Wagon Trail Adventure allows visitors to feel, touch and experience the journey, guided by a cast of pioneers whose dialogue and stories will make history come alive. Tickets: $12 for 18 and older; $11 for 60-plus; $9 for 8-17; $5 for 4-7; free for 3 and younger.
Illinois
Field Museum, Chicago
Inspiring curiosity in young scientists involves engaging their sense of wonder. Travel through time in the “Evolving Planet” exhibit, shrink down to ant size in “Underground Adventure,” or connect with scientists in the Grainger Science Hub and the Crown Family PlayLab. Take a journey back millions of years in the 3D movie Dinosaurs of Antarctica, and enter a polar winter. Tickets: $30 for adults; $27 for students 12 and older; $23 for children 3-11; free for children under 3.
Indiana
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Indianapolis
Kids and grandparents can search for archaeological treasures at the “National Geographic Treasures of Earth” exhibit and climb aboard an actual tool car from the late 1800s at the “All Aboard!” exhibit at the world’s largest children’s museum (nearly 500,000 square feet). Step into the past with Dinosphere’s real fossils, launch into the future with “Beyond Spaceship Earth,” and hop aboard a more than 100-year-old Dentzel carousel with hand-carved animals. Tickets: Purchase online for best price. $31 for 18- to 59-year-olds; $29.50 for adults 60-plus; $26 for 2-17; free for 1 and younger.
Iowa
The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, Dubuque
Indoor and outdoor exhibits welcome nearly 200,000 guests per year. Be sure to stop to see the otter habitat, the stingray touch tank and the tide pool touch tank in “Rivers to the Sea” for a truly unique experience. Tickets: $24.95 for adults; $22.95 for 65-plus; $18.95 for 3-17; free for 2 and younger.
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