Las Vegas is anything but boring and that is especially true when you are looking for a kids museum. These Las Vegas museums all kids to explore science, learn about Vegas history through neon artifacts, find out about atomic testing and even see some artifacts from the Titanic. Plan your exploration day today!
DISCOVERY Children’s Museum
DISCOVERY Children’s Museum
Three-stories tall in stature, the DISCOVERY Children’s Museum 58,000-square-foot building is home to nine-themed exhibition halls totaling 26,000 square feet of interactive hands-on core exhibits. You'll find special activities for toddlers, a unique makerspace for kids of all ages and a 70-foot climbing tower.
Start your visit to Las Vegas with a stop at The Neon Museum and you’ll get all caught up on the city’s history through its retired neon signs. Knowledgeable guides tour guests through this this neon boneyard that includes signs from old casinos and other Las Vegas businesses while providing interesting facts about the area’s development into the tourist destination that it is today. You can visit the museum and tour the signs on your own until 4 p.m. daily or opt for the full experience of a one-hour guided tour in the evening.
770 Las Vegas Boulevard North Las Vegas, NV Online: neonmuseum.org
Travel back in time at this museum that features a modern exhibit hall with a timeline exhibit about southern Nevada from pre-historic to modern times and a collection of restored historic buildings that depict daily life from different decades in Las Vegas, Boulder City, Henderson and Goldfield.
Your little history buffs are in for a treat when you visit the Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at the Luxor Hotel. This fully-immersive exhibit starts out by assigning you with the identity of one of the Titanic passengers. You can read about your person’s history and when they were sailing aboard this massive ship.
The exhibit takes you through all the different classes on the ship with information about how the first class dined and how those on third class had to share a communal bathtub. Actual artifacts including “The Big Piece” are on display with videos showing how they were removed from the ocean floor. Opt for the audio tour to get the full experience. Bonus, kids three and under are free.
The National Atomic Testing Museum is a national science, history and educational institution that tells the story of America’s nuclear weapons testing program at the Nevada Test Site. The Museum uses lessons of the past and present to better understand the extent and effect of nuclear testing on worldwide nuclear deterrence and geo-political history.
February 29 comes only once every four years and this time around it falls on a Saturday, which is cause for celebration in our book. Wondering how to celebrate Leap Day in LA with kids? Read on for frog-themed, leap-inspired fun happening around town. Hop to it!
Celebrate Leap Day at Kidspace
Shannan Rouss
Revel in the 2020 leap year with Kidspace by wearing your favorite jumpsuit and hopping into leap-day themed activities around the museum like making an origami frog. Event details.
Ever wonder how a mama frog lays her eggs, or think about how a frog makes his signature croaking sound? Learn all about bullfrogs, toads and other native southern California amphibians via larger than life touch screens and live animal exhibits in the Labs of this awesome LA museum.
900 Exposition Blvd Exposition Park 213-763-3466 Online: nhm.org
Head to the wetland garden where little ones can peer closely into the rocky, shallow waters to discover tadpoles and frogs swimming about. While you're there, be sure to "hop" on the mini train for a ride around the grounds.
1418 Descanso Dr. La Canada Flintridge 818-949-4200 Online: descansogardens.org
Visit one of our favorite LA aquariums and discover the interactive frog-themed exhibit. The exhibit traces the history of amphibians, their life cycles, the different environments they live in from deserts to rainforests. Ribbit, ribbit!
Grab your dancing shoes and get your groove on at Third St. Promenade. Attendees celebrating their Leap Day birthday will be given a free cupcake and birthday treats from Carlo’s Bakery, with valid Photo ID. No matter your age, all are invited to experience a fun evening dancing under the night sky to bring in 2020’s long awaited extra day. Event details.
Leap Day just happens to also be Bob Baker Day, a celebration of the iconic marionette theater that's delighted little ones for decades. The singing and dancing puppets will be at Los Angeles State Historic Park for a full day of shows, live music, crafts, games, food trucks, and more. Event details.
New years aren’t just about looking back; they’re about looking ahead. That’s why we’re sharing intriguing museum exhibit openings we’re looking forward to in 2020. They’re all about LEGO, beloved characters, art, science and history, too. We even found a few with larger-than-life sculptures your kids won’t believe. Scroll down to start planning.
The National Museum of African American Music -Nashville, TN
Set to open in the summer of 2020 in Music City, this highly-anticipated museum will be the only museum dedicated to educating, preserving and celebrating more than 50 music genres and styles that were created or inspired by African Americans. The 56,000 square foot museum will be located at 5th and Broadway, in the heart of Nashville, and will include artifacts, objects, memorabilia, clothing and state-of-the-art technology to showcase different narratives and genres.
National Museum of African American Music Summer, 2020
Don’t miss this brand-spanking-new BADM exhibit that’s set to open this winter. In the exhibit, tots and preschoolers explore a kitchen sink fit for a giant’s house. A cantaloupe slice big enough to be a rocker? They’ve got one. A slice of cheese with holes they can crawl through? It’s right in the corner. How about a faucet big enough for them to run through? Let’s do it. Gorgeous in its design, ingenious in its conception, it gives kids the chance to finally do what they’ve always wanted to—play with their food! Wobbleland was developed by artist Marisol Rendón in collaboration with The New Children’s Museum.
When you and your crew wander the 250-acre New York Botanic Garden this spring, you’ll see eye-catching creations you won’t find anywhere else. That’s because renowned Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's stunning installations will be planted alongside the regular botanical greenery that usually grows there. Keep your eyes peeled for her mesmerizing mirrored installations, organic forms, biomorphic collages and oversized sculptures. You’ll find new works here too, including a participatory greenhouse installation, that will evolve throughout the exhibit.
Barbie may be in her 60's, but she’s still on the move! She’ll be inspiring kids to work toward a better world in this brand-new museum exhibit that focuses on finding excitement, challenge and fulfillment in the work kids choose. In addition to being able to explore over 15 possible careers, and learn about the more than 200 Barbie has had in her lifetime, kids will also be privy to Barbie’s origin story and learn lots about women who have shattered glass ceilings throughout history. It’s time to get excited about this play-based experience with universal appeal.
Calling all LEGO lovers! There’s always time to stop and smell the roses … unless those roses are sculpted from the world’s favorite building bricks. That’s just what you’ll find at Sean Kenney’s Nature Connects exhibits, where the natural meets the unnatural in playful harmony. Catch sight of larger-than-life hummingbirds, bees and brick-sculpted butterflies in sharp contrast to the natural surroundings. For LEGO lovers who dream big, this one’s for you.
Grand Rapids Public Museum Grand Rapids, MI June 20 – Jan. 10, 2021 Online: grpm.org
Denver Zoo Denver, CO July 17 – Nov. 1, 2020 Online: denverzoo.org
Black Creativity (50th Anniversary) - Chicago, IL
JB Spector/Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
Black Creativity turns 50 this year! Opening on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the exhibit highlights important contributions by African Americans to the sciences, technology, engineering and medical fields throughout history. The exhibit centers around a juried art exhibit that showcases groundbreaking work by professional and amateur artists alike. After your kiddos find their inspiration here, it’s time to head to the Innovation Studio where they can tackle real-world problems with everyday materials in an effort to solve them. What will your kids innovate?
Museum of Science and Industry Jan. 20 – Mar. 1, 2020
Not only is Cheekwood Estate & Gardens one of our favorite botanical gardens for families, you now have another reason to make it a vacation destination. From spring through to fall of 2020 you'll be able to wander this amazing estate's newly reopened Carrel Woodland Sculpture Trail featuring large-scale installations of Chihuly's glass sculptures. You'll find them throughout the estate, including in the Cheekwood Mansion art gallery.
Game Changers: Video Games & Contemporary Art – Boston, MA
Momo Pixel. Still from Momoland 4, 2018. Interactive pixel-art installation. Courtesy of the artist.
How about a twofer in 2020? Not only is MAAM, Boston’s new free-to-the-public contemporary art museum celebrating a February opening, but it’s got a graphically engaging new exhibit to boot. Game Changers features an array of artists, including Cao Fei, Tracey Fullerton, Momo Pixel and Paloma Dawkins, set on challenging stereotypes and preconceived notions about the gaming world. They work in everything from paint and sculpture, to groundbreaking playable art, telling their own and others’ stories, pixel by pixel. Game on!
Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep: Shear Genius! – St. Paul, MN
courtesy Minnesota Children's Museum
If your kids wish they lived at 62 West Wallaby Street or could visit Mossy Bottom Farm on a warm day (or even if they don’t), they won’t want to miss this new exhibit featuring some of Aardman Animation’s most beloved characters. Constructive problem solving is at the heart of this exhibit that really gets kids playing. They can build things in Wallace’s Workshop, aim for the stars in Wallace’s bright orange rocket or tend to their sheep (sweet plush ones) alongside Shaun down on Mossy Bottom Farm. Expect lots of dramatic play and creative thinking when you visit this exhibit.
They discovered zero, played with rubber balls long before foursquare was a thing, and when it comes to chocolate, Hershey’s doesn’t have a thing on them. Who were they? That’s the question Maya: The Exhibit sets out to answer. Visitors will get to sift through over 300 artifacts, including hieroglyphic panels, jade sculptures and more in order to learn about this ancient culture made up of mathematicians, inventors and astronomers. The coolest part? Finding out the ways in which ancient Mayan discoveries continue to shape our daily lives. Who’s ready to learn?
Grab the popcorn because the much-anticipated Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is slated to open this spring. Film buffs of all ages will marvel at the collection of big-screen artifacts on display, like Dorothy’s ruby slippers, the Cowardly Lion’s caramel-colored mane, even an “extraterrestrial headpiece” from the sci-fi horror flick, Alien. We’ve got our eyes on the Hayao Miyazaki retrospective. Learn everything you ever wanted to know about this masterful storyteller and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, as you get up close with storyboards, character designs, cels and backgrounds from some of his most celebrated works, like Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. Break out these animated classics for your kiddos to enjoy all over again.
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Opening Spring 2020
Brace yourselves Washington—the National Children’s Museum is reopening in late January 2020. That’s right, over 30,000 square feet of exhibit space in the Ronald Reagan Building is being transformed into a wonderland of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) exhibitions. At the heart of the museum is the 50-foot wide Dream Machine exhibit, a cloud-inspired climbing and slide structure aimed to transport kids into a dream with netting, ropes, two slides, mobiles and balls. Along with contemporary play space design, the museum is celebrating its rich history by going old school with a Bubble Room exhibition (inspired by the original H Street Children’s Museum from decades ago). So get popping!
Art of Precision: The Engineered Sculpture of Christopher Bathgate - Bethlehem, PA
courtesy National Museum of Industrial History
At the intersection of industry and art, you’ll find Christopher Bathgate’s sculptures. He’s a self-taught maker’s maker who uses industrial machinery, like automated milling machines and metal lathes, to make an intriguing mix of delicate sculpture and heavy metal production that will inspire makers of all ages to try something new—a new material, new machine or a new angle. Don’t forget to stop by Family TinkerTime for All Ages (second Sundays) when you’re there.
National Museum of Industrial History Jan. 11 – May 31, 2020
Going Places-The Technology of Transport – Las Vegas, NV
courtesy Las Vegas Children's Museum
Put your kids in the driver’s seat when Going Places opens in Las Vegas this spring. They’ll have a chance to ride hovercraft, race friends on incumbent bikes, even fly an aircraft because this exhibit is all about going places … and how we got there. It takes a look at 150 years of movement innovation, from our earliest forms of transport, through our most cutting-edge designs, all focused on just one thing—getting from point A to point B. A chance for kids to explore real-world obstacles, like gravity and distance, this exhibit lets them know that yes, they can move when they put their minds to it.
Las Vegas Children’s Museum May 23 – Sept. 20, 2020
Weather to Climate: Our Changing World – Schenectady, NY
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum at the Chicago Academy of Sciences and Flying Fish Exhibits
Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to play a weather forecaster against a green screen? Your future weather channel hosts can give it a try when they visit this timely interactive traveling exhibit. Kids can also explore the difference between weather and climate, plus have a chance to create some serious weather of their own (think tornadoes and thunderstorms) under controlled conditions, of course. It’s experiential learning at its best, and you don’t need an umbrella to enjoy it.
The iconic orange track and ever-recognizable pocket-sized cars. Yes, your kid’s favorite pastime is at the heart of this exhibit that’s all about STEM … and speed. You’ll work together as a team to design and test out cars, aiming to break records. Through it all, kids will get hands-on experience with the science behind these sleekly designed die-cast beauties. Add in authentic race gear and memorabilia that’ll have moms and dads longing for the good ol’ days, and you’ve got an exhibit the whole fam can enjoy.
The Magic House St. Louis Children’s Museum June 6 – Sept. 13, 2020
150th Anniversary of Golden Gate Park - San Francisco, CA
Skystar
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco's pride and joy, is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2020, and there's an entire year-long celebration planned. Besides all the classic GGP happenings (think Bay to Breakers, Opera in the Park, Outside Lands and Comedy Day), there's a special Community Day planned for April 4th, 2020, on the park's actual birthday. In honor of the anniversary, an observation wheel will start offering rides (service runs through March 1, 2021). You'll find the wheel near Golden Gate Park’s Music Concourse, the outdoor plaza near the de Young Museum, the California Academy of Sciences and the Japanese Tea Garden. The wheel features 36 fully-enclosed, climate-controlled gondolas that each seat six passengers. $18 per person; $12 for seniors and children under 13; the 12-minute ride will be free on Community Day.
Twinkle lights? Green and red garlands? While these holiday decor picks are certainly festive they’ve got nothing on The Gaylord Texan Resort’s 17,500 square-foot replica of A Charlie Brown Christmas—in ice!
For the 15th year in a row the Grapevine, Texas resort is recreating the classic cartoon as an over-the-top ice sculpture. Carved into two million pounds of ice, this is decor on a super-sized level.
The beloved characters are carved by master ice artisans from Harbin, China. The sculpting pros start with pencil sketches that they skillfully transform into Charlie Brown, Sally, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the Peanuts gang. If you’re wondering how the ice artisans turn frozen water into color creations, they infuse the 6,500 300-pound clocks of ice with food coloring.
The 11-room exhibit features Snoopy’s doghouse, six two-story ice slides, and ice bar, a Nativity scene and so much more. Check out the icy exhibit through Jan. 5. Adult tickets cost $24 and kids rickets are $15. In order to keep the ice frozen, the exhibit needs to stay at a frosty nine degrees Fahrenheit. Don’t worry about the chill, complimentary parkas to wear during your visit are included!
Your kids know all about lions, tigers and bears, but now they can get up close and personal with bakus, tengus and megu-chans! These fascinating creatures are currently on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art exhibit––and they’re sure to wow your whole family. After all, it’s not every day you see a half-human/half-crow that’s excellent at martial arts, or an elephant, lion, ox tribrid that eats nightmares! Read on to plan this extraordinary museum outing.
An Enchanting Exhibit
LACMA’s Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art exhibit features real and imaginary animals through sculpture, painting, lacquer-work, ceramics, metalwork, cloisonné, and woodblock prints. Kids will learn about mythical beasts including dragons and phoenixes and they’ll also spy dogs, horses, oxen, lions, cats, fish, insects and more, featured in compelling masterpieces that demonstrate Japan’s reverence for nature.
Follow the Family Guide for the Greatest Experience
Immerse yourselves in exploring Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art via an engaging and informational family guide that highlights six artworks and includes fun activities. For instance, kids can find out what their pet or favorite stuffed animal’s nickname would be according to artist Yayoi Kusama after learning about her vibrant, polka-dotted dog sculpture. They can also draw a picture of a baku, a mythical creature that eats nightmares, that’s featured on a pair of pillows in the exhibit. The guide suggests kids cut out and take home their new baku to place under their pillow to ward off bad dreams––prompting them to relish their museum experience long past the confines of the exhibit.
Discover Your Japanese Zodiac Animal
Look for the zodiac animal chart on the wall in the first gallery with your family. You can use your birth years to discover each of your Japanese Zodiac animals and then record them in the chart included in the family guide. Who in your group will be a monkey, a snake, a rabbit or a dragon? You’ll soon find out!
LACMA hosts Andell Family Sundays highlighting the Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art, exhibit. Gather your clan and bond at this educational event that will give you all something to talk about. From gallery tours and artist-led workshops where kids can make their own mythical and supernatural animal-inspired creations, this is a great way to spend an afternoon.
Andell Family Sundays featuring this exhibit are Nov 3, 10, 17 & 24, 2019 from 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Mark your calendar to visit LACMA on Nov. 17 to celebrate the Nebuta Festival, a famous festival in Japan, right here in Los Angeles. You’ll behold an enormous paper lantern float depicting the Japanese folk hero Kintoki by Nebuta Master Hiroo Takenami, and be treated to performances by taiko drummers, flute and hand cymbal players, and dancers.
Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art is on display now through Dec. 8, 2019 in LACMA’s Resnick Pavilion. Get tickets today! Bonus: L.A. County youth 17 and under are always free.
Fall is here and local museums around the Bay Area have started rolling out their lineup of exciting exhibits for the whole family. Immerse yourself in the world of Burning Man, take a trip to Japan and then learn all about your cells at these exhibits that kids will love. Scroll through our picks, then open up your calendars to block out some time to check them out!
Wild Child — Junior Center of Art & Science
Erin Lem
For an experience especially tailored to the littles (crawling through five years old), head to the Wild Child pop up exhibit at Junior Center of Art & Science in Oakland. This interactive exhibit encourages young minds to touch, climb, tinker and create.
The outdoor area features an immersive sculpture full of sensory surprises, while indoors you'll find two play rooms. One boasts a sweet portal tunnel (mom and dad, be prepared to crouch to enter!), ball pit, sticker wall and Hygge nook. Next door find a creative space (toward the back there's a separate shoe-free area just for babies and crawlers) with sensory, creative art projects led by staff, "artifacts" like typewriters and calculators, and a huge wire cage our own toddler was especially fond of exploring. Beyond free play, Wild Child also features baby and toddler classes on their calendar here.
Good to know:
Depending on your child's attention span (and how crowded the place is) expect to spend anywhere from 2-3 hours exploring.
Beyond the pop up, you can check out the other rooms in the Junior Center of Art & Science like the play house room, replete with a play kitchen, stuffed animals and trains, and the reptile room where your kiddo can peek at snakes and other creepy crawlies.
Ample parking is available. The Center is located in the same area as Children's Fairyland. Sat & Sun. parking costs $5/day and Mon.-Fri. parking costs $2/first two hours or $10/day.
Junior Center of Art & Science Now through Feb, 23, 2020 558 Bellevue Avenue Oakland, CA 94610 Online: wildchildplay.com
No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man – Oakland Museum of California
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) will bring cutting-edge artwork, sculpture, and interactive installations from Burning Man, one of the most widely-celebrated and influential cultural events, to its galleries this fall. No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man will illuminate the event’s origins and its culture of experimentation, collaboration and creativity, which draws over 70,000 people to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert each year.
An adaptation of the original exhibition organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery in collaboration with Burning Man Project, No Spectators will take over OMCA’s Great Hall and beyond, going outside of the walls of the gallery with outdoor sculpture throughout the Museum’s public spaces, including an OMCA-commissioned 40-foot-tall outdoor temple by internationally-acclaimed sculptor David Best. A companion exhibition within the gallery, City of Dust: The Evolution of Burning Man, organized by the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno, will trace Burning Man's origins from its countercultural roots in the San Francisco Bay Area to the world-famous city in the desert it is today.
Oakland Museum of California On exhibit October 12, 2019-February 16, 2020 Online: museumca.org
The Exploratorium has just opened a new permanent exhibit collection entitled Cells to Self: Exploring the Life Inside You. Through more than 20 new experiences, this collection reveals the wondrous variety of human cells and the amazing things they’re doing in your body. See live heart cells beating in time with your own pulse, or find out which bacteria are living on your skin. Through living tissues, microscopes and digital models, you’ll discover how cells move and communicate.
The Exploratorium Opens October 3 (part of the permanent collection) Online: exploratorium.edu
Hello from Japan! – Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose
Children's Museum of San Jose
Come visit Tokyo right here in San Jose and get an authentic peek into Japanese culture. Featuring a bustling modern city street inspired by Tokyo’s Harajuku district that bridges to a tranquil Shinto shrine, you’ll see the incredible contrast between modern kawaii aesthetics and traditional motifs and customs. The transition between the two show how the Japanese culture values history, a society where the past, present and future harmoniously coexist.
Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose On exhibit through Feb. 5, 2020 Online: cdm.org
Science + You - Bay Area Discovery Museum
Science You
All children are scientists and at the Bay Area Discovery Museum (BADM) they can look and act the part! In BADM's new traveling exhibit, Science + You, visitors get hands-on with the machinery, processes and technology used in real laboratories every day. Upon entering the exhibit, children wash their hands, wipe their feet and even walk through a pretend shower before donning their white lab coat,
Abracadabra! Magic in Peanuts - Charles Schulz Museum
Charles Schulz Museum
Charles Schulz loved sleight of hand and stage magic of all kinds. Learn firsthand how the cartoonist dabbled in magic and, like all things in his life, brought magic into the panels of Peanuts. See original comic strip art, animation cels, and a selection of the magic items that belonged to Schulz—no hocus pocus required.
Charles Schulz Museum On exhibit through Jan. 19, 2020 Online: schulzmuseum.org
The exhibition SOFT POWER is about the ways in which artists deploy art to explore their roles as citizens and social actors. Appropriated from the Reagan-era term used to describe how a country’s “soft” assets such as culture, political values, and foreign policies can be more influential than coercive or violent expressions of power, the title contemplates the potential of art and offers a provocation to the public to exert their own influence on the world. Presented on two floors of the museum, the exhibition features new commissions and recent works by twenty international artists.
SFMOMA On exhibit Oct. 26, 2019-Feb. 17, 2020 Online: sfmoma.org
Survival Architecture and the Art of Resilience - Museum of Craft and Design
Museum of Craft and Design
This winter, the Museum of Craft and Design (MCD) will present two new, dynamic exhibitions exploring the ways that creative individuals are addressing issues of climate change. Survival Architecture and the Art of Resilience is a timely exhibition showcasing visionary architects and artists who have created artistically interpretive solutions and prototypes for emergency shelters in a climate-constrained world. Concurrently, the exhibition Linda Gass: and then this happened… will examine the human-made and natural water infrastructure affecting the greater Bay Area, considering present and future challenges with respect to climate change.
Museum of Craft and Design Both exhibits will be available Dec. 19, 2019-May 3, 2020 Online: sfmcd.org
A Powerful Force: Working to End Homelessness Through Art - Walt Disney Family Museum
Untitled Pastel, Marker and Pencil on Newsprint Courtesy of Youth Spirit Artworks
The Walt Disney Family Museum's 2019 community access exhibition will be A Powerful Force: Working to End Homelessness Through Art. Featuring original artwork created by young people experiencing homelessness, the exhibition’s title was inspired by Walt Disney himself: “There is great comfort and inspiration in this feeling of close human relationships and its bearing on our mutual fortunes—a powerful force to overcome the tough breaks which are certain to come for most of us from time to time.”
A Powerful Force will feature artworks created by homeless youth with three greater San Francisco Bay Area partner organizations: Raphael House, Larkin Street Youth Services, and Youth Spirit Artworks. These nonprofit organizations help at-risk youth and their families achieve independence by providing career-building skills, educational programs and safe housing.
Walt Disney Family Museum On exhibit through Jan. 6, 2020 Online: waltdisney.org
Cointraptions: Classic Coin-Operated Machines - Museum of American Heritage
Travel back in time to the early 1900s to the 1950s when pennies, nickels and dimes were dropped into slots across the nation. Coin-operated machines were widely used in places of businesses such as general stores, toy stores, parlors, restaurants, bars, casinos and gas stops. See how businesses across America operated before the era of the credit card.
Museum of American Heritage On exhibit through Feb. 16, 2020 Online: moah.org
Barbie is coming to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. The museum recently announced a collab with Mattel to bring the iconic doll to fans young and old—starting in May 2020!
The Barbie: You Can Be Anything exhibit will celebrate the doll and inspire girls to see their limitless potential. After making it’s Indianapolis debut in May 2020, the exhibit will spend almost a year at The Children’s Museum. In Spring 2021 it will embark on a five-year tour of North America.
The soon-to-be exhibit will feature Barbie dolls throughout history and plenty of info on doll creator Ruth Handler. Children of all ages will get the chance to explore the 200-plus careers Barbie has had over the decades and learn about powerful women who have broken down barriers!
This isn’t the first time The Children’s Museum has partnered with Mattel. After teaming up for Barbie: The Fashion Experience, in honor of the doll’s 50th anniversary, the museum also brought Mattel’s Hot Wheels For Real to Indianapolis and took the classic car on a nationwide tour for the Hot Wheels: Race to Win! exhibit.
—Erica Loop
Photos: Courtesy of Mattel/The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
When winter comes to Boston, temperatures drop and snow starts to fall, driving everyone inside. It doesn’t take long to get a little stir crazy spending too much time inside with the munchkins, so here are some ideas that will get you out of the house and out of each others’ hair, at least for a few hours!
Things to do in Boston in Winter with Kids
Ice Skating at Winter on the Wharf: The Boston Harbor Hotel hosts Winter on the Wharf, featuring ice skating under its famous archway, from late November into February. Visitors can enjoy skating on the 2,500 square foot Rotunda Rink on weekday evenings and weekends. You can also ice skate at the Frog Pond in the Boston Common.
Boston Children’s Museum: for toddlers through elementary school-age kids, the Boston Children’s Museum is always a favorite. The indoor three-story climbing structure is a great place to burn off some energy but kids will enjoy exploring all the hands on exhibits from the popular Bubbles exhibit to the Construction Zone and more. Don’t miss a walk through the authentic Japanese House. The Boston Children’s Museum is located at 308 Congress Street, an easy walk from the Boston Harbor Hotel, New England Aquarium or Quincy Marketplace.
New England Aquarium: Even better since its renovation, the New England Aquarium features 27,000 animals in 70 exhibits including harbor seals, penguins, and my favorite, sea turtles. The have a 200,000 gallon Caribbean reef exhibit and a shark and ray touch tank. If you buy timed tickets online, you can avoid standing outside in line and get in to where it is warm.
Boston Museum of Science: The Boston Museum of Science has always been one of our favorite winter destinations. Unlike the Children’s museum, the Museum of Science is good for younger kids and tweens alike. Even if the standard exhibits start to get routine, we really enjoy the special rotating exhibits.
Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum: Even though a portion of the experience is outside, it makes sense to combine a visit to the Boston Childrens’ Museum with the Boston Tea Party Museum if you haven’t already visited. Kids under 12 will get a kick out of role playing their part in the Revolution, including throwing “tea” into the Harbor and it is a great way to learn about the events that kickstarted the Revolutionary War.
LegoLand Discovery Center Boston: LEGO fans, especially those in preschool through elementary school-age will love the Legoland Discovery Center Boston, in the Assembly Row shopping and eating complex in Somerville. You’ll start out with a “tour” of the LEGO factory and design your own virtual minifigures. One of my favorite parts was the Miniland exhibit, featuring Boston landmarks made out of LEGO. Kids will also enjoy the two simple rides, the Kingdom’s Quest laser ride and Merlin’s Apprentice Ride, the Play Zone, LegoFriend’s Olivia’s house, and building and testing race cars.
Museum of Fine Arts — The Museum of Fine Arts has been one of our daughter’s favorite stops since she was a toddler. You can easily spend a day exploring all the galleries or participating in some of the museum’s family friendly programs. The Art of Asia exhibit, especially the Buddhist Temple, is always a big hit, as are the Art of the Ancient World exhibits. If your kids are really art lovers, or just like a good mystery, walk over to the nearby Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum for a peak at some amazing architecture and the empty spaces on walls due to the art heist that took place there in in 1990.
JFK Library — The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is located on the waterfront in Columbia Point, just south of the city. Tweens and teens will enjoy learning about one of the country’s most beloved presidents through the interactive displays and exhibits. The self-guided tour kicks off with a 20 minute film, using clips of Kennedy’s voice to tell the his story from growing up as part of a political family to his first presidential campaign. The tour then continues through exhibits that walk through the campaign, the election, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Space Race, and other pivotal moments in office, through to his assasination. It is very well done and quite moving so plan to spend two hours exploring.
Tamara is a travel writer, podcaster, and mom of one teen girl. Based in Rhode Island, she is a passionate advocate for the benefits of family travel in raising flexible, resilient, and globally-aware children and empowering women and teen girls through travel.
Get ready to head back to Isla Nublar! A new LEGO Jurassic World series is coming to Nickelodeon.
Fans of the 2018 animated special LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit will be excited to see Owen, Claire and the park full of unruly dinosaurs back in action for a new 13-episode series titled LEGOJurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar. You can catch the first look below.
The new CG-animated mini-series, takes place before the events of 2015’s blockbuster Jurassic World film pairing animal behaviorist Owen Grady with Park Operations Manager Claire Dearing as they handle all the chaos that comes along with running an island full of dinos.
Earlier this year, LEGO unveiled four new LEGO Jurassic World building sets featuring dinosaurs and characters from the new show. You can check them all out here. The new sets priced starting at $19.99 are available in stores worldwide now.
LEGOJurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar debuts on Sat., Sep. 14 at 11:30am (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. Starting Aug. 25 a sneak peek episode, “MissionCritical,” will be available for fans to watch on the Nick App, Nick On Demand and Nickelodeon’s YouTube channel.
This summer and upcoming autumn, San Diego’s art scene is bustling with pop-up exhibits and installations you have to see to believe. Expand your cultural repertoire by discovering immersive art experiences throughout the city that will inspire and delight your whole family. You can transform into a living constellation in the night sky, climb and swing your way across a gigantic rainbow hammock, explore a museum dedicated to avocados that’s complete with avocado skin walls and so much more. Read on for where to dive into culture with your crew.
Wonderspaces: in common
Maja Petric
Whether your family loves high-tech or low-tech, this immersive art show is sure to wow. Explore over a dozen different interactive art installations where human connection is the theme. Kids will love We Are All Made of Light, where your clan will become a magnificent constellation in the night sky. They'll also be mesmerized by Floor, wherein an undulating reflective metal walkway lets visitors ride a "wave" as the floor moves underneath them.
Tickets are offered on a rolling timed-entry basis––and earlier is better for both missing crowds and finding parking (bring quarters for the parking meters). There are snacks and drinks available in the exhibit. However, dress to stay cool as there is no air conditioning (just fans).
Good to know: Several of the art installations are experienced in pitch black rooms and you'll need to judge whether some of them are suitable for your kids (such as a maze that needs to be navigated while blindfolded and an exhibit you walk through while hearing loud car and traffic sounds in darkness). There's also a VR exhibit that's for kids 13 and older. The docents at each installation are very informative about what's behind all the curtains, so if you have questions, just ask.
Dates: June 7-Sept. 1, 2019 Cost: $24-$27/adult; $15/child
B Street Pier 1140 N. Harbor Dr. San Diego, CA 92101 Online: wonderspaces.com
Whammock!
The New Children's Museum
The New Children's Museum is now the home of Whammock!, Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam’s first large-scale work at a museum in the United States. This is the most recent artist commission for the downtown children’s museum and it's a stunningly colorful 28’x 20’ interactive, three-dimensional textile environment that resembles a giant hammock of crocheted circles, open pockets and dangling pendulums. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind place to climb, play and interact with others.
The two-ton structure took nearly 3,600 hours to construct from over 40 miles of braided nylon. The 14 hand-dyed colors reflect MacAdam’s impression of the San Diego environment and landscape, including references to California poppies, the ocean and Mexican cultural influences. The installation will be open for play at the Museum for at least five years. Be sure to indulge your little climbers, swingers and crawlers with an interactive encounter with this masterful piece of art.
Bonus: Adults are welcome to navigate Whammock! too!
Cost: $14/person (ages 1 and older)
The New Children’s Museum 200 West Island Ave. San Diego, CA 92101 Online: www.thinkplaycreate.org
All aboard this arty party! Hop on the San Diego Trolley for a trip that will engage your senses with music and dance at key station stops. Time your stop to hear the music and see the dancing in the streets, stations and underpasses as the Jean Isaacs San Diego Dance Theater performs dance numbers inspired by the trolley stations and public spaces around them.
La Jolla Playhouse's Without Walls (WOW) Festival is a four-day explosion of site-based and immersive performances. Extraordinary artists from around the globe will offer audiences a series of intriguing and transformative experiences that place the audience right in the center of the action. Similar to past WOW Festivals, this exciting event will serve as a cultural and artistic hub where patrons can gather to experience WOW performances, hear live music, engage in lively discussions about the work and enjoy the many food and drink options on offer at Liberty Station. Since its inception in 2011, Without Walls (WOW) has become one of San Diego’s most popular and acclaimed performance programs. This signature Playhouse initiative is designed to break the barriers of traditional theatre, offering immersive and site-inspired works that venture beyond the physical confines of the Playhouse facilities.
Our favorite immersive exhibit for little ones is Boats, where half-pints jump in colorful pretend boats and run around navigating the pretend water. They may run into a silly artist looking to be saved or encounter mysterious elements on this urban ocean. Check the schedule for other performances.
Without Walls (WOW) Festival Dates: Oct. 17-20, 2019 Online: lajollaplayhouse.com
Art on campus! Explore the Stuart Collection with a self-guided walking tour. From a giant (huggable) teddy-like bear and a Fallen Star (tilted house) wedged on a building to a stone (climbable) sculpture garden and giant snake walkway, your fam is sure to have tons of fun. Free and open to the public year-round, come to see the campus and get hands-on with the art.
California and avocados go hand-in-hand, so a pop-up museum celebrating this healthy fruit is fun and interactive too! The CADO offers an experiential journey that starts outside of the fruit’s skin, travels through its green ombre-colored flesh and into the center of the fruit. Ticket holders will feel the avocado-skinned walls in The Ripe Room, get schooled on the growing process by Jason Mraz (via walkman cassette tape), meet the Hass Mother Tree of California in Hass Hall, pause at The Pit Stop and enjoy the best of avocado culture.
The CADO will pop-up from Jun. 27-Sept. 22, on Thurs.-Sun.
Cost: $19/adult; $14/child (kids younger than 3 are free)
250 North City Dr., Suite 9 San Marcos, CA 92078 Online: thecado.co
U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge
Beth Shea
You don't want to miss this fantastic, family-friendly three-day art event over Labor Day weekend. Thousands of people attend the U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge & Dimensional Art exhibition to see master sculptors build and display amazing three-dimensional masterpieces. Check out the stunning sand sculptures while enjoying live music from a variety of bands. Activities for kiddos include art projects, sandbox, sand sculpture classes, bubble fun and European bungie. There will also be a dozen food trucks on hand offering over 100 menu items.
Aug. 31-Sep. 2, 2019
Broadway Pier and Pavilion 1000 North Harbor Dr. San Diego, CA 92101
