Taking the Kids: Making time for smaller museums

In Denver, everyone visiting should stop at History Colorado Center downtown, which makes Colorado history relevant and gives those families visiting a way to connect with Coloradoans past and present, whether "driving" a Model-T, "visiting" a pioneer town or pushing the 7-foot-tall "Time Machines" that Colorado Artist Steven Weitzman created around the Great Map of Colorado that is embedded in the floor of the museum's atrium. As you move the "Time Machine" around and hit a hot spot in the floor, it will tell you stories from that part of the state at different times. (FYI: The Grand Hyatt Denver, just a couple of blocks away, is offering a new Parents Stay Free Package starting at $213 for two adults and two children. The offer is valid now through December 30, 2014.)

In Chicago, the DuSable Museum of African American History is the oldest museum dedicated to African-American history, culture and art. The museum is free on Sundays. Check out the exhibit on the history of blacks in the armed services and "Funky Turns 40: Black Characters in Animation Art." Learn all about the Great Chicago Fire or dress up like a Chicago-style hot dog at the Chicago History Museum.

In Los Angeles, the Petersen Automotive Museum is the place where kids can race Hot Wheels cars and, of course, this is the place to see all kinds of cars -- from Model-Ts to buses. There is an entire Discovery Center here just for kids.

In Boston, head across the Charles River to Cambridge and the MIT Museum that includes a student showcase of inventions, robots and 5,000 Moving Parts, sculptures that are entirely based with motion. While you're there, check out all the giant sculptures on campus. Kids also like checking out the dazzling glass flowers at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. There are 3,000 of them.

At the Children's Creativity Museum in San Francisco kids and their parents were busy "creating" everywhere you looked -- solving puzzles in "mystery boxes," designing creatures they can make come to life in the Claymation Studio and working on computers. "There's a lot to do with your hands everywhere," explained Ilan Bachmann. He and his twin sister, Shira, brought a whole group of friends to celebrate their 11th birthday here.

Parents seemed to be having as much fun as the kids. "We come here to create together," said Paul Moraga, here with his 10-year-old daughter Savannah. They were in the Design Studio working side by side at computers. "I'm having as much fun as she is," he said.

Museum-going doesn't get better than that.

========

Follow @TakingtheKids on Twitter and Facebook and read more of Eileen's stories and adventures on TakingtheKids.com; She is the author of The Kid's City Guide series with books designed for kids to lead the way in NYC, Orlando, Washington, DC, Denver, Boston and LA; Three more books in the series will be out this fall.