ArcaMax

All dinosaur lovers will want to head straight to the American Museum of Natural History where T. Rex: The Ultimate Predator has just opened (through Aug. 9). Explore the latest research and discoveries about the genus of dinosaurs known as tyrannosaurs, with an emphasis on the most famous and impressive member of the family -- T. rex. There are life-sized reconstructions, real fossils, large-scale video projections, hands-on interactives and a virtual reality experience that will even help visitors assemble a T. rex skeleton.

Got J.R.R Tolkien fans in your family? ‘Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth’ (through May 12) at The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City is the most extensive public displace of original material that explores and celebrates J.R.R. Tolkien's legacy and his tales of hobbits and elves. See original illustrations, maps, draft manuscripts and designs related to "The Hobbit," "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Silmarillion."

There are options in every city for young artists. But “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power 1963-1983” at the Broad in Los Angeles (opens March 23 and runs through Sept.1) not only highlights more than 60 black artists, showcasing their contributions, but explores how current events -- from the civil rights movement to Black Power influenced their work.

March is Women's History Month and the Dallas Museum of Art is among the museums showcasing women artists with its new exhibit Women Artists in Europe from the Monarchy to Modernism (the free exhibit runs through June 9).

You'll spark plenty of conversations about why a mom's work is never done at the new, All Work and No Pay: A History of Women's Invisible Labor (through February 2020) at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., as it explores the history of women's work in the home and the value and implications of unwaged labor.

Also guaranteed to be thought-provoking for older kids and teens in Washington is the new groundbreaking "Rise Up Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movementat the Newseum. The exhibit explores the modern gay rights movement and marks the 50th anniversary of the June 1969 raid of the Stonewall Inn in New York City, which proved to be the catalyst to the movement.

But remember leave when the kids -- and you -- have had enough. You can always return another time.

And there will always be another new exhibit.

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow "taking the kids" on www.twitter.com, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments.)

(c) 2019 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.