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Family guide to Deadwood, South Dakota

June 29, 2019 By Amy Hagstrom

We love wild west towns, especially those that are more historical than touristy. While Deadwood, South Dakota is decidedly both, there’s much to appreciate about this historic town booming in western history.

A little background: Deadwood is most famous as the home of Wild Bill Hickok and sheriff Seth Bullock (made even more famous by the HBO series Deadwood). Gold was discovered in the Black Hills at this site in 1875, and in the subsequent boom, Deadwood became one of the most notorious wild west towns. Families can visit the saloon where Bill Hickok was shot to death, visit the graves of Hickok, Calamity Jane, and Bullock, visit museums, and see reenactments.

Note: because the entire town is on the national register of historic places and its rich history in gambling and gaming, Deadwood is still a gaming town. Casinos are present throughout the town. This surprised me, but even though I dislike gaming, it didn’t interfere with my experience too much.

Activities and historical sites:

Reenactments on street: Depending on the time of year, reenactments of shootouts are regularly occurrences on Deadwood’s main street, with characters in period garb. Crowds gather, and the scene only takes about 10 minutes to perform. Catch at least one showing during your visit.

Saloon 10: Yes, it’s a saloon, but until 8 pm each night, it’s kid-friendly. Stop in to see the chair where supposedly Wild Bill Hickok was sitting when shot to death by Jack McCall. Sometimes, reenactments of McCall’s trial are held in the saloon as well. Kids will like the sawdust floor and fun setting with a true wild west bar, and the menu is quite good. Wonderful historic photos line the walls of the saloon, and of course, there’s a small gift shop.

Days of 76 Museum: This museum is located just outside downtown at #18 Seventy-Six Drive. It’s massive, so allow a few hours to explore the exhibits of covered wagons, coaches, carriages, firearms, and native american artifacts. Admission is very affordable at $5.50 for adults and $2.50 for kids.

Historic Adams House and Museum: This historic home and museum at 22 Van Buren near downtown offers house tours and scavenger hunts for kids. It’s fun for everyone to see the inside of Victorian life in Deadwood.

Mt. Mariah Cemetery: There is an admission charge for this cemetery of a few dollars, but it’s well worth it to see graves of Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickok, and Potato Creek Johnny. On a walkway further up, you can also see Seth Bullock’s grave. It’s also worth walking along the other grave sites, to note the deep history in the area and a glimpse at the hardships of pioneering life.

If you need more ideas, stop by the History and Information Center one block south of Historic Main Street and pick up a walking tour guidebook. 17 stops are described in detail, marked by plaques, and the brochure does a good job walking families through the sites and history.

Note: the historic ghost tour advertised in Deadwood is very entertaining and interesting, but it is NOT for children, due to graphic details about the town’s history of prostitution (which, interestingly enough, was banned as late as the 1980s.

Hiking:

There are a few great area hikes in the Black Hills right outside Deadwood. Our favorites, due to accessibility:

Mt. Roosevelt to Friendship Tower: Seth Bullock was actually a friend of President Teddy Roosevelt, serving in his Rough Riders. Upon Roosevelt’s death, Bullock built the Friendship Tower to commemorate him. The hike up Mt. Roosevelt is short and easy, and ends at the tower, which you can climb up. The views are great! Find the trailhead on Forest Service Road 133. Take US Highway 85 north out of Deadwood a few miles to the turnoff.

Little Spearfish and Rimrock Trails: Located adjacent to Deadwood in the Spearfish area (near Lead), these trails offer a nice overview of the Black Hills. The Spearfish trail is a six mile loop that’s easy to moderate, and the Rimrock Trail is 4.7 mile, but a bit harder. From Spearfish, take Highway 14A to Savoy, then travel west on Forest Service Road 222 for almost five miles to the trailhead. Biking is allowed.

Biking:

Deadwood is home to the Mickelson Trail, a fantastic rail trail that runs through the Black Hills over 100 miles. It’s easy to access right in town, and bike rentals are available at the Pump House at Mind Blown Studio (which is a great place to visit for lunch and to watch glass blowing, too!). Bike long distance to the town of Rockford, then Hill City if you’re very ambitious, or do what we did, and pedal about five miles out and back for a nice ride. As an alternative, it’s very easy to ride from one side of town to the other in just a few miles, and the entire path through Deadwood is well lighted at night.

How to get around:

Parking is available on the street and in public lots, but in summer, it gets very busy. We recommend taking the town trolley, which is only $1 per ride.

Where to stay:

We stayed at Deadwood Gulch Resort, which is located on the far end of town right on Whitewood Creek. This location is quieter, and still easily accessible to downtown via the trolley. Rooms were simple but clean, and while there’s gaming in the lobby, which I dislike, gaming is unavoidable in this town.

After visiting Deadwood, head to Custer to explore all the offerings in addition to Mt. Rushmore, and to Custer State Park!

Photo credit: Amy Whitley and Flickr/AaronVowels

Nebraska travel: Omaha museums to visit with kids

August 1, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

Omaha, Nebraska is a thriving metropolis offering lots of attractions to families for a vacation close to home, including arts, sports, outdoors activities, and a number of quality museums. Our family recommends two Omaha museums to visit with kids: the Durham and the Omaha Children’s Museum.

Visiting the Durham Museum with kids

The Durham Museum, housed in Union Station, honors Omaha’s history as the eastern terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad.

The highlights for kids are the hands-on teepee and mud lodge, the stage coach, and of course, the trains: a steam engine, coal car and caboose; a streetcar; and a passenger train where you can walk through a private dining car, seating car, a club car, and sleeper cars. There’s also a big model train.

The rest of the permanent exhibits are interesting and educational, but most are static rather than interactive. Your best bet is to take turns supervising kids in the areas of most interest to them so the adults can peruse the rest at their leisure.

When we visited, there was a temporary exhibit called “Pirates and Shipwrecks.” Everyone in our family enjoyed the hands-on displays, from a n “experience hurricane winds” tube to operating a remote robotic arm to retrieve gold coins from the bottom of the “ocean.”

Dining/Shopping:

The museum gift shop is housed in the former ticket counter. There is also a soda fountain offering ice cream sundaes, shakes and candy as well as brats and hot dogs.

Hours/Admission/Location/Parking:

Plan to spend 2-3 hours at the Durham Museum, which is located at 801 South 10th Street in downtown Omaha. There is a dedicated free parking lot, and also free parking on surrounding streets. Admission is $11 for adults, $7 for kids 3-11. It is open 1-5 on Sundays, and 10-5 Mon.-Sat., with evening hours on Tuesday.

Visiting the Omaha Children’s Museum

The Omaha Children’s Museum was, as you might expect, a highlight of the trip for our younger kids. It was a little young for the eleven-year-old, but he eventually found the ball matrix and kept himself entertained for the rest of the visit.

Housed on two floors, the museum is dedicated to play-focused learning and simple fun. There are party rooms and a nursing room, and the museum offers stroller parking in several locations. The Imagination Playground has a grocery store fire house, bank, and so on; the creative arts center offers places to build and paint. The ball matrix uses mechanical, pneumatic, and ballistic power to move the balls.

All this is pretty standard for children’s museums. To me, what set this place apart were the presentations and the temporary display called “Pirates and Mermaids.”

At the Star Wars-themed science presentation, the young woman centered her experiments around examples from the movies: Luke’s land speeder (a hovercraft made of particle board and a leaf blower), the swinging log on Endor (to demonstrate momentum and force), and Cloud City (making clouds in a plastic bottle using water and forced air).

My daughter loved the presentations in the fairy tale area. Nothing educational here, just lots of scope for the imagination!

The Pirates and Mermaids area housed a pirate ship with cannons to shoot balls and a rope playground with a menacing shark to hover above it. (There was a height limit.)

Outdoors there is a small spray park, a covered patio with a small fire truck, and a playground, with signs around encouraging families to run, play, and picnic.

Shopping/Dining:

There is a cafe upstairs as well as vending machines. You can also go outside and picnic near the playground.

Admission/Audience:

Admission is $12 for kids and adults alike ($11 for seniors). This price reflects an intention for the parents to be hands on with their kids, rather than sitting off to the side while the kids play. Note: as indicated above, older kids are not the target audience; plan accordingly. Give yourself at least three hours, and prepare for the little ones to want to spend the entire day.

Hours, admission, Location, Parking:

Omaha Children’s Museum is located at 500 S. 20th St, Omaha. The museum has a free parking lot, and if school is not in session, the elementary school across the street serves as overflow. There is also metered parking on the street.

Our family visited the Durham Museum and the Omaha Children’s Museum as guests of Visit Omaha, in exchange for an impartial review.

Fernbank Museum, Atlanta GA

April 18, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

Whether your travel destinations for summer take you to Atlanta or simply through Atlanta, The Fernbank Museum of Natural History is a wonderful place to stop with kids. With six extensive permanent exhibits and several visiting exhibits (including one on geckos through the summer!), an IMAX theater, a museum store and cafe, you could easily spend a day here. (At very least, you’ll want to plan on an entire afternoon or morning to get your money’s worth!)

The Fernbank has an entire section geared to young kids: there’s a great hands-on section for kids called NatureQuest. NatureQuest lets kids interactively connect with nature as if they were outside and is great for those younger kids who aren’t too comfortable being outside just yet. For all kids, a permanent exhibit worth noting is called A Walk Through Time in Georgia, which lets visitors explore the natural history of Georgia and the story of our planet as they journey through lifelike geographic regions and historic re-creations. Highlights include a dinosaur gallery, a giant sloth, a cave, and the sights and sounds of the Okefenokee Swamp.

Seasonal Tip! Fernbank’s holiday-inspired exhibition features trees and other displays decorated by local cultural partners that recognize celebrations including Christmas, Hanukkah and the Festival of Lights, as well as traditions and practices like origami, indigenous art and national symbols.

Coming in 2016! Plan your visit around the opening of Fernbank’s new outdoor space, coming soon. Check on its status at the exhibits page. This is one element the Fernbank has been missing, so we’re excited to see this expansion take place. Included will be interactive outdoor elements, space for children to play and climb, and gardens to enhance the overall experience for those spending a full day at the museum…after all, fresh air is a must!

Distance off the interstate: Just a few minutes!

Hours: Open 7 days a week, but hours vary between the museum, IMAX, cafe, and museum store. See this comprehensive chart for current hours.

Admission Prices:

Adults: $18
Students and seniors (62+) with ID: $17
Children 3-12: $16
Children 2 and under (ticket required): FREE

IMAX admission is separate, but ‘Value Passes’, which include admission to both for a discounted price, are available.

Food Services: The Fernbank Cafe, located inside the museum, offers sandwiches, salads, pizza, and more!

Bathrooms: Located on-site.

Website: Fernbank Museum

Directions: From I-75/I-85/GA400 head toward downtown Atlanta. Take exit 248C Freedom Parkway (GA 10 East). Go 1.7 miles to Ponce de Leon Avenue and turn right. Go 1.7 miles to Clifton Road and turn left. Go 1/10 mile to the Museum entrance and turn right.
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Photo credit: Peter C

Science City review, Kansas City

September 28, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

Kansas City, Missouri is home to a science center once named one of the nation’s 25 best by Parents Magazine. Science City, housed in Union Station, offers learning experiences in a hand-on environment so well designed, the kids will never catch on that it’s educational.

Science City review:

As with most science centers, exhibits may change periodically, but perennial favorites and rotating displays alike are home runs, engaging kids at a hands-on level. Some of the highlights of our visit were:

Two chlorinated water tables. The smaller one challenges kids to build channels for racing rubber ducks. The larger table contains a number of experiments, including creating a water spout as well as a manual auger that lifts the water to power a water wheel and other fun gizmos.
A space shuttle landing simulator, part of a larger exhibit about physics and space travel.
A wacky “hotel” full of optical illusions.
A real helicopter that kids can climb inside.
The “Skybike,” which is counterbalanced by a load of bricks to keep it on track as it follows a tight-rope 30 feet above the floor (this experience has height/weight restrictions, and although it’s clearly safe, it also feels like a real adventure!).
Excavating dinosaur bones from a shredded-tire-mulch resting place.
The renewable energy exhibit, where we powered light bulbs by running in a human-sized hamster wheel and by riding bicycles.

This is only a sampling of the major exhibits at Science City. You’ll find smaller gems tucked into every nook and cranny, from shadow and kinetic walls to a slide built out of a city water pipe, and a music area in which the floor itself becomes an instrument.

For the little ones, Science City has a small indoor playground and a room dedicated just to them. Older kids can participate in staff-led guided activities every day; on Saturdays there are demonstrations and make-it-yourself opportunities in the Maker Studio. They even offer lock-ins and camp-ins for groups.

One thing you’ll find here that you won’t see at most other science centers is the Kansas City Rail Experience. Union Station, home of Science City, is not only a tourist destination but a working Amtrak station. In the KC Rail Experience, you can climb up in a retired diesel engine and walk through a caboose removed from its wheels to make it wheelchair/stroller accessible. A small theater inside a converted Pullman car plays a video about the history of Union Station—a welcome chance to sit down and rest your feet.

Science City is spacious and airy, with lots of natural light. Visitors enter from the concourse level of Union Station and make their way to the ground level. This is a destination you won’t want to rush; give yourself time to spend most of a day there. Purchase tickets at the ground level ticket booth (down an escalator from the soaring ceilings of the main terminal) and present them at the Science City entrance, where staff will give you a wristband that allows you to come and go all day.

Where to eat:

Food and drink is not permitted inside, but for a memorable meal, take a short walk across The Link, an indoor elevated walkway, to Fritz’s, at Crown Center. Fritz’s offers burgers and all the usual accompaniments, delivered to the table by miniature trains. (There’s no good way to describe how this works. You just have to experience it.) You can eat dessert at Fritz’s or step next door to Sheridan’s Custard, which offers all the usual flavors and mix-ins as well as specialty items. We tried and loved the Grant’s Grasshopper, the Dirt & Worms, and the Mexican Chocolate concretes.

Planning your Science City-Union Station trip:

Science City is located at Union Station, 30 West Pershing Road, Kansas City. It is open 10-5 Monday through Saturday and 12-5 on Sunday. Tickets are $13.50 for adults and $11.50 for kids ages 3-12. Admission is free for Union Station members. See the Union Station website for details about parking and holiday schedules. While you’re on site, take a few minutes to explore the 8,000 square foot model train room at the end of the concourse that houses Science City. It’s free, and with model trains of all sizes, including Thomas and LEGO displays, you’ll probably have to pry the kids away. Union Station also houses a large planetarium and major traveling exhibits (fees separate), so plan ahead to make sure you have time to do everything you want.

Our family visited Science City as guests of VisitKC in return for an impartial review.

Grand Rapids Public Museum

September 9, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

The following post is written by Pit Stops for Kids’ Midwest contributor, Kate Basi.

Situated alongside the Grand River directly across (and linked by pedestrian bridges) from the heart of downtown, the Grand Rapids Public Museum houses an eclectic collection of historic, scientific, and cultural exhibits related to western Michigan. This imposing building, with its three-story wall of windows facing the river, is designed with an eye to beauty as well as function. Older kids will get more out of it than younger, but it has something for everyone in the family.

In the three-story gallery overlooking the river, you’ll find classic cars, life-sized games of chess and Connect Four, and a horse-drawn street car that kids can climb on. Be sure to look up and enjoy the twinkling hangings made of round mirrors and Christmas lights—not to mention the full-sized whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling.

Little girls will love the doll room, which includes a table and play tea set. But the major exhibit on the first floor is “The Streets of Old Grand Rapids.” Here, volunteers staff replicas of historic Grand Rapids shops. The day we visited, a volunteer was using a foot-cranked printing press to create two- and three-color bookmarks, one color at a time. A great photo op in this exhibit is the old-fashioned bicycle, whose front wheel is so big, even adults have to stretch to maneuver the pedals.

As an added bonus, the first floor links to a pavilion built out over the river to house a beautiful restored carousel. Rides cost $1 a ride—a real bargain compared to the average mall carousel.

As you make your way through the museum, keep an eye out for the A to Z signs. (”H”, for instance, is for “hats,” and their collection is a lot of fun, ranging from the exotic to the downright kooky.)

Most of the second floor is dedicated to the traveling exhibits and the planetarium. The planetarium is named after local hero Roger Chaffey, who was killed in the Apollo 1 disaster. At the time of our visit, the traveling exhibit was The Discovery of King Tut’s Tomb. We heard great things about the exhibit, but as we were on a limited time frame and had several children too young to appreciate it, we opted to bypass it.

The third-floor Western Michigan Habitats exhibit has a hefty “gross” factor that’s sure to impress young grade school boys, with a cutaway of the forest floor and a model of a drop of marsh water, magnified 200 times so every amoeba and flatworm has its full impact. Environmental consciousness is a big deal in western Michigan, but the exhibit about Lake Michigan brings the personal, local, and global issues surrounding sustainability into clear focus at a level of scientific authority that parents will appreciate and older kids will find accessible.

Older kids will get more out of the Grand Rapids Public Museum than younger, but there are hands-on exhibits on all three levels, from building blocks outside the planetarium to hinged mystery windows inviting kids to guess which baby goes with which Western Michigan animal. Tucked into the information-dense water-and-forest exhibit on the third floor is a puppet theater and tree house play area to keep the little ones occupied while older siblings and parents absorb the displays.

Signage around the museum is very clear, with “Please touch” and “please don’t touch” signs including pictorial reminders for non-readers as well as words.

Planning your trip:

Give yourself at least three to four hours to see the museum itself, and all day if you want to get the most out of the traveling exhibits. There is a cafe on the second floor, offering soups, snacks, and other luncheon fare.

Daily admission is $8 for adults and $3 for children 3-17; kids 2 and under are free. The GRPM offers discounts to college students, AAA members, military personnel, and others. Planetarium shows add $4, and carousel rides are $1 apiece for non-members.

Note: Admission to visiting exhibits is priced separately (for King Tut, $18 for adults and $13 for kids 3-17) but includes general admission to the museum and a carousel ride.

Hours of Operation:

9-5 Monday through Saturday and 12-5 on Sundays, with evening hours on Tuesday. Be aware that GRPM is closed on major holidays.

Location:

272 Pearl St NW, Grand Rapids, MI.

Our family visited the Grand Rapids Public Museum as guests of Experience Grand Rapids.

Most haunted destinations in the US (and why kids should visit)

October 17, 2014 By Amy Hagstrom

Curious about touring one of the most haunted destinations in the US? The following family travel destinations have tales to tell. Visit with ghosts in mind, or opt for a spirit-free experience with educational tours, historical sites, and kid-friendly attractions.

Gettysburg, PA:

It’s no wonder Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is haunted, given the significance of this intense three-day Civil War battle. However, it’s not just the battlefield that’s haunted in Gettysburg. In town, visitors can see the house where the sole civilian casualty took place, that of beloved Jenny Wade. According to local lore, Jenny was baking bread for Union soldier when she was shot through the window. In addition, the unmarked graves of numerous Confederate soldiers still dot the landscape of the town, including, apparently, in the flower beds of the Rupp House, shown above. Ghost tours in Gettysburg range from the truly intense to family-friendly. We recommend Sleepy Hollow of Gettysburg Candlelight Ghost tours.

Why families should visit: Gettysburg is among the most significant, meaningful destinations we’ve toured as a family. Best visited with school-aged or teen children, Gettysburg National Military Park brings the Civil War alive. We recommend spending at least two days here, and taking the tour with a licensed battlefield guide.

Virginia City, NV:

Never heard of Virginia City? This mining boom town (now near-ghost town) is located about 45 minutes into the high desert from Reno, NV. Once pocketed with thriving silver mines, Virginia City is now both a historical and tourist gem. Haunted sites are too numerous to list, but here’s a spoiler alert: nearly all of them are saloons that span the main street. Virginia City ghost tours tend to be pretty intense; most are geared toward adults only.

Why families should visit: We absolutely loved learning about mining history in Virginia City. Families can visit ramshackle museums (some of the best kind!), see the gambling tables where (supposedly) cheaters were shot during the Wild West, and even walk into a mine shaft that opens from the back of a saloon. Historic house tours are a must, as is the town trolley.

San Diego, CA:

In San Diego’s Old Town, the Whaley House has been thought to be haunted for decades. Built on the site of San Diego’s first public gallows in 1856, the Whaley House is supposedly haunted by Jim Robinson, a thief hanged there four years before the house was built. He can allegedly be heard walking in the halls, opening and closing doors, and making chairs rock and chandeliers seem to swing of their own accord. If that’s not enough, Whaley’s own daughter committed suicide here, adding to the heavy atmosphere of the location.

Why families should visit: San Diego’s Old Town remains full of history and lively culture, ranging from historic building tours (of the non-haunted variety) and storefronts selling everything from old-fashioned candy and candles to modern-day art and handcrafts. This is the place to start an Old Town Trolley Tour, which includes tidbits of history around the city. And yes, you can attend a ghost tour at the Whaley Museum (ages 12 and up).

Philadelphia, PA:

Philly is packed with early Colonial and Revolutionary history, of course, with sites ranging from Independence Hall to the site of Ben Franklin’s home. For a haunted location, however, visitors need to head out to Fort Mifflin, the only preserved Revolutionary War battlefield still in existence. It was here that nearly 400 malnourished, nearly frozen, and ill soldiers refused to give up, successfully defending the fort against British forces. Families can tour the fort in the day time, or if you’re really daring, you can even ‘sleep with the ghosts’ during a fort overnight.

Why families should visit: A visit to Philadelphia should be on every family’s bucket list. Go when kids are school-aged to get the most out of the historical sites, and plan to spend at least two days to cover a whole historical itinerary. A visit to nearby Valley Forge is also a must.

Would you visit a haunted location? Have you gone on a ghost tour with kids?

Photo credit: Jim Bowen

Washington DC with kids: International Spy Museum

October 15, 2014 By Amy Hagstrom

If you have kids 10 and up, you’ll want to include the International Spy Museum in your Washington DC itinerary. We absolutely loved it. Even though there are many free museums to tour in DC, it’s absolutely worth the price of admission.

Why we loved it:
This museum is one of the most interactive we’ve seen. It was created by a 30+ year veteran of the CIA, and it shows. The first section allows you to pick a ‘cover’: a new name, occupation, and cover story for your ‘mission’. You are asked to memorize it, then continue to ‘Spy School’. This section includes exhibits on various spy skills: the art of disguise, but also observation skills and common practices of the trade, such as dead drops (and others I can no longer remember…I wouldn’t make a good spy). There are tests you can take, games to play, and video screen challenges to test your skill.

After learning what it takes to be a spy, you continue the cover story game. On a bank of computer screens, you’re questioned about your cover, and, if you remember your details correctly, you’re given a second set of instructions (where to meet a contact, etc). Memorize these details, too, because you’ll need them at the last computer station. Tip: If you forget your details, you’ll be told the agent questioning your (in the computer game) is suspicious, and you may not get the info you need for the next part. Realistic, but frustrating. Since this first bank of computers is near the front where you picked your cover, it’s not too late to walk back and try again.

The next rooms in the museum take you through tools of the trade for soys through the decades, from packs of cigarettes that conceal cameras to the tiny bugs of today. It’s downright fascinating. Additional rooms detail the history of spying, from early cyphers to Civil War agents to WWII code breakers. Again, you’ll be entranced. At least we were.

At the end of this section, a last bank of computer screens will further test your knowledge of your cover, asking you to remember details from the earlier screens. It’s fun. Again, if you’ve forgotten stuff, your game will end early, but this time, it will be too late to go back for more info (unless the museum is very uncrowded). If you have younger kids in your group who struggle with this game, don’t worry: it’s a very small part of the overall museum. Our nine-year-old had a hard time with it, but our 12-year-old and 15-year-old loved it.

You tour the downstairs of the museum last. This large section is dedicated to James Bond villains. It’s cool, of course, but a bit intense for young kids. The good news is, it’s easy to skip this level with a convenient exit. Older kids who are not familiar with Bond will probably still be interested, because it shows various ‘bad guys’ and the techniques and weapons they used. Our older kids had seen Bond films with their dad and grandpa (avid fans) so they found it very interesting. There are a few more interactive exhibits here: for instance, kids can test their strength by hanging from a bar while wind whips around them and the bar shakes (simulating hanging from a ledge).

The last exhibit as you exit is on contemporary threats to communication, i.e., hackers. It showcases what may happen should a spy or terrorist hack into the US power grid. The result is quite apocalyptic. Young kids can be walked past this exhibit without grasping it’s meaning, but older kids may be alarmed. My older kids loved this exhibit best. They found it scary but also thought-provoking. To be honest, so did I.

The exit of the museum deposits you directly into a gift shop (of course), but it’s a quite fun one, with spy gadgets and lots of books and fun t-shirts. Kids may want to part with souvenir money here. Give yourself at least two hours to tour the whole museum. We had 1.5 hours, and were a bit rushed at the end.

Note: There are several additional programs run by the museum that we didn’t have a chance to try, including an hour-long spy game in the museum and a GPS-based scavenger hunt type game in the city. Both have an extra charge. If your older kids loved the museum and want more, I’d consider returning to play one of these games.

Date last visited:

July 2014

Distance from the interstate;

Right off the Mall, close to I-66 and I-395.

Admission:

$21.95 for adults (12 and up), $14.95 for kids (7-11). Kids six and under are free.

Hours of operation:

9 am to 7 pm in peak season. 9 or 10 am to 6 pm in off-seasons.

Dining:

There is no dining directly in the Spy Museum; however, the Shake Shack is located directly next door. This casual burger joint has the best frozen custard I’ve tasted!

Directions:

The museum is located at 800 F Street NW. The closest Metro station is Gallery Place/Chinatown. If you’re driving and parking (not recommended), use Panda Parking, which has partnered with the museum.

Wondering where to stay in DC? Check out our review of Grand Hyatt Washington.

Photos courtesy of International Spy Museum.

Washington DC with kids: National Air and Space Museum

September 22, 2014 By Amy Hagstrom

There are many worthy museums along the Mall, and it can be hard to know which to see while visiting Washington DC with kids. If yours are airplane, science, or space fans, you’ll want to make the National Air and Space Museum a priority. Like the other museums, the Air and Space is massive, and will require at least half of your day. We recommend hitting this (and any major museum) early in the day, to avoid lengthy security lines.

Right when you enter from the Mall side, you’ll be able to touch a moon rock. Start here for the first ‘wow’ from the kids. The capsule from Apollo 11 is here in the main hall as well, and numerous other impressive space artifacts. The downstairs exhibit halls seemed more committed to hands-on science, with almost a science museum feel, with several rooms devoted just to kids. Ours enjoyed participating in scheduled programs in this area, such as a paper airplane making contest. We learned quite a bit about balance and stability in the process! Young kids will want to spend a good deal of time in these halls.

Upstairs, the larger planes and the Apollo 11 Skylab are available for touring; definitely check out the interior of the Skylab to see where astronauts went to the bathroom, slept, and ate. Numerous planes grace this level, and exhibit halls include aviation during WWI and WWII, military unmanned vehicles, and a space exhibit on exploring planets. There’s a section on the Wright Brothers upstairs, and another on the early history of flight downstairs. It seemed like these two exhibit halls could have been combined or at least next to each other.

Overall, the Air and Space museum looked a bit more worn than the other Mall museums; I’d love to see it get an overhaul. There’s an IMAX theater, and we were very intrigued by all the movie selections. We saw one, but the IMAX broke down before we could see a second. There’s a planetarium that we didn’t get to as well.