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Salt Lake City: Natural History Museum of Utah with kids

February 15, 2017 By Amy Hagstrom

Considering a visit to Salt Lake City’s Natural History Museum of Utah with kids? Absolutely go! This is one of the best natural history museums we’ve visited, with five stories of exhibits on earth and life science. The museum is located on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, and families can easily spend a full morning or afternoon here.

If you’re visiting in the warmer months, allow time to explore the outdoor spaces, including terraces with views of the Wasatch Mountains and downtown, and hiking trails that lead from the museum. During my visit in winter, these areas were closed due to heavy snow, but this may not always be the case.

Natural History Museum of Utah with kids:

The building housing the museum alone is impressive; its copper exterior and LEED Gold certified features echo the message of the permanent exhibits: one of sustainability and eco-responsibility. Start on the second level (admissions is on level 1) and check out the topographic map in the lobby. Then start in Past Worlds, which houses an impressive dinosaur exhibit with a paleo lab.

In this area is the ‘backyard’ room for young kids; be sure to check it out with toddlers and preschoolers.

The Past Worlds section will lead seamlessly into the First Peoples and Land areas…just follow the sky bridges and pathways. In this way, this natural history section evolves from prehistoric times slowly to present day life, with sections on early humans and anthropology as well as geology and local Salt Lake climate studies. This leads to the large Life section, which has a working naturalist lab with glass walls so kids can watch scientists at work.

At the very top of the museum on Level 5, the Sky section offers amazing city views, an elevated outdoor terrace, and exhibits on the night sky. Past Sky, the circular Native Voices room showcases present-day Native American culture on the Wasatch Front and further, including beyond the Salt Lake basin.

Be sure to check out the current special exhibit, which is housed on Level 3. During my visit, it was an extensive exhibit on poison; both natural poisons found in nature as well as human myths, lore, and history of poison. It was very interesting and had something for all ages.

Admission and hours:

Admission information can be found here. At the time of my visit, adult admission was about $15, teens were $13, and kids 3-12 were $10. The museum is open from 10 am to 5 pm. As with many museums, it is usually worth looking into a museum membership if you have a large family or plan to visit more than once a year. You can turn your day admission into a membership at the time of your visit.

Note: there is a cafe on site, as well as picnic lunch areas available.

Directions:

The museum is located at 301 Wakara Way, within the University of Utah campus. There is ample parking, and it’s easy to access from the TRAX public transit system.

Chicago Field Museum tips

January 22, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

We love natural history museums and have visited versions of them all over the country. The Chicago Field Museum is in our top five! We loved this cavernous, elegant museum situated on the Museum Campus by Lake Michigan and Shedd Aquarium. Here’s what we recommend seeing and doing, plus tips to plan your visit:

What not to miss:

If you have older kids or teens, the top two or three exhibits may be the Inside Ancient Egypt exhibit, the Mastodons and Mammoths exhibit (extra ticket required), and the Evolving Planet exhibit. We also really loved the Ancient Americas exhibit. The Egypt exhibit hall starts at the main level, but staircases lead both upstairs to get a view of a tomb from the top and downstairs, where to bulk of the artifacts can be found. The best place to enter is on the main level, to get the full experience of walking through the tomb first.

Note: There are mummified remains on display, including the remains of children and infants (and cats and birds). These artifacts were amazing, but I did give my kids a heads-up.

The Evolving Planet exhibit is the primarily exhibit with dinosaur fossils, so this area will appeal to all ages, but the actual exhibit goes even deeper, which is why I recommend it for older children. It chronicles multiple ‘extinction events’ throughout history, starting billions of years ago, and is fascinating in its scope of time.

For younger kids, the multiple halls of mammals, which takes up the entire left side of the main floor, will be popular, as well as the North American Indians section and the Pawnee Earth Lodge. We were lucky enough to step into the Earth Lodge while a museum docent was on duty, and she explained all the artifacts inside, many of which kids can touch and play with. The temporary Underground Adventure (extra ticket required) is lots of fun too; after being ‘shrunk’ to 1/2 inch size, kids can walk through a soil landscape and see ‘life-size’ bugs, worms, roots, and other life in the soil. Think Honey I Shrunk the Kids.

Everyone will want to see ‘Sue’ the T-Rex that has been making its way slowly across the country. We saw it about seven years ago in Portland, Oregon. It was fun to see again. There’s enough to see and do to spend at least 3-4 hours in the Field Museum, and possibly more. You can re-enter with you ticket if you want to take a break in the day and return. A few tips:

Check the Field Museum website’s calendar before arriving:

The Field Museum offers a number of free days, which may or may not work in your favor. During our visit, it was a free day of residents of Illinois. Since we are not residents of the state, a free day only means a crowded day for us, without the benefits. Normally, I would avoid free days that do not apply to us. However, the day we visited also happened to be a game day for the Chicago Bears, played directly adjacent to the museum. This worked in our favor, as long as we timed our bus ride to avoid the fans pouring into the stadium. The Field Museum was almost empty when we arrived at opening, and stayed light on crowds all morning, until the game ended at 3 pm.

Decide what ticket option is best for you:

The basic entry price gets you into all the regular permanent exhibits. To access the ones noted as ‘ticket required’ or to view one of the 3-4 3D movies showing, you’ll need to upgrade to either an All Access Pass (gets you into everything) or a modified all access, which allows you to chose a few extra items to do. If you plan to be in Chicago long enough to visit at least two other attractions participating in the Chicago CityPass, I recommend getting this pass before your trip or at your first stop. The Chicago CityPass is $96 for adults and $69 for kids, and gives you an all access pass to the Field Museum, plus entrance to Shedd Aquarium next door and the SkyDeck at Willis (Sears) Tower, as well as several other attractions.

Dining options in the museum:

There are two dining services in the museum. We ate at the Field Bistro, which serves healthy options like soup, salads, and sandwiches, as well as some samples like hot dogs and burgers. Downstairs, an even more casual option has more ‘kid’ foods, like chicken fingers. We were told there are food trucks at the lower level as well, though we did not see them during our trip.

Outside the museum, families can find several hot dog carts, one of which is located between the Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium.

Tip: Find more things to do with kids in this guide to 25 top things to do in Chicago!

Hours and admission:

As described above, there are several admission levels. Basic admission is $18 for adults and $13 for kids. The Discovery Pass is the middle level, and is $25 and $18. The All Access is $31 for adults and $21 for kids. Hours are listed here.

Getting there:

The Field Museum is located on the Museum Campus, just south of downtown. It’s an easy metra bus ride on the 146 from Magnificent Mile or State Street (it took us about 15 minutes on a single line from State Street in the River North district). As noted above, it can be busier if there’s an event at Soldier Field. You can also drive, but prepare to pay for parking.

Washington DC with kids: Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

September 17, 2014 By Amy Hagstrom

We love, love, love the free Smithsonian museums to visit while in Washington DC with kids. The granddaddy of them all is the National Museum of Natural History, which is definitely worth half a day of your time. While planning our DC trip, I doubted whether we’d want to make the stop; I knew the museum was great, but reasoned that we have toured numerous museums of natural history in the US, from Atlanta’s Fernbank Museum to San Diego’s The Nat. But at the insistence of my son, we went, and we’re so glad we did.

There’s so much going on in this museum. The first level (actually called Level 2; the ground floor houses the IMAX and cafe) houses the permanent Mammals Halland Ocean Hall, each excellent in their own right, but what wowed us most was the Hall of Human Origins. This exhibit documents the ‘birth’ of homo sapiens from their ancestors and follows the path from earliest man to present day, including adaptations and population changes. It concludes with impacts of humans throughout the ages, both good and bad. It made all of us think, from the youngest to oldest.

Upstairs (Level 3), their dinosaur wing (called the National Fossil Hall) is under renovation until 2019, but in the meantime, the Rex Room downstairs by Mammals offers a window into the work ongoing by museum staffers. During our visit, we watched their 3-D printers create model triceratops.

The Minerals and Gems Hall houses to the Hope Diamond, definitely worth checking out (though my kids thought it would be bigger!), and adjacent, the live Butterfly pavilion (extra fee) and live bug zoo (included) lead to the Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt exhibit (on indefinitely display). This may have been our second-favorite stop, where we learned the ancient Egyptians sometimes mummified animals like cats and even bulls in addition to humans. There are actual mummies here (one of which is a small child), so sensitive children may need to be warned (or skip it).

We spent three hours touring exhibits and another hour eating at the cafe, and still didn’t see everything. When you arrive, expect a short delay at the security point.

Date last visited:

July 2014

Distance from the interstate:

Minutes from I-66 and I-395. Close to I-95.

Admission:

Free. IMAX movies are extra. Butterfly exhibit is approximately $6 per person, and requires timed ticket in summer.

Hours of operation:

10 am to 5:30 pm daily, except Christmas Day. Extended hours are possible in summer.

Dining:

There are two cafes in the museum. The main one is a large cafeteria with the usual: burgers, fries, pizza, sandwiches, grab-and-go items, and snack foods. Expect to pay premium prices. The second is a natural cafe with healthier options, located one floor up. It’s much smaller, but also seemed to be less crowded. Tip: No matter what we do, we always bring water bottles and refill them at water stations. We save $10-15 per meal by not purchasing drinks, and save from adding to the plastic bottles piling up, too.

Directions:

The museum is located at 1000 Constitution Avenue, Washington DC. Get off at the Smithsonian Metro stop, or walk from most points on the Mall.

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

Get more Washington DC itinerary picks.

Top summer attractions in London UK for kids

May 8, 2014 By Sharlene Earnshaw

The following guest post is written by Kaamna Dhawan of Momaboard.

My family of four moved to London a few months ago and I can honestly say that as major cities in the world go, London is probably the most kid-friendly in the world. As my two and five-year old and I have been exploring our new hometown, we have been delighted to find summer attractions in London ranging from parks, theaters, cinemas, museums, and restaurants dedicated to educating, entertaining, and inspiring children.

If you are headed to London for the summer, here are some of our favorite things to do:

Be one with the fossils at The Natural History Museum: This exquisite, free museum will keep your kids intrigued for hours. The biggest attraction is the beautifully (and realistically) executed dinosaur exhibit but the other sections are definitely worth a visit too. Loads of interactive options as well.

Get your Cap’n on at Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground: The beautiful Kensington Gardens are worth a visit for themselves and are an easy stroll across the lake from Hyde Park, but for the kids, it’s worth a trip over to the playground to explore the giant pirate ship and many other fantastically creative parts of the park. Please note that London parks take their security seriously: adults cannot enter without a child.

Enjoy the view from The London Eye: Ever been on a giant standing-room giant wheel? (Ever paid $30 to do so?). Expensive as it is, the London Eye is worth the experience once in your life. On a clear day, the views of London are spectacular. The Southbank area in which the London Eye is located is also very well developed and fun to hang around on a sunny weekend with street performers and restaurants.

Ride the top of a double decker bus. It’s amazing what a thrill kids get out it!

Grab a show: This is the land of Shakespeare and the Queen’s English. Theater is a must. You can catch one of the well-known shows like The Lion King, Matilda or Billy Elliot but I would recommend finding something uniquely London. Time Out has a great roundup of what’s going on at any point of the year.

Get a lux haircut in Notting Hill: Bella and Beau on Ledbury Road take kids’ cuts very seriously. Not only did my son get some serious styling there, he did it sitting in a very fancy car chair watching Thomas on an iPad. A day in the life of the rich and famous indeed!

Visit the London Transport Museum: Even though London has many beautiful free museums, I would definitely recommend a visit to the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden to experience the London tube simulator, pose as the driver of a double decker bus, or check out the history of transport from man-drawn carriages to how we do it now!

Eat! Although cuisine is not the UK’s most prominent contribution to the world, you can find some of the best ethnic cuisines in London: Indian, Lebanese and Chinese in particular. You will also find much innovation in the London restaurant scene so if you are a foodie, do your research before heading over to see what’s new and hot. A lot of good restaurants welcome children but it’s best to call and ask. It’s also fun to experience a pub lunch, and you will find that even these staunch London institutions are shaking it up these days. The Churchill Arms, for instance, is known for its amazing Thai food!

Want more? Check out Momaboard’s Ultimate Guide to London with Kids.

Kaamna Bhojwani-Dhawan is the founder of Momaboard.com, a website for globetrotting kids and their parents. Join the community on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits

December 27, 2012 By Amy Hagstrom

The La Brea Tar Pits has a Kidscore of 80. What’s a Kidscore?

If you have any natural history lovers in your family, you can’t miss a stop at the Page Museum (home of the La Brea tar pits) during a visit to the Los Angeles area. I’m going to go ahead and fill you in now, although you’ll hear it a hundred times at the museum: there are no dinosaurs in the La Brea tar pits! This is a common misunderstanding (Dinosaurs became extinct about 65 million years ago, and these tar pits formed about 40,000 years ago), and from the number of times this information is posted, it’s clear that many kids come to the museum hoping for dinos and are greeted instead by a woolly mammoth. Also very cool, but no dinosaur. You heard it here first.

The actual Page Museum is a nice, relatively small, natural history museum with some good exhibits, and a “fishbowl” window where you can look into a lab and watch scientists and volunteers working on the bones and fossils found most recently in the tar pits. The really interesting part of the museum, though, is outside at the actual tar pits. Walking around the grounds, you can see bubbling lakes of tar, smell the sulfur and methane, and even look into an actual dig site and see the current excavation work. This is the part that makes the Page Museum unique: you can move a sabertooth cat skeleton from one city to the next, but you can’t move a tar pit. And the fact that these huge pits are bubbling away right in the middle of downtown LA makes the whole experience even more fascinating!