science museum - Pitstops for Kids

Fun things for families in San Francisco

June 27, 2018 By Amy Hagstrom

San Francisco is one of the top destinations on the West Coast for families! With so much history, culture, and fun activities there’s so much to see and do no matter what your family is interested in! Traveling with kids can be stressful, that’s why it’s so important to plan activities in advance so you always have fun things planned! Hiring airport transfers to SFO should also be a part of your plan if you want a hassle-free travel going to your preferred destination and back to the airport. Once in the city, whether you opt for Bike Rentals San Francisco or a children’s museum, you’re guaranteed to have a great time with the entire family!

Bike Rentals

San Francisco is such a gorgeous city, it’s perfect for exploring by bike! You can find a variety of bike rentals that are perfect for families. With kid equipment, tandem bikes, and surrey’s, there are a lot of ways to elevate your bike experience. Tour the bay area with the sea breeze at your side! Ride bikes to your favorite attractions or just tour your favorite park in a new way. You’ll feel like a local in no time.

California Academy of Sciences

Though the California Academy of Sciences sounds like it might not have many things for kids and families, it’s actually one of the best things to do in San Francisco. The California Academy of Sciences has things like a four-story rainforest walkthrough as well as a planetarium. Explore the deep blue sea with the Steinhart Aquarium or experience an earthquake with the earthquake simulator. With a lot of attractions and hands-on activities for kids, it’s the perfect way to spend a day!

Exploratorium

For more of an educational experience, spend a few hours exploring the San Francisco Exploratorium! Specifically designed for kids of all ages, you’ll learn about things like natural disasters, electricity, and engineering all under one roof! With so much to see and do and a rotating list of exhibits, this museum is particularly perfect for families!

Pier 45

Pier 45 in Fisherman’s Wharf is home to one of San Francisco’s most historic attractions! You can tour a real WWII submarine which now calls Pier 45 home. This submarine went on a total of 6 missions in its lifetime and it’s still intact as a floating museum! For kids interested in submarines and history, this is a great way to spend a few hours! See the USS Pampanito for yourself to step into a real piece of US history.

The Coastal Trail

For outdoor enthusiasts, take in a perfect day in San Francisco by walking the Coastal Trail! This is a San Francisco staple which starts at SF Presidio and goes all the way to Ocean Beach. You can start or stop anywhere on the trail, and you’ll want to bring your camera! You can capture the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge as well as the beautiful blue water down below! Even if you don’t enjoy hiking usually, this is a trail you and your family won’t want to miss!

Ride the Cable Cars

Who said family-friendly activities have to cost a lot of money? Hop aboard one of the many cable cars in the city and go for a ride! While there are many lines to choose from, one of the local favorites is the Powell/Hyde line. This line goes from Union Square to Fisherman’s Wharf and it’s known for its stunning city views! You’ll also get to ride down one of the steepest streets in the city. Your kids might even think it’s a ride!

Are you ready to take a great trip to San Francisco with your family? Known as one of the most family-friendly cities in California, you can’t go wrong with a trip to San Francisco! With so much to see and do, not to mention stunning views, you’ll want to come back again and again!

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.

Date last visited:

July 2014

Distance from the interstate:

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

Admission:

Free. IMAX movies and Planetarium are extra ($9 and $7 for adults and kids, approximately).

Hours of operation:

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

Dining:

There’s a museum cafe, but also a nice food court across the Mall underground between the two wings of the art museums. If you have the time and patience to go through another security check, it may be worth the effort. 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 Independence Avenue at 6th Street, 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.

Calgary with kids: Telus Spark Science review

June 30, 2014 By Amy Hagstrom

My kids are always fans of interactive science museums, and Calgary’s Telus Spark is one of the best. Located adjacent to the Calgary Zoo, Spark is a new indoor facility with an additional outdoor facility scheduled to open this summer (of 2014). It includes four large galleries with hands-on exhibits (including an open studio), two theaters (including a digital Dome theater), a lab, and a specialized kids’ museum for young children.

Telus Spark Science Review:

Our school-aged kids gravitated to the Energy and Innovation gallery and Earth and Sky gallery first, where they spent the better part of two hours. I checked out the Creative Kids Museum for kids 8 and under, and loved the large play spaces, hands-on music and theater areas, and interactive science exhibits geared just for this age group. When my kids were smaller, we would have been here for hours.

Upstairs, the Open Studio offers a large space for kids to build, create, and even take apart…my kids loved destroying old VCR innards and building huge block towers. The Being Human gallery was my personal favorite: this area explores ways humans are distinct and also ways we’re all similar. It asks participants questions, catalogues answers, and offers feedback in the form of crowd-sourcing. There are numerous small experiments visitors con conduct with a friend or family member, as well.

In all, we spent as much time in Telus as in the excellent Calgary Zoo, and timed it perfectly: outdoors, a thunderstorm raged during our visit. Telus Spark is the place to be with the kids when the weather prevents outdoor fun in Calgary.

Dining:

The museum does have a large quick-service cafe with the usual kid-friendly fare (plus a number of healthy options) located upstairs. This is a also a good place for adults to take a break with a book (if you have older kids!).

Admission:

Admission is $19.95 for adults, $15.95 for youth (13-17) and $12.95 for kids (3-12). Theater tickets are additional. Parking is $5. If you’re visiting the zoo on the same day, it is possible to park in either lot and walk to the other, but this does involve crossing a street.

Hours:

Check the official page for hours as they do change significantly by season.

Directions:

Telus Spark is located at 220 St. George’s Drive NE. It’s accessible by bike path or Calgary Transit.

We toured Telus Spark on our Great Coast Road Trip with Coast Hotels. Read more about our road trip through the Wild West of Alberta!

Reuben H. Fleet Science Center

June 2, 2014 By Amy Hagstrom

Located in scenic Balboa park San Diego, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center offers hands-on science fun in a open-layout, easy-to-navigate facility. The museum is actually smaller than it looks on the outside, and for our family, that was just fine by us. With four kids in tow from age 4-14, we were thankful for the manageable size and open layout of the space. There are two floors: downstairs houses exhibits with live demonstrations, such as the popular drone exhibit, hands-on mind games and machine-based science, plus a great exhibit on the human body. There’s a great ‘Tinkering Lab’ where older kids can create projects of their own as well.

Upstairs is the ‘Play City’ for kids five and under, which is a full room of imaginative play pieces such as a grocery store, fire truck, and the like. Older kids can enter if playing and interacting with younger siblings or friends (in our experience). The upstairs section also features an interesting exhibit on the history and physics of the guitar, which older kids especially will enjoy. For an admission add-on, there’s an IMAX theater on-site.

Tip: Combine a visit with a stop at the Natural History Museum, located directly adjacent. Start your day at either museum, and eat a picnic lunch at the fountain between the two as a break. Each museum can be toured in about two hours.

Date last visited:

April 2, 2014

Distance from the interstate:

Balboa Park is an easy drive from I-5 or I-805.

Hours and admission:

The museum is generally open 10 am to 5 pm (but hours alter slightly during school holidays, etc). Admission is only $13 for adults and $11 for children (3-12).

Directions:

The museum is located at 1875 El Prado in Balboa Park, San Diego.

Photo credit: Pit Stops for Kids and Port of San Diego

Pacific Science Center in the Seattle Center

January 9, 2013 By Amy Hagstrom

Families visiting Seattle WA are drawn to the Space Needle like moths to flame, and there’s nothing wrong with that: it brings them straight to one of the city’s best attractions for kids: the Pacific Science Center.

Pacific Science Center is showing some age on the surface, but inside, it’s as vibrant as ever (or more so). In addition to its permanent exhibits on life science, natural science, and space exploration (just to name a few), the center also welcomes fantastic traveling exhibits, such as this season’s King Tut display (for extra admission…save it for older kids). Each visit, my kids love the Butterfly house (with bug exhibits), dinosaur gallery, and WellBody Academy, where kids can test their physical skills. There are also mind-bender puzzles and an extensive water cycle exhibit where kids can create dams, direct toy ships, and make the water flow.

There’s an IMAX theater, laser show, and planetarium, but my family has never gotten to these things: there’s plenty to do without upgrading to the extras. (I’d make sure to experience them all if I were a Seattle resident, however.) In nice weather, the outside courtyard is fun with its kid-powered water wheel (it looks like a giant hamster wheel) and water shooters.

Nearby is plenty of dining in Seattle Center, and plenty of space for kids to run around. Expect park entertainers and musicians in the summer months. Parking is pretty easy (though costly), and families can make an afternoon out of it (or add on an evening with dinner).

So, should you go up the Space Needle while you’re there? Not if the line is long. Personally, I don’t think the thrill of the elevator ride justifies the admission price. My only exception: on slow nights, families can usually get seated to eat dessert in the Space Needle Restaurant. Watching the city revolve while dining on dessert is pretty darn cool!

Date last visited:

June 2012

Distance from the interstate:

Minutes from I-5.

Admission price:

$16 for adults, $11 for kids ages 6-15, and $9 for kids 3-5. Check to see if your local science or children’s museum memberships gains you entry. Ours did!

Tip! Save up to 50% on Seattle’s 5 best attractions with CityPASS. Shop Now!

Hours of operation:

9:45 am to 6 pm daily.

Directions:

The Pacific Science Center is located at 200 Second Avenue North,
Seattle. From Interstate 5, either northbound or southbound, take exit 167 (Mercer Street) toward Seattle Center. At the end of the ramp, turn right at Fairview Ave N, then turn left at Valley St. Move into the middle lane and Valley St. becomes Broad St. Continue on Broad St. Turn right at Denny Way. Turn right at 2nd Ave N.

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

September 14, 2010 By Amy Hagstrom

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, or OMSI for short, is both a landmark and beloved institution in Portland, Oregon. Situated right on the bank of the Willamette directly across from the downtown district, OMSI is one of the best places (and arguably the best place) to take kids in the area.

Nate and his friend Jonah get a lesson in the Physics Lab.

With multiple exhibits (including Turbine Hall, Life Hall, Earth Hall, and Science Playground in addition to guest exhibits, an IMAX and a planetarium) for all ages, staffed science labs where kids don safety goggles and roll up their sleeves, stunning displays (the beginning of life display is particularly moving) and fun experiences (try the earthquake house), you can easily spend a day here. There’s also a working submarine to tour, a toddler and preschool area (with changing displays), and an entire hall of brain teasers that kept our grade schoolers busy for over an hour!

Tip: If you’re visiting from anywhere in the Northwest and have a membership at your local children’s museum or science museum, stop by the membership desk prior to paying admission and see if your membership can be applied toward free admission to OMSI. It did in our case! Even if you don’t have your membership card with you, the desk personnel are happy to call your local museum and verify your membership that way.

Nate gets an astronaut’s perspective.

Date last visited: August 2010

Distance off the interstate: Five-ten minutes off either the I-5 or I-405 into downtown Portland.

Hours: Daily 9:30 a.m.â€”7:00 p.m. (until September 6). Fall hours:Â Tuesday-Sunday, 9:30 a.m.â€”5:30 p.m. (starting September 7).

Admission: $12 for adults, $9 for kids. IMAX, planetarium, and submarine are extra costs (see website for pricing). Combo packs are the way to go if you plan to do extra things!

Food Services: Inside the museum is both the OMSI Cafe and Galileo’s. There’s also a sack lunch area.

Website: www.omsi.edu

Directions: From I-5 or the 405, take Naito Parkway (downtown) to the Hawthorne Bridge. Cross the river onto Hawthorne Ave, and turn right onto Water Ave.

Science Center of Iowa

March 11, 2010 By Amy Hagstrom

Science Center of Iowa

401 West Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway
Des Moines, IA

The Science Center of Iowa is an ideal place to stop and play for at least several hours. There are shows and demonstrations scheduled throughout the day, no matter how high the attendance, which is nice on uncrowded weekdays. Visit the IMAX theater as well (currently showing Avatar) and the star theater for night sky demonstrations. From the official website: “Live programs and hands-on activities encourage you to touch, play, discover and experiment. Explore a cave, blow a bubble, or create your own planetarium show in dynamic experience platforms. These themed spaces are the heart of the facility, each offering participants the opportunity to explore their curiosities and engage their interests in topics ranging from the inner workings of the human body to the outer reaches of the solar system.” Read more reviews of the Science Center of Iowa.

Date last visited: February 2010

Distance off the interstate: Just a few minutes off I-235.

Hours and Admission Prices: The science center’s hours differ from the IMAX Dome hours.

Bathrooms: Several located within the building.

Food Services: The Food Chain Cafe is located within the museum, and is pretty reasonably priced.

Website: http://www.sciowa.org/

Directions: Take Exit I-235 on Martin Luther King Parkway. Turn East onto W. Martin Luther King Parkway, then turn North onto 5th Street. Turn East onto Market Street to the SCI Entrance.

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