So you want to avoid crowds, get in out of the summer heat, and not have to travel too far? Check out this round up of secret gems around Delaware. (And pstt—none costs more than $10 for adults, and 4 are free admission!)

1. Air Mobility Command Museum

Photo courtesy AMCM.

I visited the Air Mobility Command (AMC) Museum with my father (a pilot), and my daughters, who were then 18 months and 4. All of us had a great time, and had the place practically to ourselves. We could touch, examine, and climb into helicopters, small planes, and huge planes.

And because the hangar where the museum is housed sits just south of the Dover Air Force Base’s airstrip, you can see planes taking off and landing while you eat a picnic outside.

If You Go: Free admission and parking. Open Tuesday-Sunday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. 1301 Heritage Rd., Dover Air Force Base, DE 19902-5301. (302) 677-5938 or http://amcmuseum.org/index.html.

2. Delaware Folk Art Museum

Photo courtesy of the Delaware Folk Art Collection.

Nestled in Alapocas Run State Park in Wilmington, the Delaware Folk Art Museum is housed in the Blue Ball Barn. Originally a dairy barn built by A. I. DuPont, the barn has been certified eco-friendly (LEED) and reconstructed beautifully to showcase more than 120 folk art pieces. After you tour the exhibit (self-guided, with interactive touchscreens throughout), the kids can run around the 27,000 square foot playground at the park.

If You Go: Admission included with annual Delaware State Park Pass, or pay the park entrance fee. Open daily from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. 1914 West Park Drive, Wilmington, DE 19803. Phone: (302) 761-6952 or http://www.destateparks.com/attractions/folk-art-collection/index.asp.

3. Delaware Sports Museum

Image courtesy of the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame.

Our state’s sports hall of fame was founded in 1976, but didn’t have an actual home until 1993. Now housed at the Delaware BlueRocks’ Frawley Stadium in Wilmington, the Delaware Sports Museum has inducted more than 240 athletes, coaches, journalists, administrators and officials representing 27 different sports.

If You Go: Admission: Adults, $4, Seniors (over 50), $3, Ages 13-19, $2, 12 and under, free. Open Tuesday through Saturday, Noon-5 p.m. 801 Shipyard Dr., Wilmington, DE 19801-5154. Phone: (302) 425-3263 or www.desports.org.

4. DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum

The Museum’s Director, Dale Clifton, Jr. fulfilled his dream of finding a real historic maritime artifact, and since then, has continued his search with the goal of educating others about our maritime history. Entrance to the DiscoverSea is free (donations are accepted). More than 10,000 objects are always on display, with other holdings on loan to other museums around the world. From china that sunk with the Titanic to Spanish coins, an undamaged sand hourglass from the early 1800s to weapons salvaged from deep below the sea’s waves, the DiscoverSea Museum is a virtual treasure trove.

If You Go: Admission: free, donations accepted. June, July, and August, Open daily 11 a.m.-8 p.m. 708 Ocean Highway, Fenwick Island, DE 19944. Phone: 302) 539-9366 or www.discoversea.com.

5. Historic Houses of Odessa

I’m always somewhat surprised when people travel to Williamsburg for historic houses, when Odessa is so much closer. And less expensive.

Historic Odessa was known as Cantwell’s Bridge back in the mid-18^th century, and it still looks much as it did back in the 1700s. Five houses make up the core of the Main Street, Odessa: the Corbit-Sharp House (c.1774); Wilson-Warner House (c. 1769); Collins-Sharp House (c. 1700); Brick Hotel (c. 1822); and Odessa Bank (c.1853). Tours are highly hands-on, and include playing colonial games, “shopping” at a general store, and telling time with a pocket watch.

If You Go: Admission: Adults $10.00; Groups, Seniors, Students $8.00, Children under 5 are free. Open March through December, Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m.-4:30 p.m. (last tour is at 3 p.m.). Main Street, Odessa, DE 19730. Phone: 302.378.4119 or www.historicodessa.org.

6. Iron Hill Museum

Photo courtesy of Iron Hill Museum.

In what used to be a one room school house, the Iron Hill Museum houses a plethora of artifacts from northern Delaware, including rocks and minerals (including iron, the plentiful element from which the hill got its name), artifacts from the Lenni Lenape Native Americans, fossils from when Delaware was under an ancient sea, and much more.

If You Go: Admission: 7 and up: $2, seniors and children under 6: free. Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m., Saturday Noon-4 p.m. 1355 Old Baltimore Pike, Newark, DE 19702. Phone: 302-368-5703 or http://www.ironhill-museum.org/

7. University of Delaware Mineralogical Museum

Photo courtesy UD Mineralogical Museum.

More than 6,000 awesome rocks and minerals await visitors at University of Delaware’s Mineralogical Museum. Sparkling crystals, metallic copper, and exotic formations of rainbow tinted growths from all over the world make up this collection.

If You Go: Admission: Free. Summer hours vary, so check the website or call 302-831-8037 for current hours. Located in Penny Hall, Academy Street, Newark, DE 19716.  http://www.udel.edu/museums/exhibitions/2009/mineralogical.html

8. Elsie Williams Doll Collection

Delaware Technical and Community College in Georgetown is the only college campus to have a collection of domestic and international dolls—more than 600, from countries as varied as Cuba and Germany. The dolls, valued at more than $100,000, are dressed in beautiful, detailed clothing, and come in all sizes and styles.

If You Go: Admission: Free. Open during library hours. Stephen J. Betze Library, Owens Campus of Delaware Technical & Community College, Route 18/404/Seashore Highway, Georgetown, Delaware, 19947. Phone: 302-856-9033, http://www.treasuresofthesea.org/other.html#doll.

Gardens take time. A beautiful garden conceals hours of planning and labor, backbreaking work preparing the soil and plants, and patient maintenance. Any gardener will tell you that there’s no such thing as an instant garden.

It’s hard to keep that reality in mind when entering the East Conservatory at Longwood Gardens, completed in 2005. This spectacular half-acre indoor garden offers visitors a stunning collection of plants, design, and ingenuity. The open vista down the center of the Conservatory, combined with dramatic black-dyed ponds and waterfalls, makes visitors feel as though they’ve stepped into a magical scene.

But as the Longwood Gardens staff and board know, magic had nothing to do with the creation of this exquisite garden. To the contrary—the journey to the opening of the East Conservatory took 20 years.

Photo via Flickr courtesy of Amber325.

The space now occupied by the East Conservatory was originally the site of the Azalea House. Pierre S. du Pont, the founder of Longwood Gardens, adored azaleas, and wanted a facility to feature them. Constructed in 1926, the Azalea House “resembled a grand exposition hall with two rows of structural columns and three sections of ridge-and-furrow roof,” according to Nathan Hayward III, Chairman of the Longwood Gardens Board of Trustees.

However, by 1967 the Azalea House needed multiple repairs. Longwood replaced the existing roof and columns with a free-span lamella arch roof. This construction, though aesthetically pleasing, had poor air circulation, which limited the types of plants that could be grown there.

Longwood’s Director, Fred Roberts, began discussing a redesign of the old Azalea House in 1985. But it was not until 1997 that Longwood partnered with the celebrated English landscape architect Sir Peter Shepheard. He proposed a new single-span roof with a tall center peak. Then, in 2001, Tres Fromme, Longwood’s planning and design leader, was appointed lead designer for the interior and entry pavilion.

Photo via Flickr courtesy of Katybeck.

Renovations to the East Conservatory began in January 2003. The challenge of constructing the building was, according to Sharon Loving, Longwood’s Horticulture Department Head, to avoid the feeling that one is entering a glass box. Selecting plants that blend in to the corners and columns, creating the illusion of box-lessness, softened the physical confines of the Conservatory.

Also, greenhouses can easily become busy and full, with plants overflowing and crowding each other. This creates a feeling of claustrophobia, the opposite impact of the intimate and distinctive garden spaces that the Conservatory’s designers wanted. Therefore, Fromme planned open spaces where “the eye can rest,” says Loving.

Immediately upon entering, visitors encounter a large water feature: an oval basin. Two large fountains, specially designed and cast in bronze, grace the pool. Each one weighs 250 pounds. The water features of the Conservatory are vital, says Loving, “because du Pont loved and used water extensively in his own gardens.”

The open vista draws visitors’ eyes to the opposite end of the Conservatory, where a large waterfall (14 feet across, 5 feet deep) quietly cascades to a dark pool. When the eye drifts upwards to the stainless steel arching tresses, which range in height from 27 feet to 35 feet, visitors will appreciate the airy and gracious sense of the space.

One doesn’t feel as though the Conservatory is a large box; instead, Tres Fromme and his design team used various tricks to break the space into intimate settings, each possessing its own distinct character. There are miniature gardens within the larger landscape. For example, the Court of Bamboo is separated from the surrounding space by two hedgerows that reach 12 to 14 feet, some of the tallest hedges growing under glass in the world. Black bamboo reaches almost to the ceiling, and visitors can sit on a granite wall for contemplation.

Across the big pond, a basin made from rare Brazilian blue granite draws the eye in the Court of Palms. At the opposite end of the Conservatory from the main entrance, the Patio of Oranges is filled with a modular arrangement of luscious citrus trees; each tree grows in an elegant custom-cast stone planter. Each container, with tree, weighs 2,000 pounds, but the planters can be moved to clear space for performing arts, educational, and social events.

Fromme and his team toured the world doing research and gathering ideas for the Conservatory. They drew largely on Moorish, French, and Modernist precedents to create the visually stimulating result. But the large scale didn’t get all the attention. Subtle touches and one-of-a-kind details grace every corner of the Conservatory.

One time-consuming special feature of the new garden is the stainless steel trellises that adorn the south and north walkways. Designed by Fromme and made by Longwood craftsman, each one took 300 man-hours to create. Bronze and mica lanterns handcrafted in New York illuminate the interior.

Fromme incorporated a triangle motif into many of the designs in the Conservatory, from the orange containers to the window frames. Even the drain grates are custom-made.

Visitors to the Conservatory can see plants growing side by side that would never coexist in the wild. Permanent year-round blooming plants balance the seasonal additions added by Longwood’s horticulturalists and tended by more than 350 gardeners.

Among the plants in the Conservatory: 30-foot tall black bamboo, a 35-foot tall Queen Palm, grand Mexican Fan palms with orange trunks, exotic Flame Trees and a nearly 100-year-old Sago palm (now extinct in the wild). In all, Longwood’s East Conservatory features nearly 140 different types of sub-tropical and Mediterranean plants.

The technology required to support such varied plant life is vast and high-tech. The Conservatory is divided into 17 different temperature zones, and a labyrinth of tunnels underneath the building allows airflow into the garden during the summer months. The plants are kept warm at night—when the automatic thermostat reduces the temperature to 45 degrees Fahrenheit—by root-zone heating. This system has a flow of 160-degree water flowing through pipes that keeps the plants’ roots warm.

The dramatic and serene beauty of this stunning building belies the years and effort put into the planning, construction, and maintenance of this superb garden. It took endless hours, large amounts of money, and a massive construction effort to bring Longwood’s East Conservatory into existence. And the visitors are the ones who get to enjoy the wonder of the garden and all the hidden delights it holds.

Image courtesy of Longwood Gardens.

Hours & Admission

Longwood opens at 9 am every day of the year. Admission is: $16 for adults; $6 (age 5-18 or anyone with valid student ID); free for 4 and under. Discounted rates are extended to groups of 15 or more paying guests.

The Chrysanthemum Festival starts October 19, and Christmas is another great time to visit Longwood, with thousands of twinkling lights and festive music.

Longwood is on US Route 1 near Kennett Square, PA, 30 miles west of Philadelphia. For information, visit www.longwoodgardens.org.

Philadelphia offers it all: historical sites, museums, parks, and lots of good food. Before the Revolutionary War, the City of Brotherly Love hosted the First Continental Congress, a second Continental Congress during the war, and the Constitutional Convention after the war.

In the 1790s, Philly served as the United States’ capital. With its ideal mix of culture and history, Philadelphia is a great family destination no matter the season.

Flickr photo by Tony the Misfit

Ride the Ducks

Want to see the city of Philly but don’t want to walk? Why not ride a duck?

Board a bus at 6^th and Chestnut to begin your tour. On this 70-minute tour, you and your family will see major Philadelphia sights, including the Betsy Ross House, Ben Franklin’s grave, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the National Constitution Center.

Then, your kids will be thrilled when the amphibious bus drives right into the Delaware River for a short cruise. Enjoy a relaxing 20-minute cruise on the river before returning to land.

Bonus: Free quacking noisemakers. (Though you might want to “accidentally” leave them on the bus for the ride home.)

The Details: Location: 6^th and Chestnut Street, across from the Liberty Bell. Tours depart frequently 7 days a week from Mid-March through November. Exact departure times vary somewhat throughout the season based on guest demand. Tickets: Adults (Age 13 and up) – $26.00; Children (Age 3-12) – $16.00. For more info, visit www.phillyducks.com or call 215-227-DUCK.

 Be an animal

America’s oldest zoo is always a hit with children. Opened in 1874, the Philly Zoo boasts the usual menagerie (elephants, giraffes, monkeys, zebras, lions, etc.) as well as some unusual residents, including rare white lions, capybara, lemurs, giant anteaters, pygmy marmosets, coati and okapi.

Flickr photo by digitalART2

In the Treehouse, your kids can view the world from a tree-dweller’s perspective. And if that’s not high enough for them, ride up over 400 feet in the Zoo Balloon (tickets extra).

Bonus: Don’t miss the special natural habitat exhibits, Tortoise Trail and Birds of Australia, where you can feed lorikeets!

The Details: Location: 3400 West Girard Avenue. Hours: 9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. daily. Admission: Members and children under three – free; Children (2-11) – $15; Adults – $18. Parking: $12, and extra fee for the Zoo Balloon. For more information, visit www.philadelphiazoo.org or call 215-243-1100.

Please touch!

The Please Touch Museum is an award-winning museum where everything is hands-on. Kids will love the City Capers section, where they can work in “Pats Shoe Store,” help patients in the Medical Center, and build in the construction section. Get wet and experiment in the River Adventures exhibit, where they can race sailboats and play with bubbles.

Each of the exhibits is specially designed for young children to experiment, explore, and learn, all while having a blast!

After visiting the indoor exhibits, don’t miss the historic Woodside Park Dentzel Carousel. Rides are $3 and tickets may be purchased at box office or at Carousel House kiosk.

Flickr photo by Shanna Lee

Bonus: Parents and kids alike will enjoy the Please Touch Playhouse’s daily interactive shows (free with admission).

The Details: Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park, 4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia, PA 19131 (GPS Users, use 4231 North Concourse Drive for directions.). Hours: Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: Members – free; under age of one – Free; Children and Adults – $15 per person. For more information, visit www.pleasetouchmuseum.org/ or call (215) 581-3181.

Lights of Liberty Show

To make American history really come alive for your family, experience the American Revolution in Independence Square. The Lights of Liberty Show is the first ambulatory sound-and-light show in the world.

Right where many historically important events occurred, you will see (and hear, through specially programmed headsets) images projected right up onto the 200 year-old buildings. You walk through the show, which takes about an hour.

The children’s tour is narrated by Whoopi Goldberg and others, and concludes with a moving recording of “God Bless America;” many visitors join in the song. Adult versions are offered in English, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish.

(Note: this show can be so realistic that it may be scary for young children; use your discretion.)

Bonus: The music you’ll hear is performed by members of the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, so if you don’t have the time to go hear them, you can hit two birds with one stone!

The Details: The show departs from Liberty Center, Sixth and Chestnut Streets. Shows are scheduled Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through August 15 and Fridays and Saturdays from August 21 through September 5. The show begins at dusk, with a new one starting roughly every 10 minutes. Duration: 60 minutes. Tickets: Children (12 and under) – $13; Students and 65 & older – $16.50; Adults – $19.50. Reservations are required: call (877) 462-1776. For more, visit www.lightsofliberty.org.

Photo by Dan Smith.

(The original version of this post contained incorrect information about the Please Touch Museum, which has now been corrected.)

Delaware ranks 49th in the nation with a total area of 1,982 square miles. Delaware’s 2000 population estimate was 783,600, 45th among the states.

But while it may be small, its proximity to major metropolitan areas (including Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington D.C.) make it an ideal mid-Atlantic getaway. Many travelers are only familiar with Delaware’s inland with views from the road on the way to the beaches. Bethany, Lewes, Rehoboth, Dewey, and Fenwick beaches are all popular destinations for out of state visitors.

But Delaware–the first state and a “Small Wonder”–offers many things to do in addition to visit the beach.

We’ll start at the top of Delaware (just south of Philadelphia) and work our way south to the bottom of the state, where it meets Maryland’s Eastern counties.

Northern Delaware

Image by theworldthroughmyeyes on Flickr.

1. Visit the Plumpton Park Zoo, a small zoo (just west of Newark in Rising Sun, MD) that saves unwanted, abandoned, and injured animals. Among the zoo’s residents are wallabies, snakes, deer, lynxes, monkeys, alligators, and giraffes. Families can adopt an animal they see to help this not-for-profit park. Pack a picnic and stay to play on the zoo’s playground.

Location: 1416 Telegraph Road, Rising Sun, MD 21911

Admission: $11.95 13 and older, ages 2-12 $7.95.

Hours: Open every day through September 30, 2009 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. Check website for off-season hours. Call ahead to confirm hours. Admission closes 1 hour prior to closing.

For more information: www.plumptonparkzoo.org

2. Take a ride on the Wilmington & Western Railroad. Ride through Red Clay Valley on an historic steam or diesel-powered train. The antique coaches provide a scenic and guided educational trip back in time. Check the website for special events such as a Civil War Skirmish, a Full Moon Hayride, and the Wild West Robbery Train.

Image by UrbanDKaye on Flickr.

Location: 2201 Newport-Gap Pike (Route 41 North), Wilmington, DE 19808

Admission: Fares vary based on length of ride and distance, but start at $6 for children 2-12 and $8 for adults.

For more information: www.wwrr.com.

3. Check out the rotating art exhibits at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art. This non-collecting museum, part of the Wilmington Riverfront, boasts seven galleries and 26 on-site artist studios. After visiting the galleries and museum shop, take a walk (or a bike ride!) on Riverwalk, which starts at Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park between Market Street and Walnut Street.

Location: 200 South Madison Street, Wilmington, DE 19801

Admission: $5; children under 12 free. Also free Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Wednesday, no admission, but visitors are asked to donate whatever they’d like.

Hours: Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Wed & Sun: 12 p.m.-5 p.m.; Closed Monday.

For more information:www.thedcca.org

Dover/Central DE

4. Kids 10 and older can try their hand at flying in the Air Mobility Command Museum flight simulator, which is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thirty aircraft are on display at the Dover Air Force Base museum, including the B-17G Flying Fortress, C-133 Cargomaster, P-51D Mustang and UH-1 Huey helicopter. Kids love the chance to get up close to huge planes that look so small in the sky.

Courtesy of Air Mobility Command Center

Location: 1301 Heritage Road, Dover Air Force Base, Dover

Admission: Free

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Federal Holidays.

For more information: www.amcmuseum.org

5. Pick your own produce or flowers at Fifer Orchards in Wyoming. Learn about fruits and vegetables, how they grow, and visit the country store stocked with jams, jellies, and preserves (call 302-697-2141 to schedule a formal tour for a group). Don’t miss the fresh baked goods and creamy ice cream!

Courtesy Fifer Orchards

Location: 1919 Allabands Mill Rd. Wyoming, Delaware 19934

Admission: Free

Hours: Monday-Saturday 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

For more information: www.fiferorchards.com

6. Just because school isn’t in session doesn’t mean there isn’t a civics lesson to be had! Learn about the Delaware state government with a visit to Legislative Hall in Dover. See the chamber where Delaware laws are debated and made, as well as paintings and portraits of former governors and Delaware’s heroes of World War II.

Reserve a date and time for a guided tour (302-739-9194). Don’t forget a picnic to eat on the Capitol grounds, or dine at the Hall’s cafeteria.

Location: Court St. and Legislative Ave., Dover, DE 19901

Admission: Free

Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on non-session days, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on session days. First Saturday of the month and holidays 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Southern Delaware

7. Buy fresh local produce, specialty eggs (even meet the birds!), organic cookies, and raw honey at the Historic Lewes Farmers Market (HLFM). There are also workshops by local chefs (using food from the market), master gardeners, and sustainable agriculture experts. Kids will see firsthand where their food comes from, and talk to the vendors who made it.

Location: Lewes Historical Society Complex, 110 Shipcarpenter Street, Lewes, DE

Admission: Free

Hours: Saturday 8-Noon all summer.

For more information: www.historiclewesfarmersmarket.org

8. After visiting the Market, walk over to the canal to tour Lightship Overfalls. A steel lightship built in 1938 that served with the Coast Guard until 1971, the Overfalls has been lovingly restored by volunteers. It’s one of only 17 remaining lightships.

Location: Lewes Canal, Lewes, DE

Admission: Children 12 and under $1, adults $2

Hours: Usually open Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Call ahead to confirm 302-644-8050.

For more information: www.overfalls.org

9. Visit the Treasures of the Sea exhibit at Delaware Technical and Community College to see over $4 million in artifacts, including silver ingots and coins, bronze cannons, gold coins and chains, silver artifacts, deep green emeralds from South America, and religious articles. The riches were recovered from the wreck of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha, which sank off the Florida Keys during a hurricane in 1622. You can watch a short video about the search for the shipwreck, which was lost for 360 years.

Courtesy of Treasures of the Sea Exhibit

Location: Delaware Technical & Community College, Jack F. Owens Campus, Stephen J. Betze Library Building. Route 18/404 (1/4 mile west of the intersection of Route 18/404 and Route 113)

Admission: Adults $3, $1 for students, Children 4 and younger are free

Hours: Monday and Tuesday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Friday 12-4 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday Closed.

For more information: www.treasuresofthesea.org

Sitting on the Patapsco River (an arm of the Chesapeake Bay), the city of Baltimore, Maryland, offers families a myriad of activities. Baltimore is home to the Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Ravens, but it’s also the location of Johns Hopkins University and Hospital. With history, arts and culture, and hands-on family museums, it’s a great family destination.

Here are FIVE must-see stops for families when visiting Baltimore.

1. Be an Animal

A vacation in Baltimore isn’t complete without a visit to the award-winning Maryland Zoo. The zoo is divided into ecosystems, so you can explore the Arctic, the plains of Africa, and the Maryland wilderness. Visit all your favorite animals, including lions, elephants, giraffes, polar bears, and chimps.

In the interactive children’s zoo, kids hop from lily pad to lily pad, sit in an oriole’s nest, play on a giant barn silo slide, and get up close and personal with barn animals in the petting zoo.

With ever-changing programs, events and exhibits, the Baltimore Zoo offers something new every time.

Details: Location: From I-83, take Exit 7 (West) to Druid Park Lake Drive and follow signs to the Zoo. Hours: 10 a.m.—4:30 p.m., March 1 through December 31 (last admission one hour prior to closing). Tickets: 12 and older $15; ages 2-11 $10; children under 2 free. Special Internet Pricing available here. Parking is free. (410) 366-LION or http://www.marylandzoo.org.

2. Experiment and Explore

Whether you have a future paleontologist who’d love to lead a fossil dig or a child who’s curious about why he sneezes, chart your course for the Maryland Science Center. Kids will love the hands-on displays and cool exhibits that explain everything from the human body to the birth of a star.

Younger children can try their hand at creating waterways and dams in the popular water play area, building Lego towers, or entering an undersea world complete with deep sea coves, a fishing pier, and tugboat helm.

Image courtesy of the Maryland Science Center

Admission price includes an IMAX film, which is a blast for kids of all ages, especially if they’re interested in seeing the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen or Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on the big-BIG screem!

Details: Location: 601 Light Street Hours: Monday closed; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission for all exhibits, the planetarium, and an IMAX film: 13 and older $18.95; ages 3-12 $14.95; children under 3 free. Parking extra. Extra fee for the some special exhibits. (410) 685-5225 or www.mdsci.org.

Image from kristiangoddard.com

3. “Oh Say Can You See?”

Give your kids a living history lesson at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, just minutes from the Inner Harbor. The “Star-Spangled Banner” was written by Francis Scott Key in response to the brave defense of this fort during the Battle of Baltimore (September 13-14, 1814).

The beautiful star-shaped fort is available for self-guided tours (running or walking, depending on the energy level of your family). There is a daily flag change at 9:30 a.m. and 4:20 p.m., weather permitting. The National Park Service also offers free interpretive programs.

Children ages 8 t 14 can earn Junior Ranger certificates and badges by gathering the answers to various questions about the fort and its history. Just start out at the Visitor’s Center by watching “The Defense of Fort McHenry.”

Details: Location: From the Inner Harbor, take Light Street south to Key Highway. Turn left and follow the Fort McHenry signs to Lawrence Street. Turn right on Lawrence Street and then left on Fort Avenue to the park. Park Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitor Center: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: 16 and older $7 (7 day pass); under 16 free. (410) 962-4290 or www.nps.gov/fomc.

4. Water World

If you think aquariums only house fish, think again. The National Aquarium in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor is constantly rated one of the best aquariums in the world, and it’s no wonder why. The inhabitants of this museum include the ever-popular bottle-nosed dolphins, sharks, turtles, octopi, and—to the surprise of many—land-dwelling creatures as well. Overall, the Aquarium boasts more than 600 species of animals.

Image by Lance Rogers via Flickr

In late 2005, the Aquarium opened its largest expansion ever.  The new building houses the impressive new exhibit “Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes,” highlighting the bizarre animals that live in Australia’s Northern Territory.

The best time to visit this incredibly popular attraction is before 10:30 a.m. on weekends and after 3 p.m. on weekdays.

Details: Location: 501 East Pratt Street, Inner Harbor. Admission: 12 and older $29.95; ages 3-11 $19.95; children under 3 free. Seasonal hours vary. (410) 576-3800 or http://www.aqua.org.

5. Clang Clang Clang went the Trolley

San Francisco claims the trolleycars, but Baltimoreans were served by streetcars long before San Francisco even had paved streets!

Step back in history at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum. This kid-friendly attraction boasts a dozen authentic streetcars, some 125 years old. The newest were in operation in Baltimore up through the 1960s. Your kids will love getting to climb up on and around the trolleys. General admission offers unlimited rides on some of the original Baltimore streetcars.

Don’t miss the gift shop, which is full of train and streetcar memorabilia, including Thomas the Tank Engine items.

Details: Location: 1901 Falls Road. Admission: 12 and older $7; ages 4-11 $5; family maximum $24. Open Sundays noon to 5 p.m., Saturdays June-October noon to 5 p.m. (410) 547-0264 or www.baltimoremd.com/streetcar.