Best Museum for Families (2017)

A favorite Indy attraction, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the largest museum of its kind in the world, encompassing 29 acres of fun-filled exhibits. Kids can star in their own circus, slide down a river of chocolate, fly over the Great Wall of China, snap a selfie with a T-rex or explore outer space through the lens of NASA’s Project Mercury.
Photo courtesy of Children's Museum of Indianapolis

Aimed at kids under the age of 12, the Children’s Museum of Houston features 14 interactive galleries where kids can learn about the culture and traditions of the Gullah, construct their own inventions in the Maker Annex, learn about the environment at EcoStation, test their bodies in PowerPlay or explore a pint-sized city known as Kidtropolis. Every Thursday evening, the museum hosts a Free Family Night where admission is free from 5pm to 8pm.
Photo courtesy of Visit Houston / Copyright 2009 G. LYON PHOTOGRAPHY, Inc.

The Strong Museum of Play, a highly interactive museum in Rochester, houses the world’s largest collection of artifacts related to play, a collection that can be explored in the International Center for the History of Electronic Games, the National Toy Hall of Fame and the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Kid favorites include the Pinball Playfields, Wegmans Super Kids Market, Reading Adventureland and Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden.
Photo courtesy of The Strong, Rochester, New York

Car-loving kids love The Henry Ford, located in the Detroit metro area. This museum showcases the development of technology in the U.S. and documents the width and breadth of American inventions and innovation. The facility occupies nine acres and includes exhibits on agriculture, the automobile, freedom, timepieces, home appliances, jewelry and presidential limousines. Thematic itineraries, including one title OnWheels, provide a more directed focus for visitors.
Photo courtesy of The Henry Ford Museum

Inside the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, visitors can explore numerous hands-on, interactive exhibit areas meant to spark curiosity. The Attic explores illusions, perception and phenomena; the Garage is the place to explore things that drive, roll and fly; the Garden invites kids to connect with nature and learn about local edible plants and the Studio allows kids to express their creativity through various art forms.
Photo courtesy of Children's Museum of Pittsburgh

Philadelphia's Please Touch Museum offers two floors of exhibits that kids are actively encouraged to touch. Little ones can safely play in a construction zone or go down the rabbit hole to a Wonderland-inspired play station. A historic and recently refurbished carousel is a great way to end a visit on a high note. The museum also hosts a variety of family-friendly programs, so there's always something new to explore.
Photo courtesy of Please Touch Museum

Visitors short and tall will be sure to learn something at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Exhibits range from genetics to ships to bicycles to coal mines – a little bit of everything across the sectors. The five-story Omnimax Theater takes visitors on virtual voyages into space or beneath the sea, while the U-505 Submarine exhibit allows guests to step inside a real German U-boat to see what life was like in these claustrophobic quarters.
Photo courtesy of J.B. Spector/Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago

One of the only museums on the planet dedicated to musical instruments, the aptly named Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix showcases more than 6,500 instruments representing 200 countries and territories from all corners of the globe. State-of-the-art audio and video allow visitors to hear the instruments and see them being played, and in the Experience Gallery, they can make their own music with a variety of instruments, from harps to drums.
Photo courtesy of jowcol61 / Flickr

The Franklin Institute Science Museum seeks to create a passion for science in everyone who walks through its doors. The most visited museum in Pennsylvania features 12 permanent exhibits filled with hands-on learning experiences. Special traveling exhibitions include Robot Revolution – a collection of robots from around the world – and Jurassic World: The Exhibition! that takes visitors inside the iconic film.
Photo courtesy of J. Fusco for VISIT PHILADELPHIA

Kids of all ages are entranced by dinosaurs, insects, African mammals and cool rock formations within the walls of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. The collection maintained here includes more than 35 million specimens, some dating back 4.5 billion years. Permanent exhibits include a kid-favorite Dinosaur Hall, Discovery Center, Insect Zoo, Nature Gardens and a fascinating collection of Zuni fetishes.
Photo courtesy of redit Edgar Chamorro