Summer vacation is almost here; have you figured out where you’re taking the family this year? What are some fun, geeky places to take your geeklets? Even better, what are some fun, geeky places that kids and adults will all enjoy?
I was sitting down making some plans for my geeklets this summer. The list of places we wanted to go kept getting longer, and eventually turned into a wishlist, which I then put up for the GeekDads to add to. But this list is by no means complete. Please feel free to add your favorite places in the comments, and we’ll try to add them to the map, too.
The list is alphabetical so you can search by name and see if your favorite places are included. If you want to browse geographically, there is an interactive map embedded at the end of the post.
Here is my list of geeky places to bring your geeklets this summer:
- Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum – Chicago.
- American Museum of Natural History – New York, NY. One of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world, comprised of 25 interconnected buildings that house 46 permanent exhibition halls.
- Ames Exploration Center – Moffett Field, California. Experience NASA technology and missions first hand.
- Arizona Science Center – Phoenix. See Jenny Williams’ prior GeekDad post: To Boldly Go… to the Arizona Science Center.
- Atomium – Brussels. The Belgium response to the Eiffel Tower at the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958 is a tower in the shape of an iron crystal.
- Austin Children’s Museum – Texas. Even adults have fun at the Austin Children’s Museum.
- Belgian Comic Strip Museum – Brussels. It brings together everything related to the comic strip, from its prestigious beginnings to its most recent developments, on more than 4,000 square meters of museum floors.
- Bletchley Park – UK. A museum dedicated to the World War II code breakers.
- California Academy of Sciences – San Francisco. See Thomas Hawk’s GeekDad post: 10 Great Places to Take Your Kids in the San Francisco Bay Area.
- Chabot Space and Science Center – Oakland, California. See Thomas Hawk’s GeekDad post: 10 Great Places to Take Your Kids in the San Francisco Bay Area.
- Champs-Élysées – Paris. Watch the Tour de France riders blur past in a frenzy for 10 laps to win the last stage of the race. (You did read the Top Ten Reasons That Geeks Should Love the Tour de France.)
- Children’s Discovery Museum – San Jose, California. The Museum’s exhibit philosophy is for children to learn through concrete interactions — touching, exploring, manipulating and experimenting.
- Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal – Cincinnati, Ohio. See Patrick Orndorff’s GeekDad post: A Family Visit to the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
- City Museum – St. Louis, Missouri. See Chris Anderson’s Places to take your kids: St Louis.
- Clark Planetarium – Salt Lake City, Utah. The Clark Planetarium features 15,000 square feet of free exhibits.
- Colonial Williamsburg – Williamsburg, Virginia. “That the future may learn from the past.”
- Comic-Con – San Diego.
- Computer History Museum – Mountain View, California. Where computer history lives.
- Connecticut Science Center – Hartford, Connecticut. The East Coast’s largest new attraction opened last year, with 150 interactive exhibits in 10 galleries, plus a 206-seat 3-D theater.
- Corpus – Amsterdam. Journey through the human body.
- Crayola Factory – Easton, Pennsylvania. You’ll be immersed in color and creativity.
- DeCordova Museum – Lincoln, Massachusetts. Adults can feel artsy and kids say “look at this funny thing!”
- Design Museum – London. Covering all aspects of design from graphic to furniture.
- Dragon*Con – Atlanta, Georgia. It’s the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the US.
- EdVenture – Columbia, South Carolina – An interactive children’s museum dedicated to creating new generations of lifelong learners.
- Evergreen Aviation Museum – McMinnville, Oregon. Home of the Spruce Goose.
- Exploratorium – San Francisco. The museum of science, art and human perception.
- Fan Expo – Toronto. This event brings together an array of celebrities, exhibitors, retailers and visitors with five pop culture focuses: Comic Books, Anime, Science Fiction, Horror and Gaming.
- Fiske Planetarium and Science Center – Boulder, Colorado. The largest of its kind between Chicago and Los Angeles.
- Franklin Institute – Philadelphia. Founded in honor of Benjamin Franklin, it’s comprised of three centers, The Science Center, The Franklin Center, and The Center for Innovation in Science Learning. It also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.
- Gamescom – Cologne, Germany. A new trade fair for interactive entertainment.
- Georgia Aquarium – Atlanta. Currently the world’s largest aquarium, with over 8 million gallons of water.
- Glasgow Science Centre – Glasgow, UK. One of Scotland’s must-see visitor attractions and home of Nina and The Neurons.
- Glenn Research Center – Cleveland, Ohio. Learn about John Glenn, the Apollo Era, space flight and the solar system.
- Herstmonceux Science Centre – UK. See Nathan Barry’s GeekDad post: GeekDad goes to The Observatory in Herstmonceux.
- Hiller Aviation Museum – San Carlos, California. Dedicated to the dreams of flight – looking back into aviation’s history while exploring its future.
- Houston Museum of Natural Science – Texas. See Patrick Orndorff’s GeekDad post: A Family Visit to the Houston Museum of Natural Science
- Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center – . It takes visitors on a journey from the Earth to the Moon…and beyond, through a combination of artifacts, films, and replicas, to capture the story of the U.S./Soviet Space Race. See Patrick Orndorff’s GeekDad post: A Space Museum in KANSAS?!?
- Kennedy Space Center – Cape Canaveral, Florida.
- Le Bourget Air and Space Museum – Paris. See the GeekDad post: Two GeekDad Attractions in Paris.
- LEGOLand – San Diego, London, Denmark and Germany. Thrilling rides, shows and attractions, all themed around LEGO.
- Liberty Science Center – Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ. It is dedicated to offering exceptional science learning experiences and to engage learners of all ages in science excitement.
- Lincoln Park Zoo – Chicago. The wildest spot in Chicago in the shadow of skyscrapers has been a natural, free oasis for generations of animal lovers.
- Mammoth Caves – Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. Spend the day underground.
- Mark Twain House & Museum – Hartford, Connecticut. It offers offers a wide range of educational programs including lectures by major authors and artists, symposia, dramatic performances, concerts and family friendly activities.
- Mauna Kea Observatory – Hawaii. Free nightly stargazing programs are conducted at the Visitor Station every night of the year, so you too can experience the amazing skies for which Mauna Kea is famous.
- McWane Science Discovery Center – Birmingham, Alabama. It features four floors of interactive exhibits, celebrating science and wonder – from an amazing collection of dinosaurs to innovative environmental showcases, imaginative early childhood playgrounds, and an awe-inspiring aquarium.
- Monterrey Bay Aquarium – Monterey, California. See Bruce Stewart’s GeekDad post: Monterey Bay is a Great Place to Play.
- Museum of Science – Boston. A New England classic, with special exhibits on the Crittercam and Black Holes this summer.
- Museum of Transportation – St. Louis, Missouri. See Chris Anderson’s Places to take your kids: St Louis.
- Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration – Mystic, Connecticut. Get face to face with New England’s only beluga whales.
- National Air and Space Museum – Washington, DC (National Mall Building) It has hundreds of artifacts on display including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, the Apollo 11 command module, and a lunar rock sample that visitors can touch.
- National Aquarium – Baltimore, MD. The Aquarium features hundreds of exhibits with more than 16,500 animals.
- National Building Museum – Washington, DC. The museum offers insight into the history and future of the world we create for ourselves, with lots of things for kids and adults to do.
- National Center for the History of Electronic Games – Rochester, New York. It collects, studies, and interprets electronic games and related material and the ways in which electronic games are changing how people play, learn, and connect with each other.
- National Cryptologic Museum – Fort Meade, MD. Tours are provided allowing students of all ages the chance to learn about cryptology’s impact on history.
- National Museum of Health and Medicine – Washington, DC. Peek down the halls of medical history with the collections and you’ll come across some curious medical instruments, see unusual anatomical artifacts, and learn about the first microscopes and the scientists who made history with them.
- National Museum of Natural History – Washington, DC. The green-domed museum on the National Mall contains 325,000 square feet of exhibition and public space.
- National Railway Museum – York, UK. The largest railway museum in the world.
- New England Aquarium – Boston, Massachusetts. A classic that still entertains kids and adults, located right on Boston’s waterfront.
- New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science – Albuquerque. The Museum’s permanent exhibit halls illustrate a “journey through time.”
- New York Hall of Science – Queens, NY. A hands-on science and technology center with more than 400 exhibits to explore the wonder of biology, chemistry and physics.
- Newseum – Washington, D.C. An experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits.
- Old Sturbridge Village – Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Experience early New England life at one of the largest living history museums, with a large staff of historians in costume, 59 historic buildings on 200 acres.
- Omaha Children’s Museum – Nebraska. A place where children can challenge themselves, discover how the world works and learn through play.
- Ontario Science Center – Ontario, Canada. See Brad Moon’s GeekDad post: A Night at The Science Center.
- Oregon Museum of Science and Industry – Portland. See Ken Denmead’s GeekDad post: Places to Take Your Kids in Portland.
- Parc Asterix – France. The second biggest theme park in France (after EuroDisney) and just 30 km north of Paris
- Penny Arcade Expo – A three-day game festival for tabletop, videogame, and PC gamers.
- Please Touch Museum – Philadelphia. Dedicated to children 7 and younger.
- Plimoth Plantation – Plymouth, Massachusetts. It’s a bicultural museum, offering encounters with the Wampanoag People and the Colonial English community in the 1600s.
- Reuben H. Fleet Science Center – San Diego, California. The Fleet is known for its hands-on science exhibits on subjects like vision, time, aging, and space technology. See Chris Radcliff’s GeekDad post: Geeky Place to Take Your Kids: San Diego.
- Remington Nature Center – St. Joseph, Missouri. Where history and nature collide. (More about this place in a future post.)
- RideMakerZ – Multiple retail locations. Build your own customized model car or truck.
- San Diego Air & Space Museum – California. It’s jam-packed with airplanes, spaceships, memorabilia, and history. See Chris Radcliff’s GeekDad post: Geeky Place to Take Your Kids: San Diego.
- San Diego Model Railroad Museum – California. San Diego’s model railroading clubs put together this expansive set of O-scale, HO-scale, N-scale, and toy layouts depicting Southern California locales. See Chris Radcliff’s GeekDad post: Geeky Place to Take Your Kids: San Diego.
- San Diego Natural History Museum – California. Dinosaurs. Mammoths. Giant cats. What more is there to say? See Chris Radcliff’s GeekDad post: Geeky Place to Take Your Kids: San Diego.
- San Diego Zoo – California. See Chris Radcliff’s GeekDad post: Geeky Place to Take Your Kids: San Diego.
- Science City at Union Station – Kansas City, Missouri. Let curiosity be your guide through more than 50 interactive areas, providing some real hands-on fun. See Mark Dye’s GeekDad post: ToddlerGeek Field Trip: Science City.
- Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame – Seattle. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held Saturday, June 26.
- Science Museum, London. The Science Museum was founded in 1857 with objects shown at the Great Exhibition held in the Crystal Palace.
- Science Museum of Minnesota – St. Paul. See John Baichtal’s GeekDad post: Make: Day at the Science Museum of Minnesota
- Science World at TELUS World of Science – Vancouver. Look for the big geodesic dome and explore the interactive exhibits.
- Shedd Aquarium – Chicago. It contains 2,100 species of fish, marine mammals, birds, snakes, amphibians, and insects.
- Six Flags – Various locations. A theme park with Superman and Batman rides.
- Skara Brae and Maeshowe – Orkney, UK. Europe’s most complete Neolithic village and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Space and Rocket Museum – Huntsville, Alabama. Artifacts of our nation’s space program, hands-on interactive exhibits and space travel simulators.
- Space Center Houston – Texas. See Patrick Orndorff’s GeekDad post: Houston, We Have a Play Place!
- Spy Museum – Washington, DC. It features the largest collection of international spy-related artifacts ever placed on public display.
- Star Trek Convention – Las Vegas. An enormous gathering of all things Star Trek.
- Stepping Stones Museum for Children – Norwalk, Connecticut. With four main galleries, a toddlers-only gallery and more than 100 hands-on activities, Stepping Stones offers children ages ten and under plenty to explore and discover.
- StoryLand – Glen, New Hampshire. A great amusement park for younger geeklets with all the rides themed around children’s stories.
- Tech Museum of Innovation – San Jose, California. Focused on inspiring the innovator in everyone it reaches, with truly hands-on and interactive exhibits, divided among themed galleries.
- Udvar-Hazy Center – Northern Virginia. This branch of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum has the Space Shuttle Enterprise and a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.
- Universal Studios Islands of Adventure – Orlando, Florida. Marvel comic themed rides for the adults and older kids and Seuss Landing for the smaller kids.
- Vancouver Aquarium – British Columbia. The aquarium has a total 9.5 million litres (2.5 million gallons) of water in 166 aquatic displays.
- Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum – Bangalore, India. Each floor of this museum is dedicated to a scientific discipline, with plenty of interactive exhibits.
- Wisconsin Maritime Museum – Manitowoc, Wisconsin. See Ken Denmead’s GeekDad post: GeekDad Wayback Machine: Wisconsin Day Trip.
- Woods Hole Science Aquarium – Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Voted “best rainy day activity on the upper cape.”
- Your local library – There are always great adventures in those book stacks.
How many of these have you visited?
Thanks to my fellow GeekDad Contributors for their additions to the list, as well as ideas from the Twitterverse by: @danielschwartz, @dougbailey, @edhaskin, @eicdocket, @jackvinson, @JeffCutler, @jeffrey_brandt, @jennsteele, @neilrichards, @retheauditors and @Tami Schiller.
View Geeky Places to Bring Your Kids This Summer in a larger map
[This post originally ran in July, 2009, and some locations/events may have changed.]
