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Where can you, your kids and your grandkids climb, build, bat balls and race cars, all the while keeping out of the summer heat? At a children's museum, of course. These indoor playlands combine education with fun, focusing on STEM or STEAM-fueled exhibits (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math). When visiting cities this summer with your family, take a break from the big downtown attractions to explore these four appealing, midsize children's museums. To maximize the visitor experience and guarantee admission, the museums recommend purchasing advanced timed-entry tickets.

In Washington, D.C., where most of the city's excellent museums have a look-but-don't-touch policy when it comes to their exhibits, the National Children's Museum is a find for its many hands-on opportunities. Let the kids loose to climb and crawl through a three-story web of high-tech netting. They exit -- giggling -- down a slide. Kids fashion and fly paper airplanes to learn about aerodynamics, press buttons to test reaction times, test their balance by walking across stepping stones, and swing bats at an interactive outfield screen that measures the balls' distances and speeds.

At Little Dreamers and Little Movers, designed for ages 3 and younger, tots can stack soft blocks, touch gears and dials, and, at designated times, listen to stories. Wild Kratts: Ocean Adventure, based on the popular PBS "Wild Kratts" series, runs through Sept. 7. Young wildlife enthusiasts "shrink" as they move through a people-sized tide pool, create a dolphin name by decoding the critter's clicks and whistles, and digitally color sea creatures. Just outside the museum's exit, look for Susan, the wild duck, who likes to sit in the nearby tall planter.

The Miami Children's Museum features two floors of exhibits plus an outdoor courtyard with xylophones and drums. Inside, youngsters don firefighters' uniforms and step aboard a firetruck, dance across floor-sized piano keys and pick up a load of blocks with an excavator. Little ones also design structures with big Styrofoam blocks, pick out and purchase food at a grocery store, and catch plastic fish in an indoor pond. Those exhibits, while appealing to all kids, particularly engage toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarteners, who run around gleefully from one hands-on activity to another. A nice touch: The stairway connecting the first and second floors sounds musical notes as you climb. Create more music at Music Makers Studio, a particularly engaging exhibit for grade-schoolers. They can slap drums, step on squares to listen to different instruments and collaborate to fashion harmonies.

The Delaware Children's Museum, located along Wilmington's Riverfront, targets children ages 2 through 8. There's plenty for the youngest to do. They can launch boats and balls in a stream table, maneuver minicars through a race course, and create art from paper cups, newspapers and other recycled materials. Older children keep busy constructing arches, building frames and crawling through Kokoun, a handwoven, multilevel climbing structure. Although the miniature golf course outside the museum is not part of the facility, it's also fun for kids. Allow time to lunch at the waterfront eateries and to stroll or bike (rentals available) along the river.

Explora Science Center and Children's Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the city's not-just-for-kids museum. Children and adults push, pull, twist, turn, topple and build things. Get hands-on with bubbles to discover which ones float the longest and what makes them stick together. Manipulate ramps to slow the descent of marbles down a track, and learn how acts of kindness not only benefit others but light up your brain with good feelings.

Another favorite, especially with older kids and teens, is the high-wire bike. Strapped into a harness, the willing participants pedal along a cable strung two floors high in the museum. Counterweights keep riders balanced. By popular demand, the museum created adults-only nights, allowing grownups to play too. They line up early for the circuslike bike.

Children's museums add cool fun to hot summer days.

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WHEN YOU GO

Washington, D.C.: washington.org and nationalchildrensmuseum.org

Miami: miamiandbeaches.com and miamichildrensmuseum.org

Delaware: visitdelaware.com and delawarechildrensmuseum.org

Albuquerque: visitalbuquerque.org and explora.us

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Candyce H. Stapen is a writer at www.greatfamilyvacations.com.

Copyright 2025 Creators Syndicate, Inc.