The 10 Best Science Centers

These runners-up are also tailored to young kids.

11. Discovery Science Center, Santa Ana, California
The massive T-Rex replica is fun to look at, but your kids can climb inside an Argentinosaurus to learn about a dino's body.

12. Detroit Science Center Detroit, Michigan
There's a new Kids Town gallery and, coming on September 20, The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket planetarium show.

13. Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Exploration Station gives kids a chance to pet a hissing cockroach and launch a rocket.

14. Gulf Coast Exploreum Science, Center, Mobile, Alabama
Kids can put on a white coat and goggles while working on one of six rotating experiments.

15. Louisville Science Center, Louisville, Kentucky
There's a cave in the ultra-cool The World Around Us gallery.

16. Pacific Science Center Seattle, Washington
The Tropical Butterfly House & Insect Village will be a hit.

17. WonderLab Museum of Science, Health & Technology, Bloomington, Indiana
Science on the Spot activities let kids do something different each time they visit.

18. Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Illinois
The Water Spectacle exhibit -- where kids can set off a geyser -- is a family fave.

19. Discovery Place Charlotte, North Carolina
Preschoolers get their own room with water blocks that stick to the wall and a role-playing area.

20. The Children's Museum of Science and Technology, Troy, New York
At the weather station, kids can make up their own forecasts and broadcast them on a big TV.

21. SciWorks, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Children can play a giant game of Operation with kitchen tongs.

22. Union Station, Kansas City, Missouri
A five-story 3-D theater is a great place to watch a science-y flick.

23. Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley, California
Kids make art projects (such as a paper ladybug) to illustrate science concepts (like symmetry).

24. Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, Vermont
The inside of the facility is cozy, but it has miles of nature trails.

25. The Discovery Science Place, Tyler, Texas
An auto-repair center, a triage area, and a vet clinic are the backdrops for learning about science.

Used with permission from the September 2008 issue of Parents magazine.

This piece was accurate at publication time, but all prices, offerings, and availabilities are subject to change. Please contact each hotel and attraction for up-to-date rates and information before taking your trip.

Do try this at home! Three fun science projects to do with the kids tonight