Fun in Seattle

If you find yourself in Seattle, tired of the coffee and ready for some hands-on fun, you might want to consider a stop at The Children's Museum. From driving their own firetruck to letting passengers on the bus, there's plenty of grist for pretend fun. Plus, there's lots to get kids using their noodles.

Top choices? Head over to Cog City to watch your kids let loose with a basket of ping pong balls. They can send them shooting up in gravity defying antics, work pulleys to see the effect, watch them sail through a series of pipes, or send them rocketing through space with the help of some very enticing levers. This is physics at work! For kids of the more artsy inclination, the museum's recording studio is sure to be a hit. Even the smallest visitors are welcome to pick up a guitar or pound on some drums and listen to their work... when they're done mixing it!

The museum is meant for kids "from birth to age 10", but we think kids 3-6 will appreciate it best. If you hit pay dirt, you might be lucky enough to catch a collaboration between the museum and Seattle's Children's Theatre, which has its home in the same Seattle Center complex. Either way, though, don't miss the fountain outside, which blasts in truly Niagara proportions and makes for an amazing cool-down on hot Seattle days.

www.thechildrensmuseum.org

Admission: $7.50 for kids and adults. Grandparents $6.50. Kids under 1 years old, free.