13 best family attractions in the US
When planning vacations for my own family, I'm always looking for destinations that infuse a dose of science, nature or history into our itinerary.
At first glance, a visit to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis may appeal to my kids because they get a 630-foot-high view of the city and its teeny, tiny inhabitants. However, they can also get an education in American history and architecture.
They would no doubt "ooh" and "ahh" over seeing a real volcano eruption at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, but there are also opportunities to learn about this incredibly biodiverse region of the country and the native peoples who have resided here for centuries.
Below are 13 such family attractions that, together, make up TPG's ultimate list of U.S. spots to visit with your kids.
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Statue of Liberty
If you've only ever seen the Statue of Liberty from one of New York City's nearby boroughs or in a history book, it's high time you saw it up close and personal by visiting this important national monument in person.
To do that, you'll need to book a ferry tour through Statue City Cruises, which grants access to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the largest gateway for millions of immigrants who traveled to America between 1892 and 1954. Cruises leave from both Battery Park in Manhattan and Liberty State Park in New Jersey.
Related: 7 things you didn't know you could do with little kids in New York City
Access to the top of the Statue of Liberty is currently unavailable. The highest you can climb is 10 stories (or 215 steps) to the top of the pedestal just below the statue's feet. The rest of the grounds are also open to the public, including the interactive Statue of Liberty Museum where you can view the original torch held by Lady Liberty.
National Mall
The National Mall in Washington, D.C. is often referred to as "America's front yard." With 18 acres of perfectly-manicured grass spanning from the United States Capitol to the Potomac River, it's certainly one of the largest front yards in America.
Related: Off the beaten path in DC: From a historic garden to a travel-inspired restaurant
Surrounding the lawn are memorials and monuments that honor some of the most important events and influential figures in our country's history. From Martin Luther King, Jr. to World War II, each memorial and monument is as impactful as it is educational.
The National Mall is open 24 hours a day (rangers are on duty from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and there's no fee to visit. You can also participate in free weekly ranger-led programs or enhance your visit (and your view) by purchasing a ticket for the Washington Memorial observation deck or the Tidal Basin paddle boats.
Gateway Arch
St. Louis is known as the "Gateway to the West" and the Gateway Arch — in all its 630-foot-tall glory — was erected as a symbol of that notion.
There are various ways to experience the Gateway Arch and the surrounding area. The tram ride to the top of the arch takes visitors to an observation deck inside the arch with windows that look down on the city and the Mississippi River. Both the tram and the observation deck can feel cramped, something to keep in mind if you are not a fan of close quarters.
Related: A major league view: The pros and cons of staying in a room overlooking an MLB field
There is no fee to visit the Museum Under the Gateway Arch, though you may want to purchase a ticket to see the award-winning film "Monument to the Dream" that documents the arch's construction. The museum features interactive exhibits dedicated to St. Louis' role in our country's westward expansion and the building of the Gateway Arch.
Make it a full day by taking a scenic one-hour riverboat cruise along the banks of the Mississippi. You'll get views of the arch and the St. Louis skyline and, depending on which cruise you book, maybe even dinner and live music to go along with it.
You can purchase tram, documentary and riverboat tickets individually, but you will save by purchasing combo tickets.
Field Museum
The Field Museum in Chicago is easily one of the world's premier natural history museums. Permanent exhibitions span nearly the entirety of the Earth's history, from Native American and Indigenous communities to ancient Egyptian artifacts and even more ancient dinosaur fossils.
Related: 11 must-do activities when visiting Chicago
Probably the most well-known of those dinosaurs is a nearly-complete, 40-foot-long T.Rex skeleton called SUE (named for Sue Hendrickson who discovered the fossil).
Families with younger kids will want to spend time in the Crown Family Playlab, an interactive play area that's fun and educational. Kids can dig for dinosaur bones, explore a pueblo home and play musical instruments from across the globe.
Peruse the exhibits online before your visit to find your favorites because there's probably more than you can see in one day. There is an on-site cafe (with a full bar, if that interests you) where you can replenish your energy mid-day before tackling the rest of the exhibits on your list.
Most exhibits are included in museum admission, but a few require a separate ticket, including 3D movies and temporary exhibits.
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a quintessential stop on any "Great American West" family adventure. It's nearly 277 miles long, 18 miles wide and 1 mile deep, and the breadth of family-friendly activities at the Grand Canyon is nearly as large as the canyon itself.
Related: What to pack and where to stay: TPG's ultimate Grand Canyon family vacation guide
If you have younger kids, you'll probably want to spend the majority of your time at the South Rim of the canyon. There you can explore the historic Grand Canyon Village, hike the paved Rim Trail and pick up a Junior Ranger activity book at the visitor center.
Families with older kids may choose to hike down into the canyon or reserve a mule to do the walking for you. Both are available at the North and South Rim. However, keep in mind the North Rim has fewer accommodations and is only open seasonally.
Kennedy Space Center
The Kennedy Space Center on Florida's Space Coast is a must-do for space-obsessed kids (and adults, of course). The visitor complex is divided into six "mission zones," with each zone concentrating on various time periods in space exploration.
You can view relics from well-known NASA space missions and learn about the past, present and future of the NASA space program through interactive exhibits and simulators. If you have the flexibility to do so, time your visit around a shuttle launch or astronaut Q&A experience.
Purchase one- or two-day date-based tickets online prior to your visit.
USS Midway Museum
Even if you tell your kids ahead of time that you're visiting San Diego's USS Midway Museum, we suggest leaving out the part about how the museum is actually located inside the eponymous decommissioned aircraft carrier.
Related: The 15 best things to do in San Diego
Now docked at Navy Pier in downtown San Diego, the museum comprises more than 30 restored aircraft and interactive exhibits that give kids a peek into life on board an aircraft carrier.
When you arrive, stop by the information booth to pick up a Junior Pilot activity sheet and help your kids earn their wings during your visit.
Outside the museum, you can see a 25-foot-tall statue of a World War II soldier kissing a nurse that recreates the 1945 photograph "V-J day in Times Square." Exhibits are located above and below deck.
The museum is open every day of the year except for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Dinosaur National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument straddles the Utah/Colorado border. You can hike, raft and camp around the National Park Service site's more than 210,000 acres.
However, no visit to Dinosaur National Monument is complete without stopping at the Quarry Exhibit Hall to meet its 150,000 million-year-old residents – Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus and all of their late-Jurassic friends.
Related: Reminder: The first national park free entry day of the year is next week
Inside the Quarry Exhibit Hall, you'll find more than 1,500 dinosaur fossils (some of which you are allowed to touch) and educational exhibits. Around other parts of Dinosaur National Monument, you can also see petroglyphs and pictographs from the Fremont people who lived in the area nearly 1,000 years ago.
Mount Rushmore
If your kids are school-age, it's likely they've seen Mount Rushmore in one of their textbooks. Nothing compares to seeing this massive National Memorial in person, though.
Related: A great American road trip through Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming
Visitors can gaze upon the 60-foot-tall faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln carved into the Black Hills of Keystone, South Dakota. Walk the paved Presidential Trail loop for the best views of the monument and, like other National Park Service sites, there is a Junior Ranger program for kids.
There's no fee to visit Mount Rushmore, but the parking fee is $10 per vehicle.
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls is a group of three impressive waterfalls — the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and the Horseshoe Falls — that straddle the border between the U.S. and Canada.
You can explore the falls from both sides of the border and much of what you can experience depends on when you plan to visit. Crowds are heaving in the summer, but all attractions, including the Maid of the Mist and Voyage to the Falls boat rides, are open for business.
If you visit during the winter, many attractions may be closed due to much of the area being caked in ice. However, you'll be treated to strikingly beautiful ice formations formed by the icy mist.
No matter what time of year you visit, the falls are illuminated by a colorful light show each evening at dusk.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Two of the world's most active volcanoes – Kīlauea and Mauna Loa – reside within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Of the two, Kīlauea has had the most recent active eruptions and there are areas within the park where you can view the eruption.
Related: TPG's favorite national parks: A month-by-month guide
You can also drive around Kīlauea on the Crater Rim Drive Tour or Chain of Craters Road Tour to see craters, lava tubes and other geological wonders formed by the volcanoes. There are also a number of day hikes where you can view some of these same formations up close.
Similar to other national parks, Volcanoes National Park charges a $30 entrance fee, which is good for seven days. You can also purchase a Hawaii Tri-Park Annual Pass that costs $55. It will get you into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Haleakala National Park and Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park for one full year.
Related: 5 national parks to visit before your kids leave the house
Space Needle
Towering 605 feet above the Seattle skyline (just 25 feet shorter than the Gateway Arch) Seattle's Space Needle is one of the tallest observation towers in the U.S.
Related: 5 reasons why Seattle should be your fall vacation destination
The Space Needle was originally constructed for the 1962 World's Fair and is not one of Seattle's most iconic tourist spots. After a quick elevator ride to the top, you'll step out onto an outdoor observation deck surrounded by panes of slanted glass that provide a safety barrier without obstructing your view.
Back inside, you can travel down to the loupe level, which features the world's only revolving glass floor. Timed-entry tickets are available online, which will cut down on the amount of time you have to wait to get to the top when you arrive.
Sequoia & Kings Canyon
Sequoia National Park is best known (and named for) for its giant sequoia trees. Within this rugged forest in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, you'll find some of the largest trees in the world, including the largest living tree in the world, the General Sherman Tree.
There are four lodges and a handful of campgrounds located around the park for overnight stays. The park has its own Junior Ranger program for kids. There's also a Giant Forest Museum where they can learn more about these giant redwoods and why they are so prevalent in the area.
Bottom line
Among these 13 family attractions across the U.S., you'll find opportunities to learn about our country's history, commune with nature and have some good old-fashioned fun.
Visiting these natural and human-made U.S. wonders is practically a rite of passage for kids, and certainly a family vacation they will never forget.