10 Fun Places to Take Children

You're stuck in the house with the kids, and everyone is antsy, bouncing off the walls. The weather isn't great for playing outside. You need to get out, but your family and friends are all busy. What are some great rainy-day, kid-friendly places to take toddler-aged kids? Here are our 10 favorites: 1. Children's museums. We have at least two good ones in the Detroit area: the Detroit Science Center and the Cranbrook Institute. These types of museums often has great activities for little kids -- water experiments, dinosaur bone digs, etc. -- and they might actually learn something in the process! 2. The local library. This depends on the children's facilities at your library. We have at least two near our home that have great active play areas for the kids, and we don't have to worry about them being noisy. 3. The zoo. If you're fortunate enough to have a good zoo nearby, make sure you take advantage of it. Even if it's raining, our zoo has enough indoor exhibits to have a great day seeing and learning about animals while staying dry. We found we weren't visiting ours as frequently as we should, so we joined the zoo society, which sent us updates on its special programs and events, motivating us to visit more often. 4. The local nature center. Many communities have fantastic nature centers allowing kids as young as toddler-age interact with plants and animals. Call your city or township offices to find out what your community has to offer, and visit nearby cities as well. 5. The pet store. If you can't find a nearby zoo or nature center, don't forget the pet store. Pet superstores have been springing up all over in recent years, and many offer impressive collections of dogs, cats, fish, birds, reptiles, hamsters and other animals to delight the little ones. 6. Indoor parks. In the Metro Detroit area, more and more indoor play parks are opening, offering things features like inflatable playscapes (moonwalks and variations on the theme), jungle gyms, and much more. Check online and in your local phone books. 7. Exercise gyms and clubs. Large exercise facilities with huge indoor pools are becoming quite the rage, and many of these pools offer family hours for you to bring in the kids. The Great Lakes Athletic Club near us in north Oakland County has a fantastic pool with slides and more. You'll have to join, but many clubs offer cost-effective plans that help you meet several goals: a place to take the kids, an opportunity to get back into pre-children shape, and a chance to demonstrate the importance of exercise to your children. 8. Community pools. Here in northern Oakland County, Michigan, we're close to the Lapeer athletic center, which recently opened with a fantastic indoor pool for all ages. The kid's pool features multiple slides, several interactive fountains, and more. Look in your nearby cities for similar facilities -- they're a blast for the whole family! 9. Mall playgrounds. Many popular and upscale malls these days have installed toddler play areas full of soft-padded objects great for climbing. But these are also playgrounds for germs, so bring plenty of wipes for and clean their hands regularly! 10. Fast food playgrounds. We put it last on the list, because we use it as our last resort. We try to keep our fast food consumption to a minimum, so sometimes we'll go to McDonald's or Burger King in the middle of the morning or afternoon, not to eat but just to play. Of course, we may buy a pop or fries out of guilt, but it's still a cheap way to entertain the kids in quick bursts. Try to visit at less-busy times, and again, make sure you bring those disinfecting wipes since those playscapes are often breeding grounds for germs.