One of the best things about having a three-year-old is that their fascination with the world around them can, in turn, rekindle that same fascination in a 41-year-old codger like me. The fascination du jour? Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs. Isn’t it convenient then that we have near us one of the largest dinosaur tracks sites in the country?

Dinosaur State Park is located in Rocky Hill, Connecticut about 10 minutes south of Hartford. The Park officially opened in 1968—two years after more than 2,000 tracks were uncovered during a building excavation. The tracks are from the early Jurassic period and were made over 200 million years ago by a carnivorous dinosaur similar to Dilophosaurus.

Surrounding the geodesic dome that provides cover for 500 tracks (the remaining 1,500 have since been buried to preserve them) are a series of nature trails and the Dinosaur State Park Arboretum, home to conifers, katsuras and ginkgoes and others that would have been common when the great beasts roamed the earth.

In addition to the tracks, visitors will find under the dome life-sized dioramas depicting the Triassic and Jurassic periods complete with common plants and creatures including the aforementioned Dilophosaurus. There are also several interactive displays, a reconstruction of a geologic foundation, highlights of the tracks’ discovery, as well as a discovery room with several lizards, some Madagascar hissing cockroaches and dinosaur arts and crafts: emboss a bookmark with footprints or create a dinosaur-shaped ornament.

There is also an auditorium that shows educational films on the weekends. Most recently they were showing Dinosaurs with Bill Nye (the Science Guy), however the subjects do rotate. During warmer months, visitors can create their own track cast in the track casting area. If you’re so inclined, be sure to bring the necessary supplies.

The park grounds are open daily 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (trails close at 4:00 p.m.). The exhibit center is open 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Tuesday thru Sunday—closed Mondays, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The cost is $5 for adults and teens (13 and over); $2 for youths (ages 6-12); and Free for children five and under.

Related: Hands On Science Discovery in Hartford.

Seattle is a wonderful place to visit. I tell all my friends from around the globe that if they ever get the chance to travel here, they should jump at the chance…but be sure to travel in the Summer. With plenty of sunshine, gorgeous scenery, low humidity, and temperatures that average in the upper 70′s, Summer in Seattle is what you could call a travel ‘no brainer’. Just show up and you will enjoy yourself.

But, alternatively, say you live here, have young children, it’s January, and the grey, moisture-filled clouds stretch endlessly across the horizon day after day. As a first-time father of an energetic 18-month-old, I’m finding it difficult to fill soggy winter vacation days and weekend afternoons with indoor activities that will keep the little one interested, occupied, and more importantly properly exercised and worn out so my child will give me the gift of a sleeping through the night.

So, when my wife and I find a new place that fills that very description, we are quick to spread the word to our newly formed network of friends with little ones of similar age as our boy. We found just such a place this past weekend – a local children’s museum. The concept of the children’s museum is to give kids a place to go to learn about how the world around them works in a hands-on, interactive environment. As the parent of a very hands-on boy, it is amazingly refreshing to take him to a place with loads of alluring buttons, switches, and lights and not have to say “Don’t touch!” every 30 seconds.

Water table at Hand's On Children's museum

The KidsQuest Children’s Museum is one of five children’s museums in the Seattle area and only the second one we have visited recently with our little guy, but we plan on checking out the others soon enough. So, if you happen to be visiting Seattle with young children during one of Seattle’s world famous rainy days, and need somewhere to take them which will certainly be an affordable and popular choice, then check out one of these great children’s museums. You’ll be happy you did.

KidsQuest Children’s Museum, Bellevue Washington -  ($7.00 General Admission) January features ‘Celebrations around the world’ in which kids can explore different cultures through hands on exhibits.

The Children’s Museum at Seattle Center, Seattle Washington – ($7.50 admission adults and children) Curious George exhibit runs January 24th – May 10th.

Imagine Children’s Museum, Everett Washington -  ($7.00 General Admission) Monthly ‘Play Daze’ Grown-Up and Child Mini Day Camps available for registration.

Hands On Children’s Museum, Olympia Washington -  ($7.95 admission adults and kids over 2; $4.95 Kids 12 – 23 months) Popular ‘Sand in the City’ exhibit every 4th weekend in August.

Children’s Museum of Tacoma, Tacoma Washington – ($6.00 General Admission) Permanent and traveling exhibits and dance classes.

When the weather gets bad and the days get gray I start to look for indoor activities that involve more than eating pizza with an oversized mouse. The Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, Virginia is a favorite stop.

The name Torpedo Factory is not the least bit misleading. This waterfront complex was once a working torpedo factory. Documenting its past use, there is a torpedo on display in the front lobby. After serving its time producing munitions it was abandoned and later reclaimed as a working art space for local artists. It now contains 82 artist studios, 6 galleries, two workshops, and if that wasn’t enough, it also houses the Alexandria Archeology Museum.

Many different types of fine arts and crafts are represented here. Traditional Chinese brushwork is just a short walk from modern sculpture. Oil paintings find a place by stained glass and pottery. It’s a wonderful place to introduce children to the many forms of art without the stuffiness of museums and the pressure of museum guards looking over your shoulder making sure you don’t touch the horse paintings.

It is not uncommon to find artists busy at work in their studios and they are often willing to answer questions and give impromptu demonstrations of their art. My daughter was especially fascinated with a demonstration of weaving copper wire on a loom into metal fabric.

You can pack a lunch and eat out by the waterfront or stop and pick up a bite at any of the many downtown restaurants. The noodle soup at vegan and kid-friendly Bumblefish is inexpensive and tasty on a cold day.

There is no charge to visit the Torpedo Factory Art Center but finding on-street parking might be a challenge and is usually limited to two hours, so you should be sure to have cash for the parking garage.

Don’t forget to check out the sculpture stairs and be sure to weigh the entire family on the industrial scale by the front door on the way out.

Photo Credits: Photo from the Torpedo Factory Art Center website