But what is there for families to do when they're meeting up with mom or dad in a place known more for business than fun? And don't let it be the same old boring thing we did last time!
With the business traveler and cultural consumer in mind, one of our favorite websites, sixnewthings.com, profiles six new things to see and do in each of 70 different North American destinations each month.
This summer, they've scoured the countryside and elect the following brand new family-friendly attractions in some of North America's most popular business destinations:
Atlanta, GA:
World of Coca-Cola
In Atlanta, the World of Coca-Cola is not your ordinary museum, it's an amazing cultural tribute to one of the planet's favorite soft drinks. Offering the world's largest assembly of Coke memorabilia, the redesigned museum features a 4-D theater screening films that will make your eyes pop, a fully functioning bottling line, producing commemorative, eight-ounce bottles of Coca-Cola, and tasting stations that will enable you to indulge in more than 70 of the company's beverages from around the world.
More at www.woccatlanta.com
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Washington, DC: International Spy Museum
Where better to get in touch with your inner spy than in Washington, DC, at the International Spy Museum? In development for two years, Operation Spy, is "a new intense immersive experience", that lets participants (ages 12 and up) assume the role of U.S. Intelligence officers on an intrigue-filled international mission. Operation Spy combines live-action, video characters, themed environments, special effects, and hands-on activities to create a series of reality-based challenges.
More at www.spymuseum.org
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Los Angeles, CA:
Skirball Cultural Center
It's not just an art museum exhibition, it's Noah's Ark … re-imagined in amazing new ways at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. The new, interactive playzone fills an 8,000-square-foot gallery with whimsical animals made from recycled materials and everyday objects -- including bottle caps, bicycle parts, baseball mitts, croquet balls, mop heads, and even a rear-view mirror. Families are encouraged to play, climb, explore, collaborate, experience and maybe help build a better world.
More at
www.skirball.org
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Chicago, IL:
Millenium Park
In the past year, Millennium Park has become the go-to place for outdoor cultural activities in Chicago. With its amazing sculptures, performance venues, architecture, and landscaping, the park is a natural for special events like this summer's inaugural Millennium Park Family Fun Festival. Featuring daily concerts and events created especially for families, the celebration lasts throughout the summer.
More at www.millenniumpark.org
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Boston, MA:
Boston's Children's Museum
Featuring a 23,000-square-foot addition (with its own theater) and 50,000 square feet of science and cultural exhibitions, Boston's Children's Museum's $47 million expansion offers "hands on" exhibits unlike what you'll find at other learning museums. Tops on the list? A three-story climbing sculpture, that rises up the museum's new glass lobby like a fleet of magic carpets. The "3-D full body puzzle" allows kids to engage in some safe risk-taking and is just one of the many new additions to the expanded and renovated facility that recently re-opened.
More at www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org
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San Francisco, CA:
Asian Art Museum
"Everything is go, Astro Boy!" as the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco premieres an exhibit of art by the "father" of manga, anime and gekiga - Japanese cartooning styles that have swept the globe. The first of its kind outside Japan, this exhibition features more than 200 works created by Tezuka Osamu, the man who created Astro Boy and other later cartoons. You'll just want to be sure to keep the kiddos away from Tezuka's more adult creations, also on view.
More at www.asianart.org; (Source: sixnewthings)
