This aquatic wonderland, open 365-days-a-year, offers kids and grown-ups alike the opportunity to explore sea life of all shapes and sizes. Adventure Aquarium is located just across the river from Philadelphia (you can see it from the waterfront) and is a great side trip to entertain, educate and explore with kids. What kinds of life can you see here? They’ve got penguins, sharks, hippos, stingrays, birds, reptiles, turtles, crocodiles and a ton of fish ranging from the angelically beautiful to the hideously ugly, the harmless to the dangerous, and everything in between. If you’ve got a sealife lover, or if you just want a fun day out, take a trip to Adventure Aquarium.

Let your kids discover nature at the Indoor Children’s Garden at Longwood Gardens. This beautifully designed space is ideal for families. It features the captivating Central Cove, a Rain Pavilion with two water curtains and a Bamboo Maze for children to explore. Pick up an age-appropriate scavenger hunt card at the Children’s Curiosity Cart in the Bamboo Maze and go exploring. There are also plenty of fountains, 17 to be exact, so be prepared for splashing. There are exotic plants from around the world, and you can even inspect some cool, insect-catching plants up close, enjoy dancing fountains that shoot water 130 feet in the air, or be wowed by the unsurpassed beauty of the many flowers, plants, vines, trees, shrubs and colorful indoor and outdoor displays every day of the year.

Offering more than a dozen interactive exhibits, the Franklin Institute Science Museum is a favorite for both the young and young at heart. Children especially love walking through the world’s largest artificial heart and learning about energy transfer via the Giant Newton’s Cradle and Ball Launcher. Guests also discover the nation’s second-oldest planetarium, Fels Planetarium, and on the top floor, an observatory where they can view the Sun, Moon and Jupiter. Have fun with electricity, wind, gravity, learn about medicine and health, sports and space. It’s great for all ages and perfect for morning or afternoon exploration that’ll keep kids talking about the place for long after you’ve headed home.

One of Philadelphia’s five original squares, Franklin Square is certainly one of the best for kids. Children can take a ride on the Philadelphia Park Liberty Carousel that’s located here before heading to the playground for a more active adventure. The park’s 18-hole mini golf course is Philadelphia-themed, and all will enjoy guiding their ball through traditional city landmarks like Elfreth’s Alley, the LOVE statue and the crack in the Liberty Bell. Afterward, a bite to eat at SquareBurger is the perfect way to refresh. There are also great light shows during the holiday season, which are wonderful for families to view together.

Located inside East Fairmount Park, Smith Playground is a playful wonderland designed especially for children 10 and under. The roughly six-acre fun zone is best known for its century-old giant wooden slide and 24,000-square-foot Playhouse, but you’ll also find more than 50 unique, age-appropriate pieces of play equipment. Inside the mansion-like Playhouse children, five and under can experience everything from driving a train and cooking in the kitchen to riding a tricycle. Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse has been a treasured destination in the city of Philadelphia for over 100 years and continues to be a source of good, clean fun for kids of all sizes and shapes.

Spruce Street Harbor Park is a pop-up park on Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia. Offering fun amenities such as hammocks, lawn games, chairs by the water, food and drink options, music and good times to locals, visitors, friends, family and even strangers. There’s so much fun to be had at this venue that all can leave friends when the night is over. Spruce Street Harbor Park is free to enter, and features sponsored Happy Hours periodically throughout the summer, along with music and special events for all ages. It’s a great way to start or finish off a weekend in the city with people you care about or just by yourself.

America’s first zoo and one of the region’s foremost conservation organizations, Philadelphia Zoo is home to nearly 1,300 animals, many rare and endangered. Cheetahs, hippos, giraffes and much more make the Zoo Philadelphia’s leading family destination, welcoming over 1.2 million visitors a year. Philadelphia Zoo offers a revolutionary, first-in-the-world animal travel and exploration system, called Zoo360, which promises the most majestic of creatures more room to roam utilizing a campus-wide network of see-through trails. Monkeys, orangutans and big cats, like lions and tigers, are on the move — traveling overhead through the treetops in the first three pathways of Zoo360, Treetop Trail, Great Ape Trail and Big Cat Crossing. Award-winning exhibits like First Niagara Big Cat Falls, PECO Primate Reserve, McNeil Avian Center and KidZooU: Hamilton Family Children’s Zoo & Faris Family Education Center make Philadelphia Zoo an obvious choice for those visiting Philadelphia with kids.

Dry fun, wet fun, shows and parades, food, drink, and furry friends . . . sound like things your kids love? Then you’re probably a fan of Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA. Part of the SeaWorld family, Sesame Place playfully features Bert & Ernie, Big Bird and Elmo at every turn. Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, Oscar the Grouch, Grover, the Count and even Rosita show up to join in the fun and give your child a day to remember. Be sure to fit a show into your schedule here, as they are often quite entertaining a foot-tapping. In hotter months, take advantage of the wet rides to cool off. This park is also the first theme park in the country to be a certified autism center.

It may be difficult for some kids to sit through an entire baseball game, but at Citizens Bank Park, there is more than enough to keep little ones entertained. One of the most kid-friendly ballparks in the country, the Phillies’ home turf has a Phanatic Fun Zone, where children can build their own Phanatic and even rock climb. Older kids especially enjoy Ashburn Alley, which features batting and throwing games. If your young one likes baseball and knows the players by name, he or she will love rooting for them in the stands, sampling some of the traditional ballpark food and laughing at the silly antics of the Philly Phanatic.

In this wonderfully kid-friendly museum, there are no “Do Not Touch” signs — a dream come true in a kid’s museum setting! Designed to promote the arts, sciences, and humanities, exhibits here promise educational entertainment for the young and the young-at-heart. There is an incredible collection of toys and a 3D interactive playground based upon popular children’s books. Art exhibits feature work from children in the Philadelphia area. On the bottom floor is a pretend grocery store where kids can “shop” and “pay”, and a maze to explore. There are ample opportunities for role-playing and dress-up, as well as to try out all kinds of machines and tools and grown-up devices!