Kidspace Museum in Pasadena

Southern California weather allows for outdoor activity most days of the year, so it's no wonder that one of the area's preeminent children's museums has many of its exhibits outside. The Kidspace Museum in Pasadena has plenty of indoor activities if the weather is bad, but kids are welcome to wear swim suits in warmer weather to play outside in the water features, like the Splash Dance Fountain and the Interpretive Arroyo. Footwear is required.

The Early Childhood Development Center is an indoor padded playground with slides and toys for the pre-K set. There are also eight-week Mommy and Me classes available. The outdoor playground, Kirby's Kid's Corner is also fun for little kids.

In the Blasting Zone in the Central Courtyard, kids can don hard hats and build structures with PVC tubing, plastic panels and giant blocks. There are also kid-size diggers and other construction vehicles to aid in the building project. One of the best aspects of this area is that parents can supervise older kids from the comfort of the Café patio or courtyard tables.

Inside in Digging Deeper, kids love the climbing towers, one of which is 40 feet tall. In Bugsy's Diner, youngsters can be servers or customers, under the supervision of giant insects. In the Dig, future archaeologists can use brushes to uncover fossils and dinosaur bones. The Nature Exchange is a separate room where the geologically inclined can trade examples of rocks, soil, and other natural objects.

In the Wisteria Courtyard kids can race tricycles around the Trike Track. Favorite activities in the Kidspace Gardens include the Climbing Spider Web, Bat Cave and Strata Cliff Climb, a rock climbing wall.