The Top 25 kid-friendly museums in the U.S. includes two in California

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and the California Science Center in Los Angeles ranked first and second in a list of the top 25 museums for children in the United States.

The Early Childhood Education Zone’s picks are perfect for anyone planning a vacation with kids, particularly if you want your next outing to have more science and discovery and less thrill rides.

In the West, children’s museums in cities such as Denver and Lafayette in Colorado, Phoenix, San Francisco, Portland, Ore., and Ogden, Utah, received high marks.

Museums were ranked on criteria most parents would want to know: food options (and whether families can bring their own snacks and drinks), price, age-appropriate activities (like whether there are programs for toddlers and preschoolers, for example) and how many hands-on activities the museum offers.

Here are the top 25 museums that made the cut:

1. Children’s Museum Indianapolis in Indiana

2. California Science Center in Exposition Park, Los Angeles

3. Children’s Museum of Phoenix in Arizona

4. Children’s Museum of Houston in Texas

5. Glazer Children’s Museum in Tampa, Fla.

6. Museum of Science+Industry Chicago

7. Kohl Children’s Museum in Chicago

8. Port Discovery Children’s Museum in Baltimore

9. Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania

10. Children’s Museum of Cleveland in Ohio

11. Children’s Museum of Denver in Colorado

12. WOW Children’s Museum in Lafayette, Colo.

13. Boston Children’s Museum in Massachusetts

14. Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta

15. Minnesota Children’s Museum in St. Paul

16. Exploration Place in Wichita, Kansas

17. The Treehouse Museum in Ogden, Utah

18. EdVenture in Columbia, S.C.

19. Discovery Place in Charlotte, N.C.

20. Madison Children’s Museum in Wisconsin

21. The Strong in Rochester, N.Y.

22. Exploratorium in San Francisco

23. Portland Children’s Museum in Oregon

24. Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia

25. Garden State Discovery Museum in Cherry Hill, N.J.

Check out the Early Childhood Education Zone’s entire list. The company evaluates content and education degree programs for parents and educators.

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