15 Orlando Museums for Kids to Explore

Sue Krawitz Tandoc:  The Arcadia Kids Fun Museum offers learning and fun through hands-on and pretend play and encourages children to use their imagination throughout their Museum's eight exhibits. The exhibits allow children to explore in themed real-life attractions such as grocery store, pet vet, diner, science lab, gas station, construction house and more.

Tracy Snyder Molina:  Train enthusiasts young and old will appreciate a visit to the Central Florida Railway Museum. Housed inside a former train depot, visitors can view an array of memorabilia including historic photographs, telephones and telegraphs, dining-car china and silver, uniforms, a 1938 Fairmont motorcar and a velocipede hand car. Junior train aficionados will be thrilled with the climb-on cabooses and large working Lionel train layout.

Tracy Snyder Molina:  Kids and adults will love visiting this restored 1926 fire house which showcases the history of Orlando's firefighters that includes several restored fire engines including a 1911 horse-drawn steam pumper, a 1915 LaFrance Fire Engine, and a 1919 LaFrance Ladder Truck. There's also gear on display including dress uniforms, bomb suits, vintage metal fire hats and a variety of bells and whistles. The museum even hosts muster events with old-fashioned bucket brigade reenactments. Volunteer guides are retired Orlando firefighters so you are sure to learn a lot.

Tracy Snyder Molina:  The Orlando Museum of Art strives to connect people with art and new ideas. Family Days are fun and educational celebrations for families to experience and learn more about art and culture. Visitors enjoy free hands-on art activities, storytelling, gallery activities, and special performances. Family Highlights Tours are docent-led tours that take you from gallery to gallery, highlighting various works and providing provides opportunities for meaningful conversations with your entire family.

Tracy Snyder Molina:  The Orlando Science Center encourages learning in a fun way, inspiring curiosity and exploration. With four floors of exciting exhibits, giant screen movies and engaging live programming, the Science Center is the perfect family destination. Exhibits include Dino Digs, Our Planet, Kinetic Zone, Nature Works, Above and Beyond Interactive Flight Exhibit, KidsTown (ages 0-7) and so much more. Science Live programs include Dino Safaris, Messy Afternoons, Storytime, Fish Feeding Frenzy, Swamp Talks, live demos and stage shows.

Tracy Snyder Molina:   The Mennello features American art of all genres and is home to a permanent collection of paintings by artist Earl Cunningham. Every second Sunday is Free Family Day which brings child-friendly activities such as a miniature fine art project and free admission with mini-tours for kids in the afternoon. They also have a diverse calendar of events, many of which are appropriate for kids and families. Part of the Orlando Urban Trail, the museum’s outside space offers walking paths, an outdoor sculpture garden and pretty views of the lake.

Tracy Snyder Molina:   The History Center showcases permanent exhibits exploring 12,000 years of Central Florida history including Aviation, First European Explorers, a Pioneer Cabin and Tourism in Orlando. Special limited-run exhibitions from the Smithsonian Institution and other prestigious museums are also offered. Past runs included one that took visitors into the history of Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights and another which showcased the art of Warner Bros. They also feature events and activities, many of them just for kids and families.

Tracy Snyder Molina:  If you're looking for a place to soak in some history and have plenty of room to run and explore, check out Fort Christmas Historical Park. The park includes a replica of a fort built in 1837 during the Second Seminole Indian War; restored "Cracker" homes representing the common architecture of this area from the 1870s to the 1930s, a schoolhouse and lunchroom; a sugar cane mill and other historical farming equipment. The park also features massive shade trees, hiking trails and a well-kept playground for burning off some energy.

Tracy Snyder Molina:  This fascinating interactive museum features guided tours led by actors in period dress portraying notable Titanic figures while sharing stories of her passengers and crew. Explore full-scale recreations of famousTitanic rooms such as the Grand Staircase, a First Class Parlor Suite and the Promenade Deck. View actual artifacts recovered from the wreck site including "Little Big Piece," a 3-ton section of the Ship's hull and the second largest piece of Titanic ever recovered.

Tracy Snyder Molina:  This fascinating "Odditorium" actually looks like it’s falling into a sinkhole! There are hundreds of fascinating, outrageous and interactive exhibits that the whole family will enjoy displayed in 16 unique galleries. This self-guided, self-paced tour of all things weird and wonky will wow and amaze. Pose with the world’s tallest man, lose yourself in mind-boggling visual illusions, see a car constructed from toothpicks, shrunken heads, dinosaur fossils and even a vampire killing kit.

Tracy Snyder Molina:  Take an interactive journey as you explore the dramatic story of Marie Tassaud as she first opened the doors to her world famous wax museum over 200 years ago. Get ready to pose with wax figures of your favorite movie stars, scientists, artists, singers, athletes, history and world leaders. Learn what it takes to create a celebrity wax figure from how the measurements are taken, the detailed sculpting involved, the complex molding procedure and the intricate finishing touches. You can even have your hand cast in wax for the ultimate souvenir.

Tracy Snyder Molina:   Orlando’s newest science museum and only natural history museum, features more than 500 real animal skeletons posed in over 40 exhibits ranging from the African safari to Florida wildlife. The museum offers complimentary scavenger hunts for the whole family and interactive exhibits. Family Fun days offer fun extras such as meeting live animals from a local zoo or participating in hands-on activities and questions at stations around the museum.

Sue Krawitz Tandoc:  The WonderWorks Museum provides a unique experience featuring over 100 hands-on and interactive exhibits, many themed with science and history. But before you start, everything will be upside down which adds to this fun-filled adventure. Exhibits range from Space Discovery to Light and Sound and Natural Disasters to a Physical Challenge plus more. They also feature an Indoor Ropes Course, 4D XD Motion Theater, Laser Tag and much more.

Tracy Snyder Molina:   Discover the amazing history of chocolate through interactive displays, colorful exhibits and mouth-watering samples. Your guided tour first starts in the tropical rainforest to learn a little more about cacao and then takes you back in time to find out the origins of chocolate and its rich history. In the sculpture area you'll find 25 chocolate sculptures of some of the world’s most recognizable landmarks. Learn how chocolate is made before sampling some of the world's finest chocolates. Be sure to stop at the cafe for some decadent treats.

Tracy Snyder Molina:   The Kennedy Space Center is where to go to find a fascinating collection of space-related history. From the dawn of space exploration to current and ongoing missions, you can get an up-close, hands-on feel for the story of humans in space. Get up close to the Space Shuttle Atlantis, find out what a real-life shuttle launch feels like, train like an astronaut and check out the IMAX 3D space film.