19 Unique American Adventures to Have as a Family Before Your Kids Turn 10 Years Old

As someone who visited all 50 states before her kid was born, I’ve had my fair share of adventures. Since becoming a mom, there are so many places I’d like to revisit for the sole purpose of seeing my son’s reaction to being there.

From unique children’s attractions and zoos to kid-friendly National Parks and American landmarks, our country truly has a little bit of everything. 

Traveling with kids allows them to fall in love with exploring early and gives them a more worldly view of life. If you show them things they’ve never seen, introduce them to people they’ve never met, and take them to places they’ve never been, they will learn adaptivity, courage, confidence, and how to conquer their fears. 

Consider some of these for your next family adventure with kids:

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium - Omaha, Nebraska

This zoo is one of the best in the entire country, rightfully so. They have something that looks like a ski lift that you can ride over the top of the park for those who love heights. They have the “Desert Dome” which is a massive sphere (that reminds me of the Epcot sphere) that resembles a desert on the inside with appropriate plants and animals. They have a decent-sized aquarium and they even serve African and Asian food near their respective animal exhibits. It’s organized, there are things to do and is a wonderful place to bring your animal-loving children.

City Museum - St. Louis, Missouri

The City Museum is one of the most unique attractions you’ll ever find and it’s hard to put into words. It’s a 600,000-square-foot warehouse building that has been made into a massive playground for people of all ages. There’s a skateless skatepark, the world's largest operating pencil, a 10-story slide, and more. They have an entire cave system that brings you to different parts of the facility and you have to stay close to your kids because if you don’t, you’ll accidentally end up on opposite sides of the building from each other. They also have massive outdoor exhibits where you can climb through two vacant airplanes and stand in a vacant school bus dangling 10 stories over the edge of the building. They have kid's birthday parties but also have adult-only events and this building will make memories that will last a lifetime. 

Dry Tortugas National Park - Key West, Florida

Dry Tortugas is a unique experience for kids because they will get to experience riding on a ferry boat, being on an island, exploring the historic Fort Jefferson, and participating in snorkeling or building sand castles all on the same day. Dry Tortugas is located 70 miles off the shore of Key West and is home to a 16-acre Civil War fort. You begin with a 2-hour ferry ride that has both indoor and outdoor seating. Once you arrive, you have the option to go on a historic fort tour or grab the snorkeling gear that the ferry provides and hit the ocean. There are two primary beaches at Dry Tortugas and if you’re brave enough, you can try to snorkel or swim from one beach to the other. There are also camping trips at Dry Tortugas which allows you to have the entire island to just a small group of people but make sure your kids are avid campers if you want to take them with you - as the weather conditions here can be rough. See my article about Dry Tortugas National Park.

Cog Railway - Mount Washington, New Hampshire

The Cog Railway is an epic train ride up Mount Washington that takes you to a portion of the Appalachian Trail. The train is one of the steepest in the country and the conductors are both entertaining and knowledgeable and help make the experience wonderful. They will give you the opportunity to try to stand up on the train which shows you how steep the grade is. Once you arrive at the top, you can climb on some rocks, pose for pictures with a train, see the Visitor Center, and even mail yourself a postcard from their Post Office. Dress wisely - the wind up there is crazy!

Acadia National Park - Bar Harbor, Maine

Acadia National Park is the first place for the sun to rise every day and you can see this stunning sunrise at the top of Cadillac Mountain (or if you don’t want to fight the crowds, you can stop somewhere along your way to the top). The purple, orange, yellow, and pink views in the sky reflecting in the ocean are unbeatable. Besides Cadillac Mountain, you can visit Thunder Hole. During low tide, you can watch the ocean strike a wall so loud it sounds like thunder. And during high tide, you can watch the low tide platform get drenched by massive waves. It’s a great educational opportunity for children to learn about how this process works. 

Children's Museum of Atlanta - Atlanta, Georgia 

The Children’s Museum of Atlanta is primarily geared towards kids 1-8 years old but my husband and I even had fun here! They have a restaurant area where kids can pretend to be chefs, a farm area where kids can pretend to be farmers and even a fishing area where kids can try fishing with little magnets. There is a tree house to climb around, a music area, and a lot of science-based activities. Probably the fan favorite was an area where you could take ball pit-styled balls and send them through different types of machinery to watch where they’d go next. The Children’s Museum is in the heart of Atlanta in walking distance of the Georgia Aquarium, the CNN Center, the Coke-A-Cola Museum, and several restaurants and playgrounds. 

Mount Rushmore - Keystone, South Dakota

South Dakota is the most underrated state in the country and every kid deserves to see Mount Rushmore. When you become an adult, politics can be frustrating and stressful. But when you’re a kid, your perception of the world is still optimistic and the “fame” associated with our presidents is exciting. And if the kids have seen National Treasure 2: The Book of Secrets, Mount Rushmore is famous for more reasons than one. Mount Rushmore has a hiking trail, a few exhibits, a Visitor Center, and a cafe. Even if you do all of the activities, you can get in and out of Mount Rushmore in probably less than a day but there are a ton of things to do nearby including the Rushmore Tramway Adventures, Wall Drug, Badlands National Park, Needles Highway, Custer State Park, and so much more. 

Mall of America - Bloomington, Minnesota

The Mall of America is a mall, an amusement park, and the best food court in the country all in the same place. If you’ve ever seen those “one of a kind” places that you don’t see very often like the Lego Store, the Crayola Store, Rainforest Cafe, or Wahlburgers, you can count on seeing them in the Mall of America. On top of that, there is an indoor amusement park with real roller coasters, a ton of rock climbing, caricature artists, escape rooms, and arcades. Plus - of course, there is more than enough shopping for anything you can imagine. There are big-name stores, high-end shopping, and endless coffee, smoothie, and ice cream possibilities.

Falls Park - Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Smack in the middle of Sioux Falls is Falls Park which is exactly what it sounds like, a bunch of waterfalls. There are hiking trails that you can get up close and personal to the falls with along with a playground, a restaurant, a Visitor Center, a dog park, and more. It’s such a bizarre experience to just drive by buildings and houses and all of a sudden stumble upon waterfalls. There are also some educational opportunities here and is truly a diverse experience.  Unfortunately, this is on the other side of South Dakota than Mount Rushmore and the other previously mentioned ideas. However, if you are taking a long road trip across the state, this is off the same highway.

White Sands National Park - near Las Cruces, New Mexico

If you’re looking for massive sand dunes that you can sled down, hike on, and explore, look no further than White Sands National Park! It feels rock solid when you’re walking on it but when you pick some up, it sifts through your fingers just like sand at the beach. The white sand is bright so be sure to take some sunglasses with you. And if you’re interested in Area 51, you can see that here as well. There are a couple of other National Parks within a few hours of here - so be sure to knock out more than one while you’re close!

Liberty Bell and Independence Hall - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

What better way to encourage your kids to enjoy history than bringing them to one of the most historically significant cities in the country? Philadelphia is home to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall - two extremely important parts of our American History and they’re both right near each other.

For the Liberty Bell, you stand in line in a long bus-stop-looking tunnel and you get to get up close and personal to take pictures with it.

Then, once you walk over to Independence Hall, you can take a walking tour and learn different historical elements throughout the building. After you’ve gotten enough history for the day, head to the riverfront where you can do some roller skating, some sightseeing, and try yourself a Philly Cheesesteak.  

National Harbor - Oxon Hill, Maryland

The National Harbor is right along the Potomac River on the border of Maryland, Virginia, and near Washington, DC. The National Harbor has restaurants, bars, and shops but the best part is the amphitheater area. There is a massive open area where live concerts happen along with large screens for sporting events, food vendors, and a large Ferris Wheel. You can even rent boats and spend some time out on the water. The food is amazing, the vibes are immaculate, and you can literally just sit in a chair, kick your feet up, and watch your kids run around and play. Of course, while you’re here, head to Washington D.C. to see the National Mall, walk around the cute town of Alexandria, Virginia, and consider going to Arlington National Cemetery. 

Central Park - New York, New York

Central Park is one of the most bizarre views. You are walking, driving, or taking the subway around the massive city of New York, and all of a sudden, the city hustle turns into grass and trees. If you were in the midst of Central Park, you’d never guess that you were in the middle of the largest metropolitan area in the United States. Central Park has some wonderful food vendors and great live music, interesting museums, and there is always something to do. While you’re here, there are of course plenty of other activities to participate in including the Statue of Liberty, Coney Island, and the 9/11 Museum and Memorial. 

Saguaro National Park - Tucson, Arizona

Saguaro National Park is known for one thing - cacti! The cacti here never end and each one has its own unique shape. These cacti here average a height of 40 feet and the tallest cactus recorded here is over 78 feet. This park is split into two halves and you can take educational or scenic hikes, go camping, go backpacking, or even look at petroglyphs. This park has several educational activities for kids and Saguaro National Park is a wonderful opportunity to show kids what nature can do if you let it naturally preserve. Most people who don’t live in Arizona are used to “succulents” being their version of “cacti” and seeing this “regular” plant stand at 40 feet high and seeing so many of them is surreal. 

Rocky Mountain National Park - Estes Park, Colorado

Just like cacti are breathtaking because of how tall they are, so are mountains. The Rocky Mountains are well, rocky and this sets them apart from any other mountain range in America. When you think about your stereotypical “mountain” or if you asked a kid to draw a picture of mountains, they would probably resemble the Rockies. Mountains are such a figure of speech. You “climb mountains” which refers to overcoming obstacles and what better way to teach kids that they can overcome anything besides hiking mountains with them? There is a wide variety of hikes in the Rockies, not to mention how gorgeous Estes Park, Colorado is. There are amazing restaurants, fun shops, and endless outdoor activities. 

Mohegan Bluffs - Block Island, Rhode Island

After visiting Block Island, I am so confused on why it isn’t talked about more. Block Island is located 18 miles away from the south coast of Rhode Island. You purchase a ferry ticket and ride it approximately 55 minutes away to the island where you’ll find restaurants, shops, and endless adventures. On Block Island, there is a beach called the Mohegan Bluffs. You take a car or taxi to the top and walk down several flights of stairs to get down to the beach. If you make it to the Mohegan Bluffs immediately after getting off the ferry (like we did), you can be the only ones on the beach until the others realize how cool it is too. Instead of primarily sand, this beach is primarily rock and you are almost surrounded by some gorgeous yellow rock walls. This is like no other beach in the United States and it really feels like you’re in another country.  

San Diego Safari Park - San Diego, California

San Diego’s Zoo is supposed to be one of the “best” zoos in the country (even though I still think the one in Omaha is better). But what I was extremely impressed with was San Diego’s Safari Park which is a different facility than the zoo.

We were able to go on a safari ride that got us up close and personal with some African-specific animals. We were able to learn about how they raise the animals in an authentic environment and how they conduct research with them. Our son was only around 6 months old when we went and he had a great time and I’d love to take him back someday. 

Branson - Branson, Missouri

Branson reminds me of a Las Vegas for children. Obviously, there isn’t any gambling involved. But when you drive down the Las Vegas Strip, you see an Eifel Tower and a Sphere and all these unique structures along your drive and Branson is the same way.

You drive down the main road and see a wax museum with King Kong hanging off the building, a Titanic replica that’s the Titanic Museum, a Ripley’s Believe It or Not, several go-kart tracks, and even a mountain coaster.

Branson also has the “Landing” which is a strip right on a portion of Lake Taneycomo. There are shops, bars, restaurants, and even a fountain and light show that happens daily. 

Holiday World - Santa Claus, Indiana 

Instead of Six Flags or Busch Gardens, consider going to Holiday World. This amusement park/water park based in Santa Claus, Indiana is a holiday-themed amusement park that has sections for the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and of course… Christmas. They have an entire water park that includes full water slides that are made for children of all ages. Not just a regular slide that lands in the water, but slides that actually have water going down with them. Of course, they have life vests and they’re set up where the parents can go down the slides with their kids too. Our son loves swimming and thought these water slides were incredible and one day, he’ll be able to go down these slides all by himself. 

CONCLUSION

We are blessed in America to have so many opportunities to travel with kids. Whether you want them to embrace nature, learn history, try new activities, or see some animals, there are more than enough possibilities - no matter how old your kids are. 

Traveling with them now will boost their chances of wanting to travel in the future and traveling is the key to learning who you are and how you want to impact the world around you. 

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