6 Spring Vacation Adventures

With over 165 hands-on exhibits, a state-of-the-art 3D digital theater, four educational labs, plus daily programs and events, the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford offers endless exploration for children, teens and adults, from physics and forensics to geology and astronomy. Discover how robots are built, test pilot new helicopter designs, experience a hurricane simulator and step into a sports science lab. You’ll end the day wanting to go back for more.

Dinosaurs roam the grounds while kids unearth and identify all kinds of skeletons inside. Mine for crystals and fool’s gold like a true geologist, create original works of art and view rare geodes and fossils.

This award-winning aquarium in the charming town of Mystic has all kinds of sea animals, from African Penguins to Sand Tiger Sharks. The Dino Seas exhibit features hands-on interactive experiences, live amphibians and reptiles, an aerial adventure course, and a two-story indoor playscape. Try the state-of-the-art 4-D Motion Ride and go nose-to-nose with penguins and beluga whales.

Three floors of immersive science experiments at Discovery Museum and Planetarium in Bridgeport make for an innovative learning experience. Catch one of the daily planetarium shows and conduct a mission to the moon at Connecticut’s only Challenger Learning Center.

Critters also draw exuberant crowds to Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. See otters, frogs, turtles, jellies, sharks and other amazing creatures from Long Island Sound. Help feed the seals or take a creature cruise into Norwalk Harbor and Long Island Sound to spot wildlife.

Named one of the Top 50 Children’s Museums by Child Magazine, Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk features five main galleries, a toddlers-only gallery and more than 100 interactive activities for kids ages 10 and under, as well as brand-new hands-on exhibits, art studio, science lab and a technologically unique multimedia gallery.