After years of talking about it, my family finally made it to the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma. And we're sad that we didn't get there before- it's wonderful! This museum is huge, with two floors packed full of displays. There are displays on the history of the state, the Native American population, the geography, each of the major cities, businesses and industries in the area, and much more.

Each display has lots of interactive features- my kids had a great time bouncing from one to the next and looking at all there was to see. My husband and I enjoyed reading the signs and seeing the pictures and learning more about our state. On the upper floor of the museum, there's a huge model train display, as well as several large rooms full of kids' activities and displays.

This is a great museum for all ages and we will definitely be returning to check it out again!

We've visited the Kidquest Children's Museum several times now and have always had fun. This is a smallish Children's Museum, tucked into the Factoria Mall, but there is plenty to keep little ones entertained. There's a nice, large area for the 0-3 set, with plenty of toys and things to interact with. There are several large water features, a treehouse, the cab of a semi truck, art projects, a construction area and a very fun scarf shooter! It's a great place to spend a few hours. Free parking, lots of nearby food and shopping- what more could you want!

Today my family decided to take a day trip from Seattle, and we settled on a ferry ride to Bremerton. Since we didn't bring our car, we stuck to visiting places near the ferry terminal. And having been to the Puget Sound Navy Museum and loving it, we're so glad that we took this trip!

The Puget Sound Navy Museum is a gem of a museum- and it's free! It's a large museum, located on two floors of a historic building. Inside there is exhibits on the history of the shipyards and an interactive exhibit detailing pretty much every aspect of life on an aircraft carrier. There's also a great kids' play area where kids can pretend to cook on a submarine, play with sea puppets, color, read books, or watch shows about submarine life while in a small play area that's built to look like a submarine.

The museum is full of lots of things for kids and adults both to look at, and there are nice display screens and stories about naval life being told everywhere you look.

If you're in the Seattle or Bremerton area, and you're looking for a great museum to visit, this one is highly recommended.

My kids and I finally checked out a new playarea/cafe on the top of Queen Anne Hill, and now I can't wait to show it off to everyone else! We were in love from the moment we walked in- the cafe is warm and nicely decorated and inviting. There are some nice comfy seats right by the front window, tables and chairs along the side, and a big playarea (with a gate that little ones can't open from the inside) in the middle of the room.

My kids just stood and stared at the indoor treehouse, then made a beeline for the train table and the play kitchen and the grocery cart. They had fun climbing the stairs up to the treehouse and waving down at me, before climbing back down and finishing up on the little slide.

I sat on the edge of the playarea and ate some yummy snacks and drank tea and enjoyed the free wi-fi while my kids happily played for over an hour. We also checked out the open gym upstairs, where the kids had fun playing with a tunnel and balls and other toys.

This cafe is perfect for meeting up with friends during the day, and Thursday-Saturday evenings they are open until 8, with free playtime for a kid with $20 food purchase. My husband and I plan to visit soon for a cheap date night and enjoy eating at a table while the kids play safely nearby!

Playtime is $5/kid per day (pre-crawlers are free), but you can get punch cards that offer a reduced price, and there are other specials as well.

The website for Twirl is very informative with a full schedule of events for each day, be sure to check it out before visiting so that you know what's going on. They do offer classes and storytimes and other events like that, in addition to the open playtime.

We had a great time today visiting San Diego's Maritime Museum. The museum is in a great location, right on the waterfront of the Bay, not far from the downtown area hotels, and just a couple of blocks from a trolley stop. Our group today consisted of a 3 1/2 year old, a 2 year old and two adults. We did have to park our stroller near the ticket booth when we arrived, since the boats aren't exactly stroller-friendly. The strollers were safe and were waiting for us a couple of hours later when we were done, so this was not an issue.

Today we were able to tour six different ships including two submarines (one a Soviet submarine from the Cold War era), the Star of India (the world's oldest active sailing ship), the replica Royal Navy frigate used in the movie Master and Commander, a beautiful steam yacht, and a huge steam ferry with a breath-taking upper passenger deck.

My kids had fun climbing up and down the stairs on the ships and exploring all the nooks and crannies, while my husband and I really enjoyed the museum-like displays. There was lots to learn here- everything from what life was like on a Soviet submarine (very cramped!) to what life was like for immigrants (even worse than on the submarine), to a glimpse into the life of a wealthy family in the early 1900s. The steam ferry Berkeley is great to visit for its own merit, but it also hosts exhibits with more details about the other ships and about ships in general.

We thought this was an affordable, fun activity for our whole family!