4 Fun Educational Places to Take Your Kids This Summer

So what are some ways to combine entertainment with learning? Great question, glad you asked!

1. One great way to combine learning with entertainment is to visit us at the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter. There are many things for kids to do, from zip lines to camel rides. And you won’t find world-class exhibits teaching the truth of God’s Word anywhere else. It’s a great visit for the whole family—everyone will learn something, from young children to the most experienced adults. Even better, kids 10 and under are free! Summers tend to get crowded, particularly on the weekends, so if you want to avoid some of the crowds, come midweek if you can.
   
   
2. For some people, the Ark and museum may be too long of a trip, particularly with young children. Flying or driving across the country is expensive these days, as are hotels. But if you’re on a budget, there are probably great places near you where your family can learn. The local zoo, aquarium, aviary, or botanical garden are great places to start. We have some resources that would be great companions to use alongside a visit to the zoo or aquarium. The nice thing about a local zoo or other similar attraction is that your kids will learn and enjoy themselves while they learn! It’s a win-win.
3. In most of the country, you live near history you may have never heard of. In the east, everything from the south of Maryland is loaded with Civil War battlefields. Because most of these are classified as national parks, they do not charge for entry. In the west, there are battlefields from the American Indian wars, the Mexican–American War, or perhaps events from the Wild West era of American history. In the northeast, the American Revolutionary War is prominent, along with mementos of the Pilgrims. All of these are great places to take your children to learn American history and build pride in being American. And even better for the wallet, most of them are free.
4. Museums are often within relatively close driving distance. These can be anything from an art museum to a natural history museum. All offer opportunities for learning that your children will enjoy. You may need to offer some guidance to your children, as these museums will have signage that explicitly pushes a secular worldview, and some of the content of some museums, like art museums, may be inappropriate for children. Most museums, however, are child-safe, with some guidance needed around signage for younger children.
   
   There will sometimes be local history museums in the area as well. This is particularly true if your area was the scene of major historical events. In my hometown, there were two small local museums with a third in a nearby town that we visited. The big city about an hour away had more, larger museums, but going to the local museums built a connection to my hometown that still exists in my mind. And often, small, local museums offer something the big museums cannot: personal connection and passion. The best history museum I ever went to was a small, local museum in Virginia. The lady who ran it gave us a personal tour of what had been her late husband’s collection of military memorabilia. The tour could have taken 30 minutes. It took nearly four hours (every second well spent) because she loved the museum and the subject and loved sharing it with others. That’s the kind of experience your children will never forget.

Education doesn’t have to end over the summer. In fact, it is probably better if it does not. But there is no reason it needs to be boring either. By taking your children to fun educational places, you can help them learn without the drudgeries of tests, quizzes, and lesson plans.

Creation College Expo

Register Today!

Are you looking ahead to college options as your homeschooling student nears high school or even graduation? Plan to attend the Creation College Expo at the Ark Encounter, November 6–8, 2025. It’s a free event for students in grades 7–12 and provides the opportunity to talk one-on-one with representatives from excellent Christian colleges and universities across the nation. Register your student today at CreationCollegeExpo.com!