With around 20,000 museums across the United States, it can be overwhelming to pick the right one.

This helps me recognize what qualities make museums appealing to children.

Stiles, who retired after 37 years at the museum, says children get to experience the exhibits firsthand.

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See an SR-71 Blackbird, the worlds smallest biplane and a 747 jumbo jet.

Colorado

Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Manitou Springs

Explore Native American architecture in hands-on experiences.

Children can climb into rooms of replica Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings, with a ladder to access one area.

grandmother with her grandsons outside the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana

Older kids can visit the lighthouse drawing station and a puppet playhouse.

Note: Theres a 5 percent discount if visitors pay with cash.

Explore the history and intrigue of the secret formula for Coca-Cola.

U.S. Space & Rocket Center; the Alaska Aviation Museum and the Pima Air & Space Museum

Illinois

Field Museum, Chicago

Inspiring curiosity in young scientists involves engaging their sense of wonder.

exhibit at the worlds largest childrens museum (nearly 500,000 square feet).

Scott Family Amazeum, the Exploratorium and Manitou Cliff Dwellings

Mystic Seaport Museum, the Delaware Museum of Nature & Science and the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum

World of Coca-Cola; the Bishop Museum and the National Oregon/California Trail Center

the Field Museum, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium