Gaming for Kids in Reno, Nevada

Story and photos by Kayte Deioma Ask most Reno parents what to do with children on a rainy day and you’ll likely hear the vote split between staying home, going to the mall or maybe seeing a movie. If you happen to be staying at one of Reno’s kid-friendly hotels, you have a few more options. Most of the casinos have some kind of arcade for kids, but the Grand Sierra Resort goes above and beyond to...

Family Fun in the Quad Cities

story and photos by Kayte Deioma Quad Cities is a very family friendly destination, with children’s programs or activities at most attractions. Even the hotel where we stayed at the Isle of Capri Casino had an indoor pool that was always packed with kids, and cribs were available for the room. But there are a couple places in the Quad Cities that are just kid heaven. Family Museum For toddlers through...

Miniatur Wunderland Brings Out the Kid in Everyone

story and photos by Kayte Deioma “If you build it, they will come” said a ghostly voice in the movie Field of Dreams. I can picture this same voice whispering to Frederick Braun when he came up with the idea to build the world’s biggest model train display. He convinced his more practical twin, Gerrit, that the project was feasible, and they set about putting together the funding and the team ...

Interactive Aquarium Cancun

story and photos by Kayte Deioma There are lots of things to do outdoors with kids in Cancun, from playing at the beach to exploring ancient pyramids, or boarding a pirate ship. If you want to escape indoors to escape the rain or the summer heat, try the Interactive Aquarium at La Isla shopping center. A scuba diver perched on a sunken motor boat in a glass tank on the front of the Aquarium beckons passers-by...

The Flanders Toy Museum in Mechelen

story and photos by Kayte Deioma There is a small Toy Museum in Brussels, but if you’re this close to the largest toy museum in the world, you might as well take the short half hour train ride to the town of Mechelen. Mechelen is known for having the first international Carillon School, and being the home of the De Wit Tapestry Factory, which restores tapestries for castles and museums around the world. But...

American Girl Pilgrimage

story by Kayte Deioma A visit to American Girl Place was the primary reason for our trip to New York. My nine and seven-year-old nieces, Becca and Sarah had received American Girl dolls and books as gifts. When they learned that there was a place in New York exclusively devoted to American Girl dolls and products, they were dying to go. So their mother and I planned a trip to New York and dragged their 16-year-old...

A Journey Through Time Neanderthal Museum

story and photos by Kayte Deioma On a rainy day in Dusseldorf, you could take the kids to the Aquazoo, but if you’re this close to the Neander Valley, it’s worth taking a half hour detour out of town to the Neanderthal Museum near Mettman, where the original Neanderthal Man was discovered in 1856. A couple quarrymen found the bones in a cave where they were mining limestone. After the most obvious...

Louisiana Children’s Museum

story and photos by Kayte Deioma The great thing about exploring children’s museums around the country and around the world is that I get to see how each city puts their own flavor on the play and learn experience. Designed for ages one to eleven, theLouisiana Children’s Museum in New Orleans has some universal favorites like the Kids’ Café where youngsters can cook up pretend food and serve it...

Zeum: A Family Museum for the 21st Century

story and photos by Kayte Deioma It’s rare to find a venue that can hold the attention of the younger kids in the family and the teenagers at the same time. The Zeum in San Francisco does this brilliantly and mom and dad can get in on the act too. Billed as a multimedia arts and technology museum, Zeum gets everyone’s creative juices flowing with opportunities to learn about video production and...

Kidspace Museum

story and photos by Kayte Deioma It’s a good thing that there are signs posted from all directions pointing to the Kidspace Museum in Pasadena or I would never have found the unassuming white structure in Brookside Park across from the Rose Bowl. But the signs are easy to spot and they led me into the vast Parking Lot 1, then past the camouflage of uniform-clad soccer teams and bushy trees and up to a big...

Inside at the Detroit Zoo

story by Jamie Rector and Kayte Deioma, photos by Jamie Rector Not every zoo is a great destination for a rainy day, but the Detroit Zoo has plenty of indoor exhibits to keep the kids entertained and occupied. Your first stop should be the Ford Education Center. For an extra charge, you can try out the Wild Adventure Simulator, a virtual reality ride offering movement and sound to create an adventure for your...

Atrium Le 1000

story and photos by Kayte Deioma The Atrium Le 1000 was not on my list of potential rainy day activities when I set out for Montreal. I didn’t see it listed in any of the guidebooks or webs sites I used for my research. But once in Montreal, it was the one spot everyone mentioned when I talked about fun things to do on a rainy day, so I had to check it out for myself. There are plenty of ice skating rinks in...