American Museum of Natural History

One of the world's largest natural history museums with more than 33 million specimens and exhibits, the AMNH educates and entertains visitors, keeping them busy for hours on end. Forty-five permanent exhibit halls, including the Rose Center for Earth and Space, the Hayden Planetarium, and The Dark Universe show narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, are all a must. The museum offers self-guided tours, including one featuring exhibits from the movie, Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller. There are a handful of places to eat inside should the kids get hungry, and luckily for visitors, the museum is open daily except on Thanksgiving and Christmas.