No need to worry about the weather when you plan an INDOOR FAMILY FIELD TRIP.  Here are some of our favorites:

Cleveland Children's Museum gives kids the opportunity to learn by doing fun things. Permanent exhibits include Splish! Splash! (raincoats provided for hands-on learning about transportation); Bridges to the Community (kids can push their own grocery carts, go through the check-out line, "bank" with play money,and pump their own "gas,") and The Big Red Barn (kids ages 0-4 can play and slide in the barn and orchard.)  I'd recommend bringing a change of clothes and snacks.  Open daily from 10am to 5pm.  Discounts are offered to AAA members and Giant Eagle card holders.  

The RainForest at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is your chance to explore a Scientist's Hut, view a troop of Bornean orangutans climbing 39 feet above you, experience a tropical
rainstorm (complete with lightning, wind, thunder and rain) and much more!  Learn about disappearing rain forests and how you can make a difference.  

The ten-year-old Great Lakes Science Center, at Cleveland's Northcoast Harbor, invites visitors of all ages to"learn by doing" with their 400 hands-on exhibits. You'll find features on technology, the environment, the body, and the Great Lakes. There are also interesting temporary shows and an adjacent OMNI-MAXtheater. Hours: 10am - 5pm.  Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, located in Cleveland's University Circle area, is a treasure trove of over 4 million specimens. Exhibits include Dinosaur bones, natural gemstones and fossils, and a huge section on Ohio birds, plant life,insects, and archeology. The Shafran Planetarium, part of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, offers several 35-minute shows daily that will educate and amaze kids and adults. Topics change periodically, but the show always features a current topic in astrology as well as a depiction of the Cleveland sky at that time of year. Each show is lead by a museum astronomer and the audience is encouraged to ask questions.

The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame + Museum is Cleveland's most popular attraction and is fun for visitors of all ages. The museum's massive permanent collection features profiles of all of the Rock Hall inductees, with headphones so you can listen to the artist's music. There's also hand-written lyrics, stage costumes, and thousands of pieces of memorabilia donated by the artists and their families.  Also featured are mementos from the artists’ childhood, such as tap shoes, report cards, and correspondence.  Children ages 8 and under are FREE with purchase of adult admission.

The expanded and renovated Cleveland Botanical Garden opened in 2003, featuring an 18,000 square foot conservatory home to plant and animal life from two separate biomes, the spiny desert of Madagascar and the cloud forest of Costa Rica. They feature over 350 species of plants and 50 species of animals, including hundreds of butterflies.  There are also 10 acres of gardens, including the award-winning Hershey Children's Garden, the Elizabeth and Nona Evans Restorative Garden, the David and Paula Swetland Topiary Garden, the Western Reserve Herb Society Garden, the Japanese Garden, the Sears-Swetland Rose Garden, the Ohio Woodland, the C.K. "Pat" Patrick Perennial Border, and the public Campsey-Stauffer Gateway Garden.

Crawford Auto Museum's shiny antique cars, trucks, racing cars, and airplanes will delight kids of all ages!  Located in the lower level of the Western Reserve Historical Society building, the museum has a sizeable collection of early Cleveland-made autos.  Be prepared to pay $5 to park in the museum lot.  Children 2 years and younger are admitted free.  Open Tuesday-Saturday:  10am-5pm.

All aboard the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad! The railroad runs through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, from Cleveland to Akron and Canton. A variety of excursions are offered year-round and each trip is a different adventure filled with fun, history and beautiful scenery.  Seasonal trips include the "Thomas the Train" theme rides, the Halloween trick or treat events, and the holiday "Polar Express."  There are many different scenic trips available, from a short 1-3/4 hour train ride to a full day excursion. Check out the $2 fare for bicyclists!  Bike the Towpath Trail in one direction and ride the train in the other.  (The train can be flagged down by standing at the station and waving both arms over your head.)

Visit the Nasa Glenn Visitors Center and explore six galleries covering 6,000 square feet!  It's Free(Monday thru Sunday) and wheel chair / stroller accessible.  Come learn how NASA Glenn is revolutionizing tomorrow's airplane engines. Exhibits introduce the basic concepts of aircraft propulsion as well as the different engine types used in today's vehicles.  One of the gallery's main attractions, the flight simulator, puts visitors in an authentic  pilot's seat from a high-performance jet. Don't miss your chance to fly one of several aircraft, ranging from a single propeller plane to a commercial jet.

Experience The Cleveland Museum of Art, where admission is always FREE.  The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned the world over for the extraordinarily high quality of its holdings (which are in constant demand for loan exhibitions) and for both the intellectual rigor and the public spirit of its daily activity.  For information about art classes for children, call Youth and Family Programs at 216-707-2182 or email dhanslik@clevelandart.org
 

The Cleveland Orchestra can get your kids excited about classical music.  Children 3-6 enjoy 30-minute Musical Rainbow concerts where they sing, clap, move to the music and learn all about instruments. Musical Rainbows (ages 7 & up) are performed in the 400-seat Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Hall.  60-minute Family Concerts, performed by The Cleveland Orchestra in historic Severance Hall, are structured around a theme and feature guest artists such as young musicians, dancers, actors, and more.  All Family Concerts are preceded by free activities, including Instrument Discovery, that are related to the concert theme and enhance your child’s enjoyment of the performance.