The Louisville Slugger Museum

A unique and fun place to visit in Louisville is The Louisville Slugger Museum. See 125 years of bat-making history by touring the "bat-making" production line and exhibits. Kids, adults and baseball fans alike will find a fun baseball and historical experience. Take a picture with the World's Biggest Bat, try out the batting cage using replica bats used by legends Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, or enjoy the baseball-themed 13-minute film, "The Heart of the Game." Kids will love playing on the glove sculpture and baseball fans won't want to miss the museum gallery exhibits. After the guided factory tour, everyone will receive a FREE miniature Louisville Slugger bat

This is a fun and exciting destination in the Louisville area and one the whole family can enjoy.
http://www.sluggermuseum.com/virtualtour/#galleries

One Of A Kind Museum: National Museum of the US Air Force

If you are traveling through Ohio, particularly across Interstate 70, schedule a stop at the world's largest military aviation museum, The National Museum of the US Air Force. I have made dozens of trips over the years and my kids enjoy visiting and seeing all of the planes. More than 350 airplanes and missiles are displayed in exhibits exploring the beginnings of air travel with the Wright Brothers to World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Cold War and Space Exploration Gallery. There are also special displays depicting artifacts from the Holocaust and the Bob Hope Tours to entertain the troops. If the weather is nice, a trip outside to see the outdoor Memorial Park and Air Park is a must.

One of the best parts of visiting the museum, is the chance to tour the Presidential Gallery, which houses the Air Force One that was in service for many Presidents, including the plane that escorted the body of John F. Kennedy following his assassination. There are many other Presidential aircraft on display as well. Here's your chance to stand on the steps of Air Force One and give your best presidential wave! This special gallery is accessible by shuttle from the main museum and adults will have to provide an ID in order to travel to that part of the base.

A trip to this museum will take several hours to tour and it is completely FREE to enter. The only charge comes if you wish to view an IMAX film. I highly encourage a stop at this one-of-a-kind museum!
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/visit/index.asp

Magnificent Museums: COSI

COSI (Center of Science and Industry), located in Columbus, Ohio was voted as the #1 science center in the country by Parents magazine. We really like visiting COSI and the kids can always find new things to discover and learn.There is so much to do for all ages that it will take you a good part of the day to get through most of the museum. Some of the main areas of interest include: life/body, space, oceans, gadgets, big science park and historical progress. Several revolving temporary exhibits are also constantly rotating in and out of the museum. A dedicated space (Little Kidspace) for the under 6 crowd will keep the little ones equally as busy. Plus, there are numerous shows throughout the day, a large gift shop (every parent’s curse) and a cafeteria with many food choices.
If you have an ASTC reciprocal museum membership (http://travelingkidsonthego.blogspot.com/2012/09/astc-passport-program.html) , your family can receive free or reduced ticket prices. If you live in the Ohio area, it is definitely a must-see attraction and if you happen to be coming to Ohio or driving through, consider stopping at COSI for some science fun!

www.cosi.org

Magnificent Museums: The Indianapolis Children's Museum

The Indianapolis Children's Museum is the world's largest museum of its kind and a definite must-see attraction if you have kids. My kids loved everything about it and would like to go back as often as possible. Between the excellent dinosaur exhibit, train displays, indoor carousel and playhouse, dedicated toddler/preschooler area, and Egypt station, the kids will enjoy hours of educational entertainment. There are always several rotating special exhibits as well. An on-site cafeteria makes eating easy as you won't have to leave the premises for lunch.
www.childrensmuseum.org

ASTC Passport Program

A great way to gain access to hundreds of museums nationwide is thru the ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers)passport program. Purchase a pass at one of the participating centers for free or reduced admission to other centers throughout the country. This is an excellent resource for traveling families.
We purchase our passes thru the Charlotte Harbor Historical
Society out of Florida, which are very reasonably priced for an annual family pass. The current amount for the year is $35 for a family and we more than get our money's worth.

Find a complete list of participating centers at:
http://www.astc.org/members/passlist_about.htm

Here is a link to the one we subscribe to:
http://www.charlottecountyfl.com