Top 20 Places To Take Kids In and Around Hartford

With 150 hands-on exhibits, the CT Science Center provides fun exploration of physics, forensics, geology, astronomy and much more! Your family will also enjoy a state-of-the-art 3D digital theater, four educational labs, plus daily programs and events! 

Mystic Aquarium has more than 300 species and an extensive collection of marine mammals, including New England’s only beluga whales. Mystic Aquarium has been a pioneer in offering guests a variety of up close encounters with a wide range of marine animals. Mystic Aquarium held the #2 position last year, too!

Set on 1,100 scenic acres in central Connecticut, a destination for great food, wholesome family fun, beginner and championship public golf.

Billy Beez is the ultimate indoor play park for kids and kids-at-heart! Our 20,000* sq. ft. play parks offer a variety of features and activities, from slides to sports courts, tunnels to towers, ball blasters to bouncy trampolines, adventure is always right around the corner at Billy Beez. The park is ideal for all ages, including infants, toddlers, adults and every age in between.

Voted best birthday party place, choose from one of our award-winning packages which includes our Private Party Room, with anywhere from 90-120 minutes of catered or non-catered customizable add-on options. Your upcoming celebration will truly WOW all of your party guests.

Billy Beez is the park that they’ll ask for by name.

Of course, our local library system is not really ONE place, it is MANY places... but it's important to emphasize how valuable libraries are for family learning and fun. The libraries in our area are wonderful about posting their events to the KidsOutAndAbout calendar so you always can get ideas for free things to do with your kids that celebrate education and imagination. KidsOutAndAbout.com takes this opportunity to salute the wonderful children's librarians who serve our community with such dedication.

Connecticut's largest shoreline beach. Kids can swim in the salt water, collect shells, build a sandcastle, sunbathe, relax, and walk along the 3/4 mile boardwalk, gazing upon Long Island Sound. Launch a carry-in boat, take a canoe trip, or fish from the stone breakwater. Summer activities include nature talks, bingo, movies, horseshoes, bocce and volleyball. The children's play area offers a pirate ship, swings, and slides. Visit Meigs Point Nature Center and experience the hands-on saltwater touch tank or search for the hundreds of bird species present at the park. 

The nationally recognized aquarium focuses on the fascinating marine life in Long Island Sound and its watershed, including prowling sharks, curious seals, rambunctious river otters, stately sea turtles, pulsing jellyfish and thousands of other animals. The Aquarium also offers: educational programs, including public study cruises out onto the Sound; changing special exhibits; and Connecticut's largest IMAX movie theater, with a screen that’s six stories tall! The not-for-profit attraction is the centerpiece of the popular South Norwalk (or “SoNo”) neighborhood, with fun shops, nightclubs and restaurants.

Chuck E. Cheese features games, rides, prizes, food and entertainment that children of all ages from toddlers to big kids will love. We are a great place to take the kids for everyday fun or for birthdays, play groups and school fundraising events.

At Pump It Up, it is our mission to throw the best birthday party on the planet! From giant inflatables to 100% private arenas and party rooms, to smile-inducing arena experiences, it’ll be the party everyone is talking about. Plus, two dedicated Party Pros will do it all for you, from set up to clean up, and everything in between! Book your party online today! Our huge inflatable indoor playgrounds make every day feel like your birthday. Check out our Events Calendar to find out all the ways your kids can come unleash the fun at the best play place for kids around.

The Children’s Museum in West Hartford, Connecticut offers hands-on fun with science and nature for younger children and families, school and community groups, and home schooled children.

Roller and In-Line Skating located in Vernon, close to Buckland Hills Mall. We have classes, public skate, birthday parties and home school programs! Everybody in your family will have fun here!

Celebrate your birthday the NINJA way or simply enjoy HUGE inflatables! Jump On In is a fun, safe, supervised indoor facility featuring great interactive play structures such as Inflatables, Ninja Warrior Course, Zip-line and more that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen!

Billy Beez is the ultimate indoor play park for kids and kids-at-heart! Our 20,000* sq. ft. play parks offer a variety of features and activities, from slides to sports courts, tunnels to towers, ball blasters to bouncy trampolines, adventure is always right around the corner at Billy Beez. The park is ideal for all ages, including infants, toddlers, adults and every age in between.

Voted best birthday party place, choose from one of our award-winning packages which includes our Private Party Room, with anywhere from 90-120 minutes of catered or non-catered customizable add-on options. Your upcoming celebration will truly WOW all of your party guests.

Billy Beez is the park that they’ll ask for by name.

We are one of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America. Beneath our geodesic dome, you will find an exceptional display of early Jurassic fossil tracks that were made 200 million years ago. Surrounding our Exhibit Center are more than two miles of nature trails and the Dinosaur State Park Arboretum, containing more than 250 species and cultivars of conifers, as well as katsuras, ginkgoes, magnolias and other living representatives of plant families which appeared in the Age of Dinosaurs.

For 90 years, The Bushnell has been central to life in Greater Hartford serving as its unique gathering place for arts, education, and community activities.

As a dynamic 21st Century performing arts center, The Bushnell presents, creates, inspires and shares the best in the performing arts; and in partnership with others, serves as a catalyst to advance education, promote economic development and build a sense of community in Central Connecticut.

The Hartford Yard Goats are a Minor League Baseball team in Hartford, Connecticut. The Yard Goats, which play in the Eastern League, are the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

The YMCA of Greater Hartford is a charitable association open to all and committed to helping people develop their fullest potential in spirit, mind and body. This commitment is reinforced by our belief in living out universal values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.