City: Albuquerque, NM

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (505) 224-8300

Address: 1701 Mountain Road NW

Description: Although not a museum in the strict sense of the word, Albuquerque considers this innovative children’s discover-and-learn center as one of its museums, and it’s located near the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History. Explora is a paradise for kids, but adults love it, too, with hands-on educational fun in the fields of science, technology and art. Make your way around the activity tables to try your hand at experiments including Moving Air, Strange Light (light and optics), Shapes of Sound to create your own music, and My Chain Reaction, where you invent and build a moving contraption. You can also build a motor or gearshift or run experiments in the Water Lab. A great place for families to play together and make their own discoveries among the 250 exhibits, Explora also holds adults-only nights every other month, with live entertainment. The Kidstuff chapter tells you more about what’s here for children. Open seven days.