Brooklyn Children's Museum

First a family home and then a Brooklyn Museum storage facility, the Adams House comes from less than illustrious origins. That held true until 1899, when program directors decided to transform the old mansion into a museum geared toward children. Anna Billings Gallup headed up the first crew of curators, who transformed the space into the Brooklyn Children's Museum, one of the earliest youth-geared institutions of its kind in the world.

Though it has since changed locations, the museum preserves Gallup's world-renowned passion for educating children along with more than 30,000 objet d'anthropology, from shark jawbones to tribal masks. Six standing exhibits aim to entertain kids and families and include an exploration of world culture through the lens of a sneaker factory in the Global Shoes exhibit. The Sensory Room provides an interactive experience for special-needs children, with visual, auditory, and motor-skills-related activities. The museum also teaches future generations about sustainability with a curriculum based on the building's own inner workings, which are certified green by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program and other people who are not colorblind.