College Football Hall of Fame

A must-visit for any football fan, the College Football Hall of Fame makes time travelling through gridiron history an interactive experience. Marvel at the 768-team “Helmet Wall,” show off your tackling skills on the 45-yard indoor field, and do your best Lee Corso impression at the ESPN College GameDay Desk.

Other Atlanta Museum Deals: Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University ($13+), Fernbank Science Center ($9+)

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The Mapparium

Created in 1935 and located inside the Mary Baker Eddy Library, The Mapparium is Boston’s most-colorful hidden gem. Where else can you walk inside of three-story stained-glass globe and stare longingly at the places you want to visit?

Other Boston Museum Deals: Salem Witch Museum ($13+), RevolutionaryBoston at the Old State House ($14+)

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Adler Planetarium

The country's oldest planetarium, it not only features antique scientific equipment and three theaters, but an observatory that's still performing crucial research today. Special events include Sun Salutation Yoga under the stars and Adler After Dark, considered one of Chicago’s hottest date nights.

Other Chicago Museum Deals: Museum of Science & Industry ($19.95+), Chicago History Museum ($9.50+)

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Frontiers of Flight Museum

The Apollo 7 command module, which orbited the earth 163 times, highlights this air & space museum at Love Field, which also features salvage from the infamous Hindenburg blimp and a full-size model of a Wright Brothers’ flyer. Be sure to take a selfie with the Southwest Airlines’ 737 that’s half in the building and half outside.

Other Dallas Museum Deals: Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza ($18+), Dallas Holocaust Museum ($6.25+)

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Fiske Planetarium

You haven’t traveled through the cosmos if you haven’t done so inside a state-of-the-art 8k theater. Fiske Planetarium boasts one of the country’s biggest domes, the perfect setting for quick trips to the Andromeda Galaxy and psychedelic laser shows (with soundtracks from Pink Floyd, the Beatles, and even the Beastie Boys).

Other Denver Museum Deals: Museum of Contemporary Art Denver ($26), Rocky Mountain Quilt Company ($6.75+)

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George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum

An all-encompassing history of the 41st president with interactive exhibits and an impressive library on the Texas A&M Campus. The museum includes a 12-foot Berlin Wall segment and a replica of the Oval Office, where you can act like you just pardoned the Thanksgiving turkey.

Other Houston Museum Deals: Houston Museum of Natural Science ($33+), Holocaust Museum Houston ($13.50+)

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Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History

One of the best museums in the US, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County has more than 35 million objects dating back 4.5 billion years and includes the iconic La Brea Tar Pits, where saber-toothed cats and wooly mammoths were fossilized. Come for the pools of sludge, stay for the fascinating educational information!

Other Los Angeles Museum Deals: Museum of Selfies ($20+), Museum of Illusions ($30+)

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HistoryMiami Museum

Dedicated to preserving Miami's cultural history, HistoryMiami Museum displays artifacts ranging from pre-Colombian tools to a 1920s trolley car to rafts used by modern refugees. As Miami’s largest history museum, it made the cut for our 48-hour Miami itinerary.

Other Miami Museum Deals: Gold Coast Railroad Museum ($8+), Haitian Heritage Museum ($11+)

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One World Observatory

Head up (way up) to the 102nd floor of One World Trade Center, where One World Observatory offers jaw-dropping views of Manhattan and beyond. That’s the main draw, but the Observatory also doubles as one of the best museums in New York, with exhibits on those that built the supertall skyscraper and amazing elevator ride that depicts the city’s history in 47 seconds.

Other NYC Museum Deals: National Geographic: Ocean Odyssey ($24+), Children’s Museum of the Arts ($11.50+)

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National Constitution Center

The U.S. Constitution: who wrote it, why was it written, and where can I get a cheesesteak? Answer two out of those three questions at the National Constitution Center, which depicts the creation and evolution of our constitutional government through interactive exhibits and theatrical productions, and more. A trip here perfectly complements a visit to the nearby Liberty Bell.

Other Philadelphia Museum Deals: Academy of Natural Sciences membership ($103), Philadelphia Insectarium & Butterfly Pavilion ($19.50+)

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Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum

Learn about the First Peoples of the Pacific Northwest and the Lewis and Clark expedition at this museum in nearby Stevenson, along the Columbia River. Train-obsessed kids will want to head outdoors to see the 1959 SP&S locomotive, which you can climb inside (open in spring and summer only).

Other Portland Museum Deals: Maryhill Museum of Art ($12+), Interactive Museum of Gaming and Puzzlery ($12.50)

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California Academy of Sciences

California’s oldest museum, the California Academy of Sciences is an aquarium, planetarium, and natural-history museum housed under an impressive 2.5-acre "living" roof with lush greenery. Don’t miss Claude, the albino alligator, in the interactive swamp exhibit, or the immersive four-story rainforest, rife with free-flying tropical birds.

Other San Francisco Museum Deals: Exploratorium ($19.95+), Computer History Museum ($16+)

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Seattle Children’s Museum

The best museums in the world for kids tend to be the ones that encourage them to be active. That’s the goal of the Seattle Children’s Museum, where kids can create an artistic masterpiece at the Imagination Studio, build a house at the Construction Zone, and deliver the mail at the Post Office.

Other Seattle Museum Deals: The Museum of Flight ($16+), Pacific Science Center ($13.95+)

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President Lincoln’s Cottage

Much like the question “who was buried at Grant’s Tomb?”, you probably know the answer to “who lived at Lincoln’s Cottage?” This Greek Revival home from 1842 served as the Lincoln Family’s private getaway from the White House during the Civil War, and was the spot where that Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation.

Other Washington DC Museum Deals: Newseum ($24.27+), History of Cannabis Museum ($10+)

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