Until the kid uprising turns the Department of Commerce into the Department of Ninja Turtles and all DMVs into Kidz Bop karaoke bars, little ones will have to employ their imaginations at children’s museums. Delay the kindergarten rebellion with today’s Groupon: for $8, you get admission for two (up to a $16 value) to the Portland Children’s Museum, located in Washington Park. The museum will be closed from September 7 to 13.

Founded in 1946, the Portland Children’s Museum welcomes more than 300,000 kids ages 10 or younger each year through a number of interactive exhibits and educational activities. Let aspiring Becketts stage their own despairing three-act plays at the Play It Again Theater, or let them mend a puppy’s injured leg in the Pet Hospital. The Twilight Trail takes kids and adults through a mystical forest littered with puppet animals, finally ending at a face painting station, where kids can have their mugs dolled-up to look like their favorite jungle animal or least favorite member of the Canadian Parliament. Special kid-centric activities occur every day, from funky disco dancing at the theater to soothing yoga stretches with a museum educator.

The Portland Children’s Museum moved into its current locale in 2001, adding a gift shop, café, and space for whimsically minded educational programs. Pick up a couple of Groupons, pack up your kids, the neighbor's kids, or a gaggle of coughing Victorian chimney-sweep kids, and make an amusing day of it at the museum.

Reviews

TripAdvisors give Portland Children's Museum a 4.5-star average and Frommer's recommends it.

• There was so much for them to explore, see and do! This is hands down the best children's museum around. – SeattleCarrieLynn, TripAdvisor
• Kids can play in a magical forest, go shopping in a kid-size grocery store, or help build a house. However, it is the Water Works exhibit that is likely to make the biggest splash with your kids. – Frommer's