rom baseball to pinball, practically every sport,
pastime and interest has a museum dedicated to
celebrating great accomplishments in that field. But which halls are really worth a visit? We asked some welltraveled families to nominate the ones that are the most educational, inspirational and just plain fun. Here are their picks for the Hall of Fame hall of fame.
SCIENCE FICTION MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME, SEATTLE
Exhibits devoted to spacecraft, robots, aliens and life in the future will launch your crew past the limits of time and space. $12-$15; (877) 454-7836; sfhomeworld.org
NATIONAL TOY HALL OF FAME, ROCHESTER, N.Y.
Classic toys are immortalized in a hall at the Strong National Museum of Play; visit a pretend supermarket and other play areas. $7-$9; (585) 263-2700; museum ofplay.org
PINBALL HALL OF FAME, LAS VEGAS
Test your flipper skills on hundreds of playable machines and arcade games dating from the 1950s to the present. Free (the games cost 25 cents to $2); pinballmuseum.org
SURFER’S HALL OF FAME AND SURFING WALK OF FAME, HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF.
These sidewalk tributes to surf heroes are two blocks from the International Surfing Museum, a treasure trove of vintage boards and memorabilia. $2; (714) 960-3483; surfing museum.org
THE AUTOMOTIVE HALL OF FAME, DEARBORN, MICH.
Check out exhibits on industry innovators, a mural of auto history and a full-size replica of the first gas-powered car. $3-$6; (313) 240-4000; automotivehalloffame.org
INTERNATIONAL BOWLING MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME, ST. LOUIS
Did you know that bowling has been around for more than 5,000 years? Fun hands-on exhibits let you roll through this long history. $6-$7.50; (314) 231-6340; bowlingmuseum.com
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE HALL OF FAME,
ALAMOGORDO, N.M.
Meet heroes of space travel, and marvel at meteors, replica spaceships and images from the Hubble Space Telescope. $2.50-$3; (877) 333-6589; nmspacemuseum.org
ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM, CLEVELAND
See Janis Joplin’s Porsche and John Lennon’s report card, and sample music through headphones and filmed concerts. The building’s cool design rocks, too. $11-$20; (888) 764- ROCK; rockhall.com
PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME, CANTON, OHIO
Mementos from star players, hourly NFLaction films and interactive “call the play” and trivia games score big with gridiron fans. $10-$16; (330) 456-8207; profootball hof.com
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME, KNOXVILLE, TENN.
Atop the hall is the world’s largest basketball (10 tons!); inside, find get-into-the-action exhibits and courts for playing some hoops. $6-$8; (865) 633-9000; wbhof.com
THE NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM, COOPERSTOWN, N.Y.
Catch a new exhibit of baseball art and a tribute to members of the 3,000-Hit Club, as well as the gallery of baseball greats. $5-$14.50; (888) 425-5633; baseball halloffame.org
BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME, SPRINGFIELD, MASS.
Stand in the (very large) footprints of famous hoopsters, play sports announcer and measure your vertical leap. $12-$17; (877) 4-HOOPLA; hoophall.com
– FamilyFun magazine
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