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| Cotsen Children's Library, Firestone Library, Princeton University, 609-258-1148.
At this mini-museum children can explore fantastic sites of three favorite authors (C.S. Lewis, Lewis Carroll, and E.B. White) by peeking through the fantasy wardrobe (as in C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"). Push a button in Wonderland to hear a voice recite "Jabberwocky," or use word magnets to write about the seasons in the barnyard of "Charlotte's Web." Among the high-tech attractions, a video studio where youngsters can act out an updated fairy tale and then watch themselves on screen. Funded by the Lloyd E. Cotsen, former CEO of Neutrogena Inc., this library is a wonderland for adults and children alike -- an excellent family destination. It is open weekdays from 9 to 5 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m, but closed on holidays, including from Friday, December 31 at 1 p.m. to Sunday, January 2 at 1 p.m.
The Art Museum, McCormick Hall, Princeton University, 609-258-3787. Look for Picasso's "Head of a Woman" out front. Children's talks take place Saturday mornings at 11 a.m. during the school year.
Thomas Clark House,
500 Mercer Street, in the 85-acre Princeton Battlefield State Park, 609-921-0074. Open Wednesdays to Sundays. After the Battle of Princeton, General Hugh Mercer died here; it is furnished as a Quaker farmhouse during the Revolutionary War. The expansive lawns by the Mercer Oak or by the Greek columns marking the common grave are open to picnickers.
New Jersey Museum of Agriculture,
College Farm Roadand Route 1, North Brunswick, 732-249-2077.
Permanent exhibits of equipment, technology, and handicrafts of New Jersey farm life. Open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays 12 to 5 p.m. Adults $4; seniors $3; children 4 through 12 $2.
Hopewell Museum,
28 East Broad Street, 609-466-0103. Located in a Victorian house, the museum has antique dolls, toys, clothing, furniture, weapons and a particularly strong collection of Native American artifacts. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, 2 to 5 p.m.
New Jersey State Museum,
205 West State Street, Trenton. 609-292-6464. Tuesday to Saturday, 9 to 4:45 p.m., Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Everything from dinosaurs and American Indian artifacts and antique furniture to fine arts and a planetarium. Lectures, kids shows, a family laser concert series.
Old Barracks Museum, Capitol Complex, Trenton, 609-396-1776. Historical interpreters in period dress explore life in colonial and revolutionary New Jersey. Built in 1758, the building housed British soldiers during the French and Indian War, and three Hessian regiments succumbed to George Washington's troops on December 26, 1776. Recently given a major makeover, this spot is rated wonderful for children.
Liberty Science Center, Liberty State Park, Jersey City, 201-200-1000. Website: http://www.lsc.org.
A three-story adventure palace for all ages, the Liberty Science Center features permanent and changing hands-on exhibits, movies, and a lunchroom with a view of Manhattan. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission to the exhibits is $9.50 for adults; $7.50 for children ages 2 to 18, and seniors. Combination tickets that include the IMAX movie (currently showing "Wolves") and 3-D Theater are $15.50 adult; $13.50 children and seniors. Parking in the state-operated lot is $5.
New Jersey State Aquarium, Camden, 856-365-3300. http://www.njaquarium.org.
The New Jersey State Aquarium -- a graceful, V-shaped domed building, its rooftop pennants flying above a riverside promenade with a remarkable view of Philadelphia's cityscape -- the crown jewel in the redevelopment of the Camden waterfront.
Operated by the New Jersey Academy of Aquatic Sciences, its 760,000-gallon Open Ocean Tank is one of the largest in the country. Interactivity is a part of each Aquarium exhibit, drawing in children and adults alike. The entry rotunda is adorned by a massive seven-foot-high open jaw of a Megalodon shark, extinct for 10,000 years; it leads to the Shark Zone, where other shark jaws are mounted in display cases around the Touch-a-Shark tank, its rim crowded by children.
The Aquarium's fish population numbers more than 4,000, and its recent tenants include a delightful colony of aquatic birds, joined last year by African penguins in a 6,000 square-foot exhibit called Inguza (an African word for "penguin") Island, complete with a 17,000-gallon, 8-foot pool. Winter hours: Open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; weekends 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets for 12 and over cost $11.95; and $8.95 for children 3 to 11; under 3 free.
Please Touch Museum,
210 North 21st Street, Philadelphia, 215-963-0667. Website: http://www.pleasetouchmuseum.org.
The holiday season kicks off Friday, November 26, with a holiday exhibit, "The Gift of Reading, featuring four interactive gift boxes that focus on classic children's stories marking the winter holidays of different faiths.
The Wonder Museum, 385 Route 130, East Windsor, 609-371-6150. Website: http://www.wondermuseum.com.
This interactive children's museum boasts a pumper fire truck, an ambulance, a castle fortress, a 1948 Gunther Biplane, a 1926 black Ford Model T roadster, a log cabin complete with pot-belly stove, half-size model of Columbus' ship, the Pinta, a teepee, a dance studio complete with ballet barre, a television station, a bank of computers -- and more.
It is open Mondays to Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $7.99 plus tax per person; children under 2 are free. It will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.
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Princeton Area 
