This weekend, B.J. Davis, education section chief for the N.C. Museum of History in downtown Raleigh, offers some tips on how to enjoy a museum with even the youngest kids.

Mothers with young children shouldn't limit themselves to the occasional trip to a children's museum. Careful planning ahead of time can result in fun and educational trips to a wide variety of museums, historic properties and cultural institutions.

Whether it's fish and marine life, dinosaurs, art, history, space, nature or animals from across the globe, you can find something that will captivate your kids. Museums are more than buildings with stuff. Museums include aquariums, zoos, nature parks, arboretums, planetariums, historic homes and properties, and much more.

Gather information through the Internet or by calling the location. Is there a restaurant onsite or nearby? Do they have scavenger hunts or gallery guides to help keep children engaged? Can they send you a map or guide prior to your visit? Are there hands-on activities, touch carts, performances or other family-friendly programs available?

The more information you get before your visit, the fewer comments like, "I'm bored," "I'm hungry," or "When are we going home?" you'll hear once you're there.

I'll be writing a series of articles about kids, families and museums to help you not only survive your visit, but thrive.

One resource you should check out is Museums + Learning: A Guide for Family Visits. It's a Web site and publication that was developed jointly by the U.S. Department of Education and the Smithsonian Institute. The North Carolina Museums Council has a useful Web site where you can easily search for museums of all kinds located throughout the state.

The Triangle area, and the entire state, is fortunate to have a tremendous variety of museums and cultural institutions that are kid friendly and just waiting for you and your family. I look forward to helping you make those visits special and memorable.

For more information about upcoming programs at the N.C. Museum of History, including free music and artist demonstration this weekend, check out its online schedule.

Check out our other daily themes at TriangleMom2Mom:

MONDAY: Meet!
TUESDAY: Ask!
WEDNESDAY: Eat!
THURSDAY: Play!
FRIDAY: Out!

WEEKEND: Relax!