David Wax Museum
Have you ever seen someone play a quijada—that is, a donkey jawbone with the rattling teeth still in place? That's the kind of surprise you can expect from the raucously entertaining David Wax Museum, a Boston Music Award-winning band that plays an infectious, knee-slapping blend of Americana, folk, and Mexican son rhythms. The group is poised to hit the bigtime (especially after the release of their superb fourth album, Knock Knock Get Up, last fall), but for now you can still catch them at intimate venues when they roll through New England. Dancing shoes recommended. davidwaxmuseum.com.
"Investigate" at the Museum of Science
Kids can't help acting like young Galileos when they're encouraged to conduct cool experiments with gizmos that simulate lie-detectors or to dig in the sand like archeologists for pre-Columbian garbage. Science Park, Boston, MA .
The Evans Wing
It took four years and $11.5 million, but the Evans Wing is back and packed with 700 fine European and American paintings, including works of such masters as Renoir, Monet, Picasso, O'Keeffe, and Pollock. The MFA, Boston, MA .
<em>Je suis le cahier</em>, Picasso's Sketchbooks
If you missed it, you missed a rare chance to see the master's movement from idea to art, as well as, of course, Picasso's undying appreciation of the female form—or, if you believe Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington's hot new biography, Picasso's undying misogyny. The ICA, Boston, MA .
Harvard's Arthur D. Sackler Museum
Stunning natural light—drenched galleries show off Harvard's superb collections of classical and Oriental works. Cambridge, MA
Animation exhibit at the Computer Museum
The computer-generated animation exhibit at the Computer Museum. This show alone was worth the $4 admission.
DeCordova Museum
Stylish, excellent exhibitions, and a new commitment to contemporary art. Sandy Pond Rd., Lincoln, MA .
Bostonian Society Museum Shop
This store sells tasteful tchotchkes with a local theme, including throws, tea sets, games, prints, calendars, and books about Boston, many by its sons and daughters. It also benefits the city's unsung (and generally unknown) statehouse. And if you don't see something you like here, you have all the rest of Faneuil Hall before you. Faneuil Hall, Boston, MA .
Lawn at the Museum of Transportation
A little outdoor lunch in order? Your best bet is the secluded hilltop field next to the Museum of Transportation. This public plot has all the grass and trees to spread out on, but lacks the crowds that the Esplanade is known for. Pick a warm weekend day, stretch out on the lush lawn with a basket of goodies, and take in all the kites filling the sky. You'll come home invigorated. 15 Newton Street, Brookline, MA .
Harvard Museum of Natural History
If your precocious tots think they've seen everything, try sitting them in front of the case of enormous beetles at this house of curiosities, then savor their awestruck silence. Other impressive beasts on view include a buffalo, a jaguar, a giraffe, thousands of birds, and a rhinoceros—to say nothing of the massive dinosaur fossils—all stuffed, mounted, and densely arranged in glass 'cages.' 26 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 2138, harvard.com.
Warren Anatomical Museum
There's no question which exhibit reigns supreme here: It's the skull of Phineas Gage, the 19th-century railroad foreman immortalized in the annals of neuroscience. After his frontal lobe was impaled by an iron rod during a fiery 1848 construction snafu, Gage was able to keep walking and talking—but his personality was transformed, effectively ending his career. He later found work as a curiosity at P. T. Barnum's American Museum; here, his legend lives on. 10 Shattuck St., Boston, MA 02115, legacy.countway.harvard.edu/menuNavigation/chom/warren.html.
The Machine in the Lobby of the Children's Museum
Where else can you get two color photos for 75 cents? Museum Wharf, Boston, MA .
The Recycling Center at the Children's Museum
Ecologically sound, good for knickknacks and Christmas-tree decorations. Museum Wharf, Boston, MA .
Busch-Reisinger Museum
For those in a dreamy mood, it's got central and northern European paintings. For pragmatists, it's got the largest collection of Bauhaus materials outside Germany and the archives of Walter Gropius. 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA .
Boston Fire Museum
This museum and working firehouse has become a hot tot birthday spot, and for good reason: Festivities begin on the spacious second floor, where kids can burn excess energy, then move to an exhibit hall, where they can climb, "steer," ring bells, and wind sirens on old-time engines. 344 Congress St., Boston, MA 02210, bostonfiremuseum.com.