Art for Kids

American Girl Place Girls can dine with their dolls and give dolls a new look at the salon. Locations in New York City, Chicago, and L.A., americangirlplace.com. Bass Pro Shops Indoor waterfalls, aquariums, live alligators, archery ranges, and even a barbershop. 1935 S. Campbell, Springfield, Mo., 417/887-7334. Cabela's A huge sporting goods store (180,000 square feet) with museum-quality stuffed trophy animals. 10300 Cabela Dr., Kansas City, Kans., 913/328-0322. Dylan's Candy Bar Gigantic candy selection, custom-made sundaes, chocolate fountains for dipping strawberries, and other treats. New York City, Houston, and Orlando, dylanscandybar.com. L.L.Bean Fly-fishing and kayaking clinics, weekend concerts. 95 Main St., Freeport, Maine, 800/559-0747 ext. 37222. REI Gear-testing stations, a climbing wall, a mountain-bike track, and more. 222 Yale Ave. N., Seattle, 206/223-1944.

NOAH'S ARK Kids and adults load animals (adorably handcrafted from bottle caps, mop heads, baseball mitts, and other recycled materials) into an indoor replica of an oversize boat just like the ark in the Bible story. The crew hears a fierce storm brewing, in the form of low-tech instruments: Spinning a bicycle wheel that has bamboo fishing rods attached, for example, produces the whirling sound of wind. Afterward, kids may be able to create their own elephants, giraffes, and zebras. The exhibit opens June 26 at the Skirball Cultural Center, a Jewish institution in Los Angeles. 310/440-4500, skirball.org, $10, kids $5. GRAND CANYON SKYWALK The transparent, U-shaped pier jutting over the canyon rim at West Eagle Point allows visitors to look beneath their feet to the canyon bottom 4,000 feet directly below. The four-and-a-half-foot sides are also glass, giving 360-degree panoramic views. 877/716-9378, grandcanyonskywalk.com, packages from $75, kids from $57. GRIFFON The world's tallest dive coaster is the floorless thriller at Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg, Va.: Riders--with feet dangling in the air--drop straight down for 205 feet at 75 miles per hour. The adrenaline rush doesn't stop there--the coaster creates a force of 4 g's in two loops and also takes a second plummet of 130 feet. 800/343-7946 buschgardens.com, $55, kids $48. SHUTTLE LAUNCH EXPERIENCE Starting on May 25, folks going to Orlando's Kennedy Space Center have a chance to feel what astronauts go through on the space shuttle. The new, $60 million Shuttle Launch Experience is a 44-person pod that simulates racing through the atmosphere at 17,500 miles per hour. After a jolt--the shuttle's rocket boosters dropping away--passengers feel weightless for a moment while a green-blue rendition of Earth as seen from space shows on a giant video screen. 321/449-4444, kennedyspacecenter.com, $38, kids $28. MINILAND LAS VEGAS Built with more than two million Legos, the miniature Sin City at Legoland in Carlsbad, Calif., doesn't miss a detail in its re-creation of The Strip--wedding chapels included. The Lego likenesses of hotels such as the Venetian and the Tropicana are 10 feet high, and the Stratosphere tower--1,149 feet tall in Vegas--reaches 20 feet in Legoland. You can stroll among the structures and inspect the details, which include an exploding volcano in front of the Mirage and a pirate ship outside Treasure Island. 760/918-5346, legoland.com, $57, kids $44. THE BOARDWALK AT HERSHEY PARK In honor of its centennial celebration, the Pennsylvania theme park is opening a $19.7 million, 4.5 acre addition featuring a wooden boardwalk that connects five water attractions. The centerpiece is The East Coast Waterworks, a complex of bridges, slides, geysers, jets, falls, and 600 other interactive water toys. At Coastline Plunge, kids play in a real-life Chutes and Ladders, while body boarders tumble in the surf at Waverider. 800/437-7439, hersheypa.com, $46, kids $27.

We asked Judy Press, author of 12 children's arts and crafts books, to come up with a few easy projects that'll help keep kids from going batty on a rainy day. Almost everything that you'll need is right in your hotel room, purse, suitcase, and/or toiletry bag. Shoe-Mitt Puppet1. Using a pencil or pen, sketch a puppet like the one shown (see photo at right; click to see all projects) on a shoe-polishing mitt. Color the puppet with markers. 2. Take scissors and cut a small slit on either side of the puppet, where the arms would be. 3. Place your hand inside the mitt and poke your thumb and pinkie out of the slits, so that they look like arms. 4. Put on a puppet show. Postcard Puzzle1. Draw puzzle pieces on the back of a postcard. The smaller the pieces, the more difficult the puzzle--the image on the postcard itself can also make the puzzle more or less of a challenge. (They don't get much easier than the one above.) 2. Cut along the lines of the puzzle pieces. 3. Jumble the pieces, then attempt to put the puzzle back together. Plastic-Bag Bracelet1. Cut three 12-by-1-inch strips from a plastic bag. The colorful parts of the bag will make the bracelet more interesting. 2. Tape the ends of the strips to a hard surface, then begin braiding. The tighter the braid, the narrower the bracelet. 3. When you're done, tape the ends so the braids won't unravel. 4. Tape the ends together and slide over your wrist. Tissue Parachute1. Draw a parachutist on a small piece of cardboard and color it in. 2. Cut the parachutist out. 3. Poke a tiny hole with a pin in the four corners of a tissue and tie one 12-inch piece of dental floss to each corner. 4. Tape the ends of the floss to the back of the parachutist. 5. While standing on a chair or bed, toss the parachute in the air and watch it float down. Silly Shower-Cap Hat1. Pull the elastic out of a shower cap--you'll be left with a flat circle. 2. Fold the circle in half; then, with the folded edge at the top, fold the corners to meet in the middle of the bottom edge. 3. Fold up the front edge one inch to form a brim and tape down the folds. 4. Draw fun shapes on paper, then color them in and cut them out. 5. Tape the shapes to the hat. Road Map Rally Game1. Draw a long, meandering course on a map, using markers or crayons to color spaces in four or five alternating colors. 2. Using the same colors, draw one circle each on small sheets of paper to serve as game cards. 3. Stack the papers upside down. 4. Play like Candyland, using coins or bottle caps as game pieces, until a player reaches the finish line.

Did you get your country music fix? The Blackwells and Malteses happily spent their evenings listening to music on Lower Broadway. In four nights, they hit the Bluegrass Inn, Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, Robert's, the Wildhorse Saloon, and The Stage, which turned out to be their favorite. "They all had great music," says Vicky. "But The Stage was the most comfortable. We didn't have to fight the crowds on and off the dance floor." Joyce bought a CD from local artist Craig Campbell, who plays there on Tuesday nights. (She had him autograph it in case he turns out to be the next Randy Travis.) They loved the Country Music Hall of Fame, too. "The walls are covered with thousands of silver and platinum records," says Chuck. "And the video and soundtracks there will help country music and its history live on forever." Did you buy anything special? "Dale and I have been collecting pins for 23 years," says Vicky. "We try to get one from each state or country we visit and then a couple more from specific attractions. We've got about 200 of them in a shadow box we keep on our coffee table. They're great conversation starters." Vicky also got a concert poster at the Hatch Show Print. A fancy excursion "The Belle Meade Plantation was gorgeous," Vicky reports. "Even the stables were impressive, with brick herringbone floors." During a tour of the grounds, she and Dale posed for a photo. "I've always wanted one of those big, long dresses, but I guess the wooden one is as close as I'll ever get." It's probably just as well, Vicky adds with a laugh: "I don't think I'd like the corset!" Springtime, all the time, at a resort The Gaylord Opryland resort, with its three climate-controlled atria, was a big hit. "We had a nice time wandering around in and out of the shops in the spring-like temperatures," says Joyce. "It was a pleasant surprise to see DiVine--a leaf-covered performer on stilts. She moved with such elegance and flexibility." Great discovery "We ate at Ellendale's Restaurant on our first night because it was close to our hotel," says Joyce. "It's in a renovated mansion, and the prices were reasonable. There was a piano player and a singer who told us she quit her teaching job because she wanted to become the first black, female country star" (2739 Old Elm Hill Pike, 615/884-0171, entrées from $15). How can we help you?If you'd like to be coached by us, send an e-mail to Letters@BudgetTravelOnline.com.