JULY 15 2007
AMERICANWAY 55
Hawaii
Navigate a labyrinthmade ofmore than 11,000 plants at the
Dole
Plantation
. (808) 621-8408,www.dole-plantation.com
Play traditional Polynesian games, learn to crack coconuts and
throw spears, andget a tattoo—all at the
PolynesianCulturalCen-
ter
. (800) 367-7060,www.polynesia.com
Takekid-safe surfing lessonswith
HawaiianFire
(808-737-3473,
) orwith
GirlsWhoSurf
,where, despite the
name, private lessons are also open to boys (808-371-8917, www
.girlswhosurf.com).
LasVegas
Is it a dolphin or a shark? Gather evidence at
Siegfried andRoy’s
SecretGardenDolphinHabitatat theMirage
(702-791-7181, www
.miragehabitat.com) and at
MandalayBay’sSharkReef
(702-632-
7777,www.mandalaybay.com/entertainment/sharkreef.aspx).
Give the kids their video-game fix at
GameWorks
, which offers
regular and life-size virtual-reality-style games, some withmotion
simulators. (702) 432-4263,www.gameworks.com
Back in the natural world,
RedRockCanyonNational Conser-
vationArea
lets kids sign up to be junior rangers, and there is a
0.7-mile trail blazed just for them. (702) 515-5367,
canyonlv.org
London
Time-travel back to the Elizabethan era as you enjoy a kidcentric
tour and an afternoon matinee at
Shakespeare’s Globe
(011-44-
020-7902-1400,
); then go next door
and change into seafaring garb on
The GoldenHinde
, a replica
of Sir Francis Drake’s ship (011-44-20-7403-0123,
hinde.org).
The eponymous insects at
ButterflyHouse
are definitely pretty,
but the giant spiders, leaf-cutting ants, and scorpions spice up the
outingwith eerie fascination. 011-44-20-8560-7272,
butterflyhouse.com
Catch a view of the city from the overhead walkways at
Tower
Bridge
, and afterward, inspect the steam engines that once raised
and lowered the bridge for ships to pass. 011-44-20-7403-3761,
LosAngeles
The newly renovated and reopened
GriffithObservatory
is an as-
tronomical palace, with solar telescopes for daytime viewing and
the big Zeiss for the night sky. Visits are reservation-only, so plan
ahead. (213) 473-0800,www.griffithobservatory.org
Pacific Park
is an old-fashioned amusement park on the Santa
MonicaPier; it has a roller coaster andother rides, aswell as tradi-
tionalmidway games that kids (of all ages) think they actually can
win. (310) 260-8744,www.pacpark.com
In Little Tokyo, dabble in the waterfall and streams at the
New
OtaniHotel
’s rooftopgarden (213-629-1200,www.newotani.com),
and then visit the
Japanese-American National Museum
, where
kids can learn about history as well as how to fold origami (213-
625-0414,www.janm.org).
Miami
Pinecrest Gardens
(305-669-6942,
.htm) has a splash park, a petting zoo, and botanical gardens in a
Clockwise from above: theGriffith
Observatory inLosAngeles, the
DolphinHabitat inLasVegas, the
ButterflyHouse inLondon, and the
National Children’sCastle inTokyo
