10 Places Every Kid Should See........Part 1

Not only are these attractions fun and (shhhh) educational , they're especially magical through the eyes of a child .

                               Grand Canyon  (Arizona

During the day stroll the 4-year-old Skyhawk , a U-shaped glass-bottom observation deck that juts 70 feet over the canyon's West Rim and sits 4,000 feet above the Colorado River . Come sunset , hit  Grand Canyon Apache Stables , where for $25.50 per person , you can hitch a one hour ride on a horse-driven wagon that  ends around a campfire . Tip : BYO marshmellows and hot dogs so you can cook up a nighttime snack . Skywalk Package including mandatory Legacy pass.

                               The National Mall  (Washington , D.C.)

Riding the streets of Washington,D.C.  , in a boat on wheels might sound cheesy , but cruising the Potomac River  in one is pretty sweet . Set in a WWII-era amphibious vehicle  , the 90-minute D.C. duck tour covers both land and sea . The first leg hits the history-packed National Mall ... look for the 19-foot-tall Lincoln Memorial  , the Capitol building  and the Smithsonian museums ... and then switches to a scenic river trip . Highlight : The boat pauses at Gravely Point , a park located just a few feet from the runway at D.C.'s Reagan National Airport , so you can watch roaring planes take off and land.

                                 Redwood National Park (California)

Ancient , sky high sequoias aren't the only attraction in this lush California locale ... There's cool aquatic life , too. Take a guided tile pool tour , where budding biologists can scramble between the coastal forests rocks while hunting for underwater creatures such as orange  and purple ochre sea stars and sprawling green anemones . Free tide pool tours are offered during the summer through Redwood national Park .

                                 Ellis Island  (New York)

Between 1892 and 1924 , more than 17 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island , today, their desendants account for 40 percent of Americans. Go on a hunt for your ancestors at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, where for &5 you can search millions of records  to find the exact date your relatives sailed into the port of New York, as well as which ship they were on  and whether they traveled with other family members. (Bonus : copies of the documents are yours to keep). And don't miss the construction of the Peopling of America Center, which cost $20 million to build  and is slated to open in 2012 . The new space focuses on U.S. immigration from 1955  (when Ellis Island closed ) to the present, and houses interactive multimedia exhibits , like a touch screen that reflects demographic changes in American cities  over time.

                                 Niagara Falls  (New York)

Sure your grandparents honeymooned there , but the majestic waterfalls straddling the U.S. - Canada border are worth a 21st-century trip . Ever wonder what it's like to be a rubber ducky in a massive bathtub ? Sign up for the Cave of the Winds tour, which begans after you change into a complimentary yellow poncho  and sandals  (trust  us , you'll need them) . After riding an elevator 175 feet down into the Niagara Gorge, you'll stand on the  Hurricane Deck, where you'll br drenched by the tropical-storm-like spray from the 181-foot Bridal Veil Falls, where the water falls at a rate of up to 68mph. Cave of the Winds operates May 1 --October 25 .

Reminder : Come back for part 2 ...your kids will love it and so will you ... I guarantee it .