It's cold here, y'alls, like 13 degrees and windchill of negative jillion cold. This doesn’t especially bother me, since I am really pretty much of a lazyass and welcome any excuse to lounge on the couch under a blanket. My extremely active daughter, however, hates it because she's been cooped up inside a lot and can’t run off all that energy.

We've been searching for things to do that she'll like.  One of my favorite places to hang when I am by myself or with other grownups is our local art museum – it's in a big huge beautiful building in one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city and has a really interesting, varied collection. It just recently reopened after a giant renovation and has been wildly popular.

What it's not, especially, is kid-friendly, at least not my kid (did I mention active? And energetic?).  They have made the museum displays much more child-oriented, with nifty little things for kids to find and explore everywhere and great kid activities, and even a list of helpful tips, but three still seems a little young for a nice relaxing visit (although she did take her first real steps there as a one-year-old). And she's more interested in zipping around the open areas than really enjoying the art .

What do you think? Do your kids like museum visits or is it more of a struggle? And what ages seem most appropriate to do this sort of thing?