San Jose, Calif.gem in the west

You can’t miss the Children’s Discovery Museum. Not only is it 52,000 square feet in size, but it’s purple! New interactive exhibits are offered each year, keeping the museum fresh and the locals involved. The museum’s programs also encourage children to explore their role in local and global communities and discover how they can contribute to those communities. Highlights include a real firetruck and ambulance, the bubble room where kids can create bubbles from a variety of different-shaped devices, a Waterways exhibit featuring gadgets that shoot and move water, and an art loft full of colorful supplies kids can use to showoff their creativity.