San Diego Air & Space Museum

This circular museum is a shrine to all things aviation – it houses around 50 life-size aircraft and spacecraft (originals, replicas and models), including a hot-air balloon from 1783, an Apollo command module and a Vietnam-era Cobra helicopter. In the Space Age zone, there's a mercury capsule you can sit in, a spacesuit you can wear while someone takes a picture of you and you can pretend to be NASA controller on retro computers. There are images from Mars, an original rock from the moon, flight simulators and you can even email yourself an Astronaut ID badge. Look out for the fascinating flying memorabilia, hundreds of wing badges from around the world and items from legendary aviators such as Charles Lindbergh and astronaut John Glenn. Kids will love the interactive displays and features, including an unnerving robotic Charles Lindbergh in the main entrance hall and the films in the 3-D/4-D theater.