Need your suggestions? Family profile: 6 yr old, 4 yr old - game for anything husband - more of a kid than my kids grandma, grandpa - sporting but short attentions spans I'm hoping to send them off somewhere on Sunday afternoon while I rest in the hotel room. Any suggetions? 2 weeks and 3 days to go!!!!!!!!!!!

I think that the Museum of science is where my family is going while I am working at the expo on friday. Wife and 2 kids 6 & 8 yr. olds. The kids are pretty excited. On Sunday I know that the kids will be enjoying the pool at the hotel while I chill out.

If you want a smaller, less-crowded, quicker substitute to the Museum of Science, you can try the MIT Museum. I think it would be very good for keeping kids (and adults) entertained for an hour or two. They have an excellent collection of holograms, kinetic sculptures (much cooler than it sounds), and robots. And as long as we're on the topic of wicked cool little museums, the Harvard Museum of Natural History has a wonderful (some people think "creepy") collection of stuffed animals, skeletons, etc. Plus a world-famous collection of glass flowers that are so intricate they look real (maybe not so interesting to the kids, but maybe to grandma & grandpa). A touristy thing that is actually worth doing is the Duck Boat tours. Get tickets in advance. We've also taken visiting friends with children to see the USS Constitution, they had fun running all over the ship. If the weather is nice they could just go have a picnic down on the Esplanade, there's a pretty nice new playground too if you walk west from the Hatch Shell almost to the Mass Ave bridge. There would probably be lots of sailboats to watch, too.

There are some really nice pools at MIT (Central Square) that are available for public (you have to pay, of course) use. And there's the Kennedy Pool near Porter Square. They're both on the Red Line. I third (or fifth or whatever) all the other choices, and offer these: 1. Tour of Fenway Park. 2. Boat ride out to the islands - George's island was always a hit with my elementary school crowd. 3. Swan Boats (if they're out) in the Garden. 4. Museum of Fine Arts has a large collection of mummies. 5.New England Aquarium (one of my favorites - and they have a cool jellyfish exhibit going on). It's near Fanueil Hall/Quincy Market, which would be a fun place for the kids to get breakfast or lunch (less exciting for the adults, but still fun). 6. Walk through the giant globe at the Christian Science headquarters, then go up to the top of the nearby Prudential (which has a cute kids-oriented museum about the history of Boston immigration). 7. If they're willing to drive out: Salem (witch museum, House of Seven Gables (really fun), cute seaside town). 8. Also a drive: Sturbridge village. 9. Freedom Trail (might be a better for older children). 10. North End with the Old North Church, Pizzeria Regina and Mike's Cannolis. 11. Massages - oh wait, no, that's for me.

5.New England Aquarium (one of my favorites - and they have a cool jellyfish exhibit going on). 10. North End with the Old North Church, Pizzeria Regina and Mike's Cannolis.

Oh yes, I can't believe I forgot to list the Aquarium. The penguins alone are worth the price of admission. As for cannolis, Mike's is the one with the famous name, but there are several other bakeries in the North End that are every bit as good, without the ridiculous crowds. I usually go to Maria's, which is on Cross St.