With layovers and delays, you can spend a lot more time
at the airport than anyone ever should. Here are a few kid-friendly
spots that will help make time fly.
By Christina Ohly Evans
Atlanta
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Airport
With its puppet-filled display cases courtesy of the Center for Puppetry Arts on Concourse E, and a 33-foot-long Yangchuanosaurus dinosaur skeleton in the Main Terminal Atrium, the fun never stops in Atlanta. Entertaining extras include creepy-crawly ant sculptures in the baggage claim plus fried chicken and fresh collard greens at Paschal's Southern Delights (Concourse A, Gate Centerpoint; 404-209-1757).
Boston
Logan International Airport
Expending energy is the name of the game at the two Kidport areas located in Terminals A and C. Designed by Playtime and the Boston Children's Museum, each area fosters imaginative play through airplane or control-tower climbing structures, a baggage-claim slide, a magnetic poetry wall as well as baby and toddler play spaces. Also worth a look is the work of local artists from the South End, Fenway, and nearby Winthrop—all spread throughout Terminals A, C, and E. Refuel with a lobster wrap at the Legal's Test Kitchen (in Terminal A) or a tried-and-true burger at retro favorite Johnny Rocket's (in Terminal C).
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Chicago
O'Hare International Airport
Make your first stop the Kids on the Fly interactive play area in Terminal 2, where kids can explore structures, "fly" planes, "handle" baggage, and "direct" air traffic. A restored World War II fighter plane (also in Terminal 2), as well as the enormous model of a Brachiosaurus—courtesy of the Field Museum—at the center of Terminal 1 (in Concourse B) make excellent diversions. If you have a long layover, head for the Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport across the road where $15 for adults and $9 for children under 12 buys an all-day pass for the pool and locker room (all ages are welcome; children under 18 must be supervised).
Denver
Denver International Airport
This fantastical building is one big art museum, and kids will love spotting the more than 130 paper airplane sculptures scattered throughout the Jeppesen Terminal. Other amusements include two huge wall maps entitled America, Why I Love Her by Gary Sweeney. Each features wacky tourist destinations from across the country. The state-of-the-art people-mover system that connects all terminals is worth a ride, too. For passive entertainment try InMotion Entertainment (in Concourses A and B) where you can rent portable DVD players and movies, and buy games for the duration of your flight or trip and return them at the other end (or send them back with a prepaid UPS shipping package).
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Orlando
Orlando International Airport
One of the most family-friendly airports, Orlando features kid-size furniture throughout the terminals as well as space-related memorabilia on loan from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (Side B). Other areas of interest include a massive saltwater aquarium in the Food Court (try Zyng Asian Grill with great kids food where kids can create meals from a mix of Cantonese noodles, fresh vegetables, and grilled chicken). Skip the amusement park shopping altogether, and stock up at the Disney, Sea World store, and Universal Studios Store emporiums here instead.
San Francisco
San
Francisco International Airport
Perhaps the best airport for kids and parents alike, SFO is an accredited museum (www.sfoarts.org) with an incredible array of rotating exhibits spread throughout all terminals. This summer's highlights include: Buddhist Art, Majolica, and The Golden Age of Aviation Toys. Small scientists will love the SFO Kids Spot (Terminal 3, Boarding Area F), which features weather-related exhibits courtesy of the Exploratorium, as well as imaginative crawling apparatus. There are also three different aquariums designed to teach kids about various kinds of ocean life (pre-Security, Terminal 1, Departures level).
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Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City International Airport
Play areas in Concourses A, B, and E, plus an expedited security line for families, are pluses.
Las Vegas
McCarran International Airport
The aviation-themed play area at Gate D, as well as the Howard Cannon Aviation Museum (above Baggage Claim, level 2; 702-455-7968), which features flight suits and a 1959 model plane, make this an excellent stop.
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh International Airport
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood lives on at the play area in Concourse C where the TV show of your youth—coupled with display cases full of Fred Rogers's signature sweaters, puppets, and more—fills the hall. The life-size model T-Rex in the Airside Terminal is worth a look, too.
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