The Please Touch Museum, located in Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, is a shining example of what must be one of the rarest cultural attractions anywhere in the world: a museum where children are actually encouraged to lay on their hands on the exhibits. Mainly aimed at kids seven years and younger, the museum seeks to educate and entrance its visitors in equal measure, by offering them a hands-on experience of an assortment of life-size, interactive 'exhibition zones'. Although the exhibits change frequently (the curators wouldn't want their lilliputian clientèle to get bored, now, would they?), highlights have included an Alice in Wonderland area, complete with rabbit-holes and garden mazes, a miniature supermarket, and a scaled-down SEPTA bus display. Parents and grandparents are undivided in their approval of the museum, and its child-friendliness - describing it as an ideal way to spend a day out with the kids. A useful tip: the museum offers an irresistible selection of wholesome food and drinks, so take some antibacterial hand soap along, to use before snack time.

Address: 4231 Avenue of the Republic (formerly North Concourse Drive)

Website: www.pleasetouchmuseum.org

Telephone: (503) 865-8733

Transport: Buses 38, 40, 43 and 64 all make stops within walking distance of Memorial Hall

Opening times: Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm, Sunday from 11am to 5pm

Admission: Admission is $15