The <Center House started life as an armory but was reborn as a shopping and food mall for the 1962 World’s Fair. Today, the interior is lined on two levels with 18 different fast-food eateries. A three-ton slab of the Berlin Wall stands inside Center House, a gift from a German businessman in 1991.

Downstairs in Center House is the delightful Seattle Children’s Museum (305 Harrison St., 206/441-1768, www.thechildrensmuseum.org, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri. and 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Sat.–Sun., $5.50 for anyone over age 1), filled with wacky and fun exhibits that manage to educate children. Each year, more than 200,000 kids drag their parents through the 32,000 square feet of play space.

The exhibits change all the time, but there’s always something fun to do here, including hands-on workshops. Kids love this place—the average stay is three hours (try getting any child to do anything for three hours!). The gift shop sells educational toys. Adults must accompany children under 12.