Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Philadelphia, PA

My daughter has more energy than any kid I've seen. Seriously, if we put her on a treadmill she could power downtown Philadelphia for a week. I've seen other two-year-olds, and they will sit quietly in their mother's laps while being read a story at the library, but my kid? My kid is running laps around the stacks.

In order to make my daughter happy (read: sleep at night), she requires TWO activities a day. A morning outing and an additional post-nap, pre-dinner outing is the MINIMUM she needs. So we've spent a huge amount of time trying to find the perfect spot to let her run herself down.

My qualifications for being a good spot to run a kid ragged are the following:

Must be safe--no roads nearby, no way to get away from me, and no places to hide.
Must be reasonably priced or free.
Must not be so crowded that I cannot keep my eye on my kid at all times.

These are tough criteria to meet. But I've found a few good spots that do just that, both indoor and outdoor.

First, let's cover the outdoor. My favorite spot, hands down, is Smith Playground. Located in West Philadelphia near the zoo, this playground has the grooviest equipment I've ever seen, and the best wooden slide. My favorite detail is that the slide has a loooooooong walkway to get back to the top, so kids slide down, run up the walkway, slide down, run up, slide down--you get the idea. Best of all? Smith is FREE. They ask for a donation, but it is totally free. Plus, it's never so crowded that you have trouble keeping an eye on your kid. The only downside is they don't allow food or drinks inside the playground at all, so you have to go outside the fence to have a snack. Oh, and they are only open from April to October (but the Smith Play House, next door, is open year round). When it closes, the playground at Clark Park (still in West Philly) is almost as much fun--plus, lots of other kids to play with.

Indoors, well, there are a lot of options. In a pinch, I'll take my daughter to a local mall and just let her run and run, but of course you run into crowds/hiding places. Our favorite place is actually the Adventure Aquarium over in Camden, but it is REALLY expensive (best bet--get the Annual Passport if you plan to go more than once or twice a year).

But I believe the best indoor place for kids is going to be--without a doubt--the new Please Touch Museum opening on October 18. This long-beloved children's museum has moved to a new home (historic Memorial Hall), is now THREE TIMES bigger, and best of all HAS PARKING (the old location was nice but DAMN it was hard to park). Membership is reasonable, and a great investment. I'll let you know for sure--I'm attending the press preview party on October 8.

If you know any other great spots, please let me know!