Sweetwater Coffee Bar and Gallery

An ornate Alhambra-style house full of strange rooms and objects, with an audio tour. It can win over a tween. Stairs and no elevator, so leave the stroller.

Ask at the desk for the guide made for kids, then turn the collection into an I Spy hunt for odd objects. Strollers are fine in most galleries, not all.

A student-led tour of a grand old hotel, with discovery drawers and a stained-glass design station kids can get their hands on. Fountains in the courtyard, too.

A compact history gallery where a timeline walks from Spanish and British colonial rule to today. Short enough for a school-age kid's attention span.

A hands-on colonial workshop: rope-making, candle-dipping and weaving, pitched at about ages 3 to 10. Everyone goes home with a beeswax candle.

A shady square with old cannons to look at, trees to run around and a gazebo to dance in, while you sit with a snack.