See What Those City Lights Can Do to Brighten Up a Family Weekend

Enough nesting! Get off the couch! Turn off the TV and the computer. Grab the kids and head for the city lights.

Wherever you live, there’s nothing like a winter weekend to explore museums, historic sites, zoos, aquariums, shops and theaters.

Here’s your chance to do something different with the kids and get a new perspective on a city you may already know well. Maybe they can hone their table manners by having tea in a fancy hotel or expand their taste buds at inexpensive ethnic eateries.

To make sure the kids buy into the idea, let them have some input in the itinerary, even if you’re just planning one day in the city. Borrow a guidebook from the library to get some ideas, or join the kids at the computer to browse your favorite city’s official Web site. Family travel sites such as the Family Travel Forum (www.familytravelforum.com), Travel With Kids (travelwithkids.about.com) or the family area at Expedia.com also can be great resources on where to go and where to find deals.

Science lovers should turn to www.tryscience.org, a Web site from the Assn. of Science-Technology Centers and cooperating organizations, to find out what’s going on at science museums around the country.

If you have some budding actors, check out www.broadway.org, the Web site for the League of American Theatres and Producers, where you can find ticket deals for Broadway productions and touring companies. If you are heading to New York, the Web site lets you access coupons good for discounts on many Broadway productions, from “Beauty and the Beast” to “Cabaret,” with some tickets less than $50. Ask about special family theater promotions. You can also call (800) I-LOVENY (456-8369).

New York isn’t the only city that hopes to tempt your family to visit this winter. Snare a cheap fare to London and let your Harry Potter fan seek out wizards, witches and ghosts on the new Harry Potter tour of Britain. Of course, the tour includes locations in the film--from historic Gloucester Cathedral (students at the school were extras) to the Bodleian Library at Oxford (used to re-create some of the interior scenes at Hogwarts). For a free copy of the tour map, call (866) 4-HEDWIG (443-3944) or visit www.travelbritain.org.

Follow the chocolate smells to Chicago’s Field Museum, where an exhibit opening on Valentine’s Day will teach the kids everything they ever wanted to know about chocolate, from how it’s made to its history. (How does fried, chocolate-dipped liver grab you? The 18th century Italians liked it.) There are free samples, of course. Call (312) 922-9410 or visit www.fieldmuseum.org.

Celebrate “Chicago Winter Delights” with weekly Saturday-evening fireworks, downtown hotel rooms starting at $69 a night and restaurants touting meals for $20.02. Call (877) CHICAGO (244-2246) or visit www.877chicago.com.

History buffs (and those who could use a little help with their history lessons) can follow the Freedom Trail in Boston, where a new “Boston USA Specials” card affords myriad discounts on hotels, meals, shopping, sightseeing tours and more. Here’s your chance to teach your 12-year-old how to crack a lobster. The card is available free online at www.bostonUSA.com or by calling (888) 733-2678.

Stoke the family’s patriotism by heading to Washington, D.C. Guided tours of the Capitol Building have resumed, and many hotels are offering rooms well below $100 a night. Perhaps the best thing about a winter visit is that you won’t have to fight the summer crowds at the Smithsonian or the Washington Monument. Visit www.washington.org.

If you don’t want to venture too far from home, you can drive to a nearby city--or introduce the kids to the joys of train travel. Ridership is at an all-time high, according to Amtrak, with 23.5 million riders in the last year. From now until Feb. 21 (for travel through Feb. 28), buy one ticket and get one free on most routes, including the Acela regional service between Washington, D.C., and Boston; the Coast Starlight from Los Angeles to Seattle; and the California Zephyr from San Francisco to Chicago. Remember that on Amtrak, kids ages 2 to 15 ride for half-price, and seniors (read: grandparents) get 15% off. Call (800) USA-RAIL (872-7245) and mention promotion code H207, or visit www.amtrak.com.

Wherever you go this winter, you shouldn’t have to pay full price. Make it a family project to see how many discounts you can collect and use on one trip--restaurants, museums, attractions and, of course, hotels. Can kids get in free? Is breakfast included? Any extra discounts on purchases? You’ll be surprised how much you can save just by not being shy about asking.

*

Eileen Ogintz welcomes questions and comments from readers. Send e-mail to eogintz@aol.com.