I'm a longtime fan of the King Manor Museum at 150-03 Jamaica Avenue. As a teacher, I took my students on a field trip here years ago and these days I take my daughters to the museum's Hands-on History programs. At these FREE monthly events, families can learn about the life and legacy of Rufus King, a late 18th-, early 19th-century lawyer, politician, diplomat and anti-slavery activist. Each edition has a different theme and includes a tour of the house, stories, crafts, and interactive period activities like pressing apples to make cider, churning butter and watching outdoor Colonial cooking demos. While I admit my young children weren't that into the tour, they did love all the activities, especially writing with a quill and ink. The museum is located in Rufus King Park so there's a playground nearby and plenty of benches. You can visit the King Manor Museum at other times for a small fee, but the FREE Hands-on History events are definitely your best bet with kids.

Housed in the gorgeous, Gothic Revival-style Fort Totten Castle, the Bayside Historical Society at Bell Boulevard and 212th Street in Fort Totten Park is dedicated to preserving the history of the neighborhood. It's open year-round but I think it's more fun to visit when it's hosting special family events, which usually cost $5 or less. My daughters and I attended its annual Winter Solstice Cookies and Crafts party, and we enjoyed posing with Santa and the Ice Queen, decorating pinecones with glitter and stringing popcorn. But the highlight of our trip was checking out the Blue Room, a Colonial playroom, where my girls dressed up in recreations of period clothing and played with old-fashioned toys. They loved that the games and playthings were different than what they're used to. The Blue Room isn't always open, but it's accessible during family events.

Visiting the genteel, 19th-century Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden at 149-19 38th Avenue in Flushing feels like stepping into another era. The interior looks authentic to the period, and the lush garden is maintained using 19th-century techniques. Although you can take a tour year-round, it's best to visit during one of its family programs on select weekends. The suggested cost is $5 per family and the themes can be delightfully offbeat—back in January, my family and I enjoyed cartoons from the 1920s-1930s projected on 16mm film! But there are also traditional seasonal celebrations like Valentine's Day, summer solstice. Kids can also sip on fresh-squeezed juice made with grapes picked in the garden, read in the cozy library and even sit on the downstairs furniture. In warm weather, the garden truly is a highlight with stunning flowers, a koi pond and a thriving bee colony.

Find out about other hands-on historic programs for kids in our Museum Guide.