10 Amazing Space Centers to explore with the family!

"Space. The final frontier." Even before Captain Kirk uttered those words, space has captured our imagination. America's space program became a national point of pride beginning in 1961, when President Kennedy challenged Congress to land a man on the moon within the decade. Astronauts like Alan Shepherd (the first American in space), John Glenn (the first to orbit the Earth) and Neil Armstrong, who walked on the moon on July 20, 1969 became heroes, both here and around the world.

If you'd like a taste of what it would be like to explore the stars, here are ten awe-inspiring, fun places to check out. Get ready for liftoff.

1. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER VISITOR COMPLEX, Titusville, FL

It was the launch site for the Apollo missions, and the Holy Grail of space museums. The Apollo/Saturn Center allows you to touch an actual rock brought back from the moon; there's an exhibit of the space shuttle Atlantis, a launch experience that lets you feel what it's like to blast off and the Rocket Garden which honors the amazing technology of the space program over the decades.

2. INTREPID SEA, AIR & SPACE MUSEUM, New York, NY

The historic aircraft carrier, USS Intrepid, was the recovery vessel for the Mercury and Gemini space missions. The Space Shuttle Pavilion is home to Enterprise, the prototype for all future shuttles, and features fascinating artifacts. Speaking of the Enterprise, summer of 2016 sees the exhibit, Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience on board.

3. SPACE CENTER HOUSTON, Houston, TX

This is where astronauts train for their missions, and offers plenty of exhibits and attractions to give you an idea of all that involves. There's a full-scale replica of the space shuttle, a collection of space suits worn on historic missions and more. If you really want to nerd out, students can sign up for the weeklong Space Center University.

4. GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT VISITOR CENTER, Greenbelt, MD

Kids can don a spacesuit in their size, and climb inside a model of the Gemini capsule. There are a ton of fun exhibits and activities showing the science of the planets, outer space, climate change and more. The Solarium exhibit gives a view and experience of the sun that's truly eye-opening.

5. VIRGINIA AIR & SPACE CENTER, Hampton, VA

The city is where America's space program first got its earliest start (at NASA's Langley Research Center) - so it's fitting that several historic craft reside here, including the Apollo 12 command module, a Mercury 14 spacecraft and a hatch from Gemini 10. There's also a Lunar Landing simulator to try out.

6. NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM, Washington, DC

This is a wildly-popular part of the Smithsonian. You get a wonderful sense of the history of the space race, not to mention the incredible technology that had to be developed every step of the way. There are artifacts from the historic Apollo moon landing; the Planetarium is pretty mind-blowing too, sending you on a journey deep into the cosmos.

7. GREAT LAKES SCIENCE CENTER, Cleveland, OH

The NASA Glenn Visitor Center is a big attraction. Named for Ohio son John Glenn, it features many artifacts from his historic "Friendship 7" mission of 1962. There are also touch-able moon rocks, space suits from heroes like Buzz Aldrin, full-size models to clamber through and a "Martian landscape" to explore.

8. U.S. SPACE & ROCKET CENTER, Huntsville, AL

You can see the original capsule trainers for the Mercury and Gemini missions, enter simulators for a space shot and G-forces, and get a sense of what it's like to live and work aboard the International Space Station.

9. INFINITY SCIENCE CENTER, Hancock County, MS

One of NASA's newest visitor centers, it features the kinds of exhibits that make kids go "ooooh" - like a simply ginormous F-1 rocket engine, buoys that alert to tsunamis, even a life-size walk-through model of part of the International Space Station.

10. CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CENTER, Los Angeles, CA

One of the most amazing displays is the space shuttle Endeavor - including its massive 65,000-pound external tank. Also on display is an early Mercury capsule, one of the Gemini capsules, actual space suits and the Apollo capsule that made an historic docking with Russia's Soyuz spacecraft.