School’s out, and where are you going to go? The Library, of course, but beyond that we recommend the great institutions included in our museum pass program, sponsored by the Friends of the Ridgefield Library. Excited by the recent movie “Night at the Museum,” youngsters are looking at these educational institutions with different eyes. We can’t get you in after hours, but with the Library’s museum pass program, your family can take advantage of free or discounted admission to many destinations in Connecticut that promise a terrific experience for all ages. Particularly popular with kids are the Beardsley Zoo, the Discovery Museum, the Institute for American Indian Studies, the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, the Children’s Museum in West Hartford, Norwalk’s Maritime Aquarium, the Mystic Aquarium, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Roaring Brook Nature Center and Stepping Stones Museum for Children. The newest offering is made available as part of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection’s “No Child Left Inside” initiative and is good for free admission to any state park or forest and to any museums located in a state park.

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Attractions at these institutions include dinosaurs, dolphins, archeological sites, nature trails, planetarium shows and scores of cool interactive exhibits and activities. Pick up a Museum Pass brochure at the Library for more details and web addresses that will get you to listings of current special exhibitions and events. <>

Passes for all of these locales can be found in Children’s Services, may be borrowed for three days and can even be reserved up to 7 days in advance. Ask at the Information Desk for passes to the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford and Ridgefield’s own Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art. Pass privileges vary, and some seasonal restrictions and other limitations apply, so be sure to read the small print before loading everyone in the car.