Summer is just around the corner, which means kids of all ages will be out of school and uttering those words every parent dreads hearing: “I’m bored.”

With that in mind, This is Alabama recently asked its Facebook followers to share their favorite Alabama places to take kids during their summer break. The responses ranged from outdoor adventures to museums, amusement parks and more. The one thing they all had in common? They all offer a good time for parents too.

Related: 8 free (or cheap) ways to entertain Alabama kids this summer

So next time you’re looking for a day trip to keep your kids entertained, be sure to check out one of the nine places listed below — or, if you’d like more ideas, you can check out all of the replies on the This is Alabama Facebook page.

Noccalula Falls

1500 Noccalula Road in Gadsden

Looking for a way to show your kids the natural beauty of our state while still keeping them entertained? If so, a visit to Noccalula Falls Park in Gadsden should do the trick. In addition to getting an up-close look at the gorgeous, 90-foot Noccalula Falls that cascades into the Black Creek Ravine, the 250-acre park also offers several trails to explore, including the popular 1.7-mile Black Creek Trail as well as botanical gardens, a petting zoo, mini-golf, a playground and more. Visit for a day or spend the weekend camping or staying in one of the park’s cabins for rent.

Related: 11 extraordinary Alabama natural attractions you can visit

U.S. Space & Rocket Center

1 Tranquility Base in Huntsville

If you have a kiddo who loves all things space (and even if you don’t), a visit to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville would be the perfect way to spend a summer day. While there, your family can explore a variety of interactive exhibits and one of the world’s largest collections of rockets and space artifacts in the world. Plus, you can experience three times the force of gravity on the G-Force Accelerator, find out what a rocket launch really feels like on the Moon Shot, watch live presentations and catch one of the daily films shown on its state-of-the-art digital dome theater.

Related: 10 uniquely Alabama museums worth a visit

Tigers for Tomorrow Wild Animal Preserve

708 County Road 345 in Attalla

For animal lovers, a visit to Tigers for Tomorrow in Attalla, a nonprofit wild animal preserve, allows tours on select days throughout the summer. While there, you can take a two-hour walkabout tour — either self-guided or through a guided community tour — to see the park’s many inhabitants, including black bears, timber wolves, eight species of wild cats and more. There’s also capybaras, a camel, Scottish Highland Cows, goats and many other barnyard animals to see. Private tours with a tiger feeding experience and capybara encounters are also available at an additional price.

Related: Alabama’s Tigers for Tomorrow preserve welcomes 2 white lions

Cathedral Caverns

637 Cave Road in Woodville

If you’re in a search of a way to show your kids the natural beauty of Alabama that doesn’t involve the blazing sun of summer, a tour of Cathedral Caverns — where it’s always a comfortable 60 degrees — should do the trick. During a 90-minute tour of the awe-inspiring cave at Cathedral Caverns State Park, you’ll be able to see Goliath, one of the largest stalagmites in the world measuring 243 feet in circumference, in addition to a “frozen” waterfall, stalagmite forest and many other one-of-a-kind formations, all while staying out of the heat.

Related: 4 awe-inspiring Alabama caves you need to see

Alabama Aquarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab

102 Bienville Boulevard in Dauphin Island

If your beach trip this summer finds you near the Alabama Aquarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, be sure to stop in for a visit and get away from the sun for a few hours. The aquarium offers visitors of all ages the chance to see visual displays as well as interactive exhibits while learning more about the four key habitats of coastal Alabama. In addition, it features a variety of tanks where you can see an array of fish and more, including large outdoor touch tanks where you can get up close with four species of sting rays as well as bonnethead sharks.

Read more: 9 waterfront towns in Alabama to visit

Cook Museum of Natural Science

133 4th Avenue NE in Decatur

At Cook’s Museum of Natural Science, you and your family can learn a lot while having plenty of fun in the process by exploring a variety of exhibits geared towards hands-on experiences. With interactive exhibits focused on space as well as oceans, forests, insects and more, there’s plenty to see and do during your visit. While there, your kiddos will get to check out a 15,000-gallon saltwater aquarium, touch a real meteorite from outer space, experiment with a hands-on Kinetic sand table to create an erupting volcano, crawl through cave walls to find the animals that call it home and so much more.

Related: This museum is about more than bugs

USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park

2703 Battleship Parkway in Mobile

For a summer day trip that you’ll likely enjoy just as much as your kids, visit the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile. For history buffs, the retired World War II battleship is a must-see, and while there, you can take a self-guided tour of 12 decks of the ship for an up-close look at the engine room, galley, crew’s quarters and more. In addition, you can also view the USS DRUM, the oldest American submarine on public display, the Medal of Honor Aircraft Pavilion, which houses an extensive collection of historic aircrafts, vehicles and war artifacts, as well as several war memorials on the park’s grounds.

Read more: 14 landmarks we can’t imagine Alabama without

Alligator Alley

19950 County Road 71 in Summerdale

Alligator Alley in Summerdale offers kids and adults alike the opportunity to see (and feed!) hundreds of gators of every size, from hatchlings to 14-footers. Just grab a bag of food for sale in the store on your way in before taking a self-guided tour through the exhibits and elevated boardwalks built atop a natural swamp that many of the alligators happily call home. During your visit, you can also check out several educational shows, see a variety of snakes and reptiles on display and even hold a baby alligator if you or your kiddos are feeling brave.

Read more: 8 Alabama pit stops you’ll wanna make on your next beach trip

Alabama Adventure and Splash Adventure

4599 Splash Adventure Parkway in Bessemer

Summer learning is never a bad thing, but sometimes, a summer getaway with kids just needs to be about fun, and that’s where Alabama Adventure and Splash Adventure in Bessemer comes in. The amusement park and water park offers a day filled with rides, including the reopening of the Rampage rollercoaster this year; epic water slides, like the slidewinder, rocket racer and Neptune’s plunge, and plenty of other thrills that the whole family can enjoy together. The waterpark also includes a lazy river and playgrounds for younger guests or those looking to take things a little slower.

Read more: Alabama waterpark to host adults-only night because parents like fun too