Despite its name, this museum, one of the city’s most grand, covers human history as it developed on all continents. It was established in 1753 and grew over the next centuries along with the British Empire. While the sun largely set on the British Empire, though, it did not on the British Museum. 2000 marked the opening of the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, which boasts an expansive glass and steel ceiling designed by Foster and Partners architects. “It’s a wonderful open, light space where the kids feel free,” says Emily Dyson Paley. Eventually, though, kids will want to leave the sunlit splendor to check out the Egyptian mummies.