Dover with kids: the Kent County family shortlist

The one to build a day around. A free hangar and outdoor airpark at the edge of Dover Air Force Base, where you can step inside several of the planes — plus a flight simulator and the restored control tower. Wednesday through Sunday only, and figure two to three hours of real walking.

A free cluster of historic sites around Dover's 1683 town green — the Old State House, Legislative Hall, the Johnson Victrola Museum. Pick two or three rather than all of them, and let the little ones reset on The Green in between. The Green is open daily; the indoor sites keep limited hours.

Free American art on the green, and small enough for an hour. It's a quiet museum, not a hands-on one, so it works best with kids when you time your visit to a family program — Biggs Kids, Mini-Masters, or a Family Movie Night. Open Thursday through Sunday only.

The default free outdoor stop in town: a 182-acre lakeside park with the playground split into a 2–5 area and a 5–12 area, plus about 0.6 mile of paved lakeside path for strollers and bikes. Dawn to dusk, free parking, pack your own food. No swimming, ever.

In Smyrna, and the rare nature outing that asks nothing of little legs — a 12-mile auto-tour route through tidal marsh, so the birds come to you. Small per-vehicle federal fee. Late fall and winter bring the snow geese; summer brings heat and biting greenhead flies.

In Felton, and a summer day of its own: Killens Pond Water Park is an outdoor pool and slides with its own per-person admission on top of the park's in-season per-vehicle fee. Beyond the water park: boat rentals on the millpond (seasonal), about 9 miles of trails, disc golf, and a nature center.

The free fallback when the weather turns. Recurring programs most weeks — Toddler Time, Baby & Me, and Songs & Stories for the youngest; Build It!, LEGO Build It!, and a chess club for elementary kids; a Teen Loft for older ones. Hours shift by day, so check before you drive over.