Money Museum - Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland050

Does money make the world go 'round? We don't think so, but at the Learning Center and Money Museum at the Federal Reserve Bank, money gets its due.

When you're on a tight schedule, the museum can be experienced in 40 minutes. Older children (especially older elementary - middle school age) can easily spend a couple of hours or more here - and adults can have fun and learn a thing or two, too.

While the interactive exhibits don't involve spending, exactly, at least one encourages kids to do some serious bartering. On "Barter Island" (a video game), kids have to trade this, to get that, to arrange a trade for something else, and so on ... in order to get the item they really want. In the end, they learn that bartering can be pretty complicated, and money (as we all know) makes just about everything easier.

Another interactive exhibit teaches visitors how to spot a fake bill.

Worth every penny!