As any adult knows, introducing children to cultural activities can be a challenge.

Most traditional museums aren't designed with kids in mind, inclined, as little ones are, to touch things and wander around. And taking them to a concert or the ballet in Baltimore or Washington can be prohibitively expensive and often boring for kids.

So how can adults foster a cultural and historical appreciation in ways that children enjoy?

Harford County offers some choices.

With its long and rich history, natural beauty, and fine cultural and educational institutions, including the Phoenix Festival Theatre, the Susquehanna Symphony and at least a dozen small museums, families have a wealth of options that expose kids to culture -- and still let them have fun.

"This is a family-oriented community," says Diane Molner, director of Discover Harford, the county's quasi-public tourism organization. "We cater to families ... and fortunately we have so much to offer them when it comes to history and culture."

A quick look at some of the local cultural institutions proves her point: Dozens of continuing or special cultural activities are aimed at children, and they cover a variety of interests.

Walking tours by A Tours of Havre de Grace highlight African-American history in the county, visiting former stops on the Underground Railroad. For those interested in maritime trade and history, the Martha Lewis, an authentic skipjack, is moored in Havre de Grace, welcoming visitors for educational cruises on the Chesapeake Bay and encouraging children to try their hands at the oyster tongs.

Steppingstone Museum in Havre de Grace, set in the midst of rolling meadows that invite exploration, teaches children about farm life in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The museum is open every weekend, with artisans on hand to demonstrate crafts of the times and explain what it took to run a farm -- including children's labor.

"Kids learn about the roles and responsibilities of children at that time. They see that children had to work in the fields, or cook or chop wood. It gives them a sense of how fortunate they are today and how hard life was back then," says Linda Noll, Steppingstone's executive director.

To make the experience even more accessible, Steppingstone holds annual events, such as the Fall Harvest Festival, where children can participate in apple butter churning, pottery making, woodworking and other "chores."

At nearby Rock Run, a historic mill in Susquehanna State Park, weekend visitors during warm weather months can watch cornmeal being ground as it was hundreds of years ago and can take the end product home with them.

Situated on the banks of the Susquehanna, the mill is the perfect starting point for a hike on one of the many park trails, including a beautiful greenway path along the river. Visitors often spot osprey or bald eagles and occasionally find arrowheads and other vestiges of the Susquehannock Indians, who lived in the area for centuries, well before Europeans such as Capt. John Smith sailed up the Susquehanna in the 1600s.

In the western end of the county, in the middle of Gunpowder State Park, visitors can tour Jerusalem Mill, a small Colonial village dating to 1772. Every Sunday, the mill offers blacksmithing demonstrations, museum tours and the opportunity to walk around an open-air village that is being restored.

Knowledgeable volunteers from the Friends of Jerusalem Mill explain the mill's history and plans for the restoration of several outbuildings. Also in the park is Jericho Bridge, one of five covered bridges in Maryland. The half-mile walk from Jerusalem Mill to the bridge is one of many trails in Gunpowder State Park that are suited for children.

During Jerusalem Mill's annual Colonial Craft Days, gun-smithing, leather-working and cooking demonstrations are given. Cooking is done over an open fire -- last year, venison was the featured delicacy.

"The activities [for children] that we offer here are enjoyable enough that the educational part is subliminal," Chris Scovill, Jerusalem Mill's curator, says. "They're learning but still leave saying it was an interesting experience."

At Havre de Grace's Decoy Museum and neighboring Maritime Museum, the staffs are also attuned to the interests of children, playing host to hands-on activities and events for kids. This year for the first time, the Decoy Museum is hiring a full-time educator.

"Kids are our future. We have to get them interested in museums and culture so they'll appreciate and support cultural organizations when they're adults," Executive Director Debra Tence says. She notes that the museum's programming is increasingly geared toward children and families, building on popular activities such as decoy carving in summer classes for children 12 and older.

Music and other arts in Harford County are also diverse, affordable and accessible to children.

In addition to family-friendly arts festivals like Swanfest at Swan Harbor Farm, the county has several thriving dance companies and theater groups aimed at younger performers and audience members. Phoenix Festival Theater, housed at Harford Community College, regularly performs plays geared toward children and teens: Godspell, Harriet's Happiest Halloween and Charlotte's Web are three of its planned productions. Ticket prices for children are usually in the $7 range.

And from Washington comes the Washington Ballet, which for the past two years has had a formal affiliation with Harford Community College and performs twice a year in Harford County in the new Amoss Performing Arts Center. One of its performances is geared to children: Last year, the company staged Peter Pan. Next spring, it is scheduled to perform Cinderella.

Into this diverse cultural mix another ingredient has recently been added: the Maryland Conservatory of Music, which provides a pre-college conservatory experience for children as young as age 5.

Daniel "Duke" Thompson, a pianist and executive director of the school that opened last month, says that Harford County is the perfect place to be. The Harford County native, who spent 17 years teaching at a music college in Canada, commissioned a feasibility study two years ago to determine which of three locations would be best to start a music school. Two were in Canada, the third was Harford County.

"Harford County just kept coming up better and better," Thompson says. "The need, the support and the population were all there."

Playgrounds in Harford County

A.B. Demarco Memorial Park, Ruby Drive, Aberdeen

Aberdeen Festival Park, Howard & Franklin streets, Aberdeen

Alice and William Longley Park, 620 Long Bar Harbor Road, Abingdon

Alice Anne Park, Alice Anne Street, Bel Air

Barksdale Park, Barksdale Road, Joppatowne

Battery Village, Village Drive, Havre de Grace

Chell Road Tot Lot, Chell Road, Joppatowne

Churchville Recreation Complex, 111 Glenville Road, Churchville

Edgewater Village Parks, Edgewater Village, Edgewood

Erwin Drive Park, Erwin Drive, Joppatowne

Fallston Recreation Complex, 1809 Fallston Road, Fallston

Flying Point Park, 111 Kennard Ave., Edgewood

Francis Silver Park, 2122 Shuresville Road, Darlington

Friends Park, 35 E. Jarrettsville Road, Forest Hill

Gravel Hill Park, Gravel Hill Road off Route 462, Webster

Heavenly Waters Park, 702 N. Tollgate Road, Bel Air

Highland Park, 707 Highland Road, Street

Homestead Park, MacPhail Road, Bel Air

Howard Park, Shamrock Road, Bel Air

Jarrettsville-Fox Meadows Complex, 3653 Fallston Road, Jarrettsville

Mariner Point Park, 100 Kearney Drive, Joppatowne

McLhinney Park, Conesto & Adams streets, Havre de Grace

Plater Street Park, Plater Street, Aberdeen

Robert Copenhaver Park, 664 Trimble Road, Joppatowne

Rocks State Park, Hills Grove, Rock Ridge and Wilson areas.

Shamrock Park, Lee Way & Hickory Avenue, Bel Air

Somerset Manor, near Ohio Street, Havre de Grace

Todd Field, Seneca Street, Havre de Grace

Tydings Park & Promenade, Commerce Street, Havre de Grace

Victory Street Park, Victory Street, Aberdeen