Nothings beats gazing at the stars. 

Except, perhaps, looking through a powerful telescope and actually seeing Saturn's rings.

Melton Memorial Observatory at USC gives people the chance to look at the moon, stars, and planets --and yes, Saturn's rings -- through the observatory's telescopes

The observatory -- a little golden tower topped with a copper-green dome -- looks like a fairy-tale itself. The night we went, light poured out of the wide-open door at the base, but no one was inside. A sign told us to climb the staircase, an ancient, twisting, black iron contraption spiraling upwards into blackness and lined with red Christmas lights.

"Ooooh! So spooky!" Mary Frances said in her most approving voice.

When we reached the top, we found ourselves in a dark, round room with a high domed ceiling and a red telescope. The telescope, from the 1920s and currently being refurbished, stretched to the top of the observatory's dome.

An older man appeared in silhouette at the door, waved at us to follow him, and said, "Everything's out here."

Outside on the walkway that encircles the building, we found a cluster of people around a fat, modern telescope looking at Mercury. The kids were impressed by the telescope, but seemed unimpressed by the planet, just a glowing dot in the eyepiece.

But next came Saturn, glowing bright white, with rings as visible and obvious as the nose on your face.

The first and only other time I saw Saturn's rings -- really saw them through a telescope, not a photograph -- was in college. But the second time was as just as oddly thrilling. And the children were actually breathless the first time they looked. "Is it real or a sticker?" one asked.

Equally thrilling for the children was the green laser pointer that the director of the observatory used to point out the stars in the sky. The laser pointer, we learned, can ignite a match and pop a balloon in seconds, but cannot cook an egg.

And the last thrill of the night was the enormous toilet in the bathroom downstairs, a toilet that also looked like it was an original from the 1920s. Jimmy and Mary Frances don't always need a telescope to see amazing things.

Melton Observatory is located on the campus of the University of South Carolina at 1429 Greene St., Columbia. The observatory opens every Monday night at dusk for two hours, depending on the weather. For exact hours each week, see their website. Admission is free.

Insider Tip: This is definitely a trip for older, school-aged children. The telescopes are fragile pieces of equipment, the observation deck is very narrow, the spiral staircase is steep, skinny and goes up for a long time, and the activity, by its nature, has to happen in the dark. I know this combination would have been too much to ask from my two when they were toddlers.

So exciting! The South Carolina Aquarium is releasing seven sea turtles into the ocean Tuesday, and everyone is welcome to come watch. The seven, all Kemp's ridley sea turtles, were cold-stunned off the coast of New England last winter and needed care and rehabilitation at the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital. Now they're ready to go home.

(On a personal note, as someone who once swam regularly off the coast of Cape Cod, I can vouch for how stunningly cold the Atlantic can be in New England, even in the height of summer!)

I spoke with the aquarium, and they said this is a truly kid-friendly event. At previous releases, children lined the beach lane the turtles waddled down toward the ocean and cheered. And what's not to cheer?

If you want to be there to see this amazing and joyful sight, head to Beachwalker County Park on Kiawah Island at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 18. The event is free, but parking at the park is $8 per car. For more information, click here.

A few weeks ago, the kids and I visited Cowpens, a Revolutionary War battlefield, and Walnut Grove, a Colonial-era plantation house right outside Spartanburg. Jimmy kept saying he couldn't imagine living back then. Mary Frances could definitely imagine, and she spent the day pretending to fire a musket and spin wool. (I'll have much more on those great places to come soon.) 

In the meantime, this weekend, both imaginative and concrete-thinking kids will get the chance to really try out life in colonial South Carolina. Kings Mountain National Military Park is hosting Children's Colonial Day on Saturday, June 15. Kids will be able to dress like colonial children, play games children of the time would have played, and get a chance to do the chores and work children of the time were expected to do.

Just think: the next time your children complain about not having a new toy, you can remind them that 250 years ago, kids had to make their toys from corn husks.

Colonial Children's Day is a free event this Saturday, June 15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Kings Mountain National Military Park, outside of Blacksburg.

Insider Tip: Kings Mountain State Park (an entirely separate park) is less than three miles away. The state park offers picnicking, hiking, and a self-guided living history farm. You could make a nice (and very history-filled) day of visiting both.

The lights darkened, the curtain opened, and out sauntered a prince. Children laughed and squealed happily, and then fell silent. He was dashing in his velvet clothes, and striking with his enormous eyes and chiseled nose. You could barely make out the strings that held him up.

From the moment the first puppet appeared at the onstage, the children (and adults) in the theatre were entranced. There was lots of gasping and giggling. My 6-year-old said she actually forgot that these were marionettes on stage, and not real people.

It's a remarkable art form that isn't very common in the U.S., and one of the very few dedicated puppetry theaters in America happens to be right here in our state capitol! The Columbia Marionette Theatre was founded in 1989 by Allie Scollon, and the tradition continues today with shows almost every Saturday of the year.

The group makes all its own marionettes (or puppets controlled by strings), as well as all the sets and other, smaller puppets used in the plays. Some of the puppets are up to five feet tall and are controlled by puppeteers who stand almost 10 feet above the stage.

Make sure to get there early enough to spend some time getting an up-close look at the big marionettes from previous production that are on display in the lobby. Mary Frances reports that this was actually her favorite part of the afternoon.

The theater also writes all the scripts and music used in the shows. The plays are based on classic fairy tales as well as new stories. We had the great luck to see "Beauty and the Beast," which closed on June 1. Now we’re getting ready to go back to see "Dinosaur Tales" which began its run on June 8.

The Columbia Marionette Theatre is located at 401 Laurel St., Columbia. (803) 252-7366.

Shows are most Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. (check the website to make sure the shows are running that day). Tickets are $5 per person, and children younger than 2 are admitted free. The theater also offers birthday party packages, including a show.

Insider Tip:

The theater is very dark during the performance, and this might scare some younger children. If you know your children are scared of the dark, plan to sit with them, instead of letting them sit in the kids-only rows near the stage.

So now you want to make yourself a robot?

The Mini Maker Faire at EdVenture last Saturday was a blast, and we heard not a few kids asking how they could learn to make robots and motion-sensing automated Nerf guns and their own video games, among other things.

Well, they're in luck. This Saturday, June 15, is Cyber Saturday for middle schoolers and high school students at IT-ology, a non-profit collaboration based in Columbia dedicated to creating and growing IT talent in South Carolina.

IT-ology holds a Cyber Saturday every month, and every session is different. This month, middle schoolers (6th through 8th grades) will be making their own smart phone app and will watch a documentary on Watson, the famous computer program that won on Jeopardy against champion Ken Jennings.

In the session for high school students (9th through 12th graders), kids will participate in Codecademy, and will actually learn coding.

Past sessions have covered everything from video game development to 3D printing to robotics.

Wondering what you'll do as your kids have all this fun? A cyber-cafe with Wi-Fi and snacks will be set up for parents. And while some might like the idea of three quiet, uninterrupted hours to themselves (cough, cough, me), parents are also welcome to join the fun and get some hands-on IT experience themselves.

Cyber Saturday is June 15 at IT-ology, 1301 Gervais St., Suite 201, Columbia. The middle school session is from 9 a.m. to noon. High school students meet from 1 to 4 p.m. Participants must register beforehand by clicking here, because space is limited.