Here's a trick you can use with your pre-teen kids.  Buy a pair of decent walkie-talkies from RadioShack. Take a couple of kids to the Art Museum and let them wander the museum as a couple of kids staying in touch with you on the walkie-talkies.  They get a chance to spread their wings a bit and you get a chance to see the Museum in peace.

 Another good place to use these things is the grocery store.  Give your kid a walkie-talkie and a short list of items and let them help you with the shopping.  

 It's amazing how much help a kid can be when you turn things into a game.

Recommeded for ages 6 and up.