Despite all the wonderful lessons about history and culture and nature that can be learned during a vacation in the mountains sometimes — kids just want to be kids.

Balancing a family’s needs is what it’s all about. If they can go to the playground, you adults can go to the golf course. If they can have pizza for dinner, you adults can have some time alone together after dinner. If they can get a new toy as a souvenir, you adults can keep them occupied for the ride home.

With that in mind, here are a few recommendations of ways to keep your kids happy and entertained while they’re here.

• Catch Your Own Trout Ponds — There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of your own fresh caught trout. Head to Morgan Mill Trout Fishing in Cherokee (828.497.9227) or Otter Creek Trout Farm in Topton (828.321.9810) for kid-friendly fishing and smoked trout.

• The Fun Factory — Located in Franklin, the Fun Factory offers more than 100 arcade games, indoor mini golf, outdoor mini golf, bowling, go carts, bumper cars, laser tag, a carousel, air hockey, a Ferris wheel, batting cages big screen TVs, and oh yeah, a pizza place, a steak house and a coffee and dessert bar. There’s something for all ages. If it’s a rainy day and your outdoor activities got cancelled, the Factory is a great place to still get all the ya-yas out. The Factory is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday – Thursday and 10 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday. Located on U.S. 441 South. 828.349.8888.

• Gem Mining — Western North Carolina boasts native gems such as rubies, sapphires and emeralds. Head to a local gem mine — Macon County is the most well known for the activity — and get a little dirty in your quest for mineral riches. There’s also Ruby City and the Gem and Mineral Museum, both in downtown Franklin, where you can learn about what comes out of the ground. For more information, contact the Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce at 828.524.3161.

• Hands-On Learning — Learning is better when you can actually get your hands on the subject matter. The Highlands Nature Center has live turtles, snakes, snails and mice and a Touch and Learn Table filled with objects such as bones, furs and more. Kids can hold a bird feather, look inside a honeybee hive or use microscopes to examine nature samples. The center is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The Highlands Botanical Garden is adjacent to the center. 828.526.2602.

• Kid Friendly Dining — Nick and Nate’s, which has a restaurant on Main Street in Wayneville and plans to open another in Sylva near the hospital, offers pizza with toppings from pepperoni to spinach and a lunch buffet that includes items such as mashed potatoes and pork chops. As a bonus to trip chaperons, the restaurant has Heinzelmannchen Brewery’s libations on tap. The Brewery itself is located on Mill Street in downtown Sylva and offers free tastings, including root beer for the little ones. Other restaurants that are sure to be a hit with young and sometimes picky eaters include Granny’s Chicken Palace next to Lake Junaluska and the Jarrett House in Dillsboro, where you dine family style, Joey’s Pancake House in Maggie Valley, where fruit topped waffles and chocolate chip pancakes are sure to please, and for a meal on the go, Slow Joe’s Café in Bryson City, where you can grab a quick bite while enjoying the action at the Nantahala’s busiest rafting take-out.

• Old Fashioned Soda Fountains — A root beer float? A banana split? You can find it at any one of several soda fountains in the area. There’s the Motor Grill Co. in Franklin, that also offers hot dogs and fries in a retro setting. Bradley’s General Store in Dillsboro sells soft drinks in glass bottles along with Moon Pies and Mayfield Ice Cream. And Bradley’s in Sylva (a spin-off from the original) is a great place to grab a cone and souvenir. Soda Pops in Bryson City sports a bevy of Coca-Cola memorabilia.

• Playtime on the Playground — Probably the best playground in the area is located at Poteet Park in Sylva. There’s a log castle to climb up and slide down and all the usual playground things, as well as a picnic pavilion. The Park is located right next to the public pool and within walking distance to downtown shopping. The playground at Big Bear Shelter on the Little Tennessee Greenway in Franklin also is notable, as is the one in the Waynesville Recreation Park on Vance Street. The Little Tennessee Greenway itself boasts miles of wide, relatively level trailway for walking and biking, as well as fishing piers and picnic shelters. If you’re going there, stop in at the Friends of the Little Tennessee Greenway’s headquarters located across from the Big Bear Shelter on Main Street. It also includes a coffee shop, gift shop and offers free, wireless Internet. The Little Tennessee Greenway’s headquarters located across from the Big Bear Shelter on Main Street. It also includes a coffee shop, gift shop and offers free, wireless Internet.

• Smoky Mountain Trains — With its collection of 7,000 Lionel engines, cars and accessories, operating layout, children’s activity center, and gift/toy shop, Smoky Mountain Trains in Bryson City has something for everyone. The vast collection dates back to 1918 and features such classics as the 1934 Blue Comet Passenger set and the more recent Joshua Lionel Cowen Challenger steam locomotives. The museum is owned by the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad — also a great experience for kids — and admission is included in most excursion ticket prices. Kids get free engineer hats, there are play tables with wooden trains, and a scavenger hunt to find more than 30 items and scenes on the track layout for which you can win a prize. Located on Greenlee Street adjacent to the train depot. 866.914.5200.

• Theme Parks — The Maggie Valley institution Ghost Town in the Sky offers staged gunfights, rides, live music and shows, crafts, food and lots more fun. Ghost Town has an authentic western town with two saloons, schoolhouse, jail and a church. It’s a great place for families to spend a day. 828.926.1140. And just over the mountain in Cherokee Santa’s Land is a perfect place for the youngsters — and those who just love Christmas — to feed live deer and ride the Rudicoaster. 828.497.9191.