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Groups of visitors slowly approach it, read the signs explaining the freezing bite of the water that night, and the science behind just how cold an iceberg gets.

"It’s just a model," one woman explains to the little boy accompanying her, who asks whether the shimmering mass in front of him is real.

But the child reaches out to touch it and recoils in shock — the ice is real, and painfully cold.

"Titanic — the Exhibit," on display at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland through Sept. 2, isn't the only reason to visit this city just two and a half hours to our west. The science center is just one of the city's world-class museums that hold fascinating permanent and traveling exhibits that entertain and educate children while providing a level of sophistication adults can enjoy, as well.

And with the heat and humidity keeping some of us from enjoying the great outdoors this summer — or torrential downpours and lightning storms ruining our free weekends — a museum isn’t a bad place to be.

So if you’re feeling the need for a quick escape from your regular routine but can’t count on the weather to cooperate, take a quick trip west to Cleveland and check out its world-class museums — in the comfort of air conditioning and sheltered from the driving rain. Who knows? The weather might even cooperate enough for you to enjoy Lake Erie while you’re there, too.

The Titanic exhibit, while not the only thing to see at the science center, certainly is the biggest attraction there this summer. The exhibition includes hundreds of artifacts recovered from the Titanic, everything from clothing to dinner plates to jewelry and even a wine bottle with its cork and contents intact.

The exhibit also involves visitors in a bit of role-playing — don’t worry, you don’t really have to act — by handing out "tickets" printed with the name and class of actual passengers who were on board the Titanic the night it sank. In our group of six, there are two third-class women, one third-class man, a member of the crew, and a second- and first-class woman.

Traveling further into the exhibit, a man acting the part of a ship steward reads our tickets and responds appropriately: "Welcome aboard, welcome aboard," he gushes to the only first-class passenger in our group as he takes her hand, promising to attend to any request she has during the trip. "Please enjoy your trip, and let us know if there is anything we can do for you."

He regards with disdain those of us relegated to third class — and instructs us to report to the infirmary for our delousing.

The class differences — and gender distinctions — also are made graphically apparent at the end of the exhibit, where you compare your ticket to names on the wall. One list is of survivors, the other for those lost. Among our group, both men and one of the third-class women did not survive the sinking of the ship.

Beyond Titanic, however, are floors of activities that children will love — they can take a simulated ride on a hang-glider or the space shuttle; play with contraptions that let them make music or a miniature tornado and even pretend to give a weather report in front of a blue screen just like they do on the evening news. And, well, yes, it’s fun for adults, too.

Right next door to the science center is the king of all Cleveland attractions — the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, a glass pyramid of a building that sits at the edge of Lake Erie and showcases five decades of musical history.

It’s a place where you might hear tiny tots singing along with their favorite Beatles tune and mom and dad puzzling over Christina Aguilera’s "dress" on display — just how did she managed to perform in something which rather resembles a couple of hankies stitched together?

High on the priority list at the museum is the John Lennon exhibit — a show that just keeps getting held over and will continue to run at least through the end of the year.

The exhibit includes photos of Lennon with the Beatles, Lennon with his second wife, Yoko Ono, and their son, Sean. It also includes many of Lennon’s whimsical pieces of artwork, his guitars, costumes and other pieces of clothing — and a white telephone that occasionally rings. Visitors who pick up the phone will speak with Yoko Ono herself on the other line.

The exhibit also includes the amusing and unexpected — a series of report cards from Lennon’s grade-school days show his teachers had varying opinions of him. He’s called a chatterbox, a hopeless case, a talented art student. A chemistry teacher says he’s too busy devising witty sayings to pay much attention during class.

It also includes the somber — a column-like display allows visitors to peer through holes at the clothes Lennon was wearing Dec. 8, 1980, when he was murdered outside his New York City apartment. His blood-smudged glasses are prominently displayed.

New displays featuring the B-52's join a popular exhibit on Jimi Hendrix, which includes family photos, original drawings, costumes and a Surround Sound theater showing a 15-minute program including re-edited and remastered footage from "Jimi Hendrix: Live at the Isle of Wight."

Away from the lake and into Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood is the Cleveland Museum of Art, currently hosting "Into the Light: The Projected Image in American Art, 1964-1977," a first-of-its kind exhibit of projected art, including works from unfamiliar artists as well as household names Yoko Ono and Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol. Some of the works haven't been seen since their creation.

This challenging exhibit, parts of it inappropriate for children, shares a building with impressive collections the kids will race to — Egyptian arts including elaborate coffins that once held mummies and a stunning collection of medieval armor, including as its centerpiece a full set of adult armor riding high upon a model of a horse, also donning heavy metal plates.

Cleveland's museums also extend into more specialized areas — anyone interested in polka music or women in aviation or maritime history also will can bask in museums devoted solely to these endeavors.

Whether you're planning to spend the whole day at one of the larger, more elaborate museums, or choosing an eclectic lot to break up the weekend, Cleveland's showcases make for an enlightening and entertaining day or weekend diversion.

Exhibits include costumes, photographs, music and interactive kiosks illuminating decades of rock ’n' roll history. A special exhibit on John Lennon runs through Dec. 31.

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