The Top Destinations for Teens in Israel

Galilee and Hiafa

• Devout Christian teens go to Galilee to see where, according to the New Testament, Jesus was born, raised and baptized; and where he performed miracles; spoke to Moses; and delivered the Sermon on the Mount. The Galilee is also a place of rugged natural beauty where many teens go hiking, rafting and kayaking. In the city of Haifa, teens can stroll through the magnificent Baha'i Gardens, then go to the Ein Hod Artists' Village to watch artists work and buy a keepsake.

Tel Aviv

• In Tel Aviv teens can shop for food in Carmel Market, then go to Park Hayarkon for a picnic. After eating, they can take a hike, ride a bike or skateboard; climb a wall; go boating; cool off at a water park; attend a concert; view the tropical gardens and aviary; and play ballgames. They can end the day with dinner and a play at the Nalga'at Center. Dinner at the center's BlackOut Restaurant is served in total darkness by blind waiters; the 11 actors in the play are deaf and/or blind as well.

Rehovot

• Young scientists should not miss the Clore Garden of Science at the Weizmann Institute. The garden contains almost 80 hands-on scientific exhibits including a solar furnace that instantly ignites wood, a "moon swing" where teens can experience walking on the moon and a fountain where visitors can adjust the height of the water by redirecting solar panels. If your teen likes movies with intrigue and adventure, check out the Ayalon Institute. In the 1930s, when the British were in control of Israel, the Jewish underground created a secret bullet factory under an industrial laundry. To further conceal the project, the underground built a working kibbutz around the laundry. The site has now been turned into a museum with displays of people at work in the factory, the laundry and the kibbutz.

Jerusalem's Museums

• The Israel Museum, one of the world̵7;s leading art and archaeology repositories, houses nearly 500,000 objects including the Dead Sea Scrolls, other rare early biblical manuscripts and a model of Jerusalem prior to its destruction by the Romans in A.D. 66. The museum̵7;s Billy Rose Art Garden is both a display of oriental landscaping on an ancient hillside and a backdrop for sculptures by Lipchitz, Moore, Oldenburg, Picasso, Rodin, (David) Smith and other fine artists. Mature teens might go to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust History Museum. After experiencing how victims lived by reading the testimonies of survivors and by viewing original artifacts and personal possessions, visitors enter "The Hall of Names" and then a balcony revealing all of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem's Old City

• Coming-of-age ceremonies are often celebrated in the Old City. This city within a city consists of about 220 acres divided into quarters for Muslims, Christians, Armenians and Jews. Attractions include the Dome of the Rock where, according to the Koran, Mohammed ascended to heaven; the 14 stations of the cross or "The Way of the Cross," and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher; the Arab market; and the Western Wall. The Western Wall, one of the most significant sites in the world for Jews, is the last remnant of the Second Temple that was destroyed in A.D. 70. It also is where Jews believe Adam was created, and where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son. For thousands of years, Jews from around the world have written notes to God and placed them in cracks in the wall.

The Dead Sea

• The southern end of the Dead Sea contains two popular teen destinations ̵1; the Masada and Ein Gedi Park. The Masada, a 2,000-year-old fort on top of a cliff, is where almost 1,000 Jewish rebels held off the Romans for two years before choosing mass suicide rather than capture and slavery. Ein Gedi National Park is a desert oasis with springs, pools, waterfalls, lush vegetation and trails of varying length and difficulty. The park is inhabited by goats, ibex and desert leopards.

Eilat

• Eilat, the southernmost city in Israel, is at the northern end of the Red Sea. Teens in this beach town can water-ski, surf, windsurf, kite-surf, go boating and swim with dolphins. The Red Sea near Eilat contains coral reefs that attract a variety of sea creatures. Visitors can observe the creatures up close while scuba diving, or from a safe distance in the underwater observatory. Teens who are lucky enough to be in Eilat in August should catch the Red Sea Jazz Festival ̵1; a destination for great musicians since 1987.