4 Best Sights in Side Trip to Ashdod, Tel Aviv

This family-friendly museum hosts exhibitions by contemporary artists from around the world. It has 12 galleries and two halls, as well as a striking pyramidal space for cultural events and performances. The Mishbetzet gallery features works by Israeli artists and is especially fun for kids. Young visitors can pedal a bike to generate energy, solve riddles, and uncover the secrets hidden in the permanent exhibitions. The Green Submarine gallery is dedicated to activities involving art and the environment.

Located near the shoreline, Ashdod Yam Park is a pleasant 20-hectare space that's perfect if you're visiting with kids in tow. There's a good playground with shade, biblically-themed sculptures, basketball courts with hoops at different heights, plenty of nearby cafes and restaurants, and a large man-made lake with paddleboats for getting out onto the water. Visit in the evening and catch the Dancing Fountains show, a fun water and light show that happens six nights a week (Sunday through Thursday at 6:30 pm, 8:30 pm, 10:15 pm and Saturday night at 8:30 pm and 10:15 pm).

The only archaeology museum wholly dedicated to Philistine culture, the exhibits here combine traditional archaeological findings with innovative, high-tech, and experiential displays. The permanent exhibit features a Philistine family, idols and cultic objects, and the pillars of Samson. There are also temporary exhibitions on a number of ethnographic subjects. The museum restaurant features a fun selection of Philistine tea and sweets.

Created by Israeli artist Motti Mizrachi, this large, flying saucer-like disk looks like it fell to earth and embedded itself vertically into the ground. Perched in the middle of a large, empty plaza, and measuring 59-feet in diameter, it's an impressive sight. The eastern side of the disc is yellow, representing the sun and the eastern culture. The western side is a silvery gray, for the moon and western culture. After dark, the Eye is illuminated from within by LED lights that shift across a spectrum of colors.