I was a sophomore in college when I first visited Moscow on a school-sponsored trip with my wrestling team. It was June 1999, and the Russian capital, like the rest of the country, was still reeling in the aftermath of the financial crisis the previous year. Communism had fallen, but cronyism had filled the void. The result: high unemployment, rampant crime and a ruble on the verge of collapse. That Moscow was no place to take the kids.

A decade later, this Moscow — prosperous, vigorous, stylish and fun — most definitely is, and not least for the many attractions families can enjoy together. It’s true that high oil prices have turned the city into a glitzy, top-dollar destination. French chefs have filled the kitchens, and you can find Rolexes in the once cheerless state stores. Even the old socialist-era warehouses, with their grim Stalinesque façades, have been transformed into glittering, celebrity-filled nightclubs.

But the new Moscow isn’t all fast money and fur. There is, as there has always been, a softer side that lets the little ones in on the fun. A particular family favorite, and one with deep Russian roots, is the Obraztsov Puppet Theater, where classics like Pushkin’s The Queen of Spades and Kipling’s The Jungle Book cater to audiences of all ages.

In an age of 3-D movies and Nintendo Wii, puppets may seem as quaint and antiquated as the idea of a communist state itself. But kids are sure to love the colorful characters with their humorous voices and handcrafted charm.

Named for the great Russian puppet master Sergei Obraztsov, the theater is the largest of its kind in the country. Next door, the equally outsized Russian State Museum of Puppetry features more than 3,000 puppets from around the world, including Petrushka, Russia’s version of the original trickster Pulcinella, the most famous of its many characters.

Yet, having glimpsed the dolls in action, your little tricksters may pine for one of their own. And for this, as every Muscovite mother and father well knows, there is the mammoth Detsky Mir (Children’s World), a true Moscow landmark, located nearby.

Built in 1957, the Detsky Mir was long the Soviet Union’s only true toy store and as such held a singular place in children’s imaginations. And though it nearly disappeared in the wake of free-market reforms, the store still stands today, a worthy attraction in the legendary Lubyanka Square — right next to the headquarters of the Federal Security Service (formerly the KGB).

Puppets are all well and good, your child might say. But what is a country without pancakes? Can it really be considered a force on the world stage? A superpower? And the answer, of course, is no. Which is why, many years ago, Russia invented the blini, a delicious crepe-like creation served up with sour cream and caviar; and in Moscow, as perhaps nowhere else in the republic’s 6.6 million square miles, the blini abounds.

Indeed, one of the best discoveries I made on a visit to the city last fall was a charming, apartment-turned-restaurant called Mari Vanna, located in the leafy Pushkin Square. There, in a living room that looked just as it must have when Brezhnev was president, I filled up on steaming stacks of blini as black-and-white classic films played on a Soviet-era TV set. Kids are welcome to pet the cat and play with the toys; and yes, there is maple syrup in the cupboard, just in case.

From Mari Vanna, take the metro to the Park Kultury station and burn off the blini by chasing the kids around Gorky Park. Named for the great Russian writer Maxim Gorky, the amusement park, the Soviet Union’s first, was opened in 1928 and features one of the test units from the Buran Space Shuttle Program. It’s the only place in Moscow where kids can be cosmonauts, at least for an afternoon. They can also ride the giant Ferris wheel, swoop down the alpine slide or splash around in the bumper boats, to name just a few of the park’s fun rides.

Gorky Park, or anything like it, will in all likelihood necessitate a nap. The best place to take one is in your hotel room; and if you’re staying, as I was, at the Swissôtel Krasnye Holmy, you can snooze in peace even if the kids don’t. This is because the Swissôtel, one of Moscow’s most luxurious and well-conceived properties, offers special family-oriented accommodations with a “Kids’ Room” — fun décor, plenty of toys, fall-proof bed — connected to the main suite.

But don’t oversleep. Fight through the jet lag and you shall be rewarded. For not five minutes from your room is the Moscow International House of Music — the Dom Muzyka — winner of the Khrustalny Dedal architectural award at the 11th All-Russian Zodchestvo Festival and home to the National Philharmonic of Russia, which is, in a word, magnificent.

Opened in 2003 and a pet project of the arts-adoring Vladimir Putin, the center is the first classical music hall to be built in Moscow in more than a century. Along with the 34-story Swissôtel, built in 2005, it forms the Riverside Towers cultural-business complex, a Lincoln Center-inspired property on the Kosmodamianskaya embankment, just a few metro stops from Red Square.

I was lucky enough, last September, to be invited to a birthday party: a musical tribute, at the House of Music, to the great Vladimir Spivakov, National Philharmonic’s principal conductor and artistic director, who had just turned 65. The audience, all sleek suits and sparkling jewels, cheered each piece with a standing ovation, and one by one guests made their way to the stage with big bouquets and air kisses for the maestro.

And then it was off to the after-party, a late-night affair at the Swissôtel’s funky, top-floor City Space Bar and Lounge. It’s there, with the glittering Moscow skyline spread out below, that master mixologists Andrey Zastavnyuk and Bek Narzi, virtuosos in their own right, do their magic. That night, my last in Moscow, Narzi, winner of a “Liquid Oscar,” and Zastavnyuk, Russia’s “Best Bartender of 2009,” whipped up all kinds of trouble — a “White Ruskie,” a “Greek Salad Martini,” a “Trans-Siberian Express” — and I drank it.

Info To Go

Although Domodedovo International Airport (DME), 14 miles from city center, is the country’s largest in terms of traffic, Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO), 18 miles from city center, is the main entry point for most foreign arrivals. A taxi from either costs $40–50 and takes 20 minutes to two hours, depending on traffic, which is horrendous in Moscow. Mosow’s extensive metro provides direct service from both airports to the Belorussky Rail Terminal in city center. For information, visit www.visitrussia.com.

Lodging

Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya
One of Moscow’s “Seven Sisters,” this model of Stalinist Neoclassical architecture is well worth a visit; note the lobby’s carved ceilings and bronze statues. 21/40 Kalanchevskaya St., tel 7 495 627 5550, $$$$

The Ritz-Carlton Moscow
From the Portuguese marble in the bathroom to the personal butler service, the Ritz is the pinnacle of luxury at the edge of Red Square. 3 Tverskaya St., tel 7 495 225 8888, $$$$

Swissôtel Krasnye Holmy
Modern, stylish and well appointed, this is Moscow’s premier business hotel, bar none, with the marvelous House of Music as a next-door neighbor. 52 Kosmodamianskaya Nab., Building 6, tel 7 495 787 9800, $$$$

Dining

Kai Restaurant & Lounge
Moscow isn’t known for its seafood, but Kai, under Chef Jean-Michel Hardouin-Atlan, can compete with Europe’s best. 52 Kosmodamianskaya Nab., Building 6, tel 7 495 787 9800 $$$$

Shinok
With its thatched roof and massive oak door, this faux-Ukrainian tavern serves up borscht and pirozhki as farm animals keep the kids entertained. 1905 Ulitsa, Goda 2A, tel 7 495 255 0808 $$$

Starlite Diner
(Aquarium Park)
American expat Shawn Kenna’s Art Deco diner — Formica countertops, Naugahyde booths, pink neon signs — has served up strip steaks and milkshakes since 1995. 16 Bolshaya Sadovaya, M.Mayakovskaya, tel 7 495 650 0246 $$