Exploring Houston, Texas with Children

Exploring Space

Space Center Houston

Plenty of fun for the entire family. Each attraction is self-guided so you can spend as much time or as little in each area as desired. Generally, you should plan to spend 4-6 hours. There is a food court area.

NASA Johnson Space Center Tour

When you visit Space Center Houston, take the tram tour of the Johnson Space Center (JSC).

Burke Baker Planetarium

Planetariums have really blossomed. The whole focus is to make astronomy interesting and fun. An out-of-this-world experience awaits visitors. (The Planetarium is located within the Houston Museum of Natural Science, so your visit can extend to 4-5 hours if you add the Cockrell Butterfly Center and all the exhibits.)

George Observatory at Brazos Bend State Park

One of Houston's hidden jewels. What is unique about the observatory is that it is also an educational facility. Their mission is to get people to look up. There are 3 large telescopes, one of which has a giant 36" mirror. Saturday Night Public Viewing:3 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Moody Gardens Discovery Pyramid

Travel across time and space to discover how we will live and work among the stars. 30+ interactive exhibits and a fun-filled science theater.

Nature

Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary

Tucked away in a residential area north of the Beltway sits a nature paradise waiting to be discovered by children. The sanctuary is open and free to the public. This is not a park. The animals live here. There are 3 ponds, nature trails and a log cabin. Guided tours are available if you call ahead.

Houston Museum of Natural Science

Kids will love the Insect Zoo and there are plenty of docents ready to help kids understand a bug's life.Hours of fun with the planetarium, the butterfly center and more.

Armand Bayou Nature Center (ABNC)

This wildlife refuge and wilderness preserve is the recipient of the Lone Star Land Steard Award. It is the largest urban wildlife preserve in America and perhaps the world. Plenty to see and hear. Kids will have lots of opportunities to encounter nature.

Moody Gardens - Galveston

Explore the North Pacific, South Pacific, South Atlantic Oceans, as well as the Caribbean Sea at this site. Giant glass viewing areas diplay marine life. The kids adore the penguins.

Like Texas, Houston is Big--Really Big

Houston Zoological Gardens

The Houston Zoo is Houston's #1 rated kid-friendly facility.

Allkek Velodrome

This is an Olympic standard bicycle arena, available for serious training and general recreational use. The Velodrome opened in 1986 for the U.S. Olympic Festival. It is one of 20 velodromes in the country and provides racing, classes, and safe cycling.

Playground for All Children

A safe, yet challenging environment for children of all ages and abilities, this innovative playground is the flagship of Houston's park system. Features a Water Play Zone and a birthday party pavilion, patterned after the park's historic picnic pavilion.

Miller Outdoor Theatre

If you want to expose your children to the arts, this is a great place to start. Performances are free. This is one of the nation's finest open-air theaters, featuring entertainment from spring through fall.

Museums, Museums, and More Museums

The Children's Museum

This is a super kid-friendly museum and is most appropriate for children up to 12 years. With almost a half million visitors annually, the museum not only provides ineractive exhibits but actual experiences in technology, history, culture, health, human development, and the arts.

The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA)

If you have a child interested in the arts, the MFA should b high on your list of places to visit. With wonderful programs geared for families, the museum has a constantly changing monthly program of fun, hands-on activities for the whole family.

National Museum of Funeral History

Understandably, the name of the museum might have you steer your youngsters away. However, one of the primary purposes of this museum is to preserve historical artifcats as well as educate the public. You'll find exhibitsand artifacts on John F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley, Martin Luther King, Judy Garland, Abraham Lincoln, and John Wayne to name a few. You'll love the collection of antique horse-drawn hearses and the replica of King Tut's sarcophagus.

Railroad Museum

Include this museum during a day trip to nearby Galveston. The restored Glaveston Union Depot is one of the largest train museums in the Southwest, containing more than 44 full-size railcars and locomotives.

Quick Houston Day Trips

The Galveston Historical Foundation

Galveston is a short drive from Houston and its history and beaches beckon Houstonians every summer. Pirates, beaches, rich history, and so much more awaits visitors

1877 Tall Ship ELISSA

What was Galveston like in the 19th century? Board this tall ship, visit the exhibits, and scramble over the ship.

Sea Center Texas

ea Center Texas is a marine aquarium, fish hatchery and nature center operated by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). The site's visitor center educates through interpretive displays, a "touch tank" and aquariums depicting native Texas habitats including a salt marsh, jetty, reef and open Gulf exhibits. The Gulf aquarium houses nurse sharks, large red drum, gray snapper, Atlantic spadefish, and the state record moray eel.

San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Complex

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site consists of the Battleground, Monument and Battleship TEXAS.

Experience History

George Ranch Historical Park

The George Ranch is a 480-acre living history park. You'll travel back in time to the 1830s, the 1890x, and the 1930s. Expedrience life with one family through four generations.

Holocaust Museum Houston Education Center and Memorail

Bearing Witness: A Community Remembers - Authentic film footage, artifacts, photographs and documents show life in pre-war Europe, the Nazi move toward the "Final Solution" and life after the Holocaust. Our 1942 Holocaust-era railcar and 1942 Danish rescue boat teach the lessons of individual responsibility and how two different populations dealt with evil and injustice.

The American Cowboy Museum

Want a glimpse into the western heritage of Native Americans, Blacks, Hispanics and women in the Houston area? Check out the Taylor Stevenson Ranch where you'll find tours, exhibits, oral historians who offer stories and lectures dressed in native attire and hands-on activties.

Hong Kong City Mall

Immerse yourself in Houston's Asian experiece. The Asian architecture, gardens, and fountains are worth a visit but there's so much more. This is one of the largest Asian indoor malls in the country. You'll find mroe than 20 restaurants and cafes and shops. It's like a small city--and where there's a city, there's an opportunity to learn history.

Those Who Serve

Houston Police Museum

The Houston Police Department Museum and Officers' Memorial is located in the lobby of HPD headquarters at 1200 Travis, and features unique displays and a memorial wall honoring the ultimate sacrifice made by those officers that gave their lives in the line of duty. Included among the displays are artifacts from the Honor Guard, SWAT, Mounted Patrol, badges, uniforms and other equipment utilized over the years. There is no charge for the Museum.

Houston Fire Museum

The HOUSTON Fire Museum was originally Fire Station No. 7, the first fire station built by the Houston Fire Department after it went fully paid in 1895. Today, the Houston Fire Museum has been completely renovated and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Houston has Waterparks, Schlitterbahns, Amusement Parks and Boardwalks

Houston offers kids year-round fun

Moody Gardens Galveston

Looking for island fun? Work or play, this tropical destination is ideal for families and groups alike. Explore the Aquarium Pyramid®, Discovery Museum or 3D, 4D and Ridefilm theaters. Enjoy the Colonel Paddlewheel Boat or a little summer fun at beautiful Palm Beach. Then, escape to the four-diamond Moody Gardens Hotel, Spa & Convention Center.

SplashTown Park

53-acre water park on th edge of Houston in Spring, Tx. Rides include a Lazy River, Rip Qurl, and water rides, pools and slides.

Kemah Boardwalk

There is enough here to keep you busy for days. Tons of rides including the Rollercoaster, Ferris Wheel,CP Huntington Ttrain, Balloon Wheel, Bouncer and more. Check out the floor-to-ceiling aquarium tanks at The Aquarium Restaurant. Plenty of shopping and restaurants, along with the nearby Marina. It's a carnival wrapped in an amusement park.

Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Indoor Waterpark

Daring speeds slides, endless rivers, uphill water coasters, waves for surfing, splashing and relaxing, plus kid-friendly water playgrounds.