Family-Friendly Houston

You won’t have any trouble keeping the family occupied in Houston. There’s so much to do, from museums to amusement parks, you’ll wish you had more time. Here are four things you won’t want to miss.

Space Center Houston

The visitor center at Johnson Space Center, Space Center Houston displays more than 400 space artifacts, including flown spacecraft and the largest collection of moon rocks on public display. It also boasts a large exhibit on space travel to Mars, and a kids’ area with activities like Build-A-Rocket and Mission Kidtrol.

Space enthusiasts of all ages will get a kick out of Independence Plaza, where they can step inside a replica shuttle mounted on an actual shuttle carrier aircraft, and Rocket Park, where they can see one of only three remaining actual Saturn V rockets. The NASA Tram Tours to Historic Mission Control or to the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility are always a hit with visitors, too.

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Galveston, Houston. Photo: Teresa Bitler

Kemah Boardwalk and Galveston

Just 20 minutes from downtown Houston, Kemah Boardwalk offers a full day of family fun. The 34-acre entertainment area boasts a double-decker carousel, 65-foot Ferris wheel, 96-foot wooden rollercoaster, arcade, Midway games and stingray attraction. When you need a break, dine at one of the waterfront restaurants.

Tickets can be purchased for individual rides, or you can invest in an all-day ride pass ($18.99 for those under 48 inches and $24.99 for those 48 inches and up). If that’s more than you’d like to spend, head to nearby Galveston and spend the day building sandcastles and dodging the surf.

Galveston, Houston. Photo: Teresa Bitler

Houston Museum of Natural Science

One of the city’s top museums, the Houston Museum of Natural Science has several family-friendly exhibits, including the Wortham Giant Screen Theatre, Burke Baker Planetarium and Cockrell Butterfly Center, where you can expect to see up to 60 different large and colorful butterfly species. Also popular, the Moran Paleontology Hall is home to more than 450 fossils and replicas.

But, that’s just for starters. Other permanent exhibits include the Halls of Ancient Egypt, the Hall of African Wildlife and the Farish Hall of Texas Wildlife, showcasing more than 250 species, some of which actually “come to life” when activated by visitors.

If you’re on a budget, plan to come late Thursday afternoons. The permanent exhibit halls are free on Thursdays, 2–5 p.m., most of the year and 3–6 p.m., during the summer and holidays.

Children’s Museum of Houston

Traveling with younger kids? The Children’s Museum of Houston

is consistently ranked as one of the best children’s museums in the nation. Its 14 hands-on galleries include permanent exhibits designed especially for kids ages birth to 12 years.

Highlights include FlowWorks, where kids can learn about the power of water; Kidtropolis, USA, a kid-sized city run by young visitors; and Building Zone, where kids can don hardhats and learn about the science of building. Other permanent exhibits focus on health, math and how objects, like a car engine, work.