10 Things to do in Houston with Kids

Sometimes travelling with children can get complicated when it comes to finding family plans that will entertain them as much as the rest of the family group, but in Houston you don't have that problem. The city is known for offering some really fun things to do.

From museums to water parks to places like the zoo to the Urban Air trampoline park, the city offers a wide range of possibilities to take fun to the next level and include among the best things to see and do in Houston.

This is one of the most special tickets to make the most of your visit to Houston with children. It's a pass that allows you to take the kids to five of Houston's best and most interactive museums. You can also access each museum individually, using the Houston CityPass for many attractions.

Children's Museum

This is one of the most fun museums because there are any number of exhibits for all ages. One of them is The Market, a play and learning area with different elements for children to learn from their experiences inside. Younger children also have a special area with boats and water pipes.

The Children's Museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00. On Thursday it is open from 10:00 to 20:00. On Sunday it is open from noon to 18:00. Closed on Mondays. As for ticket prices, you can pay between 13 and 15 euros per ticket, although children up to one year old usually enter the museum free of charge.

Museum of Natural Sciences

The Museum of Natural Science is worth visiting as many times as possible, and in addition to permanent exhibits showing different species of natural history, it also has temporary exhibits that vary from year to year. It is one of the best museums in Houston and I recommend spending at least five hours visiting it.

Ticket prices are usually between 16 and 25 euros per person. Children and teenagers can pay a reduced admission fee, as well as people over 65 years old. Children up to 2 years old are free. The general opening hours are from 9:00 to 17:00, but on Thursdays between 18:00 and 21:00 free admission is available.

Health Museum

The Health Museum is dedicated to showing how the human body works, as well as the advances of science in the area of health. This museum is listed as an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. What it offers to the public is a unique experience of scientific exploration of all parts of the body.

Admission costs approximately 10 euros per person while people over 65 years of age as well as children between 3 and 5 years of age pay around 8 euros per person. Children under the age of 2 are free of charge. From Friday to Sunday and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays it is open from 10:00 to 17:00. Thursdays between 10:00 and 19:00. Some Mondays may be open between 10:00 and 17:00.

Arboretum and Nature Centre

This is a good park to take the children so that they can get in touch with nature. Its 63 hectares of extension include 8 kilometres of paths, as well as a large number of plant species that decorate the place. The Arboretum and Nature Centre is a good place within the city to enjoy the outdoors and to go cycling.

Another attraction of this place is the large number of species you can see inside, such as birds, squirrels, frogs and even crocodiles. It is open from 7:00 to 18:00. Admission is free, while parking is free on Thursdays only, the rest of the days it costs around 5 euros.

Lone Star Flight Museum

Located in Galveston, the Lone Star Flight Museum has a large space dedicated exclusively to the display of objects and artefacts related to the history of aviation. Inside this space you will be able to see some of the aircraft that have marked a milestone in modern aviation.

It is open from Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00 and on Sundays from 12:00 to 17:00. Children under the age of 3 as well as museum members are admitted free of charge. General admission can cost around 18 euros, while reduced tickets can cost between 12 and 15 euros. On Thursdays, admission is around 5 euros.

This is one of Houston's most fun parks to visit with kids. It's a safe, indoor venue where kids can jump non-stop on trampolines, climb and spend an afternoon bouncing up and down.

Attractions at Urban Air also include indoor paragliding, which takes about a minute to experience. The park is suitable for children of all ages and each of the areas is designed to provide age-appropriate fun for children. All the equipment for jumping inside the park can be rented on site.

Interesting details

• Location: There are two locations in Houston. One is located on Hempstead Rd Suite 110. The second location is on S Sam Houston Pkwy E.
• Hours: Generally open from 16:00 except on Saturdays and Sundays when it is usually open at 10:00 and 12:00. Closes around 00:00, except for Fridays and Saturdays when it closes at approximately 23:00.
• Price: They offer three types of tickets that include access to the different attractions, while the ticket for parents costs 50% less than the ticket for children.

If there's a good place to take the kids in Houston, it's the Houston Zoo. Here they can learn about different kinds of animals from all over the world. They are arranged in the natural habitats of each species, so it is easier to get to know their way of life and learn a little more about them.

The Houston Zoo is organised by areas, including insects, birds, African animals, Galapagos Islands, elephants, giraffes, reptiles, sea lions, South American animals and others. In addition, children can find their own space for exclusive fun in the natural play area and the exploration area.

During the Christmas season it also becomes an excellent attraction to visit and enjoy the light show that takes place inside, so it is definitely one of the best things to include among the activities to see and do in Houston at Christmas.

Details of interest

• Location: The Zoo is located in Hermann Park, very close to the Texas Medical Center and the Museum District. There are at least five parking options near the zoo. There are also public transportation lines close by.
• Hours: The zoo is open year-round from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, with the last tourist entrance at 1:00 pm. In December the Christmas lights are switched on and the opening hours are from 17:30 to 22:30, with the last entrance at 21:30.
• Price: All tickets must be booked in advance and online, as they cannot be bought at the Zoo entrance. They can cost from 20 euros per ticket. There are some tickets that may have a reduced price according to age.

This is a space where children can enjoy different plays especially for them and for the whole family. This theatre started as a small initiative and a couple of shows in 1991. Since then they have been growing steadily and now have more than 300 shows all over Texas.

All of the plays performed at Express Theatre for Kids are aimed at children's audiences, and most of them reflect the cultural diversity in the city of Houston. It is an ideal place to strengthen children's creativity. Many of these plays are presented in English, although there are also a variety of Spanish-language options.

Details of interest

• Location: There is no fixed location for this show, usually the theatre is set up in different locations throughout the city, so to find out where it will be when you visit the city, I recommend you visit the website.
• Timetable: The times of the performances are established according to the itinerary that the theatre has scheduled for each time of the year.
• Price: The price of tickets to see the shows depends on the type of play and its duration, as well as the places you choose to see the shows.

The place that most resembles Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory is definitely this one. It is a restaurant where children and adults alike will be amazed by the wide variety of chocolates on offer here, in all their different forms. From chocolate bars to other sweets made from chocolate, such as ice cream and brownies.

One of the mottos at The Chocolate Bar is that any time is happy hour, and this is due to the wide range and variety of sweets on offer. If there's one thing you can be sure of, it's that the kids will thoroughly enjoy their visit.

Interesting details

• Location: It is located in the Torre de la Asociación on Avenida de las Américas.
• Opening times: Monday to Thursday between 12:00 and 20:00. Friday to Sunday from 11:00. Friday and Saturday closes at 22:00 and Sunday closes at 20:00.
• Price: Admission is free, while sweets and other chocolates have varied prices.

Considered the best water park in the world for more than 20 consecutive years, the Schlitterbahn Water Park is an ideal place to have fun and spend time out doors with a host of attractions, one more fun than the next.

Among the more than 40 water rides you can enjoy at the park, at least 17 are water slides. You can also enjoy water roller coasters, five swimming pools and five jacuzzis, as well as a family wave pool. This park is also recognised as one of the oldest in the United States, having opened in 1979.

Interesting details

• Location: Located on West Austin Street in New Braunfels.
• Hours: The park is usually open for a few months of the year, mostly during the summer months, although it is sometimes open during the winter as well. Hours of operation are generally between 10:00 and 17:00.
• Price: Prices range from 29 to 39 euros per person, while there are special passes ranging from 25 to 55 euros.

With more than 30 years of uninterrupted work, the Old McDonald's Farm is an amazing open-air place where you can enjoy different types of attractions and entertainment. There are about 15 hectares of land where you can enjoy mainly zoo animals.

There are also pony rides and even train rides. There is also a swimming pool which is suitable for both children and adults, and of course a children's playground. The attractions are for all ages, but the ones who enjoy the activities the most are definitely the children.

At the end of the experience you can move on to the photo gallery area where you can have authentic farm photographs taken, accompanied by some of the characters you have already seen in the experience such as giant-sized chickens and life-size cows. To visit Old McDonald's Farm I recommend a full day, or at least half a day.

Details of interest

• Location: Located on Farm to Market, Rd. E Humble, Texas.
• Hours: The park is open daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
• Price: Tickets for children under 18 are generally free. General admission tickets cost around 17 euros per person.

There are many attractions to enjoy and things to do at Hurricane Harbor SplashTown, a place that offers much more than just water rides. It's a place for the whole family where you can enjoy the impressive water slides and right after that enjoy some of the best American food in their restaurants.

The best thing about this park is that not only does it offer adventures, rides and attractions for children to enjoy, but it also offers entertainment for adults, with adrenaline-defying rides with zero-gravity effects, high speeds, free falls from several metres, spins and even challenging the ability to catch the perfect wave.

Interesting details

• Location: Located in Spring, Houston.
• Hours: Generally this park is open only during the spring season. Hours are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances and there is a calendar where visitors can find out what days the park is open. I recommend you visit the website for more details.
• Price: You can buy single day tickets, but you have to constantly check the website for prices. There are three different passes that you can use to enter the park, a gold pass which costs around 60 euros, a platinum pass which costs around 100 euros and a diamond pass which costs around 250 euros. These passes can be paid for with season tickets and can be enjoyed for a whole year.

Discovery Green is a park with several hectares of parkland for strolling with the family and especially with children. There are different special places for family enjoyment within the park, for picnics and spending time enjoying the outdoors. There are also different spaces dedicated to children.

You can enjoy walks around the lake within the park facilities and enjoy the many gardens, trails and courts. There is also an ice skating rink for the whole family. And if you want to eat on site, you also have multiple choices of restaurants and places to eat with the whole family.

Interesting details

• Location: Located in McKinney in Houston.
• Hours: It is open from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm daily, with extended hours in the summer from 6:00 am to 11:00 am. The Getaway Fountain, which is one of the park's attractions, is generally open between 9:00 and 19:00, while in summer, extended hours are from 9:00 to 21:00.
• Price: The park is free for all visitors regardless of age or status.

This is one of the most interesting museums to visit with children so they can learn about the history of the railway and how it once impacted the nascent industrial and commercial Texas that it is today. The railway came to connect destinations and to connect an entire country, and that's part of what you'll learn about in this museum.

Some of the things you'll see at the Rosenberg Railroad Museum are important historical artifacts that tell the story of the changes that took place to get the railway up and running. The museum also has playground areas for children, where they can learn all about the ins and outs of the railways.

Interesting details

• Location: Located on F Rosenberg Avenue in Houston, Texas.
• Hours: Open Wednesday to Friday from 10:00 to 15:00. On Saturdays it is open from 10:00 to 16:00 and on Sundays from 13:00 to 16:00.
• Price: General admission for adults costs around 9 euros, while senior citizen tickets can cost around 7 euros and young people and children under 14 pay around 6 euros. Children under the age of 2 are free.