One of the largest cities in the USA, Houston, Texas is home to numerous attractions. Listed alphabetically, the following five venues are our top choices for families with children.

Children’s Museum of Houston

Children’s Museum of Houston is full of exciting interactive exhibits

This award-winning museum is highly ranked for many good reasons: it boasts over 14 exciting exhibits, daily activities, educational programs and more. The Children’s Museum of Houston engages the imaginations of kids through numerous hands-on activities. Some of the wonderful exhibits include the Matter Factory that explores some of the building blocks and properties of substances in our daily lives; the Building Zone teaches kids about physics and engineering through a kid-friendly construction play area; Power Play encourages kids to get active with a variety of physical activities while they learn about the science behind health. Exhibits like Think Tank, Made in Your Mind, Inventors’ Workshop, and How Does It Work challenge kids to think outside the box and use their creativity through stimulating activities.

Special traveling art exhibitions, themed interactive activities including crafts, and events and performances are also found at this delightful museum. Even the youngest guests from birth to 35 months have a place of their own in Tot Spot with its many items and objects for touching, handling, exploring, and moving about. The Toddler Story Time provides special enrichment, while the Tot Spot Discovery Area has more hands-on learning fun. For more information visit their website at www.cmhouston.org

Downtown Aquarium

A beautiful white tiger at the Downtown Aquarium in Houston

Downtown Aquarium in Houston is an exciting six-acre family amusement site that boasts amazing animal exhibits with more than 200 species of aquatic animals and 500,000 gallons of aquariums, carnival-style games, amusement park rides, a delicious restaurant, bar, gift shop, and lots of family programs for educational fun.

Guests can ride on the aquatic-themed carousel, the Ferris wheel with its panoramic views of the Houston skyline, a thrilling drop ride, and a shark ride that offers visitors a close-up view of several species of sharks.

The exhibits at Downtown Aquarium are beautifully-crafted depictions of ancient ruins, temples, a rainforest, a 17^th century Spanish galleon shipwreck, and the intriguing marches and bayous of the Gulf Coast. Some of the animals that live at the aquarium are alligators, snapping turtles, bullfrogs, birds, catfish, majestic white tigers, a giant pacific octopus, a moray eel, clownfish, lionfish, tarantulas, a python and more. The living coral reefs at the aquarium have been created by their own biologists and are stocked with a dazzling collection of diverse ocean creatures.

Downtown Aquarium also features several touch tanks with bamboo sharks, horseshoe crabs, stingrays, and other creatures for guests to explore up close. They also have a shark nursery with shark eggs and baby bamboo sharks. For more information on this unforgettable family attraction visit their website at www.aquariumrestaurants.com/downtownaquariumhouston

Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

The tranquil grounds at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center are beautiful

Animals, flowers and trees, oh my! The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center is a 155-acre non-profit oasis with 5 miles of nature trails for hiking free of charge that wind their ways along lush meadows, forests, wetlands and ponds, complete with a wonderful variety of animals native to these habitats. See birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians including frogs, turtles, snakes, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, armadillos, mockingbirds, cardinals, woodpeckers, blue jays, owls, crows and much more.

The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center is a sanctuary the whole family can enjoy. It also includes a gift shop with lots of nature themed items, toys and books, as well as a Discover Room with plenty of interactive exhibits and hands-on activities like puzzles, games, microscopes, and educational touch screens. This is a fantastic opportunity for children and their parents to learn more about our natural environment and the plants and animals that live there. For more information on this lovely haven visit their website at www.houstonarboretum.org

Houston Museum of Natural Science

See lovely butterflies and more at the Houston Museum of Natural Science

With a planetarium, giant screen 3-D theatre, amazing permanent and special exhibits, tours, lectures, sleepovers, workshops, classes, crafts and more, the Houston Museum of Natural Science makes for a memorable visit every time you go.  See prehistoric creatures staged in their struggles for survival while escaping predators, chasing prey, or eating. Observe wildlife from Texas and Africa in beautiful dioramas that seem to bring them to life. Learn about ancient Egypt, Native American history, fascinating mollusks, and glittering gems and minerals and the stunning jewelry fashioned from these precious stones. Guests can also explore the processes of energy, chemistry, and our amazing Earth with plenty of hands-on exhibits that engage visitors’ imaginations and natural curiosities.

A special Butterfly Center within a tropical rainforest setting provides a stunning view of these delicate winged-jewels of nature. The world of insects can be explored in the exhibits surrounding the conservatory, from crickets and cockroaches, to backyard bugs and more.

The Wortham Giant Screen Theatre and the Planetarium both feature riveting shows that are packed with excitement to help viewers learn about things like the ocean’s tropical reefs, to the tragedy of the Titanic, mystifying black holes of the universe, the moon, and more.  For more information on this remarkable museum visit their website at  www.hmns.org

Houston Zoo

See elephants, monkeys, giraffes and more at the Houston Zoo

The Houston Zoo is a wonderful place for families to connect with the natural world in which we live. This lush 55-acre park has verdant gardens, thousands of animals from around the world, and fantastic exhibits. Visit the elephant habitat or the African Forest with rhinos, giraffes, and chimpanzees. Guests can interact with the giraffes at the Giraffe Feeding Platform and feed them for a nominal fee. Observe primates from a winding boardwalk or arboreal tree house that affords great views of the monkeys, orangutans, apes and other species living there.

The Houston Zoo is also home to an aquarium, an expansive collection of birds, amphibians, hoofed animals, and reptiles including Komodo dragons, a white alligator named Blanco and a host of venomous snakes like vipers, mambas and cobras. Kids will love the Children’s Zoo with its play areas and petting zoo for an up-close encounter with domestic animals like goats and sheep.

Regularly scheduled keeper chats, behind-the-scenes tours, safari tours, overnight experiences, programs with exciting activities for children, a 4-D theater, and a wildlife carousel provide fun enrichment for memorable times. For more information on this terrific zoo visit their website at www.houstonzoo.org

Great Wolf Lodge – Grapevine, Texas

This four-story interactive water play structure is a children's haven at Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine

Anyone familiar with the Great Wolf Lodges knows that they are in for a spectacular treat when booking a stay at this woodsy cabin-themed resort.  The 80,000 square foot onsite indoor water park at the Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine boasts a comfortable 84-degree year-round fun for all ages with pools, slides, rides, and a four-story interactive water play structure. The resort also features inviting accommodations, shopping, dining, a fitness room, spa and kids spa, a supervised teen lounge with age-appropriate internet access and games, an arcade, and activities galore for all ages. The Cub Club for younger children provides hands-on programs with fun activities, games and crafts and to keep younger children happily entertained. For more information visit their website www.greatwolf.com/grapevine/waterpark

Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa – San Antonio

The four-acre water park at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio is nestled amid verdant gardens (courtesy of Hyatt Hotels)

At only 20-minutes from historic San Antonio, the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa includes 500 luxurious guestrooms, 27 holes of championship golf, tennis, a premier spa, a youth spa for teens, fine dining, a fitness center, and a four-acre water park with several swimming pools, man made beach and lazy river, all nestled amid the verdant gardens. The Camp Hyatt children’s program offers exciting games, arts and crafts, contests, nature hikes, swimming and more for kids ages 3-12. San Antonio also features many off-site activities for those who wish to explore its attractions including the historic Alamo, Mission Trail, SeaWorld San Antonio, and a host of museums and theme parks. For more information visit their website www.hillcountry.hyatt.com

Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa – Lost Pines

The Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa offers endless recreation for families (courtesy of Hyatt Hotels)

Renowned Hyatt hospitality greets guests with yet another Texas resort, this one along the border of the Colorado River in Lost Pines, Texas. Nestled in 405-acres of picturesque wilderness in Austin, Texas, the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa boasts spacious guestrooms, championship golf, tennis, a fitness center, a world-class spa, youth spa for kids, horseback riding, archery, trap shooting, lots of river recreation programs from kayaking to rafting, and much more. The onsite water park features a two-story water slide with beach area, lazy river, pools, hot tubs, waterfalls and fountains for splashing fun. There are also plenty of off-site activities for those who wish to discover the nearby varied attractions. For more information visit their website www.lostpines.hyatt.com

JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa – San Antonio

Views of the gorgeous Texas Hill Country surround the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa

The JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa is close to many area attractions, yet far enough for families to withdraw from the hubbub of daily life. Guests can enjoy golf, tennis, the spa, fitness center, fine dining, boutique shopping, and an onsite water park with lazy river, water slides, 650-foot rapid river ride, children’s pools, adult pool, whirlpools, and activity pool with fountains and waterfalls designed to relax and rejuvenate your senses. The resort also features a kids club for children ages 4-12 with fun activities, games, arts and crafts that incorporate the beautiful wildlife and history of San Antonio. The contemporary accommodations are comfortably appointed, many with gorgeous views the surrounding Texas Hill Country. For more information visit their website www.jwsanantonio.com

La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa – Montgomery

La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa sits on the shores of beautiful Lake Conroe

La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa feels like an island escape by the shimmering shores of Lake Conroe, Texas, with its breathtaking views, endless skies, and recreation for the entire family. Conveniently situated about an hour north of Houston, this resort boasts elegant accommodations with suites and villas, a spa, fitness center, golf, tennis center, delicious dining, and more. Guests can relax or splash around at the onsite water park featuring several swimming pools including a Pollywogs pool for tots, a lazy river, and a water playground. There is also a miniature golf course, teen lounge with games, a kid’s camp for children ages 5-11 with activities and playground, and the lovely sandy beach with swimming in the lake. For more information visit their website www.latorrettalakeresort.com

Westin La Cantera Resort – San Antonio

The Westin La Cantera Resort has commanding views of the Texas Hill Country

With commanding views of the Texas Hill Country, the Westin La Cantera Resort in San Antonio, Texas is a fantastic family retreat with a wide array of recreation for all ages. It has luxurious accommodations with your choice of rooms, casitas or suites, all of which feature their celebrated Heavenly Bed® renowned for its unsurpassed comfort.  The resort also boasts two onsite golf courses, a nature trail, exceptional dining, spa, fitness center, and a kids club with exciting activities from arts and crafts to games, sports, swimming and more for children ages 4-12. The onsite water park features six sparkling pools, three hot tubs, water slides and cascading waterfalls. Complementary shuttle service is also provided to nearby shopping. For more information visit their website www.westinlacantera.com

The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center – The Woodlands

The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center rests on 28,000 wooded acres

At about 30 minutes north of Houston, The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center offers families an enchanting getaway resting on 28,000 wooded acres. Guests can enjoy two championship golf courses, tennis courts, a spa and fitness center, game room, dining, 180 miles of lush trails for hiking and biking, and a variety of accommodations with idyllic views. The onsite water park features swimming pools, a 30-foot Forest Tower with a double helix water slide, waterfall, water playground with waterspouts and fountains for splashing fun, an underwater treasure chest for kids to explore, and lots of poolside games and activities (seasonal). Area attractions include plenty of nearby shopping, dining and entertainment. For more information visit their website www.woodlandsresort.com

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Johnson Space Center can spark imaginations

Dad and I are both enormous space history buffs. He grew up during the space program’s infancy, and the launches were easy to see from his Central Florida home. I was a small child during the early shuttle program and particularly loved night launches, despite the fact that they apparently couldn’t compare to Apollo night launches. Today Dad and I make a point of visiting space museums whenever possible. When we were in Houston last month, we knew we had to see the nerve center: Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center.

Our Experience

Touching a moon rock is just one option

Johnson Space Center is approximately 30 minutes south of downtown Houston. As we were staying at an RV park 40 minutes north of Houston, we left quite early to make the drive. After getting caught in rush hour traffic and then getting lost near the Space Center, we actually arrived around 11 a.m.

As of 2011, parking costs $6, payable in cash on your way in. The Space Center offers a range of ticket options, including online discounts, so visit the official website before your trip. The Level 9 Tour is an extensive five-hour behind-the-scenes tour open to those aged 14 and over. The tour is pricey, at $89.95 per person (2011 pricing), but includes lunch and a second day’s general admission. Dad and I considered taking it, but only had one day available. It’s on our must-do list for next time, though! The Level 9 Tour is very limited capacity, so book well in advance.

The food court was surprisingly good

We were starving when we arrived, so we headed directly to the “Zero G Diner.” It’s basically a food court, with stations ranging from the Blastoff Bistro (sandwiches and wraps) to South of the Martian Border (Mexican food). We opted to split the Beef and Broccoli from the Moon Wok. The portion was just the right size to share, though hearty eaters may prefer to order separately. The food was surprisingly good, a definite step up from traditional museum fare.

Touring the Space Center

The Kids Space Place is fun for adults, too

The exhibit building is relatively small, but contains a mind-boggling array of exhibits. The Kids Space Place is a definite must-do for children of all ages. With climbing mazes, simulators and a wide range of heavily-themed, child-friendly exhibits, it would be easy to lose track of time. You may want to put this off until the end of the day.

The Astronaut Gallery is a massive collection of historical space suits. The walls are lined with portraits of every U.S. astronaut. If you or your kids are space buffs, plan to spend a bit of time here.

Virtually everything else at the Space Center is a timed presentation, including four theater programs and two facility tours, so take a few minutes to sit down and map out a plan. Dad and I ran straight from lunch to the Starship Gallery and did not stop moving all day. Fortunately, the main building’s layout makes it easy to get from one attraction to the next.

Starship Gallery

The artifacts in the Starship Gallery are priceless

If you only have part of a day, put the Starship Gallery at the top of your list. The experience begins with a short film called “On Human Destiny” that is guaranteed to fire the imaginations of children and adults alike. When the doors open, you will enter an expansive gallery filled with priceless artifacts from space history. Look for Gordon Cooper’s Mercury capsule, the Apollo 17 command module and the massive Skylab trainer, among others.

Blastoff Theater

The Mission Status Center is a great place for updates

We actually found the first segment of the Blastoff Theater experience to be over-hyped, and the second portion under-hyped. The Blastoff Theater is a standing preshow-style theater with big-screen footage of a shuttle launch, taken on the launch pad. Smoke billows into the theater and the vibrations are terrific, but somehow we just expected more.

The next room, however, was fascinating. We entered a large half-circle seating area surrounding a set of computers and monitors that sort of resembled Mission Control. This is the Mission Status Center, where Mission Briefing Officers update visitors on the current status of various missions. We happened to visit a few days after the final Endeavour shuttle launch was delayed, when no one knew precisely when it would launch. The Mission Briefing Officer was a wealth of information, sharing quite a few details that we had not seen on TV.

Living in Space

Living in Space is both informative and entertaining

Living in Space manages to do what many museum exhibits do not: provide information that is complicated enough to keep adults’ interest yet simple enough to draw in even young children. In a mockup of the space station living quarters, a presenter discusses how astronauts perform the tasks of daily living including hygiene, eating and even using the toilet.

Tram Tours

The nerve center of NASA: Mission Control

The Tram Tours are the heart and soul of any visit to Johnson Space Center. The Red and Blue tours visit slightly different areas, so try to make time for both. There is an easy shortcut between the two lines, making it unnecessary to reenter the main building before boarding the second tour.

The tours provide the only public access to such facilities as Mission Control and the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility. Short narrated programs are offered at each stop. Both tours end at Rocket Park, where you may spend as much time as you like examining the Saturn V and other known rockets before catching a tram back to the main building.

Security is understandably tight around the NASA facilities, so all visitors must go through a metal detector and have a photo taken before boarding the tram. Of course, the photos are also conveniently available for sale at the end of the ride! That’s a great marketing technique, one that we’ve seen in a few places around the country. There’s not much space around the metal detectors, so security asks everyone to clean out pockets and be ready to go when you reach the detector. You will also receive a boarding pass, which you must hold onto at all times while touring the facility buildings.

Tips for Parents

JFK gave his famous "We go to the moon" speech behind this podium

The Johnson Space Center is a fantastic choice for families. Dad and I grew up during entirely different eras of space exploration, and it was great to hear all the memories that the older artifacts sparked. His eyes lit up like a little boy’s when he realized that the Starship Gallery Theater has the actual podium behind which Kennedy gave his “We choose to go to the moon by the end of this decade” speech on September 12, 1962. Dad was just ten years old then.

You know your kids best, so try to tailor your visit to their interests and let them take the lead. Some kids are fascinated by history, others by the promise of the future. Be prepared for a lot of questions. If you don’t know the answers, employees are easy to find and happy to help in any way.

Instead of stagecoaches and cowboys, we were greeted by space shuttles and astronauts. If you go by the idea that space is the next unexplored frontier like the western part of the United States once was, then the valiant astronauts are today’s equivalent of yesterday’s brave cowboys.  

I don’t think my boys cared much whether they bumped into the past, present, or future in Houston. However, here are three “kid-friendly” places in Houston, your family MUST visit.  

Space Center Houston at the Johnson Space Center  

Houston Johnson Space Center

Apart from “Toy Story’s” Buzz Lightyear, my two boys, both born in the late 1990s, are not as exposed to astronauts and space exploration as I was, growing up in the 1970s, with the “space race” between the United States and Russia. Therefore, a day-long trip to Space Center Houston at the Johnson Space Center was an opportunity for the kids to be introduced to all the marvel of space exploration. Moreover, their old dad, who does remember the late 1970s with Skylab and what seemed like monthly space shuttle takeoffs in the 1980s, felt nostalgic for a time when my eyes were just as wide open with wonder.  

At the Johnson Space Center, we were immediately immersed in a five-hour tour called the “Level 9 Tour” where we got an up-close and personal look at real life in NASA—how the astronauts train, the often stressful work at Mission Control, and more.  

This comprehensive behind-the-scenes tour took us to where we least expected. We got to visit Level 3 where the Astronaut’s Cafeteria is housed. We even got lunch (included on the Level 9 package) with some astronauts in training. What a thrill for the boys and myself to meet these often unsung heroes. Subsequently, we blasted off for the next site and saw a space vehicle mock-up facility complete with observation catwalk.  

As if that wasn’t enough to encourage my kids to dream of becoming astronauts (as I once did), the stop at the new Mission Control Center alongside Building 30N with the historic Mission Control Center filled us with a sense of history as the baton was seamlessly passed down between the two locations and generations.  

Next, we went through a space environment simulation lab (also called “the vacuum chamber”) where the astronauts test their mettle. Afterwards, the Sonny Carter Training Facility had more inside info on what all aspiring astronauts go through with a neutral buoyancy lab that can be experienced from the observation catwalk.  

Finally, we took a tram tour, taking us through the Astronaut’s Gallery to see a collection of spacesuits taken from the Space Program’s history, including John Young’s ejection suit (from the Apollo 16 moon mission) and Judy Resnik’s T-38 flight suit (from the doomed Challenger mission). We were reminded of both the victories and tragedies of the United States’ Space Program. However, getting to see the portraits of every astronaut there ever was, kept us all in high spirits.  

At the end of the visit, there was still more to see, but the boys decided to change gears at the Kids Space Place with its kid-friendly, interactive presentations. There was also a themed area that explored the various elements of manned space flights and the space program from a pint-sized point-of-view.  

Battleship Texas and San Jacinto Monument and Museum  

San Jacinto Monument Texas

The following day of our Houston adventure, we got a little bit “grounded” to the past with a visit to the Battleship Texas and the San Jacinto Monument and Museum. Both were indeed popular tourist attractions, commemorating, respectively, the United States’ role in World War I and II and Texas’ war of independence from Mexico.  

The towering San Jacinto Monument proudly displays Texas’ symbolic Lone Star. At the base of this monument, you will find a museum that houses much of Texas’ rich culture and history. Across from the monument, on the nearby waters, sits the Battleship Texas (also called the USS Texas).  

On the Battleship Texas, a friendly and knowledgeable tour guide told us the grand, sweeping history of the naval ship along with more personal stories of life onboard for its personnel through World Wars I and II. We even got to climb to the flying bridge, almost 60 feet above the water. Then, 20 feet in the opposite direction, we went below the water to the cramped engine room where the men’s sleeping quarters have been authentically restored along with the adjoining medical facilities. In the engine room, we also viewed guns, anchors, and even an amazing collection of trophies and other awards connected to the vessel and its men.  

Next, we moved to the Monument where we rode the elevator 489 feet above the ground to the Observation Floor. Not only were we able to see Houston’s gorgeous city view from here but also Houston’s busy ship channel and harbor.  

At the base of the Monument, we went to the museum-side where we relived the famous battle for Texan independence by talking a stroll with a tour guide through the San Jacinto Battleground. Granite markers throughout our walk identified prominent events that happened at each spot.  

Meanwhile, inside the museum itself, exhibits greeted us and unveiled more of the story. We especially appreciated the watercolor paintings depicting the war by Sam Chamberlain, an artist, writer, and soldier who traveled through the Southwest and Mexico.  

Afterwards, an early dinner at the nearby recreation park complete with picnic tables and water fountains hit the spot with some sandwiches and snacks we packed along.  

Houston Museum of Natural Science  

Houston Museum of Natural Science

That Houston’s own Houston Museum of Natural Science is considered by many to be on par with the world-renowned Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. speaks volumes about the exhibits you will find inside. In fact, as many visitors flock here yearly as descend on the more famous Metropolitan Museum of Art & the Museum of Natural History, both in New York City.  

So when the kids and I decided to go here on our third day in Houston, we were not disappointed at the destination that is also popular with the locals. Here, some of the favorite permanent exhibits include the Paleontology Hall where past rulers of the area, the dinosaurs still tower and rule. Next, we learned the ways oil and natural gas are made at the “made-for-kids” Wiess Energy Hall. The boys somehow managed to avoid an explosion at the Welch Chemistry Hall where they participated in chemical reaction experiments. They even deepened their introduction to chemical processes by learning how our daily lives run on chemistry.  

Meanwhile, at the Strake Hall of Malacology, we learned more about shells while at the Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals; we saw crystallized minerals in action.  

At the Serengeti Plain, we marveled at the complex ecosystem of the fertile African region. We then met the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s resident mummy, Ankh-hap, and learned more about Egyptian culture by examining his life.  

From the past, we went back to the future at the Isaac Arnold Hall of Space Science to see an actual moon rock and the Mercury spacecraft itself from the early days of the United States Space Program—all the way back to 1959.  

The Foucault Pendulum exhibit taught the boys with fun, touchable exhibits. Afterwards, a stop at Discovery Place gave them a lesson on the relationship between energy and matter with some hands-on displays.  

There were even more current exhibits like the CSI: The Experience (based on the hit TV shows), Verdura: The Life & Work of a Master Jeweler, Morena Moderna: Virgin de Guadalupe, and Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia. It was a fun-filled yet educational afternoon all in all that I am sure sparked a lot of questions and a desire to learn more in my always curious kids.  

So before you assume that the only things you will discover on a family trip to Texas are tumbleweeds and tombstones, think again. This bustling metropolis has its eye to space, while at the same time, keeps its feet grounded in its past.  

And if you do want to visit more of Houston’s Wild West hotspots, we recommend the George Ranch Historical Park, a 480-acre living historical site complete with costumed historical re-enactors, the Heritage Society historic museum and park, and the Historic Houston Heights Shopping District, stuffed with antiques, vintage clothing, and modern-day stuff you can actually buy.  

My boys and I cannot wait to travel and explore more of Texas. This huge state is sure to hold many more BIG surprises!