Things for Kids to do in Houston
Houston is a perfect family destination. The city is rich in history, culture and unique Texas attractions—with plenty of urban green spaces for kids to explore.
The country's fourth most populous city brims with attractions and activities that are kid-friendly (and fun for adults!) making your stay in Houston as family-approved as an urban destination can get.
Visit Space Center Houston
Start your adventure on a thrilling note! There's hardly a better place to satisfy a child’s curiosity than Space Center Houston, the official visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center. At only a 45-minute drive from downtown, you can easily spend half a day here trying to land a shuttle or testing out what it’s like to be launched into space. After your crew is ready for their mission, a tram tour takes you to the Johnson Space Center, where you can view both the historic and current control centers. You may even catch a glimpse of an astronaut training for an upcoming journey through the stratosphere.
Explore the Museum District
A smorgasbord of kid-friendly attractions makes Houston's Museum District a must-do on any family trip to the city. Start at the Children's Museum of Houston, which Parents magazine voted as the top kid's museum in the U.S. You'll understand why as you watch the little ones try out various jobs in the miniature city of Kidtropolis and conduct experiments in the Matter Factory exhibit. At the nearby Houston Museum of Natural Science, the whole family will be wide-eyed while walking through a live butterfly habitat, learning about mummification in the Hall of Ancient Egypt and perusing hundreds of ancient fossils in the Morian Hall of Paleontology.
Buffalo Bayou and Beyond
One of the greenest cities in the country, Houston has more than 56,000 acres of parkland for families to explore afoot, on a bike or on a boat. On a sunny day, visit Buffalo Bayou, the 52-mile waterway that witnessed Houston's founding in 1836. Hike along the water and linger until sunset to see the resident colony of Mexican free-tailed bats take flight. At Hermann Park, you can stroll through 445-acres of garden, have a picnic, go fishing or rent a pedal boat to scoot across McGovern Lake. Inside Hermann Park is the Houston Zoo, where the kids can spend hours gaping at around 500 species from around the globe.
Beat the Heat at Wet 'n' Wild SplashTown
On those hot Houston 90-degree days, slide on down to Wet 'n' Wild SplashTown, a 40-acre water park less than 30 minutes from downtown. Families can enjoy many rides together, including the relaxing Paradise River and the heart-pumping Thunder Run, a tube slide with thrilling twists. For the tiny tots, go with less intense attractions like the Blue Lagoon Activity Pool, with geysers and a rope swing.
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