Top 10 Things To Do In Houston, Texas, USA With Kids

things to do in houston with kids
Pala
Pala 
Updated
| 4 min read

The city of Houston is one of the largest in the United States of America and has no dearth of tourist attractions. Do not get fooled while exploring the roads of downtown. While you may initially get an impression that the city only houses restaurants and offices, there are more than what meets the eyes. It is famous for its thriving nightlife, excellent shopping options, and a number of fine gourmet restaurants serving a wide range of lip-smacking cuisines. The city also offers a multitude of outdoor activities for the outdoorsy tourists. Make sure you visit the Museum of Fine Arts while visiting Houston. The museum boasts thousands of both antique and contemporary art items sourced from different parts of the planet. Since the city is huge, if you are patient in the traffic and ready to drive, there are many entertainment choices for your restless little ones in the family. Read on to know the top 10 things to do in Houston with kids.

1. Visit Houston Zoo (from USD 68.0)

In case you are vacationing at Houston with your family, make sure that the Houston Zoo features on your travel itinerary. The zoo boasts a mind-blowing collection of more than 6,000 animals. You must ensure that the kids attend one of the “Meet the Keeper” sessions so that their dose of fun gets maximized. These sessions discuss certain fun yet interesting facts with the aid of the animals so as to share their engrossing behaviors. One of the favorite spots in the zoo is where the elephants bathe. However, your little ones will also find it interesting to watch the bat feedings.

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Houston Nine-Day CityPASS With Space Center

Duration: 9 days

160 reviews

2. Picnic at Discovery Green Park (downtown)

Discovery Green Park
Source: Photo by Flickr user Erion Shehaj used under CC BY 2.0

This beautiful kid-friendly park in downtown is a superb instance of how the efforts of a number of groups led to an impressive addition to the city of Houston. The spot was an industrial site previously, which has now been converted into a charming green space that can be accessible to the public. Your little ones will have great fun in one of the fountains or enjoy an exciting kayak ride on its lake. In fact, your entire family can enjoy a fun-filled picnic here.

Discovery Green Park

Address: 1500 McKinney St, Houston, TX 77010, USA

Website: Discovery Green Pa

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3. Visit Lone Star Flight Museum


It was in 1985 when the museum started as a site that featured an assemblage of historic aircraft. The Lone Star Flight Museum is a huge aerospace museum situated in Houston, Texas, which boasts many beautiful artifacts pertaining to flight history. The collection in this museum is very rare and will catch the attention of your kids as a majority of the aircraft’s here are flyable.

Lone Star Flight Museum

Address: 11551 Aerospace Ave, Houston, TX 77034, US

Website: Lone Star Flight Museum

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4. Visit Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

Turtle Train - Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, Houston, Texas
Source: Photo by Flickr user Steve FUNG used under CC BY-SA 2.0

While Houston is mostly a concrete jungle with impressive buildings and towers, the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center is a reminiscence of the lush and green past of the city. It boasts rows of pine trees, long areas of nature trails, a variety of chirping birds, and many other attractions for your little ones to keep them engaged.

Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

Address: 4501 Woodway Dr, Houston, TX 77024-7708, USA

Website: Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

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5. Visit the Space Center Houston (from USD 98.0)

A visit to the city’s Space Center will definitely enthrall your little ones. When they get inside the Astronaut Gallery, they will feel as if they are participating in a science fiction film. There are figures wearing space suits enclosed in glass tubes all around the room. Kids will also have a first-hand experience of how hilarious and yet tough it is to work while living in space like sleeping, eating, and taking a bath, especially when there is no gravity.

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Houston City and NASA's Space Center Sightseeing Tour

Duration: 6 hours

554 reviews

6. Visit the Downtown Aquarium (from USD 64.0)

The huge aquarium is located in Houston downtown and not only houses a 500,000-gallon aquarium; it also features an entertainment complex, which has plenty of attractions for your young ones. These include games designed in carnival-style, a Ferris wheel, a restaurant, and more. Your children can touch stingrays and horseshoe crabs at the Discovery Rig exhibit.

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Houston City Tour and Downtown Aquarium All Rides Pass

Duration: 4 to 6 hours

26 reviews

7. Visit Armand Bayou Nature Center


Your entire family can enjoy unique outdoor experiences as public access is available for both paddles and hiking trails. In fact, Armand Bayou Nature Center is one of Galveston Bay’s top birding locations and allures tourists from different parts of the world. It is also one of America’s biggest urban wilderness preserve and protects huge areas of forests, marsh habitats, and wetlands. ABNC also boasts over 370 species of amphibians, plants, reptiles, and other animals.

Armand Bayou Nature Center

Address: 8500 Bay Area Blvd, Pasadena, TX 77507, USA

Website: Armand Bayou Nature Center

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8. Experience hands-on science at the Nature Discovery Center


Welcome to the Nature Discovery Centre in the city of Houston - a unique educational park for your little ones. It is situated in Bellaire’s Russ Pitman Park in the city and functions as a sort of classroom for your kids in the midst of nature. It also acts as an outdoor play area for your children. The park is known for its classroom field trips and is a popular venue for kids’ birthday parties.

Nature Discovery Center

Address: 7112 Newcastle St, Bellaire, TX 77401, USA

Website: Nature Discovery Centere

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9. Visit the Children's Museum of Houston (from USD 12.0)

In 2011, Parents magazine named it as the country’s number one children’s museum. Imagine the thrill of watching your toddler play-act as a city council member here or a chef or cop. The make-believe city is called Kidtropolis where children are the rulers. Children are even taught budgeting skills and are given a dummy debit card worth 40 USD to purchase groceries. There is a section called Powerplay where your little ones will get acquainted with fitness and good health while they do activities like dancing, hopping, and climbing.

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Children's Museum of Houston Admission

Duration: 1 to 10 hours

10. Visit Cockrell Butterfly Center (from USD 34.0)

Imagine how thrilled your little ones will be to see hundreds of varieties of colorful butterflies in a huge glass structure covering three stories once they enter inside a special indoor rainforest. When it is raining or drizzling outside, it can be one of the perfect things to do for your little ones in the city of Houston. There is a Chrysalis Corner where your child can be privy to how the butterflies come out after they complete their transformation from caterpillars.

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Houston Museum of Natural Science and Cockrell Butterfly Center

Duration: 3 to 4 hours

100 reviews

Have fun with kids in Houston

Houston Skyline11
Source: Photo by user [Unknown] used under CC BY-SA 3.0

Come; make Houston your next holiday destination if you are planning to travel with your entire family. These are so many things to do in Houston for kids here that your little ones will have a great vacation for sure.

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Any must-sees we missed? Tell us about them in the comments section or write a post here to help out fellow travelers!
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Pala Sen is an avid follower of travel and health updates, current affairs and entertainment news from all across the world and writing is a passion for her. She had been previously associated...Read more

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