From exploring space to dining with sea creatures, Houston has more than enough to keep kids and grown-ups alike entertained
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For the ultimate family getaway, head to the stars – or at least the rockets that aim for the stars. Few places on Earth can claim quite as strong a connection to outer space as Houston. While back on firm ground, you’ll also find a rich array of natural beauty, fascinating museums and family experiences that are unrivalled. There’s something for kids of all ages in this Texan wonderland.
Perhaps Houston’s most famous attraction is the Space Center. Giddy up and take a voyage into space exploration at the official visitor experience of Nasa’s Johnson Space Center. Ever seen a piece of moon rock? How about touching one? You will have the chance to after exploring the more than 400 artifacts on display, which range from an entire spacecraft to spacesuits.
Immersive experiences for all ages include the opportunity to watch a Martian sunset, climb inside a space capsule and feel what it’s like to walk on the moon. Everywhere, there are reminders of the axis-shifting world history that’s taken place right here. View one of the three remaining Saturn V rockets in existence and stand in the footsteps of those at the helm of space discovery. The Nasa Mission Control Center – from where ground crews anxiously monitored the Apollo moon missions, among others – is surely a room used to bated breath.
That’s just one of many places in Houston where you can not only learn, but have fun as a family. Over in the Museum District, the Children’s Museum offers a place to play with plenty of whimsy. Yes, this is a museum, but in the form of a giant adventure park. Here you can immerse yourself and explore the power of water at the FlowWorks exhibit, where everyone must get their hands wet to direct the water’s flow through pipes and chutes galore. And watch out parents, the kids are in charge in Kidtropolis. In this mini city, children get to choose where to work, shop and how to budget to keep it all running.
But at the end of the day – whether a kid or grown-up – playtime isn’t complete without a dinosaur. At the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Wyrex, Slothzilla and friends await. Yes, an elephant-sized sloth did once exist, and you can see its fossil alongside that of the 65-million-year-old ‘Wyrex’ ultra-predator. Finish at the museum’s Butterfly Center where flurries of the rainbow-coloured insects flutter in a rainforest setting.
While we’re on the subject of wildlife, Houston Zoo is a 55-acre oasis in the middle of the city, home to over 6,000 furry, scaley and feathery residents. Learn about conservation efforts for creatures large and small, from black bears to a bonnethead shark. Get up close and bathe the elephants or meet the penguins on special bookable wildlife encounters. Or for a night out for the grown-ups, join the Feast with the Beasts dinner, where Houston’s best eateries serve up gourmet cuisine with live music after hours.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s best to arrive hungry at the Downtown Aquarium, a one-stop entertainment hub with 500,000-gallon tanks, a Ferris wheel, an aquatic carousel and a restaurant where a floor-to-ceiling aquarium fills one entire wall. Its 150,000 gallons of water is home to 100 species of aquatic life forms – but don’t look for them on your menu…
To truly get back to nature, you don’t have to leave the city. A cosmopolitan urban metropolis this may be, but Houston still has more than 66,600 acres of park land and 580 parks. The Houston Arboretum and Nature Center is a good port of call for budding adventurers. Located on the western edge of Memorial Park – just four miles from downtown – you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into a forested retreat. This 155-acre non-profit urban nature sanctuary includes five miles of trails through native plants, across boardwalks and over nature-brimming waterways.
And if there’s one thing every Houstonian loves – whether longtime resident or passing visitor – it’s a festival. The city hosts a near-constant succession of celebrations, from music to food. For family-friendly fun head to Comicpalooza. Held each May, the three-day ode to pop culture features anime, comics, gaming, literature, cosplay, and more. Top tip; you’ll be the odd ones out if you don’t dress up, so co-ordinate your Super Mario or superhero outfits.
Think Houston, think rodeo. Then book your seat for 2026’s Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo at the NRG Stadium, a 20-day tournament lassooed through March that encompasses bareback riding, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, team roping, women’s barrel racing and breakaway roping. It’s the biggest event of its type in the world, with livestock, mutton-bustin’, live music, Western clothing and much more to reel you in.
April sees the annual Art Car Parade and Festival rev its engines. It’s the world's largest gathering of Art Cars, and by that, you should know that it means weird and wonderful vehicles to get the imagination revving. From giant shoes or ride-in bananas to mirror-balled lowriders, you will never guess what you may see next. And that sure sounds like fun to us.
Plan your Houston trip at visithoustontexas.com
