Under 13
Houston Museum
Children ages 12 and under are admitted free every day at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston , 1001 Bissonnet, (713) 639-7300. The museum houses more than 65,000 works of art from around the world, along with fascinating temporary exhibitions. Drop into the Kinder Foundation Education Center first, where staff can suggest ways for your family to make the most of your visit.
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Barnaby’s Café, 1801 Binz St., (713) 874-1454, is a kid-friendly restaurant in the museum district that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with an extensive menu offering something for everyone in the family, from healthy eaters to the mac and cheese brigade.
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When it comes to fun things to do with kids, you can’t beat a great zoo. Little ones will love seeing elephants, giraffes, lions and more than 6,000 other animals at the Houston Zoo , 6200 Hermann Park Dr., (713) 533-6500. The McGovern Children’s Zoo features a petting zoo, playground and live shows.
Teens
The Boardwalk Bullet, a 96-foot-tall wooden rollercoaster, twists and turns as fast as 51 miles per hour just a few feet from Galveston Bay at Kemah Boardwalk , 215 Kipp Ave., Kemah, (877) 285-3624. This fun spot on the waterfront features carnival rides, shops and dining. In the summer, enjoy “Rock the Dock” concerts on Thursday nights and fireworks every Friday.
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Sharks, stingrays and other fish swim past your table in a 50,000-gallon tank in Aquarium Restaurant, 11 Kemah Boardwalk, Kemah, (281) 334-9010. This underwater-themed casual spot is a fun place for lunch or dinner where you can feast on seafood, steak, chicken, pasta or burgers, then visit the stingray touch tank and view piranhas, scorpions, snakes and tarantulas in the rainforest exhibit.
Courtesy of Wet ’n’ Wild Splashtown
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown , 21300 I-45 N., Spring, (281) 353-7946, is a great place to cool off from May through September. Speed through the 60-foot-tall Alien Chaser, drop down the 7-story Brain Drain or catch the always-perfect wave on the Flowrider. When it’s time to chill, grab an inner tube and float down the Paradise River. At dusk, head to the wave pool for a “Dive In Movie.”
All Ages
Space Center Houston , 1601 E. NASA Pkwy., (281) 244-2100, is a must-see if you’re planning a trip to Houston. See spacecraft including Gemini V and Apollo 17, and walk inside the Skylab Trainer Module where the first astronauts prepared for space travel. Go behind the scenes at Johnson Space Center on a tram tour, or experience an action-packed space adventure on a simulator ride. Little ones will enjoy interactive exhibits in the Kids Space Place.
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You’ll find four floors of fascinating exhibits, along with a butterfly habitat, planetarium and giant screen theater, at the Houston Museum of Natural Science , 5555 Hermann Park Dr., (713) 639-4629. Dinosaur fans will love the paleontology hall, one of the country’s largest with 60 skeleton mounts including three T. Rex.
Not far from the museum district is Picnic, 1928 Bissonet (713) 524-0201, a bakery and coffee shop where you can pick up boxed lunch to take to a nearby park, or you can dine in. A variety of sandwiches, house-made breads, soups, salads, cookies and pastries are available.
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If your trip is in late February to mid-March, don’t miss the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo , 1 NRG Pkwy., (832) 667-1000. It has what is said to be the world’s largest livestock exhibition and a prestigious horse show, along with competitions, concerts, a carnival and children’s activities.