Kid-Friendly Houston, TX

boy at houston childrens museum

Lots of parks, great weather, and the fact that most attractions either have kid-friendly areas, or are designed specifically for kids make Houston a great kid-friendly city. Here’s a list of some of our favorites:

Houston Zoo: Great zoo for small kids. Separate children’s area with splash fountains is nice on a hot day.
Houston Museum of Natural Science: Near the zoo in the museum district.
Hermann Park: Handicapped accessible playground with splash fountains near the zoo in the museum district.
Childrens Museum of Houston: Indoor and outdoor exhibits, arts and crafts, crazy fun for kids!
Nottingham Park: Neighborhood park on the west side of town with free spash fountains.
Downtown Aquarium: Fun way to spend a couple of hours if you’re in the theatre district.
Galleria Mall: Great shopping and restaurants. Ice rink inside is fun for skating or just watching.
Minute Maid Park: Catch a ball game!

Day trips:
Johnson Space Center Houston / NASA: Learn all about space exploration in this hands-on destination.
Kemah: Just a few minutes further down the road from NASA, stroll the boardwalk and check out the shops.
Galveston: The nearest major beach. Also home to Moody Gardens, the Strand, and Schlitterbahn Water Park.

Where to stay:
We like to stay near the Galleria. The Residence Inn by Marriott near the Galleria is converted apartments, so they are quite spacious. As with all Residence Inns, they have a full breakfast selection, kitchens in the room, and they have kid-friendly meals every weeknight included in the rate. There are plenty of other dining options in and near the Galleria as well.
Another highly recommended hotel is the Houstonian. They have a great pool!

Know before you go:
You should know that Houston is hot. In the summer it’s also humid. We were there for a couple of weeks in November and most days wore tank tops and shorts. Bring sunscreen, sun hat, stroller shade (and a misting fan in the summer).
You should know that you’ll have to drive everywhere. Allow time for traffic as there doesn’t seem to be a discernable ‘rush hour’ to avoid… it’s all the time. Renting a car is definately a good idea. Luckily, the roads are laid out well, so it’s easy to find your way around.
There’s so much more to do… what did I miss?