These Things To Do In Houston
Are Great Fun!

Houston is best known for oil and NASA, but there are lots of fun things to do in Houston, making it a great destination for family fun. We have been there several times!

Houston also has some fine hotels and restaurants to choose from, but let me first tell you about fun things to do in Houston...

Things To Do In Houston

NASA

NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston is where astronauts are trained. The famous Mission Control, seen in several movies and from where space flights are controlled, is also located here. That makes it a very exciting place!

Space Center Houston is the official visitors' center. It has several fun attractions, like Space Center theater, Blast Off theater, Feel of Space, and more. We even took a tour to Mission Control, which is open to public tours whenever there aren't any space missions.

Houston Museum of Natural Science

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is another cool place that I like a lot. It is a very interesting place where one can learn a lot about the world we live in, and have fun while doing it.

My youngest son loves dinosaurs, which makes the Paleontology Hall a great place for him to hang out. My favorite is the Energy Hall and African Wildlife exhibit. There are many other exhibits, some permanent and some for a fixed period.

HMNS has something for everybody.

Children's Museum of Houston

The Children's Museum of Houston is within walking distance of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, so it's easy to spend a whole day in this one area and visit both museums.

The Children's Museum has some very cool, interactive exhibits for kids. Among many others, How Does It Work? is a science exhibit that shows kids how interesting things work. Moneyville teaches kids about finances and how money works.

I think the Children's Museum is truly a great place for kids!

Houston Zoo

The Houston Zoo is also within walking distance of the Houston Museum of Natural Science... another reason to visit this area.

With more than 4000 animals, the Houston Zoo has it all... all kinds of apes and monkeys, lions, tigers, giraffes, elephants, bears, birds, snakes, and much more. They even have a white alligator! Kids like the Children's Zoo where they can pet animals too (the non-dangerous kind).

The Houston Zoo is one of the coolest things to do in Houston! Don't miss it!

Discovery Green Park

Discovery Green Park is a huge park near downtown Houston and is a great place for families to hang out.

It has huge lawns, a children's playground, dog runs, a jogging trail, a large lake, water features, two great restaurants, and even an outdoor ice skating rink. There is even wireless internet available if you need it.

To me, Discovery is a nice place to hang out for a more quiet day or afternoon.

Splashtown Waterpark

Any decent water park will have a variety of pool, slides, and raft rides. SplashTown Water Park, just north of Houston, is no exception!

Can you imagine being launched through a dark tunnel, accellerating down steep, arcing turns that takes you into a bowl, and then end with a splash into the pool below? Well, that's the RipQurl, and that's only one of the many rides!

I won't try to describe every fun activity here, but I can tell you that kids and parents alike ought to have a great time at SplashTown!

Houston Restaurants

One of the best Houston restaurants for steak has to be Pappas Bros. Steakhouse at Galleria-Houston. It is a bit on the pricey side if you were just looking for a quick meal, but for special occasions, it is excellent. (Right next door is Pappa's Burger if you're looking for a decent hamburger.)

If you want to try something a little different, Niko Niko's Greek restaurant serves great Greek and Mediterranean food. They're kid-friendly too.

A few other good kid-friendly Houston restaurants to try are Star Pizza (Italian & Pizza... obviously), Baba Yega Restaurant (American, Delicatessen, Vegetarian), and Ninfa's on Navigation (Mexican).

There are of course many other great Houston restaurants. In time, I will dedicate a separate section to that.

Houston Hotels

Houston has several great hotels to choose from as well. First on the list is the Crowne Plaza Suites Houston Sugar Land. It is a great hotel with clean rooms, wonderful hospitality, and easy access to attractions and restaurants.

The next good Houston hotel to consider is the Super 8 IAH West/Greenspoint. This hotel is north of downtown Houston (i.e. closer to SplashTown), near the airport, with easy access to Beltway 8. The value this hotel offers is great.

If you're going to NASA, the Econo Lodge at NASA is a good choice. The rooms are clean, staff is friendly, and overall, this hotel offers excellent value for your money.

The Drury Inn and Suites Houston Hobby is located near Hobby airport and puts you about halfway between NASA and downtown Houston.

The Crowne Plaza Houston River Oaks is located near downtown Houston and offers easy access to many attractions. Rooms typically go for over $100 per night, but the hotel offers all that we typically need, and more.

Houston Map

I have created a Houston map that shows where our favorite things to do in Houston, as well as restaurants and hotels, are located.

Houston Weather

It always helps if the weather plays along when planning things to do in Houston. To find out what the weather's plans are for the next few days, check out the Houston weather.

With all these wonderful things to do in Houston, you ought to have a great time in Houston. I know we do!

Have you visited Houston before? If so, you probably did some things in Houston that were a lot of fun! We'd like to hear about it! Others would like to hear about it!

Tell us about the good times you had in Houston. Others can then read your stories and have a good time too. C'mon, do it! It's easy & fun!

(Please try to use at least 250 words to make it a good story! This story is a great example!)

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