Top 20 Places to Take Kids in the Houston Area

One of Texas’ best zoos is right here in Houston. Get your animal groove on exploring animal habitats, giraffe feedings, Naturally Wild Swap Shop (where you can bring in your found treasures), and Meet the Keeper talks/encounters/feedings every half hour. Their Water Play Park, Sneak Peek tours, Zoo Crew experiences, and Vet for a Day programs provide fun for toddlers to teens. Always be on top of what's happening at the Zoo: Click here to sign up for their newsletter.

Bursting with 90,000 square feet of action-packed fun, Children’s Museum Houston is a Playground for Your Mind™.  Be all you can be in Kidtropolis, USA - a city for kids, run by kids; harness the power of water in FlowWorks; climb the three-story Power Tower in PowerPlay; crack codes, uncover clues and outsmart villains in SECRET – the city’s only interactive spy experience and more!  There’s something new to do every day.  Can your mind come out to play?™

Experience nature in the heart of Houston at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center! Explore 5 miles of trails, let your imagination run wild on the new Nature Playscape, or learn about Houston’s native ecosystems in the Discovery Room – all free of charge. This 155-acre non-profit nature sanctuary works to protect native plants and wildlife while offering environmental education opportunities for all ages. Become a Member to receive early access to children’s program registration, discounts on classes and events, free parking, and so much more! Trails open daily from 7 am – dusk; Nature Center open daily from 9 am – 4 pm.

Come visit Dewberry Farm with the whole family and enjoy a day choc-full of great food, fun, flowers, farm animals, and over 30 attractions for the kids!  Be sure to stop by the farm animal petting zoo, where you can visit our barn babies and say hello to our famous rescued bull, Sir Loin! 

This Fall, see our ALL-NEW “BooTacular Nights” Family Halloween event, where you’ll see carved jack-o-lanterns, enjoy a haunted host of games and rides, and can get lost in our 8-acre spooky corn maze! PLUS, this Christmas, gather the family and cut your own Christmas tree before hopping in a Hay Wagon to experience a winter wonderland of 2 MILLION dazzling dancing lights in our ALL-NEW Holiday Light Spectacular, Radiance! Book your birthday party, school outing, or private event with us too!

Splashway is your family's new favorite vacation destination! Come for the day and experience the CLEANEST waterpark in Texas or stay a few nights in our gorgeous campgrounds. Our waterpark has something for every member of your family, including high-thrill world class slides, toddler-focused splash pads, and everything in between! Next door, our scenic campgrounds have tons of activities, amenities, and attractions that you can enjoy from the comfort of a cabin, cottage, RV site, or tent! Our amazing staff, cleanliness, and dedication to our guests’ experience have made us the highest rated vacay spot in Texas! So if your family needs a getaway, book your stay today!

When you visit the Houston Museum of Natural Science, you’re not just going to one place. You’re exploring tropical rainforests and worlds galaxies away. You’re going back in time to when dinosaurs walked the Earth and blasting forward to the future of renewable energy. With five floors of permanent halls and a steady rotation of traveling special exhibits, this Houston attraction will take you beyond our walls to experience the wonder and delight of science. Browse our resources below for information on making the most out of your visit to this must-see location in Houston.

Houston Interactive Aquarium & Animal Preserve, is an outdoor / indoor animal adventure park like you have never experienced before! Immerse yourself with wildlife and interact with hundreds of different species of animal. Dive with stingrays, 'hang out' with sloths and soak up the fun like how our lemurs like to soak in the sun! Explore our outdoor aviary and watch our beautiful avian friends soar high above you! A world of fun awaits at the Houston Interactive Aquarium & Animal Preserve where the word 'interactive' is key: Touch, feed, pet and fall in love with all our animals!

Watching an Astros baseball game at Minute Maid Park is the perfect activity that the entire family will enjoy. Grab a hot dog, enjoy the game, and escape the Texas heat at an Astros game in the heart of downtown Houston.

Be sure to check out the Astros Buddies Club, presented by BBVA, the official Kids Club of the Houston Astros and the coolest way to show your Astros Pride in school or on the playground.

The Astros Buddies Club has activations and activities for kids throughout the year. For more information, visit Astros.com/Buddies.

Discovery Green® is a highly acclaimed 12-acre park in downtown Houston that features sprawling lawns, a one-acre lake, an interactive fountain, a playground, public art installations, gardens and an allée of century-old live oaks. The Discovery Green Conservancy, the nonprofit organization that runs the park, works with hundreds of programming partners to present artistic, musical, educational, family-friendly and health-focused events each year, most of which are presented free to the public. 

Little Beakers is a unique, fun and educational science lab built especially for kids! With everything from birthday parties, school & daycare field trips, homeschool classes, after school fun, summer & holiday camps, weekend workshops, scout groups, dissections, corporate & teacher development lab challenges, and its signature Open Lab service for great family fun, Little Beakers caters to all ages from pre-K to teen, and even to grownups!  With 3 convenient Houston-area locations to choose from, just click to learn more or schedule your next science lab experience online at Cypress, The Woodlands or Katy/Memorial. 

Little Beakers - created by a scientist for future scientists.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ promotes agriculture by hosting an annual, family-friendly experience that educates and entertains the public, supports Texas youth, showcases Western heritage and provides year-round educational support within the community.

Of course, the libraries in the Houston area are not really ONE place, but MANY places... but it's important to emphasize how valuable libraries are for family learning and fun. The libraries in our area are wonderful about posting their events to the KidsOutAndAbout calendar so you always can get ideas for free things to do with your kids that celebrate education and imagination. KidsOutAndAbout.com takes this opportunity to salute the wonderful children's librarians who serve our community with such dedication.

So many memories to be made out at Blessington Farms! Farm Funland includes hay rides, gemstone mining, Jump Pad, pedal cars, hay maze, animal encounters with camels, chickens, goats, awesome aviary and MUCH more. Don't forget barrel train rides, giant slides and even a fossil dig! Tons of events throughout the year....Pumpkin Patch and Fall Festival, Easter Egg-stravaganza, Spring Break Spectacular.

Explore the magic of Fort Bend Children's Discovery Center - a very special project of Children's Museum Houston.  Spend the day immersed in five exciting and interactive exhibits.  Feel like a whiz as you explore science and engineering in How Does It Work?  Be everything you can be in Kidtropolis, USA – a city for kids, run by kids.  Take your toddler on a journey of exploration, experimentation, and wonder in Tot*Spot and more.  Can your mind come out to play?™

The Kemah Boardwalk is open daily providing fun for everyone! Located just 20 miles from downtown Houston, the Kemah Boardwalk is home to fabulous waterfront restaurants, amusements, charming retail stores, festivals and seaside shows!

At The Little Gym, our environment is fun, but our purpose is serious. For more than 35 years, our trained instructors have nurtured happy, confident kids through a range of programs including parent/child classes, gymnastics, karate, dance and sports skills development, plus enjoyable extras like camps, Parents’ Survival Nights and Awesome Birthday Bashes. In all of our programs, physical activity is a conduit for Three-Dimensional Learning. In every dimension, self-confidence and a proud smile are very evident outcomes.