Field Trips To Houston, Texas

Our award-winning Houston Visitors Center, located in City Hall, downtown, makes the perfect starting point. While in the heart of the city, visit Sam Houston Park, where historical homes are nestled between skyscrapers, or Bayou Place, a dynamic destination for dining, movies and live entertainment. And don’t miss the nearby Downtown Aquarium, offering not only a world of marine life, but also fun restaurants and amusements. A few minutes away you’ll find the wildlife retreat at the Houston Arboretum, near Memorial Park.

Playfulness abounds at Six Flags AstroWorld, open during special times this fall, and a road trip south leads to Gulf Greyhound Park, for year-round pari-mutuel wagering, and Space Center Houston. Also in that area, Mother Nature finds sanctuary at Armand Bayou Nature Center, and a nostalgic boardwalk graces the waterfront town of Kemah. Further south is Galveston’s Lone Star Flight Museum, and Moody Gardens’ Aquarium, Rainforest and Discovery Pyramids.

Head north to visit Traders Village, the country’s largest outdoor market, Mercer Arboretum, another back-to-nature excursion, or Sam Houston Race Park to “play the ponies.” That’s also the direction that takes you to Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Houston’s ultimate outdoor stage. Just southeast of the city, the San Jacinto Monument stands tall in tribute to the heroes of the Texas Revolution, while another step back in time is southwest of town, at George Ranch Historical Park, a working ranch and museum.

MORE FUN HOUSTON STUFF
High Spirits helps visitors get to know the ghosts of Houston with tours of haunted places across the city.

Discover Houston Tours offers a variety of tours of downtown Houston and the Museum District that inform visitors about the historical, architectural and cultural highlights of the city. Tours include fascinating sights from modern skyscrapers to Gothic cathedrals to the miles of pedestrian tunnels below downtown.

FunWerks is bursting with activities for families. Choose from miniature golf, batting cages, video games and various mini-race cars.

LazerRage, with two locations near Houston, offers laser tag for all ages and skill levels. Players can select games based on themes, tasks, powers and characters, and even suggest game ideas, which can be implemented quickly and easily.

Texas Air Aces, located on the northwest side of Houston, offers combat-style flying experiences in T-34 planes. From ground school to simulated air combat missions, you’ll have the flight of your life with the constant assistance of Texas Air Aces’ veteran military pilots.

A tour of Houston will take you to The Orange Show, with which young kids display an almost instinctual connection; the boat trip on the Ship Channel; a visit to the Battleship Texas; and the wonders of Space Center Houston. After that there's a visit to the boardwalk in Kemah, or a trip to the beach or to Moody Gardens in Galveston. South of downtown you have the Museum District, which includes the Children's Museum and the Natural Science and the Health & Medical Science museums that captivate kids of various ages. The former has the Butterfly Center, the planetarium, and an IMAX theater; the latter has the Amazing Body Pavilion. And of course there's Houston Zoological Gardens, which has a special children's zoo that explores the different ecological zones of Texas. Further south are the theme parks AstroWorld and WaterWorld, which are very popular with kids 48 inches or taller, but most likely an exercise in frustration for those who aren't. To the north is SplashTown, another water park, and to the southwest is the George Ranch Historical Park for kids interested in cowboys and the Old West.