My family will be visiting Houston to attend a wedding and will have a free day to explore the city. We are staying in Uptown Houston/Galleria area so we already know about the Galleria mall, we will most likely spend the most time there. However, what else is there to do in Houston thats family-friendly? Any recommendations? Thanks in advance.
2007-09-18 06:48:39 · 8 answers · asked by DCM 4 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Houston
Also, is the Uptown/Galleria area fairly safe? I ask this because we will have to walk to the Galleria from the hotel which about two blocks away from the mall entrance.
2007-09-19 15:44:39 · update #1
Well, since you only have a day and there's tons of things to do in Houston, I would suggest the Galleria for shopping, ice skating right there in the mall for the children and visiting the Water Wall Fountain which is only blocks from the Galleria. Tell the conceirge what type of food you wish to dine on and he/she will make a suggestion for dining at one of the hundreds of great restuarants in that area. A drive through downtown at night shows off the spectacular skyline. You may want to visit the Children's Museum in the Museum Dustrict. You didn't say how old the children are, but this is one of the best children's museums in the nation. They have a reasonably priced snack bar. You can easily spend 5-6 hours there.
Here is a list of 33 things that cost $2.00 or less per person:
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston is a non-collecting institution dedicated to presenting the best and most exciting international, national and regional art of the last 40 years.
Dunham Bible Museum (at Houston Baptist University)
With an extensive collection of rare American Bibles, this unique museum at Houston Baptist University shows the Bible's influence in American history, government, education and culture.
Gulf Greyhound Park
Gulf Greyhound Park, the world's largest and No. 1 greyhound racing operation, offers live greyhound racing and pari-mutuel wagering year-round, rain or shine.
Health Museum, The
The Health Museum, the most visited health museum in the country, provides innovative and interactive health and science educational experiences to promote an understanding of the human body.
Heritage Society, The
The Heritage Society is the city's only outdoor, interactive historic museum and park. Nestled in 19 acres of beautiful green parkland in the heart of downtown Houston, The Heritage Society boasts 8 historic structures dating from 1823 to 1905.
Holocaust Museum Houston
Charged with educating students and the public about the dangers of prejudice and hatred in society, The Holocaust Museum Houston is dedicated to remembering the 6 million Jews and other innocent victims of the Holocaust and honoring the legacy of the survivors.
Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
Located on the western edge of Memorial Park (4 miles from Downtown Houston), the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center is a 155-acre nature sanctuary with 5 miles of hiking trails.
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft is one of the few venues in the country dedicated exclusively to craft at the highest level, highlighting art made of glass, fiber, clay, metal or wood.
Houston Center for Photography
Houston Center for Photography is one of only a handful of non-profit spaces around the country that is committed to showing great new photography.
Houston Museum of Natural Science
The Houston Museum of Natural Science, one of the most heavily attended museums in the U.S., features the Wortham IMAX Theatre, Burke Baker Planetarium, Cockrell Butterfly Center, permanent exhibit halls and traveling exhibitions.
Houston Museum District
With more than seven million annual visits, the Houston Museum District is one of the top cultural districts in the country.
Arader Gallery of Houston
The Arader Gallery of Houston is the Texas location of the Arader multi-gallery system, with other galleries in New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Art Car Museum
The Art Car Museum is a private institution dedicated to contemporary art, with an emphasis on art cars, other fine arts and artists who are rarely, if ever, acknowledged by other cultural institutions.
Beer Can House
The Beer Can House is a folk art gallery/workshop consisting of more than 50,000 beer cans.
Blaffer Gallery
Blaffer Gallery is the University of Houston's laboratory for the visual arts and contemporary culture.
Buffalo Bayou
Buffalo Bayou, the 52-mile slow-moving waterway that was the site of Houston's founding in 1836, has become a destination for outdoor recreation near downtown Houston.
Buffalo Bayou ArtPark
The Buffalo Bayou ArtPark features a constantly rotating collection of public art at the Sabine Street bridge between Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive.
Buffalo Soldiers National Museum
The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum is the only museum in the U.S. dedicated primarily to preserving the legacy and honor of the African-American soldier. It houses the largest repository of African-American military history in the world.
Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum, The
The Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum houses two 13th century Byzantine frescoes--the only intact Byzantine frescoes in the Western Hemisphere.
Children's Museum of Houston
Ranked as the No. 1 children's museum in the country by MSN.com, The Children's Museum of Houston features 14 galleries of hands-on, minds-turned on activities.
Jung Center of Houston, The
The Jung Educational Center of Houston is now in its fifth decade of service to the greater Houston community. Founded in 1958, the Jung Center offers over one hundred courses, programs, and conferences every year that address the critical social and spiritual issues of our time as well as the need for personal growth and development.
Kemah Boardwalk
Overlooking Galveston Bay, the Kemah Boardwalk features themed restaurants, retail shops, and amusements for the whole family.
Lawndale Art Center
Lawndale Art Center is a non-profit alternative space for the exhibition of contemporary works in all media, unique in its focus on Houston area artists.
Menil Collection, The
Considered one of the most important privately assembled collections of the twentieth century, The Menil Collection houses approximately 15,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs and rare books of John and Dominique de Menil.
Miller Outdoor Theatre
Miller Outdoor Theatre is Houston's premier outdoor theater for the performing arts. Free performances run March through October.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Founded in 1900, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's collection numbers more than 51,000 works and embraces the art of antiquity to the present.
Orange Show Monument
The Orange Show Monument is a Houston postman's creation that extols the virtues of his favorite fruit. The outdoor 3,000-square-foot monument is maze-like in design and includes an oasis, a wishing well, a pond, a stage, a museum, a gift shop and several upper decks.
Project Row Houses
Project Row Houses is a highly acclaimed art and cultural community center consisting of 22 renovated shotgun-style homes.
Rice University Art Gallery
Rice Gallery is recognized for dynamic site-specific installation art at Rice University.
Rothko Chapel
The Rothko Chapel functions as chapel, a museum and a forum. It is a place where religion, art and architecture intermingle.
Sam Houston Boat Tour
The Port of Houston Authority offers free leisurely 90-minute round-trip cruises along the Houston Ship Channel.
Traders Village - Houston
Traders Village is Houston’s largest, most visited flea marketplace with more than 100-acres of open-air shopping, festivals and special events every weekend.
Water Wall, The
Houston’s most photographed site, this dramatic 64-foot U-shaped fountain has water rushing down its inside and outside walls.
Have fun and enjoy!
2007-09-19 13:04:03 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
You can go to the beach in Galveston
The Kemah boardwalk is very family and tourist friendly. Excellent restaurants, rides, ferris wheel and a new roller coaster.
Splash Town
Space Center Houston
An Astro's game
The downtown Aquarium
Memorial Park
Check in advance in the Houston Chronicle for any festivals that may be going on while you're here.
2007-09-18 17:27:34 · answer #2 · answered by Toolman 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Toolman has a good answer but I would add NASA, the Children's Museum, Science Museum & the Zoo.
Check the Parade Magazine in Thursdays Chronicle for the week's events. There are usually lots of family friendly options.
2007-09-19 08:58:18 · answer #3 · answered by sweetmommy 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well to be honest, Houston isn't always the most family friendly. At least not on that side of town. You can go downtown to the Aquarium. That is a really cool place where you can eat and ride the farris wheel right in the middle of the city. Houston is a HUGE city so you would definitely need more than a day to take what you need from it. If you are looking for great food... MEXICAN is the way to go. There are chain places like Papasitos which are good. But also any Taqueria is a really cheap but great way to eat. For Italian, a cool family place is Boco de Peppo in mid-town I think. If you look it up online, you should be able to find directions. It is a really neat place. Hope you enjoy it here!
2007-09-18 16:48:52 · answer #4 · answered by Taylor 1 · 0⤊ 4⤋
Tekky,
Houston has many cultural events, fairs and festivals, neighborhood theaters, and much larger community-wide playhouses. Pick up a free newspaper in a grocey store (or buy a Houston Cronicle, which is also on line) and look at what's going on the day you have free.
2007-09-19 03:39:17 · answer #5 · answered by Jeanne B 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
there is TUTS thats theater under the stars they always have great shows and there is an under water tererrium down town your kids are sur e to love there is the beach in Galveston that has a theme park
2007-09-20 00:11:11 · answer #6 · answered by ღOMGღ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The museum district is worth visiting if you like museums. There's also a zoo in Hermann Park.
2007-09-18 20:53:38 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Houston is not a tourist town. So I would recommend you get ready to sit at home and watch tv.
2007-09-18 22:14:03 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 9⤋