Houston Arboretum and Nature Center
Who knew it could be so peaceful in the middle of Houston? Children will be entranced with the wildlife of the outdoor trails, and will love exploring the mysteries of the Discovery Room, where they can hear bird calls at the press of a button and even pick up a phone and hear about an animal on the other end! The Discovery Room is open 10:00 to 4:00 every day except Monday. The outdoor park is open every day from 8:30 to 6:00. http://www.houstonarboretum.org/
The Children’s Museum of Houston
Be a cashier at an almost real grocery store! Make sure you put in your pin number right on the ATM! Play with light shadows, be on TV, and don’t forget to visit the bubble lab! The Children’s museum has something for everyone, and is free on Thursday evenings from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. http://www.cmhouston.org/
McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science
Kid friendly exhibits include a 27-foot intestine, 10-foot-tall walk-through brain, a walk-in eyeball, and much more! Free from 2:00 to 5:00 on Thursdays. http://www.mhms.org/
Bellaire Nature Discover Center
Explore nature with hands on exhibits, look through a magnifying glass at snakeskin, or head outside to see a real beehive! Open Tuesday through Sunday, 12:00 to 5:30. http://www.naturediscoverycenter.org/
Miller Outdoor Theater
Free outdoor concerts, plays, and musicals. Midmorning programs focus on children for an entire week of each season. This season’s schedule will be published soon! http://www.milleroutdoortheatre.com/
Art Car Museum and Everyone’s Art Car Parade
The art car parade features decorated cars from all over Houston. Each year is different, and cars have included those made to look like a shoe, a car with a giant daisy on top, and even a car turned upside down on top of another car. The 2006 Art Car Parade will be on Saturday, May 13 at 1:00 pm. http://www.orangeshow.org/artcar.html
Take a look at some of the cars from the Art Car Parade at the Art Car Museum. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 6pm. http://www.artcarmuseum.com/
Museum of Fine Arts
Introduce your child to one of the premier art museums in the country.
Free on Thursdays and open from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm. Also free for children with a Houston Public Library card on Saturdays and Sundays. http://www.mfah.org/main.asp?target=home
Hermann Park
Get set to get wet! Hermann Park has spraying palm trees and other water play in the interactive water playground at the Buddy Carruth Playground for All Children. In addition to the water play area, there are several playgrounds with equipment grouped by age and ability, most handicapped accessible. http://www.hermannpark.org/where_to_go.htm
Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center
Jones Park features a wildlife habitat, a pioneer homestead and Indian village, five miles of hiking trails, and real and display animals. Several special festivals, Pioneer Day, Texas Heritage Day, and An Old Fashioned Christmas, are also free and open to the public. There’s plenty of children’s programming too! http://www.hcp4.net/jones/
The Bolivar Ferry
The Bolivar Ferry is a short, fun boat ride that takes passengers from Galveston to Port Bolivar in about 20 minutes. Passengers can park and ride, or take cars aboard. Kids can see ships or even dolphins along the way! http://www.dot.state.tx.us/MNT/ferryops/ferryops.htm
Last but not least, don’t forget your branch of the Houston Public Library!
Great programming can be found at your local library all year long, but the summer programs are especially wonderful. See clowns, animals, puppet shows, magicians, and even opera all summer long at your local library! http://www.hpl.lib.tx.us/index.html
