FAMTOP 10MORNING FLIGHTCHECKED SEPTEMBER 2026

Kids & Familiesmission for small astronauts

Rockets, dinosaurs, butterflies, a train around the zoo and a boardwalk over the bay. Ten days out that parents will enjoy too.

01Houston ZooHermann Park / Museum District
02Children's Museum HoustonMuseum District
03Meow Wolf Houston: Radio TaveFifth Ward
04Hermann Park Railroad and Pedal BoatsHermann Park / Museum District
05The Health MuseumMuseum District
06Downtown AquariumDowntown
07Kemah BoardwalkKemah (Galveston Bay)
08Moody GardensGalveston
09Lone Star Flight MuseumEllington Airport / Southeast Houston
10Sam Houston Boat TourPort Houston / East End

INTERACTIVEFAM

Launch Pad

Hold to fuel the rocket. Release to launch. Land it on the next stop.

Launch Pad: Hold to fuel the rocket. Release to launch. Land it on the next stop.

01 / 10Hermann Park / Museum District3.5 mi from downtown

Houston Zoo

Sea lions overhead, jaguars next door, since 1922

Houston's zoo packs thousands of animals into 55 shady acres of Hermann Park, and its newest habitats put kids nose to glass with sea lions, jaguars and giant otters.

The zoo began with a single bison named Earl, sent to Houston by the federal government in 1921, and officially opened in 1922. Today it covers 55 acres with thousands of animals and draws around 2 million visitors a year. Start with the Galápagos Islands, the capstone of the zoo's centennial campaign, which opened in 2023: California sea lions swim over a 40-foot acrylic tunnel, Humboldt penguins waddle in a chilled habitat, and giant tortoises graze outside, a few of which have lived at the zoo since 1928. From there, South America's Pantanal (2020) brings jaguars and giant river otters, the African Forest has gorillas and chimpanzees, and the McNair Asian Elephant habitat has pools where the herd swims. Texas Wetlands shows off bald eagles, alligators and whooping cranes. Tickets are sold online only, so book before you leave the house.

What to expect

Outside food, drinks and coolers are allowed; glass, alcohol and plastic straws are not.
Strollers, wagons and coolers stay outside Galápagos Islands; parking for them is tight.
Double strollers and wagons rent for $17 and manual wheelchairs for $18.
Nursing rooms are at Jack's Café and Cypress Circle Café.
Some paths have inclines, uneven ground and boardwalks, so budget time on your feet.

Do this

Walk the 40-foot underwater tunnel in the Galápagos Islands habitat while sea lions glide overhead
Watch the jaguars and giant river otters in South America's Pantanal
Catch the elephants swimming at the McNair Asian Elephant habitat

Time: 3 to 5 hours
Price: Flex pricing: the adult price changes by date and is shown when you book online; children 3-12 and seniors 65+ get 20% off the adult price. Free on the first Tuesday of each month with an online reservation. No tickets sold at the gate.
Hours: Daily 9 am-5 pm, last entry 4 pm (daytime admission); special holiday hours around Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas
Best time: Weekday mornings right at 9 am, when the animals are most active and before the midday heat; fall through spring is most comfortable.

1922Opened
55 acresSize
Opened 2023Galápagos habitat
About 2 millionAnnual visitors

Directions Official site Full field notes

02 / 10Museum District2.8 mi from downtown

Children's Museum Houston

A pint-sized city where kids run everything

Hands-on play built for kids 12 and under, with a free night every Thursday that local parents plan their week around.

You'll spot the building from the street: architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown designed it in 1992 to look like a playful take on a grand civic museum. A 2009 expansion doubled it to 83,000 square feet, and more than a million people come through each year. The star is Kidtropolis USA, a kid-sized city where children take on grown-up jobs and run the town. FlowWorks is the splash zone, so pack a change of shirt. Invention Convention and PowerPlay keep older kids busy building and climbing, while Tot*Spot gives babies and toddlers their own safe corner. Seasonal festivals fill the calendar. In late September 2026 alone there is a RenFest day, a Fall Family Festival and a Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival. Plan on a full morning, and expect younger kids to be wiped out by lunchtime.

What to expect

No outside food; eat at Fresh Café, tables by Kids' Hall or the outdoor picnic tables.
Strollers up to 31 inches wide can be stored in a locker room; wagons are not allowed.
Every group must include a child; adults on their own are not admitted.
The museum's lot is across the street; metered street parking surrounds it.
All hallways, exhibits and restrooms are wheelchair accessible; wheelchairs are available.

Do this

Let the kids get a job and run the town in Kidtropolis USA
Splash through the water play in FlowWorks (bring dry clothes)
Park toddlers in Tot*Spot while older siblings build at Invention Convention

Time: 2 to 4 hours
Price: Ages 1 and up $21.95 online or $23.95 onsite; seniors 65+ $19.95 online or $21.95 onsite; under 1 free. Free Family Night Thursdays 5-8 pm (reserve ahead).
Hours: Tue-Wed 9 am-5 pm, Thu 9 am-8 pm, Fri-Sun 9 am-5 pm; closed Mon
Best time: Weekday mornings after school groups thin out, or Thursday Free Family Night if you reserve the moment tickets drop.

1980Founded
1992, by Venturi and Scott BrownBuilding opened
83,000 sq ftSize since 2009
Thursdays 5-8 pmFree night

Directions Official site Full field notes

03 / 10Fifth Ward1.6 mi from downtown

Meow Wolf Houston: Radio Tave

Walk into a radio station tuned to other worlds

A walk-in art world built around a haunted, multiverse-hopping radio station, where every door, closet and cabinet might lead somewhere new.

Radio Tave opened on October 31, 2024 as Meow Wolf's fifth permanent exhibition and its second in Texas, set inside a restored early 20th century industrial complex in the Fifth Ward. More than 100 artists worked on it, roughly half from Texas. The premise: ETNL, a scrappy community radio station, has picked up a strange signal and cracked open a portal. You wander through rooms that twist from a small-town station into glowing, sound-soaked other worlds, and the fun for kids is that almost everything is touchable. Push buttons, open drawers, crawl through gaps and see what happens. There's a story to piece together if older kids want to play detective, and an in-universe bar and restaurant, Cowboix Hevvven, for when you need a break. Most families spend two to three hours inside, and it works just as well on a sweltering August afternoon as on a rainy Saturday.

What to expect

No strollers or bags over 8 by 8 inches; carry babies, but not in high backpack carriers.
Smarte Carte lockers cost $2 to $5 by credit card, first come, first served.
No outside food or drink; bring an empty bottle, since refill stations are inside.
Every guest and bag is screened at the door.
Accessible entrances and restrooms; sensory kits are at Guest Services on request.

Do this

Open every door, drawer and cabinet you can find, since many are secret passages
Piece together the ETNL radio station storyline room by room
Take a break at Cowboix Hevvven, the in-world bar and restaurant

Time: 2 to 3 hours
Price: Timed general admission from $33 adults and from $19 children 4-12; flexible Anytime tickets from $47 adults and $27 children; under 3 free (2026 listed starting prices, vary by date)
Hours: Days and times vary; check the official ticket calendar
Best time: Weekday mornings for the thinnest crowds; avoid Friday evenings and weekend afternoons if you have little ones.

October 31, 2024Opened
More than 100Artists
5th permanent exhibitionMeow Wolf number

Directions Official site Full field notes

04 / 10Hermann Park / Museum District3.2 mi from downtown

Hermann Park Railroad and Pedal Boats

A little train loop and a lake to pedal

Hermann Park's narrow-gauge train and pedal boats on McGovern Lake are the cheapest good time in the Museum District, and they're next door to the zoo.

Hermann Park has run a miniature railroad since 1957, and today's train loops about 1.8 miles on two-foot-gauge track, rolling past the zoo, under the trees and along McGovern Lake. The ride takes 20 to 25 minutes from Kinder Station at Lake Plaza, with stops at MD Anderson, Mullenweg and Bob Weekly stations, and a day pass lets you hop off and back on as often as you like. Since summer 2024 the trains have run on battery-electric power instead of gasoline, so the ride is quieter than it used to be. Around the corner from the Sunday Press café at Lake Plaza, the boathouse rents pedal boats for a lap around the lake, with turtles and ducks for company. The Lott Family Carousel rounds out the trio. Pair all three with a morning at the zoo and you've built a full Hermann Park day.

What to expect

Strollers and wagons can't ride the train, and kids must be able to sit on their own.
No food or drinks on the train, the pedal boats or the carousel.
Each pedal boat needs a rider 18 or older; everyone wears a life vest.
Riders 18 and up sign a digital waiver, so do it on your phone while you wait.
Free parking is in Lots G and F in front of the zoo and Lot H across the street.

Do this

Ride the full train loop from Kinder Station and hop off at another station to explore
Rent a pedal boat on McGovern Lake from the Lake Plaza boathouse
Take a spin on the Lott Family Carousel

Time: 1 to 2 hours
Price: Train day pass $6 weekdays, $7 weekends and holidays; pedal boats $16 per boat (up to 4 riders); carousel $3 per ride or $6 day pass
Hours: Railroad and carousel daily 10 am-6 pm; pedal boats daily 10 am-5 pm; seasonal and weather dependent; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas
Best time: Weekday mornings in fall and spring; pedal boats are best before the afternoon heat.

1957Railroad since
About 1.8 miles, 2 ft gaugeTrack
4Stations
Battery-electric since 2024Power

Directions Official site Full field notes

05 / 10Museum District2.8 mi from downtown

The Health Museum

Walk through a giant brain, crawl a colon

A museum where the human body is the funhouse: supersized organs you can walk into, a beating heart the size of a room, and free admission Thursday afternoons.

The Health Museum started in 1969 as a medical science corner of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, moved into its own building in 1996, and took its short name in 2006. Its Amazing Body Gallery is a larger-than-life walking tour of the human body with about 30 interactive kiosks. Kids can stand inside a 10-foot walk-through brain, peer out of a walk-in eyeball, crawl through a 27.5-foot colon and watch a 12-foot heart that beats, and every so often stages a heart attack. For budding scientists, the DeBakey Cell Lab lets kids run real biology experiments in lab coats for a small add-on fee. The museum is compact, which makes it an easy two-hour stop, and it sits one block from the Children's Museum, so the two pair well on a single Museum District day.

What to expect

The exhibits sit on one floor, so strollers and wheelchairs roll through easily.
The museum's own parking lot is entered from Hermann Drive.
From the Museum District rail stop, it is a five-block walk east on Ewing Street.
Show a METRO card at the desk for 50% off admission.
Weekends and school holidays bring crowds to the hands-on stations.

Do this

Walk inside the giant brain and the walk-in eyeball in the Amazing Body Gallery
Crawl through the 27.5-foot colon and wait for the giant heart to act up
Put on a lab coat for a hands-on experiment in the DeBakey Cell Lab

Time: 1.5 to 2 hours
Price: Adults $15; children 3-12 $12; seniors 65+ $12; under 2 free; free Thursdays 2-5 pm. DeBakey Cell Lab add-on $6 ($3 members). Parking $10.
Hours: Tue-Sat 10 am-5 pm, Sun noon-5 pm; closed Mon except during summer and holiday periods
Best time: Thursday afternoon for free admission, or a weekday morning after 11 am once field trips move on.

1969Founded
Opened March 16, 1996Current building
Thursdays 2-5 pmFree hours
12 feet, switched on 2016Giant heart

Directions Official site Full field notes

06 / 10DowntownDowntown

Downtown Aquarium

Tigers, a shark tunnel train and a Ferris wheel

An aquarium, a tiger habitat and a small amusement park rolled into a converted fire station and waterworks at the edge of downtown, open late every night.

Landry's opened the Downtown Aquarium in 2003 on a six-acre site built around two old city landmarks, Fire Station No. 1 and the Central Waterworks Building, and filled it with about 500,000 gallons of tanks. Inside the Aquarium Adventure exhibit, kids wander from a Louisiana swamp to a shipwreck, a sunken temple and a rainforest. The showstopper is the Maharaja's Temple, where the tigers live: Apollo, a Bengal rescued as a cub in San Antonio, and Zara and Kirana, Sumatran sisters born in 2023 who arrived in 2025 through a conservation breeding program. Outside, the Shark Voyage train rolls through a tunnel surrounded by sharks, the Diving Bell Ferris Wheel lifts you above the grounds, and there's a carousel and small drop tower for younger riders. You can stroll the grounds for free and pay only for what you ride.

What to expect

The lot directly behind the building is $15, or $18 for valet; pay by QR code.
No outside food, coolers or even bottled water; there are concession stands outside.
Strollers stay out of exhibits and ride lines, and there's no stroller check.
Leave the aquarium exhibit and you can't return unless you hold the all-day wristband.
The aquarium exhibit is indoors; the rides are outdoors and close in bad weather.

Do this

Watch the tigers swim and climb at the Maharaja's Temple
Ride the Shark Voyage train through the shark tunnel
Take the Diving Bell Ferris Wheel for a view of the downtown skyline

Time: 2 to 3 hours
Price: All-Day Adventure Pass: adults $25.99, children under 42 in. $24.99, 2 and under free. Aquarium exhibit only: adults $16.99, seniors and children under 42 in. $14.99. Single rides $5.25-$7.25. Grounds free.
Hours: Exhibits Sun-Thu 10 am-8:30 pm, Fri-Sat 10 am-10 pm; rides open at 10:30 am; hours vary seasonally
Best time: Weekday late afternoons, or a Friday evening when the rides and skyline are lit up.

2003Opened
About 500,000 gallonsTank volume
6 acresSite
1 Bengal, 2 SumatranTigers

Directions Official site Full field notes

07 / 10Kemah (Galveston Bay)26 mi from downtownFree

Kemah Boardwalk

A wooden coaster five feet from the bay

A free-to-walk waterfront boardwalk on Galveston Bay with a classic wooden roller coaster, a double-decker carousel and seafood with a view.

About 45 minutes southeast of downtown, where Clear Lake meets Galveston Bay, Kemah Boardwalk has been the family day trip since it opened in the late 1990s. Walking the boardwalk costs nothing, and watching boats slip through the channel is half the fun. When kids want rides, there are 13 on the All Day Ride Pass. The headliner is the Boardwalk Bullet, a wooden coaster that opened in 2007 and packs 3,236 feet of track, a 92-foot first drop and speeds over 51 mph onto a one-acre footprint right at the water's edge. Smaller kids head for the Double Decker Carousel, the C.P. Huntington Train and the Century Ferris Wheel. The Boardwalk Beast speedboat blasts out into the bay for an extra fee, and the Stingray Reef lets kids touch and feed rays. Stay for sunset over the water.

What to expect

Gated lots are free on weekdays and paid on weekends and holidays; no re-entry.
No outside food, bottled water, insulated tumblers or picnics.
Strollers are welcome but park outside ride lines; there's no stroller corral.
Purses, backpacks and phones aren't allowed on most rides; bring someone to hold them.
Rides close for lightning and high winds, with no refunds or rain checks.

Do this

Ride the Boardwalk Bullet wooden coaster (48 inches minimum)
Take the Boardwalk Beast speedboat out into Galveston Bay
Touch and feed stingrays at Stingray Reef

Time: 3 to 5 hours
Price: Boardwalk entry free. All Day Ride Pass $29.99 (48 in. and up) or $23.99 (under 48 in.). Boardwalk Beast $27 ($22 with a ride wristband); Iron Eagle zip line $14 ($11 with pass); Stingray Reef $6.99.
Hours: Ride hours change monthly; the official site listed Mon-Thu noon-8 pm, Fri and Sun noon-9 pm, Sat noon-10 pm for September 2026
Best time: Weekend afternoons into sunset in spring and fall; weekday visits are quieter but ride hours are shorter.

Opened 2007Boardwalk Bullet
92 feetCoaster drop
Over 51 mphTop speed
13Rides on pass

Directions Official site Full field notes

Details still being confirmed. Check the official site before you go.

08 / 10Galveston46 mi from downtown

Moody Gardens

Glass pyramids full of rainforest and ocean

Galveston's trio of glass pyramids hold a 10-story rainforest and a 1.5-million-gallon aquarium, an hour from Houston and open every day of the year.

The Moody Foundation started Moody Gardens in 1986, and its glass pyramids are Galveston's most recognizable skyline. The Rainforest Pyramid, opened in 1993 and 10 stories tall, is warm, humid and alive: birds fly free overhead, a waterfall runs beside the path, and you'll find giant river otters, a Komodo dragon, an ocelot and a bat cave. The taller Aquarium Pyramid, opened in 1999 and rebuilt in 2017, holds 1.5 million gallons and moves through the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, the North and South Pacific and the South Atlantic, with penguins, seals, sharks and a jellyfish gallery. The third pyramid, Discovery, is closed for now while it becomes the Galveston Children's Museum, due to open in November 2026. Add a 3D or 4D film to round out the day, and parking is always free.

What to expect

Strollers rent for $15 at the Visitors Center, first come, first served.
Free wheelchairs at the Visitors Center and Aquarium Pyramid, with a license deposit.
Packed lunches are fine at the outdoor benches and tables around the grounds.
Service animals are welcome but not in the Rainforest Pyramid, where animals roam free.
Covered parking is $30 and valet $40 if you want more than the free self-park lot.

Do this

Look for the giant river otters and free-flying birds in the Rainforest Pyramid
Watch the penguins in the Aquarium Pyramid's South Atlantic habitat
Catch a 3D or 4D film between pyramids

Time: 4 to 6 hours
Price: Aquarium Pyramid adults $45, children 4-12 and seniors $37; Rainforest Pyramid adults $39, children and seniors $32; Aquarium plus Rainforest adults $60 online ($65 onsite), children and seniors $49 online ($55 onsite); one-day Value Pass adults $75 presale ($85 onsite), children and seniors $67 presale ($75 onsite). Parking free. (Official price sheet for Sep 18-25, 2026)
Hours: Open 365 days; Aquarium and Rainforest pyramids 10 am-4 pm daily, to 5 pm Saturdays (late September 2026; changes weekly)
Best time: Weekdays outside summer and holiday breaks; a rainy Galveston day is perfect for the pyramids.

1986Founded
10 stories, opened 1993Rainforest Pyramid
1.5 million gallonsAquarium
Always freeParking

Directions Official site Full field notes

09 / 10Ellington Airport / Southeast Houston16 mi from downtown

Lone Star Flight Museum

Cockpits to climb into, warbirds on the ramp

Hangars of historic aircraft, a hands-on flight school for kids and the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, on a working airfield in southeast Houston.

This museum spent decades in Galveston until Hurricane Ike put seven to eight feet of water into its hangars in 2008. It rebuilt inland at Ellington Airport and reopened on September 16, 2017, two weeks late because Hurricane Harvey got in the way. The new home is about 100,000 square feet with its own ramp onto the airfield and more than two dozen historic aircraft. For kids, head straight to the Flight Academy, 27 hands-on exhibits where they can design planes, learn why wings lift, sit in cockpit replicas of a Curtiss Jenny and two P-51 Mustangs, and steer hang-glider simulators. The Boeing Toddler Terminal gives the littlest pilots a place to play. Older kids at least 48 inches tall can strap into the MAX Flight simulator, which rolls a full 360 degrees. The Texas Aviation Hall of Fame honors names like Howard Hughes and astronaut Alan Bean.

What to expect

The hangars are air-conditioned, with wide, smooth aisles that suit strollers.
Minuti Coffee in the gift shop area serves coffee plus breakfast and lunch.
The Boeing Toddler Terminal is for ages 1 to 4 and has stroller parking.
Wheelchairs are available on request, subject to availability.
The entrance is at Aerospace Avenue and Challenger inside Ellington Airport.

Do this

Climb into the P-51 Mustang and Curtiss Jenny cockpits in the Flight Academy
Loop a full 360 degrees in the MAX Flight simulator (48 inches minimum)
Find Howard Hughes and Alan Bean in the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame

Time: 2 to 3 hours
Price: Adults (18-64) $18; seniors 65+ $15; youth 12-17 $15; children 5-11 $12; 4 and under free. MAX Flight simulator $10 per ride extra. Parking free.
Hours: Tue-Sat 10 am-5 pm, Sun noon-5 pm; closed Mon
Best time: Weekday afternoons after school groups leave; check the event calendar for days when aircraft fly.

September 16, 2017Reopened at Ellington
About 100,000 sq ftBuilding
27 hands-on exhibitsFlight Academy
1985Founded

Directions Official site Full field notes

10 / 10Port Houston / East End4.7 mi from downtownFree

Sam Houston Boat Tour

A free cruise past the giant cargo ships

A free 90-minute cruise on the Houston Ship Channel aboard the port's own tour boat, with container ships and cranes close enough to make kids go quiet.

Most visitors never see the waterway that made Houston a port city: the Houston Ship Channel. Port Houston has run free public cruises on it since the M/V Sam Houston made its first trip on July 30, 1958. The 95-foot boat carries up to 100 passengers, with air-conditioned lounge seating inside and deck space outside, and the round trip takes about 90 minutes. You leave from Sam Houston Landing and cruise past international cargo ships, tugboats and the cranes of the Turning Basin Terminal, while the crew answers questions about what's being loaded and where it's headed. Each passenger gets a free drink on board. For kids who love trucks, trains and anything enormous, watching a ship the length of a city block slide past is hard to beat, and the price is right: nothing at all.

What to expect

Restrooms are at the landing and below deck on the boat.
Dress is casual; wear flat, comfortable shoes for the deck.
Tours run in most weather; staff will call you if conditions change a trip.
The boat is wheelchair accessible, though some conditions can limit that access.

Do this

Stand on the outside deck as you pass the cargo ships and cranes at the Turning Basin Terminal
Ask the crew what the ships are carrying and where they're bound
Count tugboats on the way out and back

Time: About 2 hours including check-in
Price: Free (reservation required)
Best time: Fall through spring on a clear day, when the outside deck is comfortable.

July 30, 1958First voyage
95 feet, up to 100 passengersBoat
About 90 minutesTour length
FreeCost

Directions Official site Full field notes

Details still being confirmed. Check the official site before you go.

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