Fun Stuff To Do With Your Kids in the Museum District

Children's Museum of Houston✨

You’re in luck—Houston is home to the No. 1 children’s museum in the U.S. according to Parents magazine. Children’s Museum of Houston is “A Playground for Your Mind™” packed with 90,000 square feet of innovative, interactive bilingual exhibits for kids, ages birth to 12 years. Your family will have a blast and your kids will learn through the fun hands-on activities.

Housed in a whimsical Robert Venturi-designed building, everything about this place just screams fun. Plus, you can knock out two birds with one stone by grabbing a meal at their Fresh Café, which offers nutritious eats and treats for the whole family—even those picky eaters.

Tickets are $17 for adults and children over the age of 1, but stop by on Thursdays from 5PM to 8PM for Free Family Night!

Sunday | 12PM-6PM
Monday-Wednesday | 10AM-6PM
Thursday | 10AM-8PM
Friday-Saturday | 10AM-6PM

📍1500 Binz Street Houston, TX 77004

Houston Museum of Natural Science👩‍🔬

Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) will blow your mind with its incredible, kid-friendly exhibits featuring tons of awesome history. As one of the most heavily attended museums in the U.S. you know it won’t disappoint! HMNS features a paleontology hall towering with prehistoric critters, a groovy planetarium, a 3D IMAX Theater, a magnificent butterfly exhibit, and more, with a total of 16 permanent exhibit areas.

These permanent exhibit halls are free on Thursdays from 2PM-5PM during normal hours and on Thursdays from 3PM-6PM during the summer and holidays. On other days, tickets are $23 for adults, $14 for children, or free for members.

We recommend checking out The Cockrell Butterfly Center and Brown Hall of Entomology, where you can walk through a living butterfly habitat, marvel at spectacular live and preserved specimens of some of the world’s largest and weirdest arthropods, and enjoy interactive games and quizzes!

Monday-Sunday | 9AM-5PM

📍 5555 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX 77030

Houston Zoo🦁

Who doesn’t love the zoo? The Houston Zoo serves as a 55-acre oasis in the heart of the museum district and is home to over 6,000 residents with claws, fins, wings, and hooves from all corners of the globe. The dedicated and passionate staff stay busy tending to these lovable animals so you can have the absolute best time! According to Parents Magazine, the Houston Zoo is one of the “10 Best Zoos” in the nation!

Book an exclusive Animal Encounter experience and interact with amazing animals like sea lions, rhinos, sloths, elephants, cheetahs, and more! You can also stop by the giraffe feeding platform to feed a giraffe its lunch, take a ride on our Wildlife Carousel, or take your kids to meet the goats.

Tickets are $22.95 for adults ages 12+, $17.95 for children ages 2-11, and $17.95 for seniors ages 65+. Snag a ticket now!

Monday-Sunday | 9AM-6PM
📍6200 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX 77030

Museum of Fine Arts Houston🎨

For all those creative kiddos, check out the Museum of Fine Arts! This museum was established in 1900 and features nearly 70,000 works of beautiful art. From the art of antiquity to the present, you’ll find diverse pieces that’ll take you back in time or help you appreciate modernity.

The museum is a dynamic cultural complex comprising two gallery buildings, a sculpture garden, a visitors center, a library, a movie theatre, a gift shop, a café, two art schools, and two house museums. Children under 12 always get in free, so there’s no excuse for missing out! On Thursdays, general admission is free all day, but if you visit on another day, tickets range from $12 to $19 depending on age. Stop by for a truly wondrous time!

Monday | Closed (open select holidays)
Tuesday | Closed
Wednesday | 11AM-5PM
Thursday | 11AM-9PM
Friday-Saturday | 11AM-6PM
Sunday | 12:30PM-6PM

📍1001 Bissonnet Street, Houston, TX 77005

Miller Outdoor Theater🎭

For the days you just need to get out of the house and enjoy some fresh air while the kids stay entertained, Miller Outdoor Theater (MOT) is the place to go. Serving as Houston’s premier outdoor theater for the performing arts, you can attend a diverse range of entertainment, including classical music, jazz, ethnic music and dance, ballet, Shakespeare, musical theater, classic films, and much more. Plus, all performances at MOT are family-friendly!

And the news just keeps getting better, because performances are free! There are two types of seating, covered seating and hillside seating. While covered seating does require a ticket, there is no purchase necessary. All you have to do is pick up tickets at the MOT box office on the day of the performance you wish to see.

MOT’s BYOB policy allows guests to bring their own beverages and food to performances, just note that glass containers and bottles are prohibited. Pack up food, lawn chairs, beverages, and blankets before you head to the venue and enjoy the show!

Check the schedule calendar. Hours vary depending on the show!

📍6000 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX 77030

Hermann Park🌳