When it’s hot and muggy in the summer, it can be a challenge to find things to do to keep cool in Houston. Keeping a baby and busy toddler happy can be quite the feat.
But don’t despair, we spent several weeks checking out options for things to do with a baby and toddler in Houston. Activities that will keep you cool in the summer heat!
Here’s your guide to what to do in Houston in the summer, complete with the best things to do in Houston for kids. Start planning your trip to Houston right now!
When June rolled around and M’s semester was over, we headed north to Houston for a few weeks with the family and a change of scenery. To keep us in a nice routine, we planned daily activities out of the house.
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Planning a Trip to Houston in the Summer
Summers in Houston are hot and muggy with highs regularly hitting 100 degrees Fahrenheit. That said, every indoor space in Houston is extremely air conditioned. So much so, that I recommend carrying sweaters around for the whole family.
If you are coming to Houston for a weekend, I would suggest spending one day in downtown, visiting Discovery Green and perhaps another park. Then spend a second day in the Museum District and Hermann Park.
With a third day, you can visit NASA’s Johnson Space Center outside of town, as a day trip from Houston.
Here are the top things to do with kids in Houston, plus notes on coming to Houston with a baby.
Discovery Green Houston
Discovery Green is a park in downtown Houston has a great mix of grassy areas, play spaces, a lake, water feature, and interesting art work.
After messing around with the parking for an inordinate amount of time, we had a walk around. Little N absolutely loved the water feature, as expected, and we wrapped things up with snow cones on the grass. A perfect little summer excursion.
(convention center)
Museum of Fine Arts Houston
The Museum of Fine Arts Houston is the place for art in Houston. This is the perfect place for walking around in the air conditioning. With a variety of exhibits, it is a museum you can return to time and time again.
Additionally, there is a sculpture garden that you can walk around. This is a great place to let the kids run around before or after walking quietly in the museum.
Another day, this time with Auntie V in town, we all headed to MFAH. The boys were extremely interested, particularly Baby B. We saw a nice portion of the exhibits and then were off for some Texas BBQ lunch.
Tip: The Museum offers pay what you wish hours on Thursdays. Check the website for details.
Hermann Park Centennial Gardens
After your visit to a museum, head to Hermann Park. There you will find, the Japanese Garden, McGovern Lake, walking trails, the zoo, and best of all the McGovern Centennial Gardens.
The McGovern Centennial Gardens at Hermann Park is a fun part of Hermann Park to explore. It is located within a short distance of some of the museums and is a picturesque, i.e. instagrammable place in Houston.
The beautiful landscaping makes for a nice place to take your time, pointing out flowers. And what toddler doesn’t love climbing a giant hill?
Houston Museum of Natural Science
If you’re not into art museums, the other great Houston museum is the Houston Museum of Natural Science. From dinosaur bones, to butterflies, it has everything you want in a science museum.
An excellent museum, the Houston Museum of Natural Science has great kid-centered hands on exhibits. We love that it’s educational and interesting for the parents as well!
Menil Collection Houston
The Menil Collection is another museum with a variety of art, mostly from the 20th century onwards. It is a good option for a muggy day.
This museum is less kid friendly than the other two I mentioned above. However it is unique to Houston, so it’s worth checking out if your little ones can cooperate for a short amount of time.
The museum was small enough that it was just right for exploring with the boys. The guards were a little overbearing but we hear that’s a common complaint.
Other than the main building we also walked over to see a lighting installation. The time-worthyness of that part is still up for debate. We ended with a much anticipated visit to the nearby Trader Joe’s and enjoyed our treats all the way home.
Tip: Keep those kids strapped to you if you are worried about a toddler walking around independently in a museum!
Baseball Game at Minute Maid Park
If you are a baseball fan that a visit to Minute Maid Park in Houston is a good activity to do with kids.
I have a whole post for you on how to take your baby or toddler to their first baseball game. We headed to Minute Maid park, bought our tickets and headed inside for this classic summer activity!
More Parks in Houston
Before I get into the kid oriented spots in Houston, here are parks that people of all ages would enjoy.
For family travelers to Houston these parks can be fun for kids. Especially if you are focused on getting your city kid outside and more into nature, here are some good options to explore.
Houston Botanic Garden
The Houston Botanic Garden is probably the most peaceful spot in Houston. When you need to get away from the sounds of cars, the botanic garden has lovely nature trails! It has become a fast favorite for us!
Buffalo Bayou
Buffalo Bayou crosses right through Houston. There are a bunch of possible entrances to enter Buffalo Bayou Park. It is perfect for walking on the trails along the bayou and offers good views of downtown Houston.
Not surprisingly the favorite for kids is at the Nature Play Area, which is a playground with rocks perfect for climbing, water to play with and more! When you’re done playing, walk along the bayou for a bit!
Kid Centric Places to Go in Houston in the Summer (or anytime)
All the places I’ve mentioned thus far, are places that are fun for visiting no matter your age or who you’re with. We find that taking babies to these places is a piece of cake.
But once you hit toddler age, it becomes more important to have kid centered activities in mind. Here are other places in Houston we have enjoyed taking the kids:
Children’s Museum Houston
The Children’s Museum Houston is par for the course for a children’s museum (they all seem to be very similar to each other). I shared more about this museum in this post.
Levy Park
This park wasn’t yet open when I originally wrote this post, but since it’s been open it is by far our favorite playground in Houston. In the summer there is a water feature that is fun for cooling down. The rest of the year, there are climbing structures, board games and activities.
Nature Discovery Center in Bellaire
Another destination we’ve returned to multiple times, is the Nature Discovery Center in Bellaire! With very short nature trails, as well as a small playground, this is the perfect learning center for some outdoor fun for young kids!
Fire Truck Park at Southside Place
The Fire Truck Park in West University is the best play ground for preschoolers in Houston! It is the playground we always end up going to, and they’ve added restrooms and some newer climbing structures that are good for our older kids as well.
Houston Zoo and Hermann Park Railroad
What kid doesn’t like going to the zoo? The Houston Zoo is a good option for animal view. What’s more, right outside of the zoo entrance is the Hermann Park Train. This mini train ride around the park is the perfect activity for preschoolers!
What’s your favorite thing to do in Houston with kids? Any fun place I missed?
Start planning your trip to Houston– you can usually find good deals!
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It’s so great to see things that both kids and adults can enjoy in the city. I wish I had these kinds of posts when my kids were young. We took them traveling everywhere but would have loved a guide like this.
We lived in a suburb of Houston for 4 months at the end of last year and I wish we saw more of it! We didn’t travel around much, but I guess that’s an excuse to go back!
I’m a huge fan of Houston . . . in every season except for the summer. I’ve been stuck there too many times with hurricanes. But I must say you have some good advice here, maybe I’ll give it a shot!
I’ve never been to Houston but it’d be cool get to go someday! I’d love to check out the Botanic/Centennial Gardens + the Museum of Natural Science!