The Best Indoor Family Attractions in Houston

Are you looking for the best indoor family attractions in Houston? I understand, because a couple of summers ago, I was lucky enough to visit a dear friend and her family who were living in Houston, TX, along with my youngest daughter. Another of my oldest and dearest friends who is local was also visiting with her family.

One thing I learned right off the bat – Houston is hot! Well, obviously… It is summer time in the deep south! The thing is, I spent weeks in Guatemala in August and was unbothered by the weather, so I really didn’t think the heat would be a problem for me, until I walked out of the airport and it hit me square in the face. That heavy, oppressive Houston heatwave is definitely something to consider. Had I been solo as in Guatemala, perhaps it wouldn’t have mattered, but with little ones it was a different story. I felt like the sun was somehow much closer, and I felt like it had an insidious desire to melt us.

The good news was that our friends had a beautiful, spacious home with excellent air-conditioning. Also, they had lived there long enough to be familiar with the best indoor destinations for families with small children, and though we were only there a few days, they introduced us to several.

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Indoor Attraction #1: The Children’s Museum Houston

Children’s Museum Houston is a huge facility that is one of the best in the USA. It offers 13 interactive exhibits for children up to age 12, including Kidtropolis, USA where kids can play at taking on jobs and managing money, FlowWorks, an outdoor water exhibits with a wave machine, a spy experience where kids can solve mysteries, and a tot’spot where the youngest children can safely play. Admission is around $24 per person, and there is an onsite cafe.

Family Houston Attraction #2: The Post

We had lunch at the Post, a former post office renovated into a fun event venue/food market. It even has an exhibition side dedicated to NASA, and a roof top garden with beautiful views of the Houston skyline. We sampled gumbo, hot dogs and that famous, delicious Texas BBQ. Typically open from about 11AM to 10PM, this is also a concert venue operated by Live Nation.

A white bowl and spoon are filled with a rich gumbo, dark red-brown in color, with chuncks of shrimp and other seafood, yellow rice, and green onions and spices floating on top.

Indoor Houston Attraction #3: Seismique

Seismique is an enormous interactive art museum filled with immersive “galaxies” that will entertain visitors of all ages. There are interactive areas such as climbing webs, neon crawl spaces, motion and sound sensitive lights, and even a glow-light mini golf course. Admission is around $35 with add-ons available. There is a cafe inside as well.

Family Attraction #4: The Houston Museum of Natural Science

We visited the Houston Museum of Natural Science, which was definitely one of the best science museums I’ve ever been to. It has five floors of exhibits and is one of the most visited science museums in the country. After visiting their extensive collection of gems, shells, dinosaur bones, and displays of local habitat wildlife, we visited my favorite floor which focused on the science and technology of energy, with a focus on (and a diorama of) the city of Houston. There is also a great planetarium and a butterfly center.

Tickets are around $25 per adult and $16 per child, but the permanent exhibit halls are free on Tuesdays from 5PM to 8PM. Hours are typically 9AM to 6PM.

Family Attraction #5: Minute Maid Park

We even caught a baseball game at the Houston Astros baseball stadium, Minute Maid Park (now also known as Daikin Park). The roof of the park is entirely retractable, making an indoor park. And as an indoor ball park, it was hot, but most definitely much less hot than the outdoors. We even got to see the train move up and down the tracks for a homerun!

Union Station serves as the main entrance to the park (and also houses the Astro’s offices.) The stadium seats over 41,000 fans and is very family friendly, with easy access to dining and public transportation. Keep in mind that it is a cashless venue.

A little girl sits on the first of a row of giant baseballs outside of the Minute Maid baseball stadium in Houston, TX.

The indoor Minute Maid baseball stadium is pictured, with a crowd looking down over the field, which is empty of players for the moment.

Other Indoor Houston Attractions that are family-friendly

A few other attractions in Houston that are highly rated include Space Center Houston, where visits can see actual rockets and even a walk-through shuttle carrier aircraft. Also, the
Color Factory Houston, which features a massive ball pit and other vibrant immersive art installations. Cidercade Houston includes nearly 300 arcade games with a flat-fee admission to play all day.

The Best Part

The best part of the trip was simply being able to spend time together. What a treat to see our little ones connect, the same way we did when we met as children so many years ago. The hours we spent together after the kids went to bed, playing Dutch Blitz, laughing, and catching up on conversation were precious. Discussing parenting, family, work, places, dreams, and life with my dear friend was long overdue, and definitely worth the trip. I would even do it again in another Houston heatwave!