Fun things to do in Houston, TX

Bring the Kids in Houston

112 results

Terry Hershey Park

Terry Hershey Park traces Buffalo Bayou through west Houston with paved routes, wooded side trails, rolling terrain, and frequent neighborhood access points. Cyclists, runners, and walkers share long stretches beneath tree cover, while bridges and bayou views break up the workout. Pick a turnaround point before enthusiasm carries you farther than planned. For Terry Hershey Park, start early in warm weather, carry water, and let the best view determine where you pause.

Parks & Trails

MacGregor Park

MacGregor Park blends neighborhood recreation with a strong place in Houston's Black cultural and sports history. Tennis courts, fields, a swimming pool, trails, community facilities, and open lawns keep the park active, while its setting along Brays Bayou connects visitors to a larger greenway. It is best experienced as a living community space, not a static landmark. Bring water and a flexible plan to MacGregor Park; the weather and trail usually decide the ideal distance.

Sports & Fitness

Run in the Park

Run in the Park brings 5K, 10K, and kid-friendly 1K routes to Hermann Park’s shaded paths, then keeps the finish-line energy going with a party near the Jones Reflection Pool. Walkers are welcome alongside runners, so the morning works just as well for first-timers and family teams as it does for competitive friends. Registration supports upkeep of the trails and green spaces that make Hermann Park a favorite everyday escape in the middle of Houston.

Sports & Fitness

Houston Cougars Home Basketball Games 2026-2027

Fertitta Center packs Houston Cougars basketball into a loud setting where students crowd the floor and every defensive stop can shake the building. The 16-game regular-season home slate begins in November and builds toward Big 12 visits from TCU, Iowa State, Texas Tech, BYU, Kansas, Utah, Oklahoma State, Colorado, and Arizona. Dates are confirmed through March, while most tipoff times remain pending, giving fans one guide for planning a family game, alumni night, or college basketball matchup.

Arts & Culture

Families with Pride 2026

Families with Pride creates a cheerful Saturday morning where LGBTQ+ children, parents, relatives, friends, and allies can relax and celebrate together at Discovery Green. Hosted with Houston civic and chamber partners, the gathering centers families in a welcoming public space where everyone deserves to feel visible and supported. Expect approachable activities and community connection rather than a late-night party, making this a warm fit for younger children, multigenerational groups,…

Attractions

Speedy's Fast Track

Speedy's Fast Track has kept Houston groups racing and playing for decades with several levels of outdoor gas-powered go-karts, including regular, Super, two-seat, and adult F1 options. Off the track, visitors can tackle 18 holes of mini-golf, compete in laser tag, or work through a large arcade with pinball and redemption games. Individual tickets and timed wristbands support quick stops or packed outings. Check driver height, age, and license rules before choosing a kart.

Arts & Culture

Dickens on The Strand 2026

Galveston’s historic Strand slips into Victorian London for the 53rd Dickens on The Strand, a three-day holiday festival filled with costumed characters, lively parades, four stages of entertainment, and wonderfully theatrical street scenes. Browse vendors selling crafts, clothing, decorations, jewelry, and seasonal treats, then watch bed races, contests, and roaming performers turn the district into a living storybook.

Sports & Fitness

Houston Hoopfest 2026

Houston Hoopfest packs a weekend of high-level college basketball into Toyota Center with Texas facing Miami, Florida State meeting Texas A&M, and the University of Houston taking on LSU. The multi-game format creates shifting fan sections, marching-band energy, and the chance to compare programs from several major conferences under one roof. It is an especially strong outing for families and basketball groups who want more than a single matchup.

Shopping & Markets

CITYCENTRE Houston

CITYCENTRE combines shops, restaurants, apartments, offices, hotels, and a central green into a walkable west Houston district. National brands and local concepts sit around patios and pedestrian streets, while live music and seasonal events bring activity to the plaza. The strongest plan mixes a little browsing with dinner or a movie, allowing the outing to continue after stores begin closing. CITYCENTRE Houston lands as a memorable stop without overcomplicating the day.

Nightlife & Music

Disney Worlds Collide Concert Tour

Disney Descendants, ZOMBIES, and Camp Rock collide at Toyota Center in a live concert designed for fans who know the movies, songs, dances, and rivalries by heart. The production combines young performers, choreography, costumes, arena visuals, and a rapid run of recognizable numbers from three musical worlds. It is built for families, tweens, and grown-up Disney Channel nostalgia, with enough spectacle to make the singalong feel like a shared event rather than a screen replay.

Attractions

Downtown Aquarium Houston

Downtown Aquarium pairs marine exhibits with the spectacle of a downtown entertainment complex. Visitors move from Texas bayous and shipwreck scenes to tropical fish, rays, sharks, and a white tiger habitat, then can add the Shark Voyage train, Ferris wheel, carousel, midway games, or a meal beside a towering aquarium. Downtown Aquarium Houston works for curious adults as well as families, especially when everyone chooses a favorite discovery.

Parks & Trails

Eleanor Tinsley Park

Eleanor Tinsley Park rolls down toward Buffalo Bayou with broad lawns, winding trails, skyline views, and plenty of room for festivals, picnics, workouts, or a sunset pause. Its slopes create some of the city's most recognizable downtown perspectives, and connections to the larger bayou trail system let a quick visit grow into a longer walk or ride. A comfortable pace at Eleanor Tinsley Park leaves room for wildlife, skyline angles, and scenes missed at workout speed.

Sports & Fitness

Houston Dynamo FC Home Game

Houston Dynamo FC matches put supporters close to the action inside Shell Energy Stadium in EaDo. Orange fills the stands as drums, chants, quick counterattacks, and the compact soccer layout create a continuous ninety-minute pulse. Arrive early for the neighborhood bars and pregame atmosphere, then expect a faster, more intimate rhythm than a giant football stadium can provide. It is easy to see why locals return to Houston Dynamo FC at Shell Energy Stadium.

Arts & Culture

Screen on the Green: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Spread out a blanket beneath the downtown skyline for a free outdoor screening of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice at Discovery Green. The evening pairs the movie’s gleefully strange afterlife adventure with the easy pleasure of a park picnic, and costumes or pajamas are encouraged. Arrive early for games and activities, bring camping chairs if you prefer a backrest, and pack snacks without glass or alcohol; food, beer, and wine will also be sold nearby.

Arts & Culture

MLK Unity Parade 2027

Houston’s MLK Unity Parade brings neighbors, schools, bands, civic groups, and families downtown to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with an upbeat public celebration. The route becomes a moving showcase of Houston’s communities, complete with music, floats, dance teams, and plenty of room for spectators to join the moment. Arrive ready to cheer, support local participants, and share a January tradition centered on unity and service.

Attractions

Houston Zoo

Houston Zoo winds through Hermann Park with elephants, gorillas, sea lions, big cats, birds, reptiles, and habitats designed for close, unhurried viewing. Keeper talks and animal encounters add context, while the carousel, shaded paths, play areas, and food stops give families natural breaks between exhibits. Expect Houston Zoo to provide plenty to point at, talk about, and remember on the ride home.

Shopping & Markets

The Galleria Houston

The Galleria Houston packs luxury boutiques, department stores, everyday fashion, restaurants, hotels, and a full-size indoor ice rink beneath a vast glass atrium. It is less a quick shopping trip than a climate-controlled district, with enough variety to occupy serious buyers and casual browsers for hours. Choose a parking area near your priorities, build in a rink-side break, and expect weekend crowds.

Attractions

Puttshack Houston

Puttshack brings tech-driven mini-golf to downtown Houston, where each ball tracks shots and scores automatically across colorful nine-hole courses. The games mix putting with interactive targets, hazards, and bonus-point challenges, so beginners can compete without studying golf rules. A full restaurant, cocktails, validated parking, and late weekend hours make it useful for family afternoons, dates, or group nights near Discovery Green and the convention district.

Attractions

Andretti Indoor Karting & Games Katy

Andretti Indoor Karting & Games gives Katy a huge indoor playground anchored by three electric go-kart tracks. The lineup continues with a two-story laser-tag arena, more than 150 arcade games, racing simulators, and several VR formats that range from compact challenges to room-scale action. A full kitchen and bar make it possible to stay between activities instead of relocating for dinner. Attractions are priced separately, so compare packages and driver requirements before arriving.

Arts & Culture

Afrique en Cirque with Cirque Kalabanté

Afrique en Cirque brings the color, athleticism, and everyday rhythms of Guinea to Sarofim Hall through gravity-defying acrobatics, human pyramids, live Afro-jazz, percussion, and kora. Created by multidisciplinary artist Yamoussa Bangoura, the one-hour production moves with the warmth of a celebration and the precision of elite circus craft. This Discovery Series engagement is free but reserved for participating local school districts, so families should understand that registration is…

Attractions

Seismique

Seismique fills a large indoor maze with immersive art, projection, sound, light, motion, and touch-responsive technology. Dozens of fantastical environments shift from glowing alien landscapes to mirrored rooms and interactive walls, giving kids room to experiment and adults plenty to examine. There is no single correct route, so curiosity does the navigating. Expect Seismique to provide plenty to point at, talk about, and remember on the ride home.

Parks & Trails

White Oak Bayou Greenway

White Oak Bayou Greenway carries cyclists and walkers from northwest neighborhoods toward downtown along a long, mostly paved corridor. Bridges, parks, murals, skyline reveals, and changing bayou landscapes keep the miles interesting. It works for exercise or transportation, but the best rides leave time to stop when a view, coffee shop, or neighborhood detour looks promising. That final detail gives White Oak Bayou Greenway real staying power.

Attractions

Battleship Texas

Battleship Texas carries the layered history of a dreadnought that served in both world wars. Its massive guns, armored decks, cramped passageways, and restored working spaces reveal how sailors lived and fought at sea; preservation work and access conditions can shape the experience, but the ship's scale is unmistakable even from shore. Battleship Texas works for curious adults as well as families, especially when everyone chooses a favorite discovery.

Attractions

1940 Air Terminal Museum

The 1940 Air Terminal Museum preserves Houston's original municipal airport terminal, an Art Deco landmark beside Hobby Airport's active runways. Period rooms, airline memorabilia, uniforms, models, and vintage aircraft recall the glamour of early commercial flying, while arriving jets outside add a lively soundtrack for aviation fans. Set aside enough time for 1940 Air Terminal Museum's details; this one is far better explored than rushed.