Day Trips in Houston
Galveston beaches, Kemah rides, alligators at Brazos Bend, and Texas wine country.
1.Kemah Boardwalk
$$A waterfront amusement park on Galveston Bay: a wooden coaster, a Ferris wheel, seafood restaurants with bay views, and boat rides. Pairs perfectly with Space Center Houston, 15 minutes away.
Clear Lake & Kemah · Kids
2.Moody Gardens
$$Three glass pyramids on Galveston Island: a 10-story rainforest, an aquarium with penguins, and a 3D theater. Plus a paddlewheel boat and a small beach. A full day for families.
Galveston · Indoor · Kids
3.Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier
$$A 1,130-foot amusement pier over the Gulf with 16 rides, midway games, and a Bubba Gump. Best at sunset when the Ferris wheel lights up over the water.
Galveston · Kids
4.The Strand Historic District
FreeFive blocks of iron-front Victorian buildings, once the 'Wall Street of the Southwest.' Shops, old-fashioned candy stores, the 1877 tall ship Elissa, and the Galveston Railroad Museum.
Galveston
5.San Jacinto Monument & Battleship Texas
$A 567-foot tower (taller than the Washington Monument) marking where Texas won independence in 1836. Elevator to the top, a museum at the base, and the Battleship Texas nearby in Galveston.
Clear Lake & Kemah · Kids
6.Brazos Bend State Park
$An hour southwest: 5,000 acres of wetlands with hundreds of wild alligators visible from the trails, plus the George Observatory for Saturday stargazing. Houston's best wildlife day.
Memorial & Energy Corridor · Kids
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7.Texas Renaissance Festival
$$The largest Renaissance festival in the US, on 55 acres an hour northwest of Houston, eight weekends each October and November. Costumes, jousting, turkey legs, and themed weekends.
Memorial & Energy Corridor · Kids
8.Armand Bayou Nature Center
$2,500 acres of bayou wilderness near Clear Lake with pontoon-boat tours, bison, a 1900s farm, and guided night hikes. A quiet counterpart to nearby Space Center Houston.
Clear Lake & Kemah · Kids
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