2Q09 Enrichment - Fun Things to Do in Houston This Summer!

Here are some great activities for the summer - enjoy!!! A special thanks to Karen G. for pulling this together for us!

Parks

Peckham Park: 5597 Gardenia Lane, Katy, TX miniature golf, park for kids, swimming, walking trail, and fishing http://www.pct3.hctx.net/parks/maryjopeckham.aspx

Bear Creek Park: 3535 War Memorial DR. wildlife habitat, playgrounds, jogging trails http://www.pct3.hctx.net/parks/bearcreekpioneers.aspx

Bane Park: 9600 W. Little York Rd 20 acres with fishing lake, playground, rock climbing wall, splash pad and restrooms. http://www.hcp4.net/parks/bane/index.htm

Zube Park--free train rides 3rd Saturday of each month March-November http://www.hals.org/

Houston Arboretum & Nature Center 4501 Woodway Dr., Houston, TX 77024 A 155 acre nature sanctuary with 5 miles of walking trails, and interpretive center with a discovery room with hands on activities and exhibits. Free! http://www.houstonarboretum.org/hours.asp

Nature Discovery Center a 4 acre rural retreat in Bellaire, TX. Discovery rooms are open Tues-Sat full of intriguing exhibits and hands on activities for learning fun. It’s Free! http://www.naturediscoverycenter.org/

Bayou Wildlife Park in Alvin, TX take a tram ride over 80 acres of natural habitat. See and feed animals and birds from Africa, India, Asia, Australia, and North and South America. Pony rides and a petting zoo are also available. http://www.bayouwildlifepark.com/index.html

Brazos Bend State Park 21901 FM 762, Needville, TX Has camping, picnicking, hiking, biking and fishing. Great place to see lots of alligators. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/brazos_bend/

George Observatory Located inside Brazos Bend State Park Open to public viewing on Saturday evenings. Tickets are $5 to look through the big telescopes. http://www.hmns.org/see_do/george_observatory.asp

George Ranch Historical Park 10215 FM 762 Richmond, TX Visit 4 different homesteads through time from 1830’s, 1860’s, 1890’s, and 1930’s and see what life was like for them on their working ranch. Open Tues-Sat $9/adults, $5/kids 5-15 http://www.georgeranch.org/

Washington on the Brazos State Historical Park 293 acre state historic site with three main attractions –Independence Hall, Barrington Living History Farm, and the Star of the Republic Museum. http://www.starmuseum.org/visit_publictour.htm

Sea Center Texas 3000 Medical Dr. Lake Jackson, TX 50 miles south of Houston. Marine aquarium, fish hatchery and education center in lake Jackson. Admission Free, donations accepted. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/visitorcenters/seacenter/visit/

San Jacinto Battleground 3523 Battleground Rd, LaPorte, TX http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/san_jacinto_battleground/

Battleship Texas 3523 highway 134, LaPorte, TX http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/battleship_texas/

Miller Outdoor Theater Professional entertainment from Jazz to dance to Shakespeare to musical theatre—all free. http://www.milleroutdoortheatre.com/

Houston China Town –starts from Bellaire & Beltway 8 Eastward to Gessner. From Harwin Dr. Southward to Bellaire. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/

Tour of Minute Maid Park http://houston.astros.mlb.com/hou/ballpark/astrostours.jsp Get a behind the scenes look of the baseball park. See historic Union Station, press boxes, dugouts, luxery suites and more. $9/adults, $5/kids

Drive-in movie just minutes west of Katy. Open Thur-Sun. $5/person http://starsatnightdrivein.com/

Oil ranch 23501 Macedonia Rd, Hockley, TX $12.95/person Guest Ranch with pony ride, milk a cow, dairy barn, baby animal farm, train rides, hayrides, Indian village, swimming http://www.oilranch.com/index.php

Blue bell Creamery Tour where they make Blue Bell Ice Cream in Brenham, TX. Monday –Friday—no weekend tours. $3/person including a serving a ice cream. http://www.bluebell.com/

Pick your Own Berries http://www.moorheadsblueberryfarm.com/ great deal—only $1.50 lb for blueberries. http://www.kingsorchard.com/ they have strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and more but are more costly at ~$3.50/lb

Splashtown Waterpark in Spring, TX ~$30.00/person http://www.splashtownpark.com/

Noah’s Ark Pool 10570 Westpark Has a large pool with dual slides and 2 diving boards, a small pool ideal for little ones $5/person http://ecommunity.westchasedistrict.com/Community/DisplayAd.asp?id=2042

Houston Zoo http://www.houstonzoo.org/

George Bush Presidential Library and Museum 1000 George Bush Drive West, College Station, TX under 5 free $3/ kids, $7/adults http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/

Galveston!
Crabbing Way fun and this website will tell you how. http://www.crystalbeach.com/fishing/crabbing2.htm

Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Research Center in Galveston 4700 Ave. U, Galveston, TX 409-766-3500 Tours are given by appointment. http://galveston.ssp.nmfs.gov/index.html

Oil Rig, Offshore Energy Center Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum, Pier 19, Galveston TX. adults $8, students, $5, under 6 free. http://www.oceanstaroec.com/museum.htm

Moody Gardens One Hope Blvd, Galveston, TX Kind of pricey but fun for kids. http://www.moodygardens.com/

Kemah Boardwalk Pricey, but fun especially for the elementary age kids. http://www.kemahboardwalk.com/flash_content/flash_content.html

Space center Need to go here at least once while you live in Houston http://www.spacecenter.org/

Schlitterbahn Very fun waterpark in Galveston, New Braunfels, or South Padre. $30-40/person http://www.schlitterbahn.com/