Activities in Houston Texas with Teenagers Including the cost
Houston has some awesome activities to check out. I have rounded up the ones that we all enjoyed as a family. I will share a little about each activity and the costs will be at the bottom of each activity.
NOTE: All prices are from December 2024
Brazos Bend State Park
If your teens are nature lovers or are keen on reptiles then a visit to the nature center if very worthwhile. I have already written about this one, Houston on a Budget: 5 Free or Cheap Family Activities at Christmas. That is the link, just in case you have just landed here on this page.
Brazos Bend State Park Cost
Houston Museum of Natural Science
This one is my favourite! I had such a great time here with so much to see and do that the one day we spent was nowhere near long enough. I will break it down into two parts, the Cockrell Butterfly Center and the rest of the museum. We first made our way to the Cockrell Butterfly Center as that is what the teenagers were most interested in. But before we even made it there we came across these hairy little creatures.
Another big hit, and another round of we don't have them in New Zealand, except these ones are sometimes kept in Zoos. There were neat activities around as well in the more modern interactive museum style. There were also scorpions but I don't have the best photos of those.
Then we headed through the double door and checked out the butterfly enclosure. So many gorgeous butterflies just flittering around. It is warm and humid in here so you won't be needing a jacket! It does really add to the lush tropical feel of the enclosure and I'm sure it is what the butterflies need to survive.
There is more than just butterflies in here too...
This not so little guy was just basking right near the edge of the walkway on a wall at hand height. The reason I know it is hand height...I just about leant on him! I was so busy looking at the butterflies and an unusual bird (picture below) that I put my hand down to lean on the wall, almost on top of him! Luckily my cousin saw and warned me, I might have gotten just a little fright. He on the other hand was none the wiser and carried on with his nap.
Cue the unusual bird I was distracted by! I have never seen a bird like it before. I had to look it up and it is a Red-crested turaco (Tauraco Erythrolophus), the national bird of Angola. So he/she is quite far from their African home. It seems that the males and females are visually identical but their calls differ, I have no idea which this one is.
There are many different galleries, Egyptian exhibition, Fabergé egg collection, countless dinosaur fossils and so many more. I could have spent another day here just to see more of it. The teenagers probably not, but you can buy food and there is a gift shop, so they were happy about that!
The museum is surrounded by beautiful Hermann Park and water fountains. Including McGovern Centennial Gardens, which were lucky enough to have a quick walk through before they closed. A very serene spot in the middle of a city.
Cost of Houston Natural Museum of Science
This one is a little trickier depending on what parts and activities you want to see and do. General admission is US$25, the butterfly center is an additional US$15 which is what we paid for. But check out their official Hours & Admissions page to see what will suit you.
Houston Zoo
Houston Zoo has all that you would expect from a big city zoo. I particularly like the aquarium area with seals and underwater walkway. These stunning jellyfish were in a smaller tank under there.
Another favourite is the cute little meerkats. Always busy running around and looking about.
It's not really a zoo without some big African animals and there were plenty of those. We saw the rhinoceros, lions, tigers and the more unusual Ankole Cattle. I guess they are probably more common and less endangered but I don't think I have ever seen one before.
We did need to book our tickets online as there are no gate sales available. It was very straight forward to do, pick the number of each age group you need and choose your day and time. The cost below is for 5 Adults and 1 Senior, children's tickets are for up to 12 years old. We had two extra family members with us. Check the link above for the current prices.
Cost of Houston Zoo
Kemah Boardwalk
Unfortunately I was not the best photographer for our day at Kemah Boardwalk. I was far too bust catching up with friends, seeing the sights and watching the teens go on the rides. If like me you are not into rides, there is plenty to see, eat and do. There is an aquarium where we got to feed the stingrays, that was fun, a little scary but definitely entertaining. There is the most amazing spiral staircase up to a restaurant with a massive cylindrical aquarium in the middle.
I took a grand total of two photos inside the aquarium. I guess it's hard to take photos with wet hand while feeding a stingray. It is a small aquarium but worth a visit, mostly if you are interested in feeding the stingrays.
I also took a grand total of two photos that are not full of people from the outside. In the interests of privacy I am not sharing our faces or those of the friends and family we were with. It will be best to check out the official Kemah Boardwalk website for all the details and much better photos!
Kemah Boardwalk Cost - 2 Adults & 2 Teens (December 2024)
Summary
Houston is an amazing place to visit! We came in winter time (December 2024) and the weather was great. Not hot, not cold but generally comfortable. I have been before but only in July/August, which is the heat of the summer and temperatures are often at 100°F (about 40 °C), way to hot for me!
Thanks Houston, we will be back!