13 fun Places to go with kids
When a Houston afternoon hits 98 and climbing, here are 13 air-conditioned ways to wear the kids out, from free play spaces to bowling, museums, and indoor climbing.
We love a Houston summer right up until about 2 p.m., when the heat index climbs past anything reasonable and the splash pad feels like a frying pan. Some days the smart move is to give up on outside, crank the air conditioning, and go find something fun to do indoors. The good news: this city is full of cool, kid friendly spaces that will happily soak up a few hours of a hot afternoon.
Here is the running list we keep on the fridge and pull out on brutal days. It works just as well for a rainy stretch or one of our occasional cold snaps. None of these are tied to a single season, so you can lean on them all year.
Start a notes list on your phone with a few of these ideas. When the forecast turns ugly, you are not scrambling at breakfast trying to invent a plan with two restless kids already asking what you are doing today.
13 indoor ideas for a hot Houston day
1. Free indoor play spaces
Free is our favorite price, because entertaining kids all summer adds up fast. Plenty of indoor playgrounds around town cost nothing to walk into, including the play areas tucked inside some shopping malls and the open gyms at city community centers. The trade off is crowds, since on a hot day every other parent has the exact same idea, so go early and bring patience. For more no cost options, see our roundup of free things to do with kids in Houston.
2. Museums
A good museum can eat a whole afternoon, and the air conditioning is glorious. Houston is loaded with kid friendly options, from the hands on exhibits at the Children's Museum Houston to the dinosaurs and giant screen films at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the body themed fun at The Health Museum. Several museums also offer free or discounted admission windows during the week, so it is worth checking before you go. Browse them all on our museums and culture page.
Many Houston museums have a regular free admission window, often a weekday afternoon or evening, courtesy of a local sponsor. These get busy, so arrive right when the free hours start rather than near the end.
3. Bowling
Bowling is a classic for a reason: it is indoors, it suits a wide range of ages, and little kids can use the bumpers and a ramp to push the ball down the lane. Ours were bowling long before their feet fit the rental shoes. Look into kids bowl free style summer programs, which several alleys run, and ask about lighter weight balls for small hands.
4. The movies
Yes, it is screen time, but it gets everyone out of the house and into a dark, cold theater for two hours, which on a 100 degree day counts as a win. Watch for summer kids series at the big chains, where older or family friendly titles play for a dollar or two in the mornings. It is one of the cheapest ways to fill a hot morning.
5. Paint your own pottery and art studios
Paint your own pottery studios are a quieter way to beat the heat, and both kids and adults get into it. You pick a piece, paint it, and the studio fires it for pickup later. Bonus: you can aim the project at an upcoming birthday, Father's Day, or holiday gift and call it productive. Drop in hours and walk in availability vary by studio, so a quick call ahead saves a wasted trip.
6. Indoor play gyms and climbing
When the kids need to move and going outside is off the table, an indoor play gym is the answer. Around Houston you will find trampoline parks, bounce house centers, indoor rock climbing, roller rinks, and the indoor skydiving wind tunnels at iFLY (locations in the Memorial area and out toward The Woodlands). These burn real energy, which means a better afternoon for everyone and possibly an actual nap.
Most jump and climb spots require waivers and grippy socks, and they enforce height or age minimums on certain attractions. Sign the waiver online ahead of time and check the rules so no one is turned away at the counter.
7. Take an indoor tour
This one is underrated and often free. Lots of local businesses will show kids how things work behind the scenes, from bakeries to fire stations to your own bank, post office, or vet's office. We have had luck simply calling and asking. Indoor, educational, and usually free is a hard combination to beat. For more in this vein, see our list of free field trip ideas.
8. Arcades and family entertainment centers
Big family entertainment centers combine arcades, bowling, laser tag, and more under one cold roof. Dave & Buster's and Main Event both have several Houston area locations, and the games will keep kids busy long enough for you to sit down for a minute. These can get pricey, so look for power card or game package deals and weekday specials rather than paying per game.
9. Visit animals indoors
You do not need to brave the heat to see animals. The Downtown Aquarium has tanks, a stingray touch pool, and indoor exhibits right off I-45, and many of the Houston Zoo's best buildings, like the reptile and small mammal houses, are fully indoors if you time your visit for the cooler exhibits. Even a trip to a large pet store lets little kids watch fish and critters for free. More ideas on our places to see animals page.
10. Children's theater
Live performances are a lovely way to introduce kids to the arts, and most theaters are blissfully air conditioned. Look for productions aimed at young audiences at Houston's children's theater companies. If you want the free, outdoor flip side for a milder evening, our Miller Outdoor Theatre guide covers the free shows under the hill at Hermann Park.
11. Indoor classes and camps
Structured time indoors can be a sanity saver. Music and movement classes, indoor sports clinics, art workshops, and weeklong day camps all run through the summer and give kids something to look forward to on a schedule. We round up options each year in our Houston summer camps guide.
12. The library or bookstore
The public library might be the best free, air conditioned resource we have. Branches across the Houston area run summer reading programs, story times, craft sessions, and family events, and of course there are all the books. Modeling a love of reading is reason enough to go, and the cost is zero. See our guide to free library story times around Houston for what is on near you.
13. Shopping, with a purpose
If you have errands anyway, fold in something fun. IKEA has a kids' area and a famously cheap food court, and several malls have play zones, carousels, trains, or arcades to break up the trip. Hand younger kids the list to cross off, or let an older one tally the running total, and a routine errand quietly turns into a counting and reading lesson in the cold.
When only water will do
Sometimes the kids will not be talked out of getting wet, and honestly, fair enough. On those days an indoor water park keeps the splashing going without the sunburn. Our water parks guide compares the area's indoor and outdoor options, and if you would rather chase a breeze at a shaded playground, the parks and playscapes roundup sorts spots with good tree cover. You can also see everything we have filed under indoor and summer in one place.
Hours, prices, and summer programs change often and vary by location. Treat the specifics here as a starting point and confirm the current details on each place's official site before you load up the car.
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