Fun things to do in Houston and Katy TX?

[My2CrazyGirls]

We are going to visit my MIL in AUGUST, just when the Houston area will feel like the surface of the sun. She does not have room for us to stay in her apartment so we will have to find a hotel in Katy or west Houston close to Katy. We will not be going to Galveston or the Moody Garden area....been there done that. Please tell me there is something fun to do for our 9 and 7 year old girls? I don't want to drive around too much but know it will be a necessary evil of the trip. Please get me excited for this trip!

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

I really don't know a lot about that area.

I have been to Galveston & the Moody Gardens area & Kemah & all those places.

There is a free tour at the Houston ship channel. We took our children several times when they were small. This was years ago but we all enjoyed it.

It is the Sam Houston boat tour at the Port ofHouston.

Tour are at 10 am & 2:30 pm. & you need reservations for the free boat tour of the ship channel.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

We are going to visit my MIL in AUGUST, just when the Houston area will feel like the surface of the sun. She does not have room for us to stay in her apartment so we will have to find a hotel in Katy or west Houston close to Katy. We will not be going to Galveston or the Moody Garden area....been there done that. Please tell me there is something fun to do for our 9 and 7 year old girls? I don't want to drive around too much but know it will be a necessary evil of the trip. Please get me excited for this trip!

Katy is a big family area--there is a lot that you can do just as something to get the kids out and entertained for a while, even if not unique to the Houston area. Like Times Square Entertainment with bowling, laser tag, etc. Probably not budget-minded though!

The Houston Children's museum is super, as is the Museum of Natural Science. Quite a drive from Katy, but could be worth if you spend the better part of the day visiting these 2 museums.

First Methodist Houston on the west side of Houston (near Beltway 8) has a swimming pool complex open to the public for $7 per person and I have heard people rave about it: http://quilliancenter.org/index.asp?pg=10

 

[kerplop]

Houston is a huge city and sometimes even driving to the grocery store can be a trek, if you don't live really centrally. We love the Zoo and all of the museums, though the Natural History museum is our favorite. They also have the butterfly center, if your little ones like bugs at all or butterflies. You can find good Groupons for the museum in general and I don't know what week you'll be visiting, but there's free admission to a lot of places on certain days of the week in the late afternoon. There's some information here! As far as lower cost things to do in town, you might check out this page for some ideas. We've been to the Miller Outdoor Theater a few times for summer concerts and even a couple of plays before. If you have a little to spend, there are some indoor things to do at both the Memorial City Mall (ice skating!) and also if (again) you have a bit of money to spare there are TONS of indoor play places here! There are a lot of parks and playgrounds outdoors in Katy, but the big fish is probably Peckham Park which has a great playground, stocked lake for fishing, pool, free gym and athletic area. It's crowded on weekends, but not so much during the week! August is a miserable time to be in Houston for me personally, but if you stay hydrated and go out in the mornings/after dark it's not so bad!

 

[descovy]

I live in Katy...

Depending how heat tolerant you are... Go to Peckham Park in Katy. Nice park with free put-put! My kids love it.

There are lots of neighborhood parks. If your MIL lives in Cinco Ranch, you can probably borrow her pool key (or convince her to purchase one for $20). Cinco has 9 pools, some with water slides, one even with a beach and adjacent to a lake where you can borrow kayaks. Even if not in Cinco, playing in any neighborhood pool is always fun.

Mainly I just keep the kids occupied by pool, bowling, Main Event arcade, or going out for fro-yo. Lots of families here with kids so it's pretty family friendly..

Memorial City Mall (I 10/ Gessner) has ice skating. Also has the American Girl store too... Just saying.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

I live in Katy...

Depending how heat tolerant you are... Go to Peckham Park in Katy. Nice park with free put-put! My kids love it.

There are lots of neighborhood parks. If your MIL lives in Cinco Ranch, you can probably borrow her pool key (or convince her to purchase one for $20). Cinco has 9 pools, some with water slides, one even with a beach and adjacent to a lake where you can borrow kayaks. Even if not in Cinco, playing in any neighborhood pool is always fun.

Mainly I just keep the kids occupied by pool, bowling, Main Event arcade, or going out for fro-yo. Lots of families here with kids so it's pretty family friendly..

Memorial City Mall (I 10/ Gessner) has ice skating. Also has the American Girl store too... Just saying.

Thank you everyone for the info so far. Unfortunately she does not live in Cinco. I am trying to find things we cannot do at home. We have bowling, fro yo, etc within 5 minutes of our house in MD. Pools are always good so we will stay somewhere w one and her apt has one too. But they will be just standard pools, nothing exiting. The Peckham park sounds nice, we will check that out. Will also check out the museums. Are the mosquitos bad during the day?

 

[SteveMouse]

On a sunny day in August, I wouldn't expect a mosquito to be seen.

You could, with a little drive, go to the Blue Bell ice cream factory. As others have posted, Miller outdoor theater has some nice events. There's the Museum of Health and, potentially, a baseball game.

 

[ekatiel]

I second the idea of touring the Blue Bell Factory, just remember they don't do tours on the weekends http://cdn.bluebell.com/the_little_creamery/visiting_blue_bell/VisitBB_Brenham.html. It's a bit of a drive, but you can tour and then head across the street to the Blue Bell Aquatic center, which has a really neat pool (ice cream themed, of course) http://cityofbrenham.org/parks/bbac-index.php

I also second the Houston children's museum, and the zoo (which has a splash area, since it will be hotter than blue blazes when you are here).

Also, if you've never been to Space Center Houston, you should definitely visit. It is in another part of town (southeast Houston), but it is worth the drive.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

I second the idea of touring the Blue Bell Factory, just remember they don't do tours on the weekends http://cdn.bluebell.com/the_little_creamery/visiting_blue_bell/VisitBB_Brenham.html. It's a bit of a drive, but you can tour and then head across the street to the Blue Bell Aquatic center, which has a really neat pool (ice cream themed, of course) http://cityofbrenham.org/parks/bbac-index.php

I also second the Houston children's museum, and the zoo (which has a splash area, since it will be hotter than blue blazes when you are here).

Also, if you've never been to Space Center Houston, you should definitely visit. It is in another part of town (southeast Houston), but it is worth the drive.

Blue Bell sounds fun but it is a good hour away....don't think anyone will want to drive 2 hour round trip for it. The problem is we will be in 2 cars, so things in west Houston, northwest Houston (where BIL is) and Katy would be best.

 

[descovy]

I'd advise you to keep an open mind about Blue Bell, space center etc... Yes they are an hour away. But please realize you will be staying in a suburb of a non-touristy city. Houston itself is not a hub hub of tourism, and suburbs like Katy & Cypress even less so. Great places to live... not exciting places to visit.

So you can hit the pool, fro-yo, bowling, etc... just like you can at home (which you claim you want to do something different) Or you can drive a little ways to do those unique activities. Blue Bell is a really great idea, btw... I still think you should consider it.

Please realize you won't find unique touristy stuff simply in Katy alone. You may need to re-evaluate your limitations and/or expectations.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

I'd advise you to keep an open mind about Blue Bell, space center etc... Yes they are an hour away. But please realize you will be staying in a suburb of a non-touristy city. Houston itself is not a hub hub of tourism, and suburbs like Katy & Cypress even less so. Great places to live... not exciting places to visit.

So you can hit the pool, fro-yo, bowling, etc... just like you can at home (which you claim you want to do something different) Or you can drive a little ways to do those unique activities. Blue Bell is a really great idea, btw... I still think you should consider it.

Please realize you won't find unique touristy stuff simply in Katy alone. You may need to re-evaluate your limitations and/or expectations.

Thanks. My expectations are not high. I know the sprawl of endless highways and stores that repeat over and over..... that is the Houston area.

I am just trying to get excited about doing something different that does not involve being in traffic on one of the many beltways. I will see if I can convince the Mil to drive out to Blue Bell. It would be easier in 1 car but with 2 they might not go for it.

I am clearly not a fan of the houston area. To be fair I am not a fan of north jersey where I grew up either!

I am looking forward to the Peckham Park and just having the girls spend time with their grandma. The thing is I know I will end up sitting in traffic and looking at sprawl because that has been the case ever trip to Houston! She used to live on the east side so at least Katy will be different and it seems like a nice family friendly area. I think when you spend money on airline tickets and hotel you just want to make part of the trip more than just seeing relatives, ya know.

 

[brookmey]

Katy Cinemark has kid movies for $1 Tuesdays and Wednesdays the first 2 weeks in August. Just look up Cinemark Summer Movie Clubhouse.

Just outside of Peckham Park is a play area for older kids with a train design. My kids are 7 and 10 and they love it there. Just before you enter Peckham Park turn left and it's on the other side of the baseball field.

Monkey Joe's is an inflatable play area that is also a lot of fun for kids. We go once or twice each summer and my kids really enjoy it. It's cheaper at the beginning of the week.

Like a PP said, Katy doesn't have a lot of touristy type activities. Lots of shopping and dining, but not a lot of different activities for kids.

I know you really don't want to drive a lot, but I strongly recommend the Houston Children's Museum. It really is a great place for kids. Mine have so much fun when we go there.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

Katy Cinemark has kid movies for $1 Tuesdays and Wednesdays the first 2 weeks in August. Just look up Cinemark Summer Movie Clubhouse.

Just outside of Peckham Park is a play area for older kids with a train design. My kids are 7 and 10 and they love it there. Just before you enter Peckham Park turn left and it's on the other side of the baseball field.

Monkey Joe's is an inflatable play area that is also a lot of fun for kids. We go once or twice each summer and my kids really enjoy it. It's cheaper at the beginning of the week.

Like a PP said, Katy doesn't have a lot of touristy type activities. Lots of shopping and dining, but not a lot of different activities for kids.

I know you really don't want to drive a lot, but I strongly recommend the Houston Children's Museum. It really is a great place for kids. Mine have so much fun when we go there.

Awesome about the movies and the train design, will definitely check those out!

Children's museum sounds fun too, I don't mind driving into that area 1 day.

Do you have any restuarant recommendations? We love Mexican and eat just about all types of food...love good quality but not fancy.

 

[houstonmama]

I second the pool at Quillian Center. It has a noah's ark theme and is super cute. They also have a deep pool for older kids.

There is also Discovery Green (discoverygreen.com) that has a mall water play area and other activities during the summer.

Miller Outdoor Theatre has kids shows in the summer. It's near the zoo and museum area.

Houston Children's museum is also lots of fun.

You might also check out the libraries. At least in Houston they put on lots of little activities. We've been to a petting zoo sponsored by one of the libraries.

 

[brookmey]

Awesome about the movies and the train design, will definitely check those out!

Children's museum sounds fun too, I don't mind driving into that area 1 day.

Do you have any restuarant recommendations? We love Mexican and eat just about all types of food...love good quality but not fancy.

Chuy's is our favorite. They specialize in enchiladas that are the best I've ever had. The atmosphere is fun and relaxed, perfect for families. They can get really busy, but we've never had to wait more than 15 minutes for a table. They also have an amazing tres leches.

 

[Mersmom98]

If your family likes sports...See if the Astros are playing while you are in town or it would be even closer (and cheaper) to watch the Sugarland Skeeters. I have never been there but I hear they have a really nice ballpark. Checkout Groupon and see what you can find on there for the area. There's the aquarium in downtown Houston (like Kemah owned by Landry's) that is fun. Had my dd's bday party there one year and everyone had a great time. I will say though that for a non-touristy place, there is lots to do but you have to be willing to venture out just a little. Guess us locals don't think twice about driving an hour to get somewhere...Heck I do it everyday for work. Hope ya'll have a great trip!

Also, just remembered the Houston Museum of Natural Science has a satellite museum in Sugarland if you didn't want to drive into downtown Houston one day. Brazosbend State Park is a great place, too, but it is south of Katy but a nice drive in the country (no sprawl) and on Saturday nights you can visit the George Observatory to do some stargazing. Check out their website.

 

[ekatiel]

Yes, driving an hour is pretty much a non-issue for most Houstonians! We're just used to it. I completely understand your desire to add some fun into the mix-- I feel the same way when I visit my in-laws in Wisconsin. I thought about another option that's about 40 minutes away. There's a guy who has built a castle in Bellville, TX. He offers tours. We toured it last summer, and my kids loved it. Here's the website link. Tours include a yummy boxed lunch (he also owns a bakery). http://newmanscastle.com/

 

[Aurora0427]

Houston is a wonderful city that gets a bad rap. Is the traffic bad? Yes. But so is the traffic in NYC, LA, and Chicago. The drive to tour the Blue Bell Factory is an easy drive, and there won't be any traffic. Discovery Green is a great park downtown. The Houston Museum of Natural Science is one of the finest museums in the country. You will be able to take the HOV lane on I-10, which makes coming into the city easy. If I were you, I'd spend an entire day in the museum district- take the kids to the HMNS, the Children's Museum (also world class), the Houston Zoo. Either head back to Katy by 3pm on the HOV, or stay and have dinner at Niko Nikos, the best Greek food in town, and near the museum district. You could also do the space center one day. I could go on and on, but you don't seem to want to come into the city much, so I won't. Spend a day at the Galleria. Google pump it up locations and take the kids to bounce house heaven one day. Check out Mad Potter locations online and go make pottery one day.

La Centerra is in Katy, it has shopping and restaurants. I grew up in Katy, but live in the city now, so I'm not sure what there is to do out there. Memorial city Mall is an easy drive from Katy- take them ice skating and to the American Girl Doll store.

There just isn't going to be much to do within a five mile radius of Katy. Most of the unique things to do in Houston are located inside the city, and all our first class restaurants are as well. We also have an incredible theatre district, but most shows and venues will be dark in August.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

If your family likes sports...See if the Astros are playing while you are in town or it would be even closer (and cheaper) to watch the Sugarland Skeeters. I have never been there but I hear they have a really nice ballpark.

The Skeeters play outdoors. I wouldn't recommend it in August.

I have also never heard it referred to as "cheap."

The Astros now let you bring in your own food/drinks.

FOOD & BEVERAGE POLICY
Guests are allowed to bring food and bottled water into Minute Maid Park for Houston Astros games. This policy is specific to Houston Astros game related events and does not apply to special events held at the ballpark (i.e. concerts, tours, corporate events, etc.). Items that do not meet these guidelines will notbe able to be held or secured by ballpark staff.

WATER
• Guests may bring in a factory-sealed, clear plastic bottle of water, no larger than one liter.
• One bottle per guest.

FOOD
• Guests may bring in food that is contained in a clear, plastic bag no larger than one gallon in size.
• One bag per guest.

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/hou/ballpark/information/index.jsp?content=guide


Citypass might be a good deal for you

http://www.citypass.com/houston


You are not going to be able to escape driving if you want something out of the ordinary. Katy is a suburb where you might find the occasional diversion but nothing to make it a destination. Don't get me wrong, it is a great place to live and work, but it is a bedroom community.


For my money, I would get on I-10 West and head to San Antonio.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

For my money, I would get on I-10 West and head to San Antonio.

LOL! That is funny you said that. Last spring when we visited we actually went to San Antonio instead of Houston. It gave my MIL a little vacation too (she takes care of her disabled son 24/7 and although she still took care of him in San Antonio it was nice to be away!). It ended up being expensive since we needed 2 hotel rooms, but it was fun. This year we really need to see my brother in law and his family (northwest Houston) because he has a new baby. So we are stuck in the Houston area this time.

The main goal is to spend time with the family but I of course like to do new an interesting things if I am going to be traveling and spending money anyway