111 Places for Kids in Houston

AKOKISA INDIAN VILLAGE

Living off the land

Houston’s history often begins with the Allen Brothers founding the city in 1836. However, native forerunners occupied the Texas Gulf Coast dating back to 100 A.D. While museum artifacts and accounts written by foreign explorers offer insight into the lives of the early Native Americans, the Akokisa Indian Village in Jesse Jones Park provides visitors with the experience of the indigenous way of life. As nomadic hunters and gatherers, the Akokisa people moved with the seasons. Spring Creek, running along Jones Park, operated as a passageway between summertime stays on the coast and winters spent inland. Reconstructed dwellings close to the area they once inhabited demonstrate how the Akokisa tribe sought balance with nature.

Palmetto-thatched, domed structures, called wikiup, were created for easy transport. In the shade of the open-air brush arbor, food was prepared from nuts and berries, along with bread made from the tubers of the greenbrier plant. The Council Lodge served as the community hub. Ceremonies took place in the sweat lodge, overseen by the medicine man who also treated ailments. An example of a coastal dwelling, the chickee, shows how the Akokisas combated mosquitos by raising the open-air structure, lighting a smudge fire to smoke out the pests, and smearing alligator fat on the skin as a repellent.

Every September, Native American Heritage Day is celebrated with a rethatching of the dwellings, archery and animal tracking activities, and a performance by Conroe’s Chikawa Aztec Dancers.

TIP: Traders Village holds an annual Native-American Championship Pow Wow, with two days of tribal dance competitions, arts and crafts, and a teepee village.

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ARBORETUM PLAYSCAPE

Use your outdoor voice

To the untrained eye, it might appear that bamboo stems are taking root at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center’s Playscape. But as an invasive plant, bamboo is not a welcome guest here. Instead, the Grass Climb, a nature-themed structure, is modeled after native eastern gamagrass – but it’s actually made from sturdy metal. Moving from blade to blade, active kids can anchor their feet on the color-coded grips that designate different courses, from easy to advanced.

All the Playscape’s features take a cue from the Arboretum’s surroundings. Walk under an arch shaped like a monarch caterpillar sporting its signature colors of yellow, white, and black. Untangle yourself from a spider’s web of thick cables and ropes. Repurposed wood provides a challenge for children ready to take on the Stump Scramble, where the stubby ends of trees act as steps leading to a wooden “hawk’s nest,” which has a tunnel underneath, where you can hide from predators.

Toddlers can spend time playing on their own turf, with a sandbox and a “flower mound” featuring different textured petals for non-strenuous scaling. The Playscape also offers a Wetland Walk and Water Garden for even more adventures under the sun. Be on the lookout for the local inhabitants, like dragonflies, lizards, frogs, and snakes, including the non-venomous rat snake, who can even shinny up a tree. A shady grove provides respite from the heat and an opportunity to enjoy the scenery of wildflowers in bloom while plotting your next move.

TIP: Four habitat zones and a sensory garden await young naturalists at the Nature Discovery Center in Russ Pitman Park.

THE ARTZ

Join the circus

At The Artz, students are not clowning around as they twirl, flip, and hang suspended 10 feet in the air, defying gravity with their amazing circus skills. You too can live out your Cirque du Soleil dreams by signing up for one of the studio’s classes that explore over 23 different apparatus skills, like the trapeze, and teach everything from contortion to tumbling.

Owners DeMarco and Tara Howard, aka Coach D and Coach T, are passionate about creating a safe and positive space for kids of all ages to experience the exciting world of aerial and circus arts. Besides being high-flying fun, The Artz’s classes and camps reward participants in gains of strength, stamina, flexibility, and even problem-solving skills, because nothing gets your mind-muscles moving faster than manipulating aerial fabrics dangling from the ceiling to hold your mid-air pose.

TIP: Frame Dance

For ages three to five, Circus Totz allows little gymnasts to practice summersaults, while patient instructors provide plenty of one-on-one time guiding newbie aerialists bravely attempting new tricks on hammocks and ropes. In various levels of Aerial Artz classes, older kids progress in learning more challenging acrobatics on the lyra, a steel ring resembling a hula hoop. Aspiring professionals audition for Growin’ Up Circus, the studio’s kids’ performing company, where they level up their aerial moves, tricks, and drops to show off their athleticism and graceful storytelling in public performances, like the annual Aerial Nutcracker show.

Address 1824 Spring Street, Suite 124, Houston, TX 77007, +1 (281) 972-9147, www.theartz8.com, info@theartz8.com //

Getting there Bus 44 to Houston Avenue & Spring Street // Hours See website for schedule and performances // Ages 3+

ASIATOWN’S GLOBAL MARKET

Cross-cultural crossroads

When your piggy bank is full, consider taking your coins to make a deposit in Houston’s Asiatown. You’ve arrived when the street signs suddenly become bilingual on Bellaire Boulevard, a 16.7-milelong road meandering from West University to Sharpstown.

Look for characters written in Mandarin, a Chinese dialect spoken by one billion people, alongside English letters, spelling out street names as you head down Bellaire, or Hundreds of Benefits in Mandarin. But you might think the name means “hundreds of banks,” since there are four Asian banks at the corner of Bellaire and Corporate Drive, along with 12 more nearby.

If you’d rather invest your money in a new hobby, Clarewood Drive, or Martial Arts Virtue per the Mandarin street sign, is also near Shaolin Kung Fu, a school where students of all ages can learn the most famous martial arts style, and they also perform lion and dragon dances when a new shop opens.

TIP: Improve your good fortune with a Lunar New Year charm and a lucky bamboo plant from Hong Kong City Mall.

You might even see one of these celebratory dances at the many shopping centers in the area. At Diho Square, or The Best Square in Mandarin, put your money where your mouth is, starting with dumplings and buns at Dim Sum King. For dessert, enjoy a Hong Kong bubble egg waffle cone with a scoop of ice cream and toppings.

Dun Huang Plaza is inspired by the old Silk Road trade route that linked China and the West. That spirit of commerce continues today among shoppers buying Asian produce at Great Wall Supermarket and kids spending their allowance on Hello Kitty and Pokémon at Ellicor Gift Shop.

ASTROS BALLPARK TOURS

Take me out to the ballgame

On opening day of Baseball Season, Houston families decked out in their favorite player’s jerseys enter Minute Maid Park. They’re looking forward to 81 games of rooting and cheering for the home team. But both on and off-season, you can visit Minute Maid Park, or the “Juice Box,” for a tour of the home field of the Houston Astros.

The Classic Tour takes visitors on a one-hour trip through the team’s history, with plenty of Astros memorabilia and Astrodome artifacts. The Hall of Fame Alley shows off the team’s MVPs of the past, including Craig Biggio, who ended his 2007 season with the longest term of service with the same club and the goopiest pine tar-smeared batting helmet in baseball. Check out the red shale warning track circling the field that alerts outfielders of an approaching wall as they’re making a catch.

Do a speed round in the ballpark with the “Minute in Minute Maid” tour during non-game days. The power walk starts in the Union Station lobby which greeted train passengers from 1910 to 1974, including Babe Ruth when the New York Yankees played the Buffs, Houston’s minor league team in the 1930s. In the off-season, tours take you behind-the-scenes, where you can see the press box, the visitor’s clubhouse and batting cage, the Astros dugout, and inside the giant manual scoreboard. When you’re old enough to stay up late, come back for a ghost tour, and you might get a glimpse of the mischievous female spirit who gets a thrill from flushing all the toilets!

TIP: Root for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, on their home turf at Constellation Field.

Address 501 Crawford Street, Houston, TX 77002, +1 (713) 259-8000, www.mlb.com/astros /ballpark/tours, tourstaff@astros.com // Getting there METRO Rail to Convention District Station (Green, Purple Lines); bus 6, 20, 30 to Congress & Crawford Streets // Hours See website for tour schedule // Ages 4+

BAKER FAMILY PLAYHOUSE

A test of time

Saving grand homes and monumental buildings is important for preserving a city’s history. But one miniature Greek Revival house in Sam Houston Park shows even the smallest structures have big stories to tell.

Surviving six moves, devastating hurricanes, and a pool cabana renovation, the Baker Family Playhouse is now safely part of The Heritage Society’s collection of 10 historic buildings and 23,000 artifacts documenting Houston life from the 1800s to the mid-1900s.

Built by notable lawyer Captain James A. Baker in 1893 for his daughter Alice, the playhouse featured two shuttered windows, a full-sized front door, and a quaint porch with two wooden columns.

When the Bakers moved ten years later, a four-wheeled cart pulled by horses carried the beloved children’s retreat to the new home. Another eight years later, the playhouse moved with the family again, this time towed by a Model-T. Following the Baker family for over 50 years, the playhouse today is filled with memories of games of chase, tea parties, and lots of giggles from multiple generations.

In 2010, the little abode made a final move to The Heritage Society, where it was restored to its original charm. The keynote speaker at the luncheon honoring the society’s newest addition was the 61st US Secretary of State James A. Baker, III, who shared with the audience his fond childhood memories of running around the playhouse his grandfather had built. Now, the 130-year-old playhouse continues to entertain little Houstonians just two miles from its original location.

TIP: Look for your own family playhouse at Rainbow Play System’s showroom.

BAPS SHRI SWAMINARAYAN MANDIR

A heavenly landmark

Sacred spaces are found all over Houston. You can listen to a mariachi mass in the Old Sixth Ward or celebrate the Lunar New Year at Asiatown’s Teo Chew Temple. With so many diverse cultures contributing to the city’s melting pot, you can easily take a tour of the world’s religions without needing a plane ticket.

A visit to BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir transports you to India, where Hinduism originated. Located in the Sugar Land suburb, home to many Indian-Americans, the mandir is a traditional Hindu temple built according to shilpa shastras, a spiritual blueprint based on ancient Indian architecture and engineering. During the day, the mandir’s white limestone exterior takes on the appearance of a gleaming palace made of intricately carved sugar cubes. At night, the mandir’s colored lights cast a magnificent glow. You’ll take off your shoes to enter the mandir, where prayers are offered to murtis, or deities sculpted in marble who are treated much like a person by the monks who feed, dress, and put them to bed. As you stand beneath the mandir’s dome, 16 celestial beings look down from above. Look for the elephants and horses, symbolizing strength and unity, that are carved in the mandir’s podium, and the peacocks, the national bird of India, that appear on pillars. An exhibit, “Understanding Hinduism,” informs visitors about the faith, along with the Mandir’s friendly staff who are happy to answer your questions.

TIP: In Brazos River Park, Interlacing Patterns, a mosaic wall made from recycled glass, celebrates the area’s multiculturalism.

THE BEAD BAR

Make your own treasures

“Create it. Love it. Wear it.” For Sonia Davis, Bead Bar owner and jewelry instructor, these three simple directions are also a guarantee for what will happen during a bead-making session at her shop and studio. No matter your age or skill level, Sonia believes once you begin crafting your beaded creation, all the distractions of daily life disappear – allowing your artistic expression to emerge one bead at a time.

A visit to the Bead Bar is also like taking a trip around the world. Handmade glass beads from Czechoslovakia come in vivid colors like cobalt blue, chartreuse, and coral. Strands of African bone beads from Ghana feature batik designs of swirls and stripes. A tray of gemstones provides a menu with their meaning too. Tiger eye supplies protection, while the rosy quartz promotes harmony and love.

The big, hollowed-out barrel filled with beads in every hue, shape, and size is where you’ll find the Bead Bar’s youngest clientele. Charms are a big draw too. Kids like to hunt for their initials and lucky symbols, like clovers and rainbows. Toddlers start with oversized beads with large holes to help little fingers thread them together.

What to create during your Bead Bar playdate? Friendship bracelets are popular. Maybe a necklace strung with beads in shades of your favorite color. Add in charms shaped like footballs, baseballs, and basketballs to support your team. Upon completion, a bag won’t be necessary because as promised, you’ll love wearing the piece you made once it’s done!

Address 1824 Spring Street, Suite 105, Houston, TX 77007, +1 (713) 814-5140, www.thejewelryinstructor.com, info@thejewelryinstructor.com // Getting there Bus 44 to Houston Avenue & Spring Street // Hours Tue – Sat 11am – 5pm, bead-making sessions may be booked online // Ages 3+

TIP: Sixteen bead artists from South Africa and local volunteers created a tapestry of beads which hangs over the entrance of Art League Houston.

BEAU’S FREE GARAGE

Park it forward

Foot traffic is heavy in the Heights, where hike and bike trails and residential side streets provide a backdrop of cheery bungalows, wildflowers, and lots of dogs. No matter how many times you’ve strolled down the same path, something new catches your eye. You spot a fairy door at the foot of a magnolia tree, or a life-sized Ronald McDonald statue waving from a second-floor balcony – suddenly your walk becomes a self-guided tour of the neighborhood’s creativity.

Beau’s Free Garage, the brainchild of an enterprising fiveyear-old, is an example of that creativity at work. A riff on the Little Free Library book sharing movement, Beau Roessler applied that concept to a car exchange for miniature vehicles. As a toy car collector practically from birth, Beau also enjoyed swapping his Hot Wheels with friends and thought other junior car enthusiasts would too. After pitching the idea to his parents, father and son constructed Beau’s namesake wood-framed garage with two floors and a retractable glass door. It now stands on a platform in front of their house.

Since the garage’s opening in 2021, pint-sized pedestrians and their parents make a pit stop to drop off slick hot rods, police cars, fire engines, and the occasional helicopter in the hopes of finding a new ride. Beau also hopes his fellow motorheads will be motivated to set up their own neighborhood give-and-take garage. Perhaps exchange-based train stations and dollhouses will be the next to appear, giving a whole new meaning to “free trade.”

Address Between White Oak Drive and East 5th 1 / 2 Street, Houston, TX 77007

TIP: While you’re in the Heights, visit the Little Free Library housed in a Beatles-inspired yellow submarine on 713 Pecore Street.

BEE2BEE HONEY COLLECTIVE

Bee curious

Be a beekeeper for the day at Bee2Bee Honey Collective’s educational apiary! Safety comes first during this encounter. Because bees see dark colors, everyone wears a protective beekeeping suit so the bees don’t think you’re a hungry bear looking for a sweet treat. Slow burning burlap creates a pleasant-smelling smoke that disrupts communication inside the colony and calms the bees as an experienced beekeeper opens the hive to reveal the buzzy innerworkings. You will observe the all-female worker bees, who tend to the pollen, nectar, and honey stored inside the small hexagons that create the honeycomb. Try to find the queen bee, busy laying up to 2,000 eggs per day in the hive’s nest, where baby bees are being raised. Master spotting male bees, known as drones, and learn about their particular role in colony life, plus fun facts, like honey being the only food that never spoils. And bee poop is yellow.

Besides going home with your own jar of this delicious honey, you’ll also leave with ideas about how to support these incredible insects, who pollinate one in every three bites of food. You can grow pollinator plants and trees and never use pesticides. Or craft a bee watering station. You might even be inspired to start your own hive. With over 100 hives around Houston, Bee2Bee Honey Collective has the knowledge and resources to help newbie beekeepers support their colonies in producing honey that is unique to a two-mile radius of their hive. What do you think your neighborhood honey would taste like?

TIP: Drive by the bee-friendly dancing topiary bears in the front yard of 7309 Greenbriar in Old Braeswood.

Dana DuTerroil is a native Texan who was born in San Antonio and grew up in Houston. After 20 years in New Orleans, she returned with a husband and a renewed love for chips and queso. She is a writer, lawyer, co-owner of Trip Chandler, a two-woman team who gives tours of the city to visitors and locals, and the co-author of  111 Places in Houston That You Must Not Miss.

Joni Fincham, a Kansas native, moved around the world before adopting Houston as her hometown after falling in love with its kolaches, icehouses, and shady live oaks. As mom to a little Houstonian, she and her family love scouting out Houston’s abundant greenspaces with their two dogs, Sophie and Bruno. As co-owner of Trip Chandler and co-author of  111 Places in Houston That You Must Not Miss, she writes about the city and gives tours to visitors, new arrivals, and locals.

Sara S. Murphy, 4 th generation Houstonian, has been a professional photographer since 2008. Now a mom of two littles, dive bar adventures have been replaced with epic playground discoveries. Exploring the green spaces and visiting kid-friendly highlights of Houston, Sara enjoys showing her 5 th generation Houstonians just how awesome this city is. www.ThePhotoValet.com