OT: Houston on the cheap?

[BayouMouseketeer]

DD is going to camp outside Houston July 21-26. We leave Aug. 1 for WDW. While DD is at camp, DS and I are going to stay in a hotel close by (not ready for my baby to be that far away!) So, I need help with free or cheap ways to entertain DS for those 6 days. He definitely wants to do the Space Center but beyond that, I'd like to spend as little as possible since WDW is the next week! Any ideas from those who live or frequent the Houston area?

 

[fab5friend99]

Space Center is definitely fun! The museum of natural history is great. There is a new exhibit that just opened there of China's terra cotta warriors that I want to see. It will be there through October. There are other museums in that area too. I think there is a children's museum too. Or head down to Galveston for a day or two at the beach.

 

[lastminutemom]

You don't say how old your son is, but the Terra Cotta warriors are great (saw them somewhere else).

Find out what movie theatre chains are in Houston and see if they have the free summer movies.

 

[coastiewifern]

How old is your son? Space center is great and air conditioned which is a plus. Could be hot for the zoo. Galveston, the beach is free. My kids like the children's museum.

 

[spare+a_pair]

The Children's Museum is fun - even my 10 year old DS still like it. It is $5 per person so also a great deal.

You can also take him ice skating at the Galleria Mall. DS likes to do that. We also love the Museum of Natural Science - the dino bones are AWESOME!

Check out this website - it is by a local gal who lists TONS to do in Houston (and surrounding areas). She typically updates it in early June, but most of the info is still good

http://www.ninaloca.com/

 

[GinCar]

It's been a few years since we lived there, but my favorite place with the kiddos was the zoo.
It will be hot, but with some planning, it can be done. The zoo is not too expensive and outside of the zoo there is a play area/picnic area.

Houston is large and traffic is unpredictable, so keep lots of snacks and drinks in the car! I would also look for air-conditioned places, just like if you were at Disney during that time of the year.

BTW, my DD is going to camp at the same time (Kerrville, but flies into Houston). We are leaving for Orlando a few days after she gets back on Aug. 3.

Have a nice, relaxing time!

 

[BayouMouseketeer]

BTW, my DD is going to camp at the same time (Kerrville, but flies into Houston). We are leaving for Orlando a few days after she gets back on Aug. 3.

Have a nice, relaxing time!

Which camp is your DD going to?

 

[Fifinella]

If you go down to Galveston, there is the Lone Star Flight Museum, a really excellent aircraft collection (though the collection suffered damage during Ike). It's very near Moody Gardens, out at the airport, Scholes Field. There's also the tall ship Elissa to tour down at Pier 21 if he likes ships.

 

[GinCar]

Which camp is your DD going to?

She is attending an Assemblies of God church camp with her cousin from Houston. This will be her first flight solo and she is very excited. She comes home, we wash clothes and fly to Orlando!

 

[Dominus]

I know that the studio movie grill has either free or near-free kid movies during the summer. They're usually during the day, weekdays, and are kids faves. Like shrek, toy story etc. The zoo is great, the children's museum is great. The museum district has tons of other museums. The weather museum was one my kids liked. Galveston is cool, the Elissa, the hurricane of 1900 film and museum. Astros games are cheap (for upper deck seats). You can get nose-bleeds of $5 adult and $1 kids. Kemah boardwalk is cool, not the cheapest place, but it can be done on a budget. The downtown aquarium is reasonable. There's tons to do, I'm just not sure what your idea of cheap is. PM me and I'll get you my phone #. I could help you out with directions, restraunts, etc.

 

[lulamc]

I live south of Houston - right between it and Galveston. Others have mentioned it but the Children's Museum is a must do! Many other nice museums downtown. Check Regal and Cinemark for free or cheap summer movies, they both do that here. Ice skating at the Galleria is fun, or roller skating anywhere is a cheap activity. Find a library close to your hotel, they all have summer programs and you might find a few interesting things there. And there are two waterparks to consider - Splashtown is north of town and Schlitterbahn is on Gavleston Island. Not necessarily cheap, but a fun way to entertain yourself all day.

 

[lovehoney]

A Houston City Pass would be perfect. It includes admission to 6 popular Houston attractions including space center Houston. It is $39 for adults and $29 for children. It is good for 9 days.

http://www.citypass.com/city/houston.html

Also check out Discovery green. A great park in Downtown with tons of activities.

http://www.discoverygreen.com/

I've also heard the Central Houston Public Library has a great new children's wing. They have tons of stuff going on in the summer.

http://www.houstonlibrary.org/branches/cen_home.html

If you go downtown make sure to tour the tunnels.

Have a great time!

 

[lovehoney]

Oh yeah - you will be here during the Children's Hilltop festival at Miller Outdoor Theater in Herman Park. These are free Children's plays at 11:00 in the morning. You should get there 30 minutes early to find parking and covered seating. It will be hot - bring water and a picnic lunch you can eat in the chairs. You can sit on the hill but the heat will be brutal.

http://www.milleroutdoortheatre.com/schedule/calendarfull.asp?Category=All&date=7/25/2009

 

[BayouMouseketeer]

Wow! Thanks for all the great ideas! I will definitely be checking these out. We did Schlitterbahn last year so we'll probably skip that. But, I am definitely going to look into the City Pass- we got one of those in Boston a couple of years ago and it was definitely worth it.


So, what exactly are the tunnels?

 

[lovehoney]

The tunnels are 6 miles of connected tunnels under the streets of downtown Houston. They are filled with shops and restaurants (and people at lunch time). They are only open during the day M-F.

It is weird that you don't see many people in the streets of downtown Houston but if you go underground 20ft there are tons of people.

http://www.houstontx.gov/abouthouston/exploringtunnels.html

There are tours you can take of the tunnels but they are pricey. It's just fun to duck down for a little bit and see what is there.

http://www.visithoustontexas.com/visitors/

 

[ekatiel]

There's lots to do in Houston for free/cheap during the Summer. Like the PP's mentioned both AMC and Cinemark have $1 movies on Wednesdays (they start at 10am). The Cinemark movie for the week you'll be here is Madagascar and the AMC movie is The Spiderwick Cronicles. You can also check out the local libraries for fun events. Here is a link to the Houston library System's summer events, just scroll down to your dates: http://www.houstonlibrary.org/summer/KIDSevents.html
The CityPass is another great idea that a PP mentioned. Have a fun time! --Katie

 

[lori1043]

goodness, what good timing you Houston Dis'ers have!! We are moving to the Houston area by end of year and this has been a very helpful website so far!! I hope it keeps on and if any of you have info on safe neighborhoods for a good price-please do share!! We are from the New Orleans area and my DH is wanting to stay away from the flood areas at all! We are coming in town tomorrow to check out areas but I will be playing on his iPhone and check for updates if any of you have any more great info on things to do in the Houston area for my kids. They are not coming with us this trip, but will the next and of course, when we sign and move into a home.


We homeschool so all this info is helpful for that too!!

Thank you!

Lori

 

[Planogirl]

Is the waterwall still there? We loved going there in the evenings.

 

[Dominus]

Is the waterwall still there? We loved going there in the evenings.

I forgot about the waterwall. It is still there. It's not the transco tower now, I think it's the williams tower. They still have art in the lobby, but I don't know if they'll let you go up to the observation deck anymore. I used to like going up there and looking around at the city.

 

[Dominus]

goodness, what good timing you Houston Dis'ers have!! We are moving to the Houston area by end of year and this has been a very helpful website so far!! I hope it keeps on and if any of you have info on safe neighborhoods for a good price-please do share!! We are from the New Orleans area and my DH is wanting to stay away from the flood areas at all! We are coming in town tomorrow to check out areas but I will be playing on his iPhone and check for updates if any of you have any more great info on things to do in the Houston area for my kids. They are not coming with us this trip, but will the next and of course, when we sign and move into a home.


We homeschool so all this info is helpful for that too!!

Thank you!

Lori

Welcome to Houston! We love transplants. I'm not sure what the website is called. But after the big flood from TS Allison, they released a revised flood zone map. They put many areas that were not in the "100 year" flood zone into it. This upset a lot of folks because they then had to buy flood insurance and their property values went down. I still think the flood zone is a little conservative in it's drawing. I woudn't recommend buying anything in the new "100 yr. flood zone". You'll likely get flooded within 20yrs. With Houston real estate you must do your research. We don't have zoning laws like some cities. So it may not matter how much you spend on a house, it may still be right next to slums, crackhouse, strip joint, bar, etc.