Bringing the kids along? The whole family is sure to find entertainment at countless family-friendly attractions in Texas. For family fun, let Choice Hotels help you find the perfect attraction for your next family adventure.
In the Big Bend Region
Ector County Coliseum
Andrews Highway and 42nd Street
Odessa, TX
432-366-3541
See where Texas goes to host the biggest shows in the state. 5,000 seats provide ample viewing space for everything from the biggest oil shows in the world to 4th of July fireworks. Catch a world-renowned fair as it travels to the heart of this Texan region or see world-class sports played with a competitive spirit unique to Texas.
Odessa Family Aquatic Center
Big Bend National Park Area
432-368-3548
Need to cool off during those oppressive summer months in the charming town of Odessa? The sun beats down with a passion, but you can beat it at the Odessa Family Aquatic Center, where a glistening pool with varying footage awaits the aquatically inclined. Play water sports like volleyball and polo. A choice family destination!
White-Pool House
112 E. Murphy Street
Odessa, TX 79761
432-333-4072
Want to view a piece of Odessa’s history which will provide insight and vision into the way things once were in this quaint Texas town? Visit the White-Pool House, where an indispensable experience will guide your knowledge into the workings of frontier settlement in the early days of Texas’ founding. Learn through interactive and static exhibits, antique furnishings, and startling period architecture. Free snow-cones during summer months make this Big Bend family attraction a must-see.
In the South Texas Plains Region
Brackenridge Park
3910 N St Marys Street
San Antonio, TX 78212
You’ll want to head to Brackenridge Park in beautiful San Antonio, Texas with the whole family for exciting times and gorgeous spectacles. Amble over rustic stone bridges and winding walkways, past Japanese Tea Gardens and past the Sunken Gardens Theatre, which presents entertainment on a semi-weekly basis.
San Antonio Zoo
3903 N. Marys Street
San Antonio, TX 78212
210-734-7184
Witness more than 3,500 animals from over 750 different species when you buy your ticket to the San Antonio Zoo, one of the nation’s premier collections of wildlife. Children will delight in the opportunities afforded them at the zoo, which include interactive exhibits and displays and, of course, the chance to view animals which range from natives of Texas to transplants from halfway around the world.
Guinness World Records Museum and Ripley’s Haunted Adventure
329 Alamo Plaza
San Antonio, TX
210-226-2828
Located directly across from the Alamo, these two museums are combined into one. Enjoy a combination of artifacts, exhibits, touch-screen computers, and interactive displays spread throughout 10,000 square feet which showcase humanity at its most extreme.
In the Gulf Coast Region
Adventures 2000
Orange, TX
409-988-9342
Explore the area with the entire family and the additional benefit of a knowledgeable and gear-friendly guide who will take your family on their own personal bout tour of Blue Elbow Swamp in Orange. Working in conjunction with biologist Ellis Tate, all trips begin in the gorgeous moss-draped cypress swamps and wind their way throughout the marshy system.
Community Playhouse
7000 Division Street
Orange, TX
409-882-9137
This little theatre is an excellent arrangement of the finest architecture, resulting in a humble display meant to function as a watching-place for on-stage spectacles as diverse as Shakespearean soliloquies and kid-oriented Broadway renditions. Catch it all at the playhouse, which utilizes a score of talented thespians from the area to bring its scripts to life.
NASA/Space Center Houston
1601 NASA PARKWAY (formerly NASA Rd 1)
Houston, TX 77058
281-244-2100
One of the most venerable institutions for the exploration and scientific discovery of outer space has its headquarters in the state of Texas, and they’ve set up a museum for guests to learn about the history and practice of space travel. Hands-on exhibits and exciting interactive displays will make this experience both richly educational and enticingly informative.
In the Piney Woods Region
Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility
North Loop 256
Palestine, TX 75802
903-729-0271
The whole family can come here to learn about the fascinating experience of balloon launches. Here is where NASA sends balloons as large as 300 feet in diameter into the far reaches of the atmosphere and occasionally even into outer space. Take a tour of this fascinating facility, or perhaps be so lucky as to witness an actual balloon launching.
Heritage Village Museum
Highway 190 West
Woodville, TX 75979
800-323-0389
Texas’ past is preserved in an unusual setting created by ceramist Clyde E. Gray, who has been honored by the Texas Heritage Society for his efforts in historical preservation. Open-aired displays at the Heritage Village Museum include old township buildings, shops, homes and vehicles, and more from the days when the frontier was just a budding dream.
Eilenberger’s Butternut Baking Company
512 N. John Street
Palestine, TX
903-729-0881
Do you love sweet things? Does the thought of a rhubarb pie sitting on a windowsill take you back to an olfactory heaven where not one waft was left un-scented? Well, now you can revisit those memories with the whole family at Eilenberger’s Butternut Baking Company, which has been most famous since 1898 for its fruit cakes, baked from an Old World recipe.
In the Prairies and Lakes Region
Dallas Zoo
650 S. RL Thornton Freeway
Dallas, TX 75203
214-670-5656
Fascinating viewers across the world, this world-class zoo covers 95 sprawling acres and features many rare and endangered species. Key exhibits at the zoo include an Endangered Tiger Habitat which contains Indochinese and Sumatran tigers, and interactive exhibits provide ample recreation for children who love animals - and who doesn’t?
Fair Park
1300 Robert B. Cullum Boulevard
3809 Grand Avenue
Dallas, TX
214-670-8400
This 277-acre national historic landmark holds the largest collection of cultural facilities in Dallas. Open year-round, it can claim home to eight museums, a stadium, an aquarium and even a Vietnam Memorial. Largely known as Dallas’ largest cultural center, this historical treasure is of national importance.
In the Panhandle Region
Amarillo Botanical Gardens
1400 Streit Drive
Amarillo, TX
806-352-6513
These botanical gardens feature beautiful outdoor and indoor educational exhibitions for the children to learn all about the gorgeous flora which dominate the setting. However, guests will also be treated to vivid displays of over 600 kinds of plants in settings as diverse as a rustic outdoor field and a glass pyramid greenhouse.
Miss Hattie’s Museum
18 E. Goncho
San Angelo, TX 76903
325-653-0112
Some of the most vivid displays of the history of Texas can be found at Miss Hattie’s Museum, which doubles as a restored “ladies of the evening” saloon/”parlor house.” Now, the museum pays homage to the living styles of those who entertained soldiers, ranchers and cowboys, fully equipped with original furnishings and fashions which depict the days of the 1800’s down to a tee.
Amarillo Zoo
NE 24th Street
Amarillo, TX 79107
806-381-7911
Kids traveling to the state of Texas will want to stop off at the Amarillo Zoo, where over 300 species of animals await visitors. Exotic animals from around the world are balanced by a healthy supply of native animals, and one of the stars of the zoological show is a herd of bison which can be seen grazing on a 20-acre range.
In the Hill Country Region
Zilker Park
2100 Barton Springs Road
Austin, TX
512-327-8181
Located in southwest Austin, this park is the perfect spot for a deluge from the bustling antics of the city. Thought of during the hot summer months as one of the best getaways in Austin, it contains popular Barton Spring swimming pool, which is where much of Austin goes to cool down. Learn about the aquatic environment through hands-on exhibits after you’ve toweled off.
Austin Zoo
10807 Rawhide Trail
Austin, TX 10807
512-288-1490
Some of the rarest animals in the world reside at the Austin Zoo, which you’ll find in this bustling metropolis in southwest Travis County. Hands-on encounters with a variety of animals will enthrall children, and species range from ponies to polar bears.
DDD Adventure Golf
714 S. Washington
Fredericksburg, TX
803-997-3533
Have the kids always exhibited a yearning to don a golf club and play for the ultimate par? Well, now they can indulge in the highly competitive world of golf through the highly fun venue of miniature golf. And it doesn’t get any better than it does in Fredericksburg at DDD Adventure Golf, where a fascinating landscape including waterfalls and challenging water features will make this a day not soon forgotten.
