Texas is a great place to visit with kids. It’s bigger than most people think, and so many fun activities exist in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio. You can get lost in the city of Fort Worth. Go to the Texas State Fair, where you can experience family fun! You’ll find rides for all ages, games, and food vendors that will keep your little ones entertained for hours. Visit any of our world-famous museums—the Kimbell Art Museum or The Modern Art Museum are favorites among locals and tourists alike!
If you want to make sure your family has the best time possible on your trip, here are 16 things that will make anyone feel like they’re on vacation:
- Space Center, Houston
If you’re planning for a fun family activity that’s also educational, Space Center Houston is the place to go! The Space Center is an interactive science museum dedicated to exploring space exploration and its impact on our lives. Exhibits include live shows and attractions like “Mission Control,” where visitors can sit in front of monitors and watch astronauts perform experiments, all the way down to hands-on activities such as 3D printing or creating your model rocket with LEGO bricks.
The best part? Admission prices don’t even include parking! There’s no need for expensive tickets—just show up with your kids (ages 5+) and enjoy everything they have inside!
- Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio
Six Flags Fiesta Texas San Antonio is a theme park in San Antonio, Texas. It opened in 1992 and is owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (formerly known as Bollinger Enterprises). The park has been expanded several times since its inception, including an addition in November 2016 that features roller coasters such as Goliath and Voodoo, which are world-class attractions over 200 feet tall.
The site also features other rides such as:
- Superman: Krypton Coaster – A family coaster ride where riders will be flying high above their seats while experiencing heart-thumping twists and turns before they plummet back down at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour!
- Flight Deck Log Ride – Riders board this log flume ride, where they can experience unique drops along with mind-blowing twists and turns!
- Natural Bridge Caverns, San Antonio
Located in San Antonio, Texas, Natural Bridge Caverns is a state park that features an underground cave with a natural marble bridge. The park offers various activities for all types of visitors: from family-friendly rides to educational tours and even camping overnight.
In addition to its unique attractions, Natural Bridge Caverns has two restaurants: the Cave Restaurant & Gift Shop (serving regional cuisine) and the Butterfly World Café (serving American cuisine). The gift shop sells souvenirs, including t-shirts featuring the park’s logo and other items such as pins and key chains. It also serves as an outlet for locally produced goods that can be purchased by locals or tourists visiting nearby cities like Austin or Houston!
- Joyland Park, Lubbock
Joyland Park is a family-friendly amusement park located in Lubbock, Texas. It’s open year-round and offers rides, games, and food to keep you busy for hours. You can also enjoy special events such as Easter egg hunts or Halloween parties with candy bars as prizes!
The park has several roller coasters, including:
- The Alamo Giant – A wooden coaster with three loops and two corkscrews; Arrow Dynamics built it for this park in 2006.
- Thrill Rides – These are similar to those found at Six Flags parks across America but are smaller because they don’t need as much space (which means fewer maintenance costs). These include:
- The Scrambler – This has six loops/inversions along its tracks; it opened in 2008 after being built by Custom Coasters International Incorporated, based out of New Jersey (this company also makes other rides like Superman The Escape Ride).
- The Whip – This ride spins riders 360 degrees around multiple times per minute while giving them an electric shock every 30 seconds if they hold onto something protruding from their seats! Its original name was “Whiplash,” but when renamed “Whip,” after someone complained about how loud it sounded during operation, certain parts were removed, so now only one person gets shocked instead of everyone riding together simultaneously.”
- Silver Spur Guest Ranch, Bandera
If you’re interested in a fun family destination in Texas, look no further than the Silver Spur Guest Ranch Bandera. This ranch offers horseback riding, rodeo events, fishing excursions, and other activities like hiking and horse shows. The farm also has a restaurant where you can enjoy breakfast or lunch while watching cows graze nearby.
If your kids love animals (and who doesn’t?), this is their place! The guest ranch has several horses available for rent, so your whole family can enjoy riding together—even if they don’t know how to ride one themselves!
- Sandy Lake Amusement Park, Dallas (Permanently Closed)
Sandy Lake is an amusement park that once had an admission price of $10, but it’s been closed since Hurricane Harvey hit Texas. The park is in Dallas, with many rides and attractions for kids. It’s a great place to go with your family or friends if you’re looking for something fun!
The park had a lot of different rides, including the Ferris wheel, roller coasters, and more. There was also an arcade you could visit if you wanted something to do while waiting for your friends or family.
- National Butterfly Center, Mission
Located in Mission, Texas, the National Butterfly Center has over 200 species of butterflies and moths. The center also offers a butterfly conservatory, a butterfly garden, and a hummingbird garden. You can walk through our butterfly walk or visit our new interactive exhibits!
The National Butterfly Center is a fantastic place to explore nature with your children while learning about these beautiful creatures.
The center is open from 9 am to 5 pm every day, and the admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 3-12, and free for children under three years old. The center also offers special rates for groups of 20 or more people with advanced reservations.
- Children’s Museum of Houston, Houston
The Children’s Museum of Houston is a hands-on museum that features exhibits for children of all ages. Visitors can explore the Imagination Playground, where they will find innovative play equipment like climbing walls and slides. There is the Water Works, which allows kids to learn about water through interactive activities such as building dams and ponds. Lastly, there is the Dino Lab, where you can take your child on an educational adventure learning about dinosaurs through interactive exhibits and games!
The Children’s Museum of Houston is located in Downtown Houston at 500 McKinney Street (corner of McKinney & Lamar). It is open daily from 10 am–5 pm.
- Lake Travis, Leander
At the Lake Travis Leander, you can do all of the following:
- Swim
- Boat and fish
- Hike
And if that’s not enough for your family to enjoy, then it’s time for you to get creative! The lake has plenty of activities for kids who want something more than just swimming laps or sitting on a boat. For example, several hiking trails take visitors through beautiful landscapes—they’re all right there at their fingertips. If biking isn’t your thing (or your kid likes a little bit more excitement), try renting one of their row boats and head out into the water. In contrast, they steer around some small islands or along some larger ones like rocks near shorelines where waves crash against them regularly—and sometimes even overtop them without warning!
- Texas Air and Space Museum, Amarillo
The Texas Air and Space Museum Amarillo is located in Amarillo, Texas. There are 50+ aircraft on display, including a Concorde and a B-29 bomber. You can also enjoy a flight simulator (that’s right! You can learn how to fly), planetarium shows, gift shop items, and more!
If you’re hungry after exploring the museum’s exhibits and exhibits yourself, there’s always food available at the snack bar or museum store (and yes, they sell ice cream!). And if you’re expecting something fun to do with your family while visiting town? Don’t miss the chance everlasting experience the special events happening throughout the year! For example, Last year, we spent some time at an event called “The Great Texas Balloon Race,” where people competed against each other, trying their hardest to win prizes and raise awareness about NASA missions around the earth.”
- Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston
The Houston Museum of Natural Science is a great place to take your kids. The museum is in Hermann Park, which has a variety of attractions, including museums and art galleries.
The main attraction at the Houston Museum of Natural Science is its planetarium and IMAX theater. Both are unique experiences for all ages! The planetarium features movies that tell stories about space travel, while the IMAX theater shows short films based on actual science experiments or observations made by scientists worldwide. You can also opt for going behind the scenes at both places during guided tours—you’ll see how they make these shows happen!
This museum also has several aquariums (one large one), insectariums (small ones), natural history halls with interactive exhibits about animals from all over nature’s kingdom, and so much more! It’s hard to choose just one thing; there are so many things here that would be fun for kids: learning about dinosaurs; seeing how scientists study animals like sea turtles; seeing if cats purr when we pet them, you get the idea! In addition to these activities, there are plenty more exhibits inside this building where guests can learn about different aspects of our daily lives here on earth.”
- The Dallas Arboretum, Dallas
The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is a beautiful place to visit. It has a wide variety of plants and flowers, as well as a butterfly house, aviary, conservatory, and outdoor garden. The many fun activities you can do with your kids at this place include:
- The Children’s Garden features many plants that children will enjoy learning about the considerable variety. Plenty of games are available for them to play on their own or in teams!
- If you’d like more time exploring the arboretum without getting distracted by little ones running around (which can happen at any museum), take advantage of our free admission policy on Tuesdays from noon until 4 pm so that everyone can enjoy their trip together!
- Dinosaur World, Glen Rose
Dinosaur World is a remarkable and must-see place to visit with kids. It’s located in Glen Rose, Texas, and has over 150 life-sized dinosaurs you can walk through, including the Tyrannosaurus Rex. There are also water slides, a petting zoo, and playgrounds for the younger ones.
The park is open every year except Christmas Day (December 25).
The park is open every year except Christmas Day (December 25). The park closes at 6 pm and 7:30 pm in the summer. The cost for admission is $17.99 for adults, $15.99 for children 3-11 years old, and $16.99 for seniors over 62.
- River Walk, San Antonio
If you’re in San Antonio and want to spend some time with your family, the River Walk is a great place to visit. The River Walk is home to many restaurants, shops, and bars that will keep everyone entertained. There are also free trolleys that can take you all over town while you’re there!
If it’s been a while since you’ve visited San Antonio or if this is your first time here, but you want something new (or old) on your list of things to do with kids, then I highly recommend visiting The Alamo during the Christmas season. It’s worth seeing whether or not Santa Claus will make an appearance at this famous landmark—even if he doesn’t show up during his yearly visit here on December 26. There are plenty more fun things for families, like fishing tours, among other activities, available at this landmark location throughout most of each year except May through September. Because during this time, weather conditions might prevent some activities from taking place due to lack of sunlight, which results in lower visibility, making it difficult for patrons looking out onto their boat from below deck as well as those sitting above deck looking down upon them. Thanks again, where sunlight shines directly off surface waters, making visibility higher than normal levels measured against standard global average requirements set forth by the International Association Of Hydrographic Consultants (IAHC).
- The Alamo, San Antonio
The Alamo, a Spanish mission and fortress compound in San Antonio, Texas, was built in the 18th century. The place was selected for its magnificent location overlooking San Antonio’s earliest settlement area on three sides and was battler-field. In honor of those who died during its defense against an invading Mexican army, it was declared a national shrine on March 6th, 1836. The Alamo is located at 300 Alamo Plaza.
The Alamo features many activities for family and kids to enjoy:
- A museum with interactive exhibits
- Guided tours throughout different parts of this historic site, including:
- “The Convent Garden” (where Tejana women raised vegetables),
- “Mission Dolores” (where their priests lived),
- “Mission Concepcion” (where they stayed when traveling between missions).
You can also participate in guided walking tours offered daily from 9 am-5 pm, excluding Sundays, where visitors can explore all three buildings at their own leisurely pace without being rushed by other visitors who may have come later!
- KidZania USA, Frisco
KidZania is the first and only city for kids, offering kids aged 4-14 a safe and controlled environment to explore, learn and grow.
KidZania is where children can pretend to be grown-ups, and adults can be kids again.
KidZania is a safe and controlled environment where children aged 4 to 14 can play, learn and grow. KidZania is the first and only city for kids, offering children aged four to fourteen a safe and controlled environment to explore, learn and grow.
I hope this list of great family-friendly attractions in Texas has given you a good idea of where to go next time you want to visit and enjoy a fun day with your kids. The best part is, it’s not about spending money; it’s about having fun!
