Top 5 places to take your family FOR FREE!!!
As a single parent, I'm always looking for budget friendly places to take my kids. After great discussion my kids and I chose the following five places…and all are FREE!
Photo By: Houstonpublicmedia.org
1. Houston Zoo
6200 Hermann Park Drive, www.houstonzoo.org, (713)533-6500
1st Tuesday of every month-FREE 2pm to close!
My kids and I had a bit of a battle over the number one pick. The kids won this battle! There are just too many to do in the Houston Zoo to even think about squeezing it all in one afternoon. The 1st Tuesday of the month is now our permanent “Family date night”and we visit a different area or exhibit of the zoo every time we visit! Some of our favorites are the “Asian Elephant Habitat”, “Children's Zoo”, “Kipp Aquarium”, “Wortham World of Primates”, “Reptile House” and the “Big House”. There is so much more than this to see but these are definitely our favorites!
Photo By: TripAdvisor.com
2. Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
4501 Woodway Drive, www.houstonarboretum.org, (713)681-8433
Open 7am-dusk & always FREE!
As I mentioned before, this place was definitely MY favorite however my kids thought differently. Therefore, it is our collective number two choice.
The Arboretum is my favorite because it is 155 acres of nothing but Mother Nature at her finest! With 5 miles of trails that take you through forest, pond, wetland and meadow habitats, it is a perfect place to unwind and let go of the day to day noise and hustle/bustle of city and suburban life.
Photo By: Discoverygreen.com
3. “Sunday's in the Park” at Discovery Green
1500 McKinney Street, www.discoverygreen.com
Bring your kids, pets, a blanket and a picnic basket and listen to live music while enjoying all the activities offered every Sunday for FREE! From corn hole, jenga and horseshoe to family yoga session there is something for everyone to enjoy! Later in the afternoon, for the adults, a craft beer cart is available as well. Our family dog, Lulu, meets us at the door with her leash every Sunday when we get home from church because she
knows that it's “Sunday in the Park” day!
Sidenote; With Halloween just around the corner, check out their “Halloween on the Green”.
Photo by: Rwethereyetmom.com
4. Children’s Museum
1500 Binz Street, www.cmhouston.org, (713)522-1138
Every Thursday 5pm-8pm FREE!
This museum was rated the number one children's museum in the United States by Parents Magazine. Need I say more? There is so much here to see and experience that each time we come here is like it’s the first time! “How does it work”, “Invention Convention” and “Power Play” are some of our favorites!
Photo By: Visithoustontexas.com
5. Sam Houston Boat Tour
7300 Clinton Avenue, www.portofhouston.com, (713)670-2416
This tour is ALWAYS FREE however you have to plan ahead and book a reservation. You go out on a 95 foot vessel that holds 900 passengers and takes you on a 90 minute tour that travels the Houston Ship Channel. We have booked this tour twice just because my son loves it so much!
So that's it folks! My family and I have enjoyed each of these top 5 locations multiple times. How can you go wrong with just the cost of the commute to get there!? We hope that you and your families will get just as much enjoyment out of visiting these locations as we have!
-Michelle Church
