It is a Pearland summer tradition to step outside, regret it, and go looking for somewhere cool to spend the afternoon. Here is the short list we hand out to customers who ask.
Best for families
Space Center Houston
1601 NASA Parkway, Houston, TX 77058. spacecenter.org
The 5-story screen, the Astronaut Gallery, the Starship Gallery, and the NASA tram tour easily fill a full day. Built-in connection for a Pearland HVAC company: our founder Mike Stom worked on Apollo and Shuttle life-support before he opened Clear the Air.
Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS)
5555 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX 77030. hmns.org
Dinosaurs, Ancient Egypt, the Cockrell Butterfly Center, the planetarium, and the Wiess Energy Hall. The Sugar Land location at 13016 University Blvd is the closer drive from the south side and has a smaller-but-still-great lineup.
The Children's Museum Houston
1500 Binz Street, Houston, TX 77004. cmhouston.org
For kids 12 and under. Hands-on everything, nine acres of play, and a great gift shop. Parking can be tight on weekends; go on a weekday morning.
The Galleria (with the ice rink)
5085 Westheimer Road, Suite 4850, Houston, TX 77056. galleriahouston.com
It is a shopping mall, but it is also a real ice rink in the middle of Texas. Skate rentals are reasonable. The food court has the standard mall lineup if no one feels like cooking when you get home.
Best for a quieter afternoon
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH)
1001 Bissonnet Street, Houston, TX 77005. mfah.org
Largest art collection in the Southwest. Even if you are not a museum person, the Caroline Wiess Law Building and the Glassell School courtyard are quiet, cool, and beautifully done.
The Menil Collection
1533 Sul Ross Street, Houston, TX 77006. menil.org
Free, always. One of the great private art collections in the country. Surrealism, Byzantine art, the Rothko Chapel a block away. Plan 90 minutes minimum.
The downtown tunnels
Houston has roughly 6 miles of underground, air-conditioned tunnels connecting the office towers downtown. Open weekdays 6 AM to 6 PM. Hundreds of small shops, cafés, and lunch counters. A short loop takes 30 minutes; a real walk takes most of an afternoon. The free observation deck near the top of the Chase Tower is on the tunnel route and is one of the better views of the city. Maps are easy to find online; search "Houston Downtown Tunnel System map."
If the AC at home is also struggling
The day you decide to flee to the Galleria because the house is too warm is the day to call us. Same-day service through the worst of summer. 281-992-7866.
What we'd add to the list
Buffalo Bayou Park's cistern tour (cool underground, literally, around 60°F in summer). The Houston Zoo's African Forest Aviary. The downtown library. Almost any movie theater on a 105° afternoon. Almost any of the Pearland and Friendswood public libraries; quiet, cold, free. Suggest your favorite to us on Instagram or in a review and we will add it to the next update.
House feeling like the parking lot at noon? Same-day Houston-area AC service. 281-992-7866 or book online.