It’s a record, or near record, hot summer here in Houston. Staying cool is tough to do without air conditioning in your home, in your car, and everywhere else you go. To help you enjoy the city while still being comfortable we’ve put together this list of things to do with the preface being that they have air conditioning.
Space Center Houston
1601 NASA Road One
Houston, TX 77058
(281) 244-2100
http://www.spacecenter.org
Houston, we have a problem. It’s hot, kids need something to do for the day, and did we mention it’s very very hot. Space Center to the rescue!
Lots to see, lots to do. Impressive visuals of launches and views from space on the 5-story tall screen in the theater. Tram tours through NASA facilities. View the large collection of spacesuits in the Astronaut Gallery. A presentation on how astronauts live in a space environment in the Feel of Space Exhibit. See rockets, spacecraft, modules, landers, rovers and more in the Starship Gallery. Let the kids play in the large space-themed playground – Kids Space Place. There are day camps for kids, education programs for school groups, and much much more.
Houston Museum of Natural Science
5555 Hermann Park Drive
Houston Texas 77030
713.639.4629
http://www.hmns.org/
Sugar Land Location
Includes the Space Observatory and Dinosaur exhibits, Earth Science exhibits and more.
13016 University Blvd
Sugar Land, TX 77479
Dinosaur bones, Ancient Egypt gallery, Gems & Minerals, Texas Wildlife, Energy Exhibits, the Butterfly Center, IMAX Theater, Planetarium, Space Observatory. Wow, so much to see and do, and so much cool stuff to learn about. The kids will absolutely love this.
Houston Galleria
5085 Westheimer Rd., Suite 4850
Houston, TX 77056
(713) 966-3500
http://www.galleriahouston.com
It’s a shopping mall and like most others it’s air-conditioned. Most the shops are higher end brands, perhaps out of reach for many families budgets, but here’s the kicker – it has a skating rink! Spend an afternoon gliding over ice while it’s 100 degrees outside. How’s that for a cool Houston summer activity.
Houston Tunnels
The downtown core has a large underground tunnel system connecting many of the office tower buildings. Primarily used for business people to get around it is also full of small shops, cafe’s and restaurants. It’s underground and air-conditioned so it’s cool and comfortable. Access to the Tunnel System is normally on weekdays, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Maps of the city with buildings, streets and tunnels can be found online here.
Downtown Observation Towers
Near the tops of the The J.P. Morgan Chase Tower and the Wells Fargo Tower, both accessible via the tunnels, are observation floors. Ride the elevator up and look out over the entire city. It’s free.
Museum of Fine Arts
1001 Bissonnet Street
Houston, TX 77005
713-639-7300
http://mfah.org/
Home to the largest art collection in the Southwest United States! Even if you’re not a huge art fan you cannot be not impressed with some of the amazing pieces in the collection. Summer Fun programs for kids too.
The Menil Collection
1515 Sul Ross Street
Houston, TX 77006
713-525-9400
http://menil.org
As stated on their website: A Museum & A Neighborhood of Art. Free of charge, always.
One of the greatest private art collections in the U.S. featuring such surrealist works as those by Salvador Dali and Max Ernst, and others. Spend a contemplative day of quietly viewing inspiring pieces of art.
More to Do, while staying cool
There are public libraries, restaurants (many have ac), other museums, shopping centers, swimming pools, and more.
Suggest your favorite places to go AND keeping comfortable in the summer heat in the comments below.