FAMILIES THINGS TO DO

Some of the sweetest, strangest and wildest shows you can see during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo -- and when and where to watch them.

It’s almost the weekend before Thanksgiving, and for some of us, that means the final days of denial before we’re forced to confront the financial, social, and emotional stresses of the holiday season. (Anyone else staring down a calendar chock-full of travel days, shopping outings and obligatory family gatherings?)

Typhoon Texas in Katy has announced it will open a new children’s attraction next year.

A sampling of seasonal celebrations throughout the Houston area, including holiday markets, yuletide train rides, light shows, plays, concerts, and events.

Children’s Museum Houston’s summer programming, June 4 to August 20, will explore different movie genres and will include interactives, demonstrations, spotlight performances, meet-and-greets and more.

For those with nautical inclinations but no ship to call their own, here are eight Houston-area boats – from a pontoon to a yacht – offering daytime and evening sightseeing tours, and dinner and dancing cruises.

Moody Gardens is hosting a weekend chock-full of events celebrating the Spring Migration, FeatherFest and Earth Day. The special Guest Speaker for the event is Marshall Johnson, Chief Conservation Officer of the National Audubon Society.

Thrill seekers, channel your inner Tarzan and tackle an aerial ropes course at one of several family-friendly adventure parks in the Houston area.

Earth Day is Friday, April 22. Here’s a schedule of Houston events and volunteer opportunities that honor our planet.

Houston’s museums are among the city’s most popular attractions but with entry fees as high as $25 per person, some locals may be wondering if it’s even possible to see art in H-Town without breaking the bank.

Hunting for some Easter fun? Here is a list of eggcellent egg hunts happening in the Houston area in April.

Make a foray into the fields and pluck your own produce.

There’s one last chance to visit Battleship Texas before the 108-year-old dreadnought departs its berth at the San Jacinto Battleground in east Harris County, the ship’s location since 1948.

In mid-February, Texas’ largest Mardi Gras celebration, Mardi Gras! Galveston, returns after a break in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In February, Texas’ largest Mardi Gras celebration, Mardi Gras! Galveston, returns after a break in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Inside this guide, you’ll see our best shopping guides, lists, essays and features that bring you the best of what the area and KPRC 2 has to offer for this season.

A Cypress man has transformed his home into a dazzling, choreographed light display celebrating all-things spooky. There are strobe lights, multiple songs and oodles of Halloween cheer. The wholesome, family-friendly spectacle is perfect for kids and kids at heart. It’s the sort of heartwarming thing that makes you truly excited to celebrate Halloween

Cinephiles, take your love of movies outdoors with a trip to one of the Space City’s coolest theaters: Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown. The popular open-air, rooftop venue reopened in September after closing in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Come October, the venue will screen several spooky favorites, including The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween and The Addams Family.

Located in the bustling Hong Kong City Mall, Bakery Ngoc Lan serves steamed buns as adorable as they are delectable.

Electric trolleys first made their debut in Galveston back in 1891 and remained in service until 1938. Fifty years later in 1988, a heritage streetcar system, the Galveston Island Trolley, was opened and continued to operate downtown until September 13, 2008, when Hurricane Ike severely damaged all four of the vintage trolley cars.

“Dia de Los Muertos” or “Day of the Dead” will be the highlight this fall at Discovery Green.

As many Texans know, the summer’s heat tends to linger for a while. So for those who are looking for a place to cool off, there’s a waterpark in Waco, Texas that features an 80-foot waterslide and the world’s longest lazy river.

Battleship Texas, a beloved Lone Star State landmark, will once again welcome visitors aboard -- well, temporarily at least.

Can you dig it? At Katy’s new amusement park Dig World, the answer is an emphatic “Yes, yes, you can” -- well, almost at least.

The annual AIA Sandcastle Competition will liven up some sunset strolls along the beach this weekend.

Cinephiles, take your love of movies outdoors with a trip to one of the Space City’s coolest theaters: Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown. The popular open-air, rooftop venue will reopen Wednesday after closing in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Houston Zoo recently welcomed it’s newest bundle of joy -- an adorable, no name lemur.

The ringed planet Saturn, already one of the solar system’s most dazzling sights, will shine bigger and brighter this month. On Monday, August 2, at around 1 a.m. the planet will reach alignment with the Earth and the sun in an event known as “opposition.” During this event, the sixth planet will reach its closest point to Earth and wil shine at its absolute brightest.

The Houston Parks and Recreation Department will unveil the newly renovated Zurrie Malone Park on Saturday.

Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park will offer Houston-area residents 10 free performances during August. The lineup includes a slew of Shakespeare films and musical performances.

The Houston Zoo is named among the top Zoos in the United States.

Reeling in the catch of a lifetime at one of the island’s countless fishing spots, sipping a mojito while dining al fresco at the island’s oldest operating restaurant, grabbing a lot of beads at Mardi Gras! Galveston . . . and a bunch of other Galveston-centric things.

Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s pontoon tour boat, Spirit of the Bayou, offers one-of-a-kind rides through Buffalo Bayou.

Dinosaurs will walk the Earth once again. Well, sort of. On view Aug. 13 through Aug. 15, Jurassic Quest’s prehistoric spectacle will transform the NRG Center into an interactive experience.

Modern life comes with its conveniences but it’s also got its fair share of stress. Chances are your phone’s constantly buzzing with breaking news, work emails, traffic alerts and the like. And even if you’ve only occasionally peeked at your phone, the stress of so many alerts and updates may have left you feeling a bit burnt out. An escape from the hubbub of city living could probably do you some good.

Like one wildly popular Texas tune goes, “the stars at night are big and bright and the prairie sky is wide and high, deep in the heart of Texas.”

Modern live comes with its conveniences but it’s also got its fair share of stress. Chances are your phone’s constantly buzzing with breaking news, work emails, traffic alerts and the like. And even if you’ve only occasionally peeked at your phone, the stress of so many alerts and updates may have left you feeling a bit burnt out. An escape from the hubbub of city living could probably do you some good.

Waxahachie residents Sandra and Charles McKee tooke their mutual love for the popular 60′s sitcom show “The Munsters” to an entirely different level. The pair built a life-size replica of the The Munster home, painstakingly recreating the fictional abode room by room by watching and re-watching footage from the show.

From Santa Claus figurines to toilet seats, unusual sights abound at these quirky Texas museums.

Like one wildly popular Texas tune goes, the stars at night are big and bright and the prairie sky is wide and high, deep in the heart of Texas.  But in Houston and the state’s other big cities? Not so much. Ironically, here in Space city, the solar system’s superior celestial sights elude us and Texas’s famous stars at night remain hidden behind some serious light pollution. Those who want to glimpse a meteor as it streaks across the night sky, gaze in wonder at the Milky Way, pick out a distant planet amid a twinkling sea of stars or simply trace a few familiar constellations, will have to motor a good ways away from as many bright city lights as possible. Basically, you need to find a locale with a low Bortle Scale. What is the Bortle Scale, you ask?

This month, a popular cartoon cat is rolling into town to offer fans and foodies delectable desserts and exclusive merchandise celebrating all-things Hello Kitty.

If you answered yes to any of these questions, weve found you the perfect weekend getaway. The Barndominium, a horse barn turned 5-bedroom home featured on the couples HGTV hit show, Fixer Upper, is up for grabs on Airbnb. Binge your favorite HGTV show while you live it up at this Insta-worthy Airbnb sitting on 16 acres in Lacy Lakeview, Texas. (Cue drum roll)Scroll below for a virtual tour through this fixer upper turned Airbnb. Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)Barndominium (Airbnb)

Typhoon Texas is getting ready to welcome back visitors on Friday, May 29. The waterpark will operate by reservation-only to ensure crowds are within capacity limits established by Gov. Typhoon Texas has created a simple online reservation system that allows guests to choose their date, arrival time and size of their party in advance. Typhoon Texas has also introduced a simplified ticketing where guests can purchase a day ticket for $44.99 per person and get the rest of the summer free with unlimited visits to the park, reservation required. All high touchpoints throughout the park will also be sanitized and disinfected and restrooms will be closed hourly for cleaning and disinfecting.

But some Houston-area summer camps have already announced they will move their programming online. We will update this list as more virtual summer programs and virtual educational experiences are announced. In lieu of its usual summer camp programming, the zoo is now offering a free virtual camp experience on its website, which includes education videos and activities. For more information, visit www.shac.org, email isd@shac.org or call (713) 659-8111The Houston Public Library has transitioned its summer camp programming into an online interactive camp. The creative writing camp is shifting its programming online this summer.

While some museums are already back in business, others are still evaluating when to open their doors. Here is a list of Houston-area museums open now, those with plans to open soon and those that remain closed until further notice. These museums are open or will open soon:The Art Car Museum reopened and resumed normal hours on May 6. For more information, visit www.thehealthmuseum.org/; 1515 Hermann Dr., (713) 521-1515The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston remains closed to the public. We are aware of the inclusion of museums in the states phase one plan to re-open, museum staff wrote in a Facebook post.