Myself and DH and son age 13 are considering a quick trip to Houston at the start of son’s spring break week (which is March 16-20). I know that the Houston Rodeo is going on at the same time, so that may impact hotel availability in that area.
I found the Houston CityPass which looks like a good option for us, and I see that the Houston zoo and the Natural Science museum are near to each other. Is it possible to do both of these in one day, or should we allow a day each? And would we need to park at the first place and move the car to the second place, or is there some kind of transportation within Herrmann Park?
Thanks.
We have taken our D to the Houston Museum of Nat History when she was about your S’s age. It is a large museum, with large halls of displays – each can take a couple of hours. The big traveling exhibits go there (King Tut, Lucy). To get the most out of the experience, we spent the entire day there. There is a Butterfly Center that requires additional tickets but well worth it. It’s lovely. There’s also a planetarium.
It’s been a couple of years, but I seem to recall there was a fast-food place inside the museum so you can stop for refreshments.
Hermann Park is enormous but is ringed by a road that’s easy to maneuver. There are also large parking lots. I would plan on driving to the Zoo.
Rice University is also very close by if you want to take a quick look. Rice’s campus is lovely and was actually my D’s favorite among all those she toured. The azaleas may be in bloom by then.
The zoo and the museum are next to each other. There are areas of parking which allow one to walk to either.
It all depends on the hours of operation for both places on the day you are visiting and how much time you are interested in spending at each place. I have not been to the zoo in a long time but the museum has different attractions and have separate tickets for some of them and it would make sense to decide whether you like one of those or just the museum only. If you decide museum only then you can go through as fast or as slow as you want.
If you’re interested in natural beauty/wild flowers, check out the bluebonnets! Mid to late-March shouldn’t be too early for a spectacular display of the state flower!
Panhandle, we’re actually driving from Austin, so we’ll probably see an entire highway full of bluebonnets as we’re driving! I remembered a coworker down the hall who’s very familiar with Houston, so I’ve picked his brain as well.
cgpm59 - my brother lives in a high-rise building right on Hermann Drive and his place overlooks Hermann Park, the medical center, etc. We were there last year at exactly the times you are talking about as we took a cruise out of Galveston on March 16th. We could see the traffic lines from his 33rd floor apartment, and the traffic was horrible, going every which way. We also took a walk across the golf course over to the medical center to visit a friend’s daughter who was in rehab, and spoke with a traffic cop who was directing an intersection and he said it was just madness, and every day that week was like that due to it being spring break. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the weather was perfect. This was probably around 11AM; maybe if you planned on getting there first thing in the morning, it wouldn’t be so bad, but you will need to if you want to maximize your time and get the two places in at once. Otherwise, you’re going to spend too much time in traffic, that could be used on the zoo or museums.
So if you do this, study your options well, and be prepared to do a lot of walking, because even if you do find parking, it’s going to be a long way to get to either the zoo or the museum before you even start your walking there.
I agree with others, don’t pass up the butterfly exhibit. It’s worth the extra money.
I would spend a day at each rather than trying to do both in one day. I went to the zoo over Memorial Day weekend. I got there as it opened and left early afternoon. I did not go through all the buildings (reptiles, etc.). I could easily have stayed all day.
The Museum of Natural Science can be an all-day experience also with the Butterfly Garden, Planetarium, IMAX added in. I believe there is a McDonalds inside for lunching.
Both will be crowded (been there, done that too … crowded doesn’t begin to express the number of people) over Spring Break. I suggest getting there early - at least 15 minutes or more before opening if you’re looking to park. Buy your tickets online (once you figure out what you want to do) before you go, particularly for the Museum. Butterfly Garden, Planetarium, etc. sell out. You may miss out on something you want to see just due to the timing of it all.
I don’t know where you’re staying but check out the mass transit system to avoid traffic/parking. My daughter and her husband met me at the zoo. They live in the mid-town area and chose to use the metro system rather than fight traffic. Worked wonderfully well.
I did both in a day with my twin 8 year old boys last summer. Just check the websites and plan what you want to see and it’s totally doable. There is a McDonalds in the museum but check around for food trucks in the area which are fun-although if you’re from Austin that might seem like no big deal
I remembered a coworker down the hall who’s very familiar with Houston, so I’ve picked his brain as well.