Texas: Houston, Johnson Space Center, Space Out on Vacation with Your Kids. Imagine moon rocks and gravity suits; flight simulators and robot arms; seeing real rockets and meeting real scientists. Sounds like the family field trip of a life time? Add to that:

Spacing out for fun. Friday morning brought sun and we were at the ticket office not more than ten minutes after the doors to NASA opened. It was everything we expected beginning with well informed guides prepared to answer one dumb question after another. The entrance hall is massive with alcoves reserved for hands-on activities and special presentations. The layout allows for easy movement. All of the guides are dressed in flight suits of varying colors. Advice: Get a plan. The guides near the entrance know by the crowds, which way to direct visitors, so ask. When kids are involved sometimes parents get lost. The information both is the perfect meeting place should a parent stray from sight. The exhibition hall is set up for easy line of sight but there are many temptations and distractions for all ages.

Ride the tram. Part of the attraction of visiting NASA is to take the tram tour to the Johnson Space Center. It is a federal facility and the place most likely seen on TV during manned flights. It is at this location that astronauts are trained for future missions as well as debriefed from those completed. The tours leave about every 30 minutes and are very popular so get in line early in the day. Although each tour is different because of continuous activities at the facility, most tours take about 90 minutes.

The tours are packed with information. We saw plenty of scientists and engineers at work. It is not a tour for young children. There are no hands on places and in some cases visibility is limited. School aged children with an interest in space will find some of the places interesting and there is an optional stop at the end of the tour to disembark and look at a collection of rockets in a park like setting. Bonus points: Be sure to try to new summer action adventure exhibit called Daredevil Island. Swing high on a giant trapeze, climb the four story climbing web, bungee jump on trampolines or travel through the mystical maze. Go to the website to download coupons for discounted admission.

Space Center Plaza offers plenty of hands-on activities. During each day demonstrations are given about space travel and space living? We watched a demonstration of sleeping, showering and preparing food in space. There is no up or down so they just strap themselves into a little bed space. A more fun thing is to try out the flight simulators. They let you practice landing the shuttle. It was not as easy as it looked. Mom crashed every time. Dad was not much better.

See the films. Adjacent to the Space Center Plaza is an IMAX Theater as well as The Starship Gallery. The IMAX films change during the year the gallery shows live footage of the space program "On Human Destiny" and allows for questions and answers at the end. Nearby art the real Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules to look at. Kid's note: This place is a blast. My favorite thing was Mission Kidtrol at the "Kids Space Place" where you can experience commanding a space shuttle or living on the space station. I loved the spinner seat, even though it made me dizzy. And the “Feel of Space” Show includes a briefing by a Mission Officer who discusses how astronauts live in space. It was very funny. I also liked trying to use the robot arms to try to pick up objects. I wasn't very good. Listening to EVA the robot was cool. Seeing the real moon rock samples was not too great. The rocks are very plain. The IMAX Theater showed a film about the journey through space. I liked the movie in the other little theater better. It was about the real space program and later we had the chance to ask questions to a real person from NASA. The Astronaut Gallery is pretty awesome. It features astronaut suits from all over the world. You can also see the portrait and crew photos of even astronaut and crew to ever fly into space. Bonus points: The Mission Officer gave all of us new websites that have information for kids. This is great for science projects.

Planet location: The Johnson Space Center is not exactly in Houston. Think south, in a place called Clear Lake. 1 (281) 244-2100 or www.spacecenter.org

More fun stuff in the area. Houston is definitely a fun spot to enjoy with kids. While the Space Center will surely take an entire day there are plenty of other cool things for families who want to do something just a little different.

Enjoy the prairie at night. Armand Bayou Nature Center is at the heart of a 2,500-acre preserve that protects the diverse ecosystem of Texas. From hardwood forests to restored prairies of native grasses, and pristine wetlands, wildlife is abundant. Onsite visitors may view bison, deer, rabbits, raccoons, and birds. A turn of the century farm house provides a unique glimpse of rural life in the early 1900s. You can enjoy such fun nature activities as a guided canoe tour, a pontoon boat cruise, an owl prowl, or night hike. Discovery: Weather permitting, members of the Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society conduct a family oriented journey through the universe. The “Family Star Parties” provide an evening of stargazing and a chance to use the Gary L. Kraus telescope at ABNC. Bonus points: Take a “Prairie Night Ride” from the comfort of the Prairie Schooner and explore the sights and sounds of the transforming prairie landscape. With the aid of a powerful spotlight guides will highlight beauty of the prairie habitat at night. Sightings may include deer, owls, armadillo, rabbits and raccoons. They also conduct “Owl Prowls” through the woods at night. Added value: ABNC is a member of the Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA) Reciprocal Free Admission Program. Present your ABNC membership card to a participating nature center and receive free admission and/or a discount off gift shop purchases. (Armand Bayou Nature Center (ABNC). 8500 Bay Area Blvd. Pasadena, Texas 1(281) 474-2551 or www.abnc.org)

Relive Texas History. Visit the San Jacinto Museum of History at the base of the San Jacinto Monument. It contains artifacts and dioramas chronicling more than 400 years of early Texas history. A 35-minute visual production, Texas Forever! portrays The Battle of San Jacinto vividly. A 1200-foot long marsh trail and boardwalk provides visitors’ views of the native prairie, tidal marsh and bottomland forest as it appeared at the time of the historic 1836 Battle of San Jacinto. Discovery: The battleship USS Texas is located within the complex. Self-guided tour of this mighty naval vessel will allow you a glimpse into the life of the men onboard the Battleship TEXAS during World War II and I. Kid’s Note: Go to the website for lots of kid friendly games and arts and crafts. (San Jacinto Battleground and Battleship TEXAS State Historic Site. 3523 Battleground Road (HWY.134) LaPorte, 77571. 1(281) 479-2431 or www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/sanjac)

Ride the rail. With kids, the METRORail is an adventure all by itself. It provides a realistic solution to the stress of traffic within the beltline. It's a fast, convenient and safe. Travel between Downtown, Midtown, the Museum District, the Texas Medical Center, Reliant Park and the South Fannin Park & Ride lot.

Discount coupons. When entering the state of Texas, either by road or airport, locate the Tourist Information Center and be sure to ask if they have any special discount coupons. Often rack brochures offer savings coupons. From our hotel we got discount tickets for the restaurant at the Space Center. We liked the restaurant so the coupons were valuable.

Space References
National Air and Space Center. Washington D.C. www.nasm.si.edu
Cosmosphere and Space Center. Hutchison, Kansas. www.cosmosphere.org
International Space Hall of Fame. Almagordo, New Mexico. www.zianet.com/space
The Astronaut Hall of Fame. Cocoa Beach , Florida. www.astronaut.org
Kennedy Space Center Titusville complex in Florida. www.kennedyspacecenter.com
Marshal Space Center in Huntsville Alabama. www.ussrc.com

 

 

Photos provided by the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. Text provided by Familytavelfiles.com based on a site visit. Updated with interviews. Copyright 2009.