Near Tomball and Magnolia

Matt Family Orchard, 21110 Bauer Hockley Road, Tomball

• 281-351-7676
• www.mattfamilyorchard.com,
• Costs vary, Hours vary
• The orchard encompasses 40 acres of fruits and berries available on a pick-your-own basis. The summer pickings include blackberries, jujubes, Asian pears and figs. Tours are provided year-round with reservations.

Burroughs Park Lake, 9738 Hufsmith Road, Tomball

• 281-353-4196
• www.hcp4.net/parks/burroughs
• 7 a.m. to dark, daily
• The 320-acre park includes sports fields, a seven-acre fishing lake, five playgrounds, more than eight miles of nature trails, picnic areas, an observation deck and a boardwalk.

Bouncin' Bears, 6526 FM 2920, Spring

• 281-257-9696
• www.bouncinbearstexas.com
• $5–$8; party packages available Mon.–Sat., 9 a.m.–8 p.m.
• The indoor play and party area offers an inflatable playland filled with obstacle courses, 16 foot double-lane slides, inflatables for children under three and castle bouncers.

Gramen Farm and store, 20158 Bauer Hockley Road, Tomball

• 832-287-0140
• www.gramenfarm.com
• Product prices vary
• Mon.–Fri. 8 a.m.–6 p.m.,
• Sat. 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun. 12–5 p.m.
• The Gramen Farm is a family owned, organic farm that produces goods without treating animals or crops with chemicals, antibiotics and hormones. The farm store offers food products as well as holistic skin care products.

Showboat Drive-in, 22422 FM 2920, Hockley

• 281-351-5224
• www.theshowboatdrivein.com
• $5 (adults), $4 (children)
• Showtimes vary
• The drive-in theater offers family friendly movies on two outdoor screens, with room for 800 cars.

Pinebrook Farms, 611 Virgie Community, Magnolia

• 281-356-3441
• www.pinebrook-farms.com
• Hours and cost vary by attraction
• The farm offers daily riding lessons, horse shows, safe horsemanship lessons, instruction, guest lecturers, games, sports, archery, art lessons, crafts, swimming, trail rides and cookouts.

The Oil Ranch, 23501 Macedonia, Hockley

• 281-859-1616
• www.oilranch.com
• $12.95 (discount prices for groups) Tue.–Wed. by reservation only,
• Thu.–Fri. 10 a.m.–3 p.m.,
• Sat. 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
• The Oil Ranch offers a variety of family activities ranging from train and pony rides to swimming and mini-golf. The ranch also includes fields for softball, volleyball, basketball and horseshoes, as well as a swimming pool and catch-and-release fishing on Lake Buenes Noches.

Kleb Woods Nature Preserve, 20303 Draper Road, Tomball

• 281-357-5324
• www.pct3.hctx.net/parks/klebwoodsnaturepres.aspx
• Free, Park trail hours 7 a.m.–dusk, Nature Center hours 8 a.m.–5 p.m. daily
• The 133.5-acre Kleb Woods Nature Preserve features 1.6 miles of hiking trails, as well as a nature center, barbecue and picnic area, pavilion and wildflower garden.

Woodlands Paintball, 30747 FM 2978, Magnolia

• 713-550-6329
• www.thewoodlandspaintball.com
• $20 (paintball per hour), $7 (mini-golf, adults), $5 (mini-golf, children)
• Fri. 1–7 p.m., Sat./Sun. 9 a.m.–7 p.m.
• The site features two paintball fields and an 18-hole-mini golf course. Batting cages are set to be completed in June.

Skate park at Collins Park on Cypresswood, 6727 Cypresswood Drive, Spring

• 281-353-4196
• www.hcp4.net/parks/collins
• Free, Mon.–Fri. 7 a.m.–10 p.m.,
• Sat.–Sun. 8 a.m.–10 p.m.
• Located on the 55-acre Collins Park, the skate park features 21 pieces of equipment and lighting. The park also offers nature trails, ball fields, an amphitheater and playgrounds.

Tomball Museum Center, 510 N. Pine St., Tomball

• 281-255-2148
• www.tomballmuseumcenter.org
• Free, Thu.–Sat. 10 a.m.–2 p.m.,
• Sun. 2–4 p.m.
• Ten buildings preserve local history, including a log house, one-room schoolroom, an old barn, church and an oil camp house.

Zube Park monthly model train exhibit in Northwest Harris County, 17802 Roberts Road, Hockley

• 281-496-2177
• www.hals.org
• Trains run on the third Saturday of each month (times vary), Park
• 8 a.m.–dusk, daily
• Train rides are organized by the Houston Area Live Streamers on scaled-down replica trains roughly one-eighth the size of real ones. Rides run just under 15 minutes.

Bryan

The Children's Museum of the Brazos Valley, 111 E. 27th St., Bryan

• 979-779-KIDS
• www.cmbv.org
• $9 (adults and children under 1), $4 (seniors), $5 (general admission)
• Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.–5 p.m.,
• Sun. Noon–4 p.m.
• The museum offers children the opportunity to learn how people lived and played years ago, shop for groceries, paint a Volkswagen and build with blocks.

Houston Area

Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney, Houston

• 713-400-7336
• www.discoverygreen.com
• Free admission (some activities require admission fees)
• 6 a.m.–11 p.m., daily
• Located in downtown Houston, Discovery Green is an urban park featuring a one-acre lake, children's playground and an amphitheater. Public artworks are situated throughout the park, along with several restaurants.

Children's Museum of Houston, 1500 Binz St., Houston

• 713-522-1138
• www.cmhouston.org
• $9 (adults and children over 1), $8 (seniors 65 and over), Free (children under 1 and museum members) Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Thu. 5–8 p.m., Sun. Noon–6 p.m.
• Exhibits include Building Zone, a kid-friendly construction area; Invention Convention, where kids build contraptions out of Legos; and EcoStation, a nature and ecology center. Free Family Nights are offered every Thursday.

Mountasia Houston, 17190 Hwy. 249, Houston

• 281-894-9791
• www.mountasia.com
• Prices vary by attraction
• Mon.–Thu. 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Fri .11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–11 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
• The family entertainment center offers go karts, miniature golf, bumper boats, batting cages and a game room.

Hermann Park, 6001 Fannin St., Houston

• 832-395-7000
• www.houstontx.gov/parks/ourparks/hermannpark.html
• Free (fee required for train ride)
• 6 a.m.–11 p.m., daily
• Home of the Houston Zoo, Houston Park Conservancy and Houston Garden Center, Hermann Park provides plenty of greenspace at the center of the museum district. Families can rent paddle boats and go out on Lake Plaza or ride the Hermann Park Railroad.

Houston Museum of Natural Science, 5555 Hermann Park Drive, Houston

• 713-639-4629
• www.hmns.org
• $15 (adult), $10 (children, student with ID, people over 62), prices vary for special or seasonal exhibits
• Mon., Wed.–Sun. 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Tue 9 a.m.– 8 p.m.
• The museum contains a planetarium, butterfly center, and many exhibits such as the Titanic artifact exhibit and the Texas Wildlife exhibit. A new hall of paleontology opens June 2.

Space Center Houston, 1601 NASA Road 1, Houston

• 281-244-2100
• www.spacecenter.org
• $22.95 (adults at door), $11.45 (online), $18.95 (kids 4–11 at door), $9.45 (online), $21.95 (seniors over 65 at door), $10.95 (online), June: 10 a.m.–7 p.m. daily, July: 9 a.m.–7 p.m. daily, Aug.–Dec.: hours vary
• The space center offers an array of space-related exhibits, such as the NASA Tram tour and simulators for what it feels like to be in outer space.

Aerodrome Ice Skating, 8220 Willow Place Drive N., Houston

• 281-847-5283
• www.aerodromes.com
• $7, ($3 skate rental). Public skating times vary.
• The venue offers public skating, skating lessons for a range of skill levels, and in-house hockey leagues for children and adults. The facility features a fitness center and can be rented out for birthday or private parties.

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, 6003 Memorial Drive at Westcott Street, Houston

• 713-639-7750
• www.mfah.org/visit/bayou-bend-collection-and-gardens
• General admission: $10 (adults), $8.50 (students and senior adults), $5 (children 10–17), Free (children under 9), Gardens-only admission: $3 (ages 10 and up), Free (children under 9), Tue.–Sat. 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun. 1–5 p.m.
• Bayou Bend, the American decorative arts wing of the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, is set on 14 acres of organically maintained gardens. The museum is located in the former house of philanthropist Ima Hogg and showcases 4,800 works of art.

The Nature Discovery Center, 7112 Newcastle St., Bellaire

• 713-667-6550
• www.naturediscoverycenter.org
• Free, Tue.–Sun. Noon–5:30 p.m., Russ Pittman Park 6 a.m.–9:30 p.m. daily
• Located in a historic home in Russ Pittman Park, the Nature Discovery Center offers a variety of events, such as Family Fun evenings and educational Discovery Rooms for children and adults.

Washington

Washington on the Brazos State Historical Park, FM 1155, Washington

• 936-878-2214
• www.birthplaceoftexas.com
• Free, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., daily
• The 293-acre historic site includes Independence Hall, Barrington Living History Farm and the Star of the Republic Museum.