Things to do in Pasadena

2026 Global 100 - Family-friendly Attractions

Space Center Houston

Space Center Houston is located in Houston, Texas, USA, and is the official visitor center of NASA's Johnson Space Center. From the Apollo moon landings to the Space Shuttle era, most American crewed spacecraft launched from Florida, while flight control after liftoff came primarily from the adjacent Johnson Space Center: after the Apollo 11 lunar module landed on the Moon in 1969, the phrase transmitted back to the ground, "Houston, Tranquility Base here," was calling precisely the control team here; the film Apollo 13 made "Houston, we have a problem" a popular catchphrase, and its prototype was also a real space emergency handled by the Houston ground team. Most of the highlights in the museum are real objects that have "been to space": Starship Gallery displays the Apollo 17 command module that carried out a lunar landing mission, the return capsules from the Mercury and Gemini programs, the training module astronauts used to prepare for the Skylab space station, and a moon rock you can touch with your own hands—only a handful of moon rocks worldwide are available for the public to touch; the spacesuit exhibition area brings together a large number of actual flight suits and extravehicular suits that were worn, including the lunar suit Pete Conrad wore while walking on the moon during Apollo 12. Outdoors, Independence Plaza stacks the real Boeing 747 shuttle carrier aircraft and the space shuttle replica Independence one above the other, and visitors can go inside both; beside it lies a Falcon 9 rocket booster that flew a cargo mission to the International Space Station. The signature experience is the NASA tram tour, with multiple routes leading to different areas of Johnson Space Center: you can overlook full-scale spacecraft and space station mockups from the elevated walkway at the astronaut training facility, visit the historic mission control room restored to its Apollo-era appearance where the moon landing was commanded, and get a close look at the Saturn V giant rocket—over 100 m long and displayed horizontally—in Rocket Park; only a handful of complete Saturn V rockets survive worldwide. Allow most of a day for the visit; tram departure time slots are limited and spots on popular routes are tight, and queues are common at Independence Plaza during peak boarding hours, so it is best to make arrangements early after entering. The exhibit where you can touch a moon rock is inside Starship Gallery and is easy to miss inadvertently; meeting astronauts and hearing them recount their space experiences is a long-standing signature activity here, so keep an eye on the day's time slot schedule.

No. 2 of Best Things to Do in Houston

Houston Museum of Natural Science

The Houston Museum of Natural Science (HoustonMuseumofNaturalScience) is the largest museum in Houston. It is located in the northeast corner of Herman Park, next to the bronze statue of SamHouston and the fountain at the intersection of Main Street and Montrose. The themes of the museum shine, such as the Tsar's treasure and Afghan gold, where dinosaurs, fossils, jewelry, minerals, chemicals and tactile samples are permanent exhibits. The "Cockrell Butterfly Center" inside is a three-story circular building. Here, you can see thousands of live specimens of butterflies.

Hermann Park

Hermann Parkcovers a vast area and has become an urban oasis that integrates natural views, leisure, entertainment, and cultural facilities. Upon entering the main entrance area at the north end of the park, the first thing you see is the famous Sam Houston equestrian statue. The towering statue complements the surrounding open lawns, making it not only an important park landmark but also a popular spot for visitors to take photos. Extending from here into the park, you can feel its spacious and comfortable layout. This long, narrow pool is surrounded by trees, and its calm surface reflects the sky, buildings, and surrounding views, creating a quiet and elegant atmosphere. The paths along the pool are spacious and flat, making them perfect for walking, jogging, or casual photography. Visitors can rent pedal boats to leisurely cruise the lake and enjoy the surrounding views from the water.

No. 3 of Best Things to Do in Houston

Toyota Center

Toyota Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in downtown Houston, Texas, United States, known for its modern facilities and diverse events. Upon entering the center, you can immediately feel the sense of openness and modernity brought by the venue's design. The spacious lobby, clear signage system, and well-planned spectator circulation ensure that order is maintained even when large crowds enter and exit simultaneously. The interior of the venue is centered around the competition court or performance stage, with tiered seating that ensures a good view of the action from any area. Advanced lighting, sound, and large screen systems provide powerful live effects for games and performances, allowing spectators to fully immerse themselves in the event atmosphere. When hosting performances, the venue adjusts its interior layout according to event requirements, utilizing professional equipment to create stage effects suitable for different types of shows.

No. 8 of Best Things to Do in Houston

Military Museum of Texas

The entire museum covers an area of 45,000 square feet, on which a lot of objects are gathered. The exhibits here are quite different in size. There are helicopters, cannons, tanks, etc. The museum is divided into eight different exhibition areas, each of which has its own prominent theme, such as the Pacific exhibition area during World War II. Air security exhibition area, etc. The military museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays of the week, and is open from 10 am to 4 pm the rest of the week.

No. 5 of Best Things to Do in Houston

Daikin Park

Minute Maid Field is a baseball stadium located in Houston, Texas, which opened in 2000. Millipore Park is currently the home of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Houston Astros. In June 2002, the Coca-Cola Company joined the Astros stadium as a title at an annual price of about 6 million US dollars, and named it after its world's largest-selling juice brand "MinuteMaid". The contract period was as long as 28 years. . The former site of the stadium is Houston Union Station. The architectural design of the stadium cleverly retains the old building of the station and serves as the entrance.

No. 1 of Night Attractions in Houston

Discovery Green

Discovery Green is a 12-acre non-profit park located on Avenida de las Americas in downtown Houston. Nearby attractions include Toyota Center, Daikin Park, and Houston Center. The park is spacious and lush, making it a great place to spend some leisure time.

No. 2 of Family-friendly Attractions in Houston

Houston Zoo

The Houston Zoo covers an area of 55 acres and is a natural oasis in the city. Visitors can stroll through the tropical rainforest, African grasslands, Texas wildlife area and other special exhibition areas, and observe more than 900 kinds of animals such as lions, giraffes, gorillas, etc. up close. There is a children's zoo in the park, which provides interactive experiences, allowing children to feed small animals by hand and learn about animal protection knowledge. In addition, the Houston Zoo also regularly organizes night adventures, animal-themed summer camps and other activities to bring visitors a unique park experience. Here, people can observe small animals up close and understand their living habits, which is very interesting.

No. 4 of Best Things to Do in Houston

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Established in 1900, the Houston Museum of Art is one of the largest art museums in the United States. The museum has a rich and colorful permanent collection that spans more than 6,000 years of history and comes from six continents. benefit from the seminar. The Houston Art Museum is an ancient art museum in Texas, with an exhibition space of about 28,000 square meters and a fixed collection of 63,718 pieces. The museum's fine art collection covers Italian Renaissance paintings, French Impressionism, African and pre-Columbian gold, American and European decorative arts, photographs, American art, and post-World War II European and American paintings and sculptures.

Clear Lake Park