Houston Museum of Natural Science

Location: One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston
Time: Daily 9am-5pm

The Houston Museum of Natural Science, conveniently located near the zoo, is a great choice for indoor fun when the Houston sun gets too hot. There are several outstanding permanent exhibits, including the Cockrell Butterfly Center, the Burke Baker Planetarium, the dinosaur exhibits, gems and minerals, an interactive exhibit in the Weiss Energy Hall, and the Fondren Discovery Place for kids of all ages.

The Cockrell Butterfly Center is an exhibit that allows visitors to walk among butterflies from all over the world. Wear bright colors and a fruity perfume and you may even be lucky enough to have a butterfly or two land on you!

The Discovery Place is full of exhibits that allow kids to touch, see and hear scientific principles in action. Kids can even visit the meteorology portion of the exhibit, select a weather type and do a “TV weather forecast” in front of a blue screen just like the pros do.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science has a McDonald’s restaurant in the lobby as well as two different gift shops: one for kids and one with exquisite treasures for adults. Don’t miss this museum if you are in Houston. It will be a very memorable experience.