Halls on the Road: Children's Museum of Houston...DON'T Miss It!

If you are anywhere near the Children's Museum of Houston, and have children, you have to take a day to visit. We spent 4 1/2 hours there Saturday, and could have spent 4 1/2 more.

The museum is clean, bright, well-planned, and full of wonderful, age-appropriate, educational and fun activities. In the warmer weather there is a outdoor water park.

Here kids learn about animals, matter, motion, gravity, ecology, recycling, and the human body,

for starters.

outdoor puppet theater

tracks and balls

Kids' Hall

When you enter the museum you walk through Kids' Hall, a spectacular, visually inviting area that, on the day we visited, had many activities to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday. Here you also find the Parent Resource Library and Fresh Cafe.

Here is the story behind the three sections of vintage pedal cars. Fabulous.

How many different phones can you see?

Our favorite part of the museum is Kidtropolis, USA. Kidtropolis is a Main Street where you find a bank, TV station, police and rescue, city hall, atm machines, restaurant, grocery market, vet, art studio and post office. Here, children run the town. Pick a job, dress up, get paid, go to the ATM, or the bank. Enjoy a meal or shop for food. Bring your pet to the doc, or send a package in the mail. Everything is made for the kids. (If only schools had this city.)

Chef Brendan was in his glory.

Do you want to anchor, or produce? Or maybe, be the camera person?

Down another level is Invention Convention and Cyberchase. In invention convention, kids, and parents, use cups, straws, pipe cleaners, tape, scissors, paper, legos, and various other items to construct flying, rolling, spinning, and balancing objects, and then, test them out in various wind tunnels, ramps, and moving gadgets.

Cyberchase has all the familiar characters of the favorite math-themed show from PBS. Just outside that room is the 35 foot tall, 3-story high, Power Tower, and the rock wall, all part of the section called PowerPlay!