Texas Coast Family Fun

There is a wide variety of entertainment and attractions along the Texas Gulf Coast. There is no better place than the Texas Gulf Coast for letting your inner child loose for a little play date and bringing the kids along.

Galveston Island, 45 minutes south of Houston is a historic, beautiful and ideal destination for family fun. The Space Center Houston is exciting. On the lawn there is a replica of the space shuttle Independence and historic 747 jetliner that ferries the actual shuttles into space. The Johnson Space Center draws more than 800,000 visitors a year. (see more for Galveston Island entertainment and attractions)

There is an interactive display showing what it might be like to live on the International Space Station. The Stellar Science Show is a fun way to learn about space.

There is also Kemah Boardwalk, a unique attraction that looks like an old amusement park. Boardwalk Bullet is a 96-foot tall wooden roller coaster. There is also a Double Decker carousel where one can choose to write on dragons, sea monsters or unicorns. For lunch there is Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. One can head to Stingray Wreath to pet and feed life stingrays. Don't forget to walk through the rain forest exhibit with snakes, scorpions and tarantulas. (see more about Boardwalk attraction)

The most luxurious historic hotel on the Galveston Seawall is Hotel Galvez. From there one can head to Schlitterbahn Waterpark. One can walk along the Seawall and take a free round-trip ride across Galveston Bay on the old Bolivar Ferry to visit The Strand, a historic avenue near the harbor.

Pleasure Pier originally opened in the 1940s and is a wooden pier filled with rides, games a roller coaster called the Iron Shark.

Three hours south of Houston is Corpus Christi. This region offers beaches, bird watching, dolphin sightings and history lessons with the famous World War II aircraft carrier the USS Lexington. The ship is open for tours. If you're ready for some beach waves drive to Port Aransas, a beach town welcoming for families. You can rent beach buggies and it's a fun town for lunch.