Outta Towner here (but tine >>>> Dallas). Making a day trip Saturday over to the city with 7 year old girl, 4 year old boy, and 4 month old.

Want to go to Zoo and Children's museum. Any Pro Tips? Which one to go to first, any particulars at either to not miss, any apps to enhance experience, eat at the zoo/museum or eat someplace in town?

Thanks for the help. BTHO Red Sox!

Rusty GCS said:

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Outta Towner here (but tine >>>> Dallas). Making a day trip Saturday over to the city with 7 year old girl, 4 year old boy, and 4 month old.

Want to go to Zoo and Children's museum. Any Pro Tips? Which one to go to first, any particulars at either to not miss, any apps to enhance experience, eat at the zoo/museum or eat someplace in town?

Thanks for the help. BTHO Red Sox!

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Zoo parking is an absolute cluster so I always part in the garage across from the back entrance which Google Maps calls Texas Medical Center Garage 4. It's maybe $10-$15 but well worth it.

For zoo parking get there early or right at lunch time when the kiddies who've been there all morning are restless and being dragged outta there. Mid-morning parking sux. Weather is gonna be nice - we might be there too.

Weather permitting, I'd probably do the zoo in the morning, eat there, or if you want good food and willing to pay a little more, go to Barnaby's Cafe down the road from the Children's Museum before going there.

Texaggie7nine said:

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Weather permitting, I'd probably do the zoo in the morning, eat there, or if you want good food and willing to pay a little more, go to Barnaby's Cafe down the road from the Children's Museum before going there.

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Barnaby's is great, but has huge portions so order accordingly for kids (share if possible)

Pick one or the other.

You're kids will be in meltdown mode leaving one on the way to the other (if they're anything like mine).

Don't go to either. They will both be jammed and full of the flu. Discovery Green and a nice lunch nearby would be much more worth your time.

TexAgs1992 said:

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Don't go to either. They will both be jammed and full of the flu. Discovery Green and a nice lunch nearby would be much more worth your time.

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There's a small zoo near me in Lafayette the kids like. They enjoy the aquarium in New Orleans as well.

I told them Houston has a great big Zoo and they are super excited to go to the big zoo.

And they LOVE children's museums. Go to those everywhere we go. Omaha Nebraska has a great one.

The parking is one of the worst clusters ever. Good luck trying to find the person backing out amongst 30 or 40 other cars trying to find a spot.

Pro tip: hand sanitizer by the gallon.

Unless your kids are machines it's going to be too much to do both in one day. Both are a solid half day activities.

See the big animals first....then hit the kid area, buy tokens for the carousel.

Really not that much to it

You can also park at the surface lot across Braeswood from the power plant between Fannin and Holcombe and ride the shuttle to the zoo.

Zoo first. The animals are more active in the morning. The Children's Museum is a Petri dish (as a 30something, I believe CMs are a dime a dozen, wait til you've got a day to kill in Deluth and do CM there). Skip it and ride the train at Herman Park and play on the play ground. Herman Park is actually a really fantastic Park-

Hit the zoo early and skip the children's museum. There is ongoing renovation in the zoo, but that said, it's still a good zoo and we have a relatively new male lion. Get there when it opens. Buy your tickets on line here:

http://houstonzoo.doubleknot.com/tickets/ga/42990

I tried to take my son last weekend when the weather "broke" but we got there at 10:15 and the lots were completely packed. Arrive about 5 minutes before opening (at 9:00) and you should be able to park in the close lots.

Hermann Park has a mini-train, pedal boats, and some other taxpayer funded stuff that is pretty cool that I voted against but use anyways.

If you do end up missing parking at the zoo, go to Discovery Green like other suggested. If that won't work, find Levy Park. All of those places (including the zoo, where I wouldn't use it) have water features that kids really like.

Like many others suggested, Barnaby's is a great place to eat with kids. If that doesn't float your boat, try the Niko Niko's in Market Square park or any big, loud Tex-Mex joint (Lupe's, El Tiempo on Montrose, whatever).

Get there early and parking isn't a problem.We get there within 30 minutes or so of opening and there's plenty of spots...although they're going fast.

We go to both pretty regularly (not in the same day) here's my recommendation:

TLDR version: Dress kids up in Halloween costumes, park in the garage by children's museum, spend 9am-11:00am at the zoom. Bring cooler for drinks and PBJ and chips, ride the train walk to car to put away stroller and cooler. Then spend the rest of the afternoon in children's museum.

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Zoo opens at 9am and get there by 9:30. I recommend parking closer to the zoo. If you want to save money on parking, either in #1 or #2 on the map attached https://imgur.com/a/4fgUPZ8

If you park near the zoo, I recommend parking at #2 because it's easier to get out. It's a 1 mile walk from zoo to children's museum. You will not find any free parking near the museum.

I would pay for parking in the parking garage across the children's museum the walk to zoo and hit it up first. Zoo Boo is going on this weekend from 9-4 and your kids can dress up and they will have hand out candy and some activities. They should have little pumpkins that your kids can take with them.

You can bring a cooler to lug around for food and drinks. theres a restaurant by the rhinos that has hamburgers and pizza. Decent and Typical tourist price.

After the zoo, the train ride is nearby you can ride and you can point out to your kids the hobos around the importance of staying school in school. There's also a restaurant at the train station. Or there's bodegas taco shop about half a mile walk

Then walk back to your car so you stash your stroller and cooler. The museum also has trick or treating and some events in the afternoon.

If they are not tired enough after that, get patio table at Punk's in Rice Village And they can run around during dinner

Barnaby's sucks

Best advice for getting free parking near the zoo entrance is to arrive 15-30 minutes before the gates open at 9 am. Then, when you leave, you will have about five cars stalking you to snag your open parking spot.

If you lived off campus and needed to park in Zachary lot or west campus, you've trained well enough to find a spot at the zoo.

Zoo is doing Boo at the Zoo for the rest of the month, so it is even more busy than usual. We usually park about 10 minutes before opening so we can arrive right when it opens. Last weekend we rolled into the parking lot 10 minutes after opening and it was a huge cluster.

Good luck

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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the lesson here is: don't go to to anything on 'free' day.

Buy a membership to the zoo today, you might break even on it if you go like 2-3 times. Members will get into the zoo an hour earlier than general population on 10/20. You'll have better parking and it'll be way less crowded.

No clue on the museum.

Edit: Just checked ticket prices:

Zoo Members FREE
Children 1 and Under FREE
Children 2-11 $15
Adults 12-64 $19
Senior 65+ $12.50

Under the assumption that wife/SO is going with you, price would be around $68. Family membership is about $139, so essentially if you went twice you'd break even. Members have benefits like early entry once a month which I HIGHLY recommend if you ever want to go during the summer.