The great state of Texas is the second largest state in the United States and boasts some of the country's largest cities. Texas also has some of the best destinations in the U.S. for child and family friendly vacations with its numerous kid-friendly attractions like zoos, aquariums, learning museums and more. Here are some of the best cities for family vacations in Texas.
5 Great Family Destinations In Texas
1. San Antonio
San Antonio is an obvious choice for families traveling to Texas. The Alamo City is located in south-central Texas and has the second highest population of cities in Texas and is very popular for tourists. The city’s River Walk is the most popular area where you can explore the cultural side of the city with great Tex-Mex restaurants and shops throughout downtown San Antonio and it’s a lot of fun for the whole family. San Antonio also has SeaWorld, Six Flags Fiesta Texas and the San Antonio Zoo as well as Morgan’s Wonderland (an amusement park for children and adults with cognitive disabilities) for attractions. You can also take the family to the Alamo for a great educational history on an important time for Texas and the United States and also the Children’s Museum of San Antonio for a great educational experience.
2. Dallas
Dallas is another very big city in Texas located in East Texas and is one of the most popular among those visiting the state. It's not hard to see why: there’s great shopping, dining and nightlife for adults, but also a lot of fun for the whole family. Dallas has the Dallas Zoo, Frontiers of Flight Museum, Museum of Nature and Science and Dallas World Aquarium, which are all must-visit options when on a family vacation. Dallas also has a very popular Medieval Times, which is unique and a lot of fun for the kids as well as the adults. If that isn’t enough already, take the family to a Dallas Cowboys football game at the famous Cowboys Stadium (if you go during football season) in Arlington, which is one of the best of its kind in the country.
3. Houston
Houston, located in Southeast Texas, is the largest city in Texas and one of the largest in the country. Houston is known as being the home of Space Center Houston, which is the official visitor center of the Johnson Space Center, home of NASA. If you’re visiting Houston with the family, definitely make sure to visit Space Center Houston, where you can get a very educational and interesting experience learning about the history of space travel and learn how it all works. Houston is also home to the Houston Zoo, Houston Downtown Aquarium, Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Houston Fire Museum, the Houston Children’s Museum and the Houston Military Museum, which are all very interesting, fun and educational experiences for the whole family. Houston is also a sports center as home to the Houston Rockets pro basketball team, the Houston Texans pro football team and the Houston Astros pro baseball team.
4. Austin
Austin, Texas is home of the Texas State Capitol and is located in Central Texas. The electric energy of the city of Austin is a lot of fun and makes it a great tourist destination. There’s also fun for the whole family with the Austin Zoo and Austin Nature and Science Center. You can also tour the State Capitol with the family, which is very interesting and educational. Great fun for the whole family is also at Barton Springs Pool located in Zilker Park, which is a man-made recreational pool filled with water from Barton Springs and is great for swimming. Another interesting and unique option is to take a tour at Austin Steam Train Tours where you can take a tour through Austin on all kinds of different themed steam train tours, which are a lot of fun for the whole family.
5. Grapevine
While not as large or prominent as the other cities mentioned, Grapevine, Texas, outside of Dallas, is a great city for a fun family vacation. For starters, there’s a great Great Wolf Lodge resort, which kids absolutely adore and is a fun place to stay. It boasts North America's largest indoor family water park, making it a convenient destination for all times of the year. Other than that, you can experience the very charming and historic downtown of Grapevine with great shopping and dining. Grapevine is also home to the Sea Life Aquarium, LEGOLAND Discovery Center and the Grapevine Vintage Railroad, which are all great, fun options for your family vacation in Texas.
This article was written by Cameron Lafontaine.