5 Best Summer Museums

Houston's 5 best summer museum experiences: Kids and fun grownups both love these eye-opening exhibits

Summer travel season is in full swing, but there's no need to hit the road for a long trip. Houston offers a world of fun — and educational — activities at some of the best museums in the nation. Here are five sure-fire choices that are just around the corner:

1. The Children’s Museum of Houston

Exhibit:Summer of Epic Adventure - The Sequel! is a fun-filled interactive activity that allows kids to become a superhero by completing a variety of science experiments to earn badges of honor. The educational adventure will continue through Sept. 3 at 12, 1 and 2 p.m. and is included in the general admission fee.

Specials: Admission is free for everyone on Thursday evenings from 5 to 8.

2. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Exhibit: Pretend like you're a resident at Downton Abbey with a visit to this renowned collection of paintings, sculptures and decorative arts from Houghton Hall in England. Traveling to the United States for the first time, Houghton Hall: Portrait of an English Country Housewill be on display from June 22 to Sept. 21.

Specials: Admission is free for children 12 and under every day. The cost for the Houghton Hall exhibition is $15 for visitors 13 and up. General MFAH admission is free on Thursdays, but a $15 ticket will still be required to see the exhibition.

3. Houston Museum of Natural Science

Exhibit:Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters explores the science behind the power of natural events and the impact on human lives through interactive experiences and videos. The exhibit, which is up through Sept. 14, also explains the stories behind natural disasters.

Specials: In The Friday Feeding Frenzy, staffers feed the museum's live animal collection, including snakes, centipedes and praying mantises, at 9:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. every Friday throughout the summer. Or explore the world without leaving Houston in the World Trekkers program, a series of cultural festivals for the whole family, featuring crafts, native cuisine and entertainment inspired by each featured country. The first stop is Brazil. This cultural adventure will take place on June 27 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. General admission is $10.

4. Holocaust Museum

Exhibit:The Rescuers: Picturing Moral Couragehighlights those brave men and womenwho participated in rescues during the Holocaust and the genocides in Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda. The exhibition, on display through August 31, is based on the work of Leora Kahn.

Specials: Admission is free for children 18 and under and for college students with a valid ID. On Thursdays from 2 to 5 p.m., admission is free for everyone.

5. Menil Collection

Exhibit: Interested in fashion?A Thin Wall of Air: Charles Jamespresents a selection of classic evening gowns, suits, coats and daywear from Dominique de Menil’s personal collection — all designed by James, along with furniture he created for the de Menil’s River Oaks home. This unique collection is on display through Sept. 7.

Specials: The Menil charges no entrance or exhibition fees. The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Houston Museum of Natural Science presents the World Trekkers program.

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a major award

'Oscars of the internet' recognizes Houston's Meow Wolf with 2 awards

Photo provided by Meow Wolf

Adultiverse at Meow Wolf Houston (2024)

The Houston location of Meow Wolf won two international Webby Awards for Radio Tave, its installation in Fifth Ward. The awards, in the categories Webby Award (Critics' Choice) and the People’s Voice Award for Best Installation or Experience in AI, Immersive & Games, were announced earlier this week.

“To win both a juried Webby and the People’s Voice speaks to the power of what we created in Houston,” said Meow Wolf Houston general manager Aaron Johnson. “Radio Tave is about surprise, immersion, and imagination. We’re proud that our community, our collaborators, and the global digital world have embraced this journey.”

Other winners included Google, Nike, Walter Goggins, Snoop Dogg, and Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett for her use of digital platforms for civic advocacy.

Radio Tave opened last year on Halloween. A highly-enjoyable but somewhat difficult to describe experience, it guides visitors through an East Texas radio station that's been transported to another dimension. Like the rest of Meow Wolf's installations across the country, it's an immersive exhibition that puts the visitor inside a story, from solving a jukebox-based puzzle to dance parties. With music by Houston rapper Fat Tony (among others) and and some adorably creepy animatronics, Radio Tave is an unsettling and surreal adventure designed by more than 50 Texas artists.

The Webby Awards honor excellence in internet culture. Founded in 1996 by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, it is essentially the Oscars of the internet. Meow Wolf's distinctive digital experiences and high internet visibility make them a natural for the "AI, Immersive & Games: Arts, Fashion & Culture" category. Though obviously a real-world attraction, Meow Wolf's robust social media presence brings its work to digital audiences.

Meow Wolf Houston is the fifth location overall and second Texas location. Located in Houston's Fifth Ward, it features dozens of rooms filled with art, sculptures, installation pieces, and more. It quickly established itself as a unique, must-visit part of Houston's art scene and nightlife.

Known for its immersive art and music installations, the company previously won a Webby for the Dallas-Fort Worth location, The Real Unreal, in 2023. New locations in New York City and Los Angeles are scheduled to open in 2026.

awards meow wolf