FUN FOR THE FAM
Houston soars in new list of best U.S. cities for family-friendly vacations
Space Center Houston is a blast for visiting kids.
Houstonians looking to create lasting memories with their families don’t need to look further than their own city. In a new report from lawn care company Lawn Love, Houston scored No. 8 in the top 10 Best Cities for Kid-Friendly Vacations.
200 of America’s largest cities were ranked using 23 metrics, including affordability, family-friendly accommodations, attractions, transportation options, and more. Houston was classified as the third safest city for kid-friendly vacations, and earned the No. 6 spot in the category of “getting around” or ease of transportation.
In the category of most amusement and theme parks, Houston ranked No. 5 in a three-way tie with San Diego, California and Denver. With fun attractions like the Children’s Museum Houston, Space Center Houston, and the Houston Museum of Natural Science, it’s not hard to see the magnetism for children. Houston also tied at No. 3 with Baltimore, Maryland in the category of most children’s hospitals.
Houston also received the following rankings in other categories:
- 13th – kid-friendly attractions
- 17th – family-friendly accommodations
- 59th – affordability
- 75th – kid-friendly restaurants per square mile
"Let folks carve out time for themselves and the activities they want to do and ensure that there are activities for everyone to do together," she suggests. "My 92-year-old father-in-law didn’t want to go to the beach – and that was fine. We went while he read. But we all did take walks, eat meals, and watch TV together – and it was wonderful."
Sharp also recommends families plan ahead when deciding their mode of travel, and to limit use of technology once at their destination in order to connect and bond with each other.
Rounding out the top 10 list is San Antonio, known for their combination of amusement and water park attractions. Other Texas cities on the list include Dallas and Austin, coming in at No. 11 and No. 29, respectively.
The full top 10 list of best US cities for kid-friendly vacations includes:
- New York City
- Orlando, Florida
- Miami
- Las Vegas
- Chicago
- Tampa, Florida
- San Francisco
- Houston
- Los Angeles
- San Antonio
More information about Lawn Love’s report can be found at lawnlove.com.
