spring break fun

The ultimate Houston guide to family-friendly fun for spring break 2025

With kids out of school, families looking for activities to keep them engaged will have a host of things to choose from. Houston has options for all ages and all interests. Here are several of our favorites.

Attractions and Immersive Experiences

Discovery Green
Head to the downtown park for The Rink: Rolling at Discovery Green, Houston’s only outdoor roller rink. Open daily during Spring Break, tickets start at $14. The park also offers STEM activities, Sunday jazz concerts, and a showing of Hidden Figures on March 13.

Great Wolf Lodge
The Webster hotel and indoor water park’s Great Wolf Lodge’s Spring Breakout celebration includes activities like family yoga, dance parties, games, character photo ops, and other family-friendly offerings. Rates vary by day.

The Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa
Book one of the hotel’s Spring Break Stay and Play Getaway packages and get accommodations with no resort fees, access to three resort pools, fitness facilities at The Houstonian Club, outdoor walking trails, an in-room movie, complimentary self-parking, and special gifts for children and teens. Additionally, The Spring Break Racquet Sports Camps provides tennis and pickleball instruction for children ages 4 to 16, from March 10 to 14. The Spring Break Three-Day Swim Camp runs from March 11 to 13, offering group swim lessons for children ages 3 to 8. The spring break package is available through March 27, with prices starting at $559 a night.

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
One of Houston's most popular attractions, the nearly month-long livestock show and rodeo is the biggest in the world. Spring break concerts include Brad Paisley, Lauren Daigle, Jon Pardi, and Journey. Concert tickets also get guests day passes to the grounds, where they can explore animal exhibits, a massive shopping set-up, the carnival, food stalls, and more. Tickets are available to the grounds only for $21 for adults and $10 for kids.

Margaritaville Lake Resort Lake Conroe
Get 30 percent off rates from March 7 to 23, and enjoy spring break-themed activities like a mermaid meet-and-greet, cannonball contest, temporary tattoos and leis, trivia and bingo, plus food and drink, and playing in the pool.

Space Center Houston’s 2025 Moon 2 Mars Festival
This two-week-long festival from March 9 to 22 has something for everyone, with opportunities to meet astronauts, take part in hands-on STEM activities, barbecue, live music by bands including Third Eye Blind and The Revivalist, and the chance to see The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks, a new immersive experience in the recently renovated Space Center Theater, where guests can embark on the retelling of Apollo missions within the 270-degree theater space. General admission tickets start at $24.95 for kids and $29.95 for adults.

Arts and Performances

Houston Grand Opera
The opera company has a selection of free performances at Levy Park, Lynn Wyatt Square, the Alief Community Center, and Rodeo Houston from March 8-15. Designed for children ages pre-K to 2, performances include Mo Willems’s Bite-Sized Operas!, The Armadillo’s Dream, Opera Cat, and more. The full schedule is available online.

Main Street Theater’s Theater for Youth
Main Street Theater presents two kid-friendly options at the MATCH. The Wind in the Willows is the story of Mr. Toad and his friends, who take to the open road on an adventure. The show isn’t recommended for children under 3. Elephant and Piggie’s We Are In A Play runs March 11-14, and finds the beloved Mo Willems; characters on stage and full of fun. The show is recommended for pre-kindergarten kids and older. Tickets start at $24.

Theater District Open House
From noon to 5 pm on Monday, March 10, head downtown for this celebration of the arts. There will be performances, a stage combat demonstration, a multi-generational dance class taught by Houston Ballet, food, games, and more. The full schedule is online, and it’s completely free.

Museums

Asia Society Texas
Journey to the Moon is an interactive experience for all ages, where guests must salvage the International Space Academy’s mission when complications arise. Along the way, they'll learn about historical and mythological characters from Asia, the importance of the Moon to Earth, and see the exhibitions Space City: Art in the Age of Artemis and Explore Asia. Admission is free.

Holocaust Museum Houston
The museum offers a series of spring break activities, including a family-friendly magic show from Richard Hatch on March 11, storytime and survivor accounts on March 12, and tours throughout the week. Many events are included with museum admission, which is $22 for adults and free for those under 18.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
There’s plenty to offer all ages here, from art-making classes to kid-friendly activities at Bayou Bend to a moonlight screening of The Princess Bride. Whether guests are seeking hands-on crafting or exploring the current exhibits, the museum is a place for adults and children to come together. Museum admission is $24 for adults, $20 for ages 13 to 18, and free for those under 12. There may be additional costs for some activities.

Kids and adults in big water tubes at Great Wolf Lodge

Photo courtesy Great Wolf Lodge

Great Wolf Lodger in Webster has a host of special Spring Break activities for kids and adults

always be prepared

Texas tax-free weekend lets shoppers stock up on emergency supplies

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Emergency supplies like first aid kits that cost less than $75 are eligible for a tax break this weekend.

The best time for Texas residents to stock up on supplies to prepare for natural disasters is coming up this weekend. The annual statewide Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday runs from April 25-27, when Texans will be able to purchase critical emergency supplies — plus household necessities like batteries and fire extinguishers — tax-fee.

Shoppers can purchase certain emergency supplies tax-free starting at 12:01 am on Saturday, April 25, and the "holiday" runs until midnight on Monday, April 27. There is no limit on the number of qualifying items that can be purchased during the weekend, and purchases can be made in store, online, through the mail, and via custom order.

Saving on emergency supplies
Emergency preparation supplies must be purchased under certain price brackets to qualify for the tax exemption. For example, portable generators must have a sales price less than $3,000 to qualify for a tax break. Ladders and hurricane shutters that cost less than $300 also qualify.

Delivery, shipping, handling, and transportation charges are included in the sales price, according to the Comptroller. So if a shopper buys a $299 rescue ladder and is charged a $10 delivery fee, the total sales price for the purchase is $309, and tax would need to be paid for that sales price.

Additional items that qualify for a tax break as long as they cost less than $75 include:

Axes
Batteries – single or multipack (AAA cell, AA cell, C cell, D cell, 6 volt or 9 volt)
Carbon monoxide detectors
Fire extinguishers
First aid kits
Fuel containers
Ground anchor systems and tie-down kits
Hatchets
Ice products – including reusable and artificial ice
Light sources – including those that are battery operated or portable self-powered sources; candles, flashlights, and lanterns
Mobile telephone batteries and mobile telephone chargers
Non-electric can openers
Non-electric coolers and ice chests for food storage
Radios – including portable self-powered radios, battery operated radios, two-way radios, and weather band radios
Smoke detectors
Tarps and other plastic sheeting

The full list of qualifying items is available on The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts' website.

As a reminder, over-the-counter items like antibacterial hand sanitizer, soap, and spray and wipes are always exempt from sales tax if they are labeled with a "Drug Facts" panel in compliance with Food and Drug Administration regulations.

Non-qualifying items that will still be taxed
Medical masks, face masks, and gloves of any kind do not qualify for a tax exemption. Other taxable items including toilet paper, cleaning supplies (such as disinfectants and bleach wipes), vehicle or boat batteries, chainsaws, plywood, extension ladders, and stepladders. Camping equipment and supplies, including stoves and tents, are also not eligible for a tax break.

Additionally, any repair or replacement parts for emergency preparation supplies do not qualify for tax exemptions, and neither do any services that are performed on or related to those supplies.

What to do if a qualifying item is taxed during the holiday
If customers buy a tax-exempt item between April 25-27 and are still taxed, they may request a refund from the seller on the tax paid for the item. The seller can grant the refund to the buyer, or provide them with Form 00-985, Assignment to Right to Refund, which would allow the customer to file a claim for their refund through the Comptroller's website.

tax free weekend emergency supplies texas

spring break fun

The ultimate Houston guide to family-friendly fun for spring break 2025

always be prepared

Texas tax-free weekend lets shoppers stock up on emergency supplies

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