easter 2022

14 best Easter weekend events in Houston, from egg hunts to keg hunts

The hunt is on!

Photo courtesy of ABC13

For those who observe, Easter is a holy and vibrant celebration of renewal. And for those who don't, but still look forward to the holiday, Easter means brunches and for kids, Easter egg hunts, usually starring a certain bunny.

This year offers plenty of fun for kids ready to search for eggs — and adults ready to search for Easter kegs (read on), or get their Easter yoga on. From Kemah to Simonton to downtown, here are your best bets for Easter weekend.

Friday

Blessington Farms in Simonton will have a two-day "Easter EGG-stravaganza." Enjoy picking your own strawberries and fun in Farm Funland, with hayrides, barrel trains, giant slides, animal encounters and much more. There will also be an Easter egg hunt where children will hunt for eggs with candy and treats. 10 am.

The Woodlands Children's Museum will invite kids to indulge in two-day "EggTivites." Children will delight in egg dyeing, creating a bunny mask, and embellishing egg carton baskets or a bunny box to carry eggs. Plus, there will be photos with the Easter Bunny. 10 am.

Kemah Boardwalk in Kemah will host a three-day Easter Weekend complete with an egg hunt, an Easter egg/cookie-decorating workshop, performers, and the Easter Bunny. On Sunday morning, there will be a special sunrise service at 7:30 am. Noon.

Saturday

Downtown Aquarium Houston will be open for kids and toddlers to enjoy a delicious breakfast buffet and, then, get a picture taken with the Easter Bunny. On Easter Sunday, there will be a buffet, an Easter Bunny meet-and-greet and crafts. Reservations are required. 9 am.

George Ranch Historical Park in Richmond will have a colossal egg hunt and relaxing family picnic. Bring a blanket and your own lunch to picnic under a 150-year-old oak or stake your claim at a picnic table near the Line Camp or Ranch House. There will be eggs galore and historical fun all around. 9 am.

Lone Star Flight Museum will open its doors for little aviators to join their age group and hunt for Easter eggs around the aircraft. There will be golden eggs filled with special prizes, like a museum membership or a surprise gift from the gift shop. 9 am.

7 Acre Wood is looking for people to have an egg-cellent Saturday with some barnyard pals. Go on an egg hunt, play in a Western town, zoom down the zip-line, putt away at mini-golf, snap pictures with the Easter Bunny, and more. 10 am.

Children's Museum Houston will have a meet-and-greet with the bunny of the hour -- the famous Easter Bunny (or whoever will be in that suit). Kids and adults can make some colorful bunny ears to wear at the Junktion table too. 10 am.

P-G Farms in Montgomery will throw two days of of outdoor Easter fun, including an egg hunt and meet-and-greet with, yes, the Easter Bunny himself. The farm also offers activities including vintage amusement rides, farm fun attractions, duck races, games, and more. 10 am.

SpindleTap Brewery will hold an Easter Festival x Artisan Market. This free event will have 40+ local artisan vendors, delicious craft beer, free photos with the Easter Bunny, a giant Easter egg hunt, live music and food trucks. Kids and dogs are welcome. 11 am.

Eureka Heights Brew Co. will have its first-ever, Buckle Bunny Bar Hop. Head over there the day before Easter for an adult version of an Easter egg hunt, which will consist of swapping the eggs for kegs and finding as many EH brews at various bars along the 19th and 20th streets. 1 pm.

The Food Court Food Truck Park will be doubling up with two Easter egg hunts, happening around the food trucks. Enjoy face painting, a bounce house, photo opportunities with the Easter bunny, food, drinks, a dj and shopping from the multiple food trucks and vendors. 1 pm.

ROSE Therapeutic Farm & Goat Yoga in Brookshire will have a two-day, Easter egg hunt with some guest animals on hand. Meet goats, chicken, pigs, rabbits, mini horses, and Daryl the Cow, then feed and groom them while you learn about what makes each one unique. 1:30 pm.

Sunday

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium celebrates Easter with its seventh-annual, Easter Keg Scavenger Hunt. A family-friendly tradition, teams with the highest scores win prizes from local businesses. All scavenger locations are located within 1.5 miles and most within four blocks of the Flying Saucer. 1 pm.

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Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

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Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

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