winter wonders

Houston's coolest winter break activities, from real snow days to 3D dinosaurs

Houston families looking for things to do over the school break have no shortage of holiday fun this month. From movies, museums, to immersive experiences, there's plenty to delight the young and the young at heart.

Museums

Children's Museum Houston
Polar Palooza continues through January 7, 2024, bringing with it a winter wonderland kinds will love. They can frolic in real snow in the museum's courtyard, making snow angels and taking part in other activities. Admission is included with a museum entry ticket.

Houston Museum of Natural Science
The museum is open Monday through Sunday from 9am to 6pm through January 1, 2024, with free admission on Thursdays from 5 pm to 8 pm. Dinosaur Discoveries is the marquee attraction in the Wortham Giant Screen Theatre. The immersive experience takes audiences into the world of dinosaurs using 3D holographic technology. Admission to the film is $18.

Dinosaur Discoveries Houston Museum of Natural Science HMNS Have a dino-mite holiday with Dinosaur Discoveries at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.Rendering courtesy of Dinosaur Discoveries/Houston Museum of Natural Science

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The art museum hosts its annual Winter Break at the Museum programming from December 26 through 29, 2023 and January 2 through 5, 2024. Designed for children ages five to 12, the sessions are free with museum admission and include activities such as checking out the "Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence" exhibit and creating original artworks inspired by it.

Immersive experiences

Houston Botanic Garden
Radiant Nature is a dazzling array of more than 50 larger-than-life Chinese lantern installations that come to life in stunning displays showcasing the beauty of nature and celebrating the promise of the Lunar New Year. Check out the 200-foot-long dragon and the 12-foot-tall peacock, and an interactive zone buzzing with illuminated swings, whimsical seesaws, and more. Tickets start at $28.50.

Radiant Nature presented by Reliant A 200-foot dragon is one of 50 jaw-dropping installations at the Houston Botanic Garden's Radiant Nature holiday lantern festival. Photo courtesy of Tianyu Arts & Culture

Houston Zoo
The zoo lights up the night with its popular Zoo Lights exhibit, where families can wander the zoo's trails, which are decked out in colored lights. It all makes for plenty of Insta-worthy moments, from posing in front of a giant Christmas tree to wandering through an enchanted forest. Tickets during winter break start at $31.50.

Ice skating

The Ice at Discovery Green
Presented by Green Mountain Energy, this popular attraction lets guests glide around the ice under the Houston skyline in Discovery Green Park. Skating sessions are 75 minutes and skate rentals are included. Admission is $17 and reservations can be made online. From December 26 to 29 and January 2 to 5, operating hours are 11 am to 11 pm.

The Ice Rink at Woodlands Town Center
North of Houston is this family-friendly spot where skating and fun go hand in hand. Each skate session is two hours, and the cost is $15 including skate rentals. Those who bring their own skates get a discount. After showing off skating skills, pick up a hot chocolate and seasonal treats at the concession stand.

Ice skating at Memorial City Mall
With its location near the food court, this ice rink is a great place to chill out and enjoy time with family and friends. The cost is $10, and those who need skates can rent them for $5 more. Check the calendar for times during winter break.

Performances, plays, and stage shows

Alley Theatre
Catch the last performances of A Christmas Carol, the enduring story of the miserly Scrooge, who learns the meaning of Christmas after visits by three ghosts. The show runs through December 30 and tickets start at $29.

Houston Ballet
The Ballet's production of The Nutcracker runs through December 27. The beloved story has some of the most-recognizable music anywhere, and will delight audiences of all ages. Tickets start at $30.

The Nutcracker Houston Ballet The Nutcracker is a holiday classic. Photo courtesy of Houston Ballet

Mannheim Steamroller
The iconic 1980s rock sensation brings its unique interpretation to Christmas and holiday classics in a concert to delight all ages. Showtime is at 8pm and tickets start at $45.

Alley Theatre presents A Christmas Carol

Photo by Lynn Lane

Say ba-humbug to grumpy Scrooge at Alley Theatre's beloved A Christmas Carol.

Camps

Armand Bayou Nature Center
The center's Eco Explorers camp for children ages 4 to 11 runs December 27 through 29 and January 3to 5, 2024. Kids will take part in hands-on activities that help them learn more about mammals, reptiles, fantasy animals, and the world around them. $75 per day.

The Artz
Aerial camps for children ages 3 to 15 are offered at the organization's Spring Street location. They'll learn fabric, trapeze, lyra, wall running, harness and other aerial arts. Half-day and full-day options are available. $210 for three sessions January 3 to 5, 2024.

Bailey Oaks Farm
The Alvin equestrian center offers a three-day horseback riding camp from December 27 through 29. Children will learn the basics of riding, along with how to to groom, tack, and care for their animals. No riding experience is necessary. Riding camp is recommended for children 5 to 12 and the cost is $375.

Main Street Theater
In the theater's Winter Break turbo camps, offered through January 5, kids ages 6 to 12 will create an original play, help produce their own costumes and props, and play theater games to sharpen their skills in voice, body, imagination. The cost is $75 per day.

Main Street Theater winter camp Act out at Main Street Theater's winter camp.Photo via Main Street Theater

Movie Review

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is technically stunning but lacks emotion

Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures

Matt Damon in The Odyssey.

For a story that is 3,000 years old and has been referenced innumerable times since the advent of the moving picture, it’s striking that The Odyssey has not been adapted into a film more often. Christopher Nolan’s new film is, depending on your definition, just the fourth time in film history that someone has attempted to tell the original story (oddly, the third film — The Return — came out just two years ago).

Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, who has been gone from his home of Ithaca for over 20 years. Waiting at home for him is his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland), as well as a hall full of suitors — most notably Antinous (Robert Pattinson) — who are hoping that Penelope will finally believe that Odysseus is dead and choose to marry one of them.

In typical Nolan fashion, the film goes back-and-forth in time often to show what has happened to Odysseus in the past two decades. His sea voyages with his crew have him attacking Troy using the legendary Trojan Horse; taking on the cyclops Polyphemus (Bill Irwin); trying to escape the clutches of the witch Circe (Samantha Morton); living with the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron); communing with the vision of Athena (Zendaya); and more.

Nolan, who wrote and directed the epic film, has a clear reverence for the material and, perhaps more than any current filmmaker, has the chops to make the sprawling story feel coherent. With a plethora of characters who have names that take some time to understand for those not familiar with the ancient tale, it’s extremely tough to wrangle everything and everyone together, and Nolan and his team make that trick seem relatively easy.

However, there’s a difference between making the story comprehensible and making it compelling, and Nolan is not as successful on this front. As portrayed in this film, it’s difficult to care whether Odysseus ever finds his way home. His connection with Penelope and Telemachus is tenuous, at best, and his status as a hero is called into question on multiple occasions. Complicated protagonists are nothing new, but in a story where the hero’s journey is the whole point, Nolan fails to make the quest all encompassing.

That’s not to say that there aren’t some standout moments along the way. The sequence in Polyphemus’ cave is tremendous, as are a few other scenes in which Nolan’s reported reliance on practical effects make you wonder how the crew accomplished what they did. Damon has said this is the hardest movie he’s ever made, and that effort shows up in every scene, especially those on the water.

At 56 years old, Damon is getting close to elder statesman status in Hollywood, and he ably embodies the role of the respected and feared leader. Hathaway, Holland, and Pattinson get the next most screentime, and each makes their character interesting if not mesmerizing. The murderer’s row of the supporting cast — Theron, Lupita Nyong'o, Zendaya, Elliot Page, Morton, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, and more — give each scene a nice sheen whether or not their individual arc makes sense.

While the technical achievements of Nolan and his team in The Odyssey are admirable and occasionally awe-inspiring, the story he lays out is not quite as overwhelming. The structure he chose to use doesn’t allow the story to overcome the episodic nature of Odysseus’ brutal journey, keeping big emotions mostly at bay.

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The Odyssey opens in theaters on July 17.

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