Spring Break Fun

The ultimate Houston list of kid-friendly and family fun for spring break 2024

As Spring Break kicks off across the city, it's an opportunity for families to explore all the Bayou City has to offer. With something for every taste, both kids and parents will find appealing options.

Attractions and Immersive Experiences

Color Factory
The immersive Upper Kirby attraction has a new exhibit, Colors in Bloom. This flower-power packed piece takes guests on a nature journey that salutes our Texas state flower. Meander through the larger-than-life bluebonnets, try some lavender ice cream, and pose for insta-worthy shots. Tickets start at $39 for adults and $29 for children ages 3 to 12.

Dig World
The Katy construction theme park is a chance for kids to explore heavy machinery, operating full-size construction vehicles in a safe, fun environment. Use excavators to pick up cones and fish, dive around a course on a full-sized 236D3 skid steer loader, play life-sized yard games, and enjoy the park's playground. A two-hour admission ticket is $24.99 for anyone 32 inches and taller.

The Downtown Aquarium, Pleasure Pier, and Kemah Boardwalk
Buy one combo pass and get access to all three parks, from March 8 to March 17. The $79.99 fee gives families unlimited access during normal operating hours, including riding all the rides. For $5, they can add on arcade games. Passes are good every day during the offer period, but will not be replaced if guests lose them in all the fun.

Go Ape Zipline and Adventure Park
Located in Brazos River Park in Sugar Land, Go Ape has a number of options for family fun. The Treetop Adventure is the most challenging course and takes between 2 to 3 hours to complete. Think long ziplines of almost 1,000 feet, 45-foot high tree-to-tree crossings, Tarzan-like swings, and 70 obstacles. For a less intense experience, the Treetop Journey is perfect for beginners with bridges, obstacles, and ziplines at 20 feet. Pricing ranges between $39.95 and $64.99 per person, with discounts being offered for spring break. Minimum age, height requirements, and supervision rules apply for all courses. Gloves are mandatory.

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 Los Tigres del Norte, Bun B, the Zac Brown Band, and the Jonas Brothers. 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 $20 for adults and $10 for kids. There's also Free Family Wednesday Admission for seniors, 60 and over, and children, 12 and under, until noon on Wednesday, March 13. (Does not include rodeo/concert admission).

Jurassic World: The Exhibition
Located at Katy Mills, this experience takes its inspiration from the popular movie franchise. Visitors begin by walking through the iconic Jurassic Park gates. Once inside, they'll walk through areas where they'll encounter different dinosaurs, including the towering Brachiosaurus, Velociraptors including fan-favorite Blue, and the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex. Prices start at $24 for children ages 3 to 15 and $31.99 for 16-and-up.

Moody Gardens
This Galveston destination offers a wealth of activities for spring break. From the Super One-Day Value Pass that includes unlimited admission to the Rainforest and Aquarium Pyramids, Discovery Museum, Colonel Paddlewheel Boat, the ropes course, MG 3D, 4D Special FX, and Audience Recognition Theater to discounted offers for overnight stays, it's a one-stop shop of endless activity. Participate in golf camps and pyramid camps. For families seeking one place with lots of choices, it's hard to beat. One-Day Value passes are $80 for adults and $70 for kids.

Lagoonfest Texas
Head to Texas City for this 12-acre crystal-clear lagoon, offering countless waterfront activities, dining options, and a lineup of
musical entertainment. Its official opening day is March 9, just in time for Spring Break reveling. Activities include a 185-foot, five-story waterslide, single and tandem kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, aqua cycle crafts, sailboats, a floating obstacle course, and bumper boats. Restaurants and a rotation of food trucks make it easy to spend a day here. Daily admission starts at $38 for adults 14 and older, and $20 for kids ages 3 to 13.

Puttshack
At downtown's tech-infused mini-golf experience, guests will find creative courses to keep everyone entertained. During Spring Break, get a 50 percent discount on the second game, Monday to Friday from opening to 4 pm. Afterward, indulge in the menu featuring shareable bites infused with street food flair. Adults can also enjoy refreshing cocktails. Rates are $14 per player per course for adults and $9 for children under 12.

Sloomoo Institute
Located at the Marq-E Entertainment Center, this 23,000-square-foot immersive space features over-the-top installations like the world’s largest DIY slime bar, where, yes, guests can get slimed. They'll also find experiences with immersive video, sound, and scent; and Slimey Fossils, where they can explore slime imprints. Tickets start $39 and include a custom DIY slime to take home.

Girls riding a boogie board down a water wave.

Courtesy of Lagoon Development Company

Aquatic activities take center stage at Lagoonfest Texas.

Shows

Main Street Theater's Theater for Youth
Families looking for fun on stage can head to Midtown, where two shows light up the MATCH stage. From March 12 to 16, see Click, Clack, Moo; Cows That Type, based on the much-loved children's book about a group of cows who take to the typewriter to make their demands known to their farmer. On Sunday, March 10, there are performances of Stuart Little, a musical based on the classic book by E.B White about a mouse born into a New York family, who seeks adventure in the big, wide world.

Museums

Asia Society Texas
Travel to Asia this spring break, without leaving Houston and without a passport. A center-wide scavenger hunt helps guests learn about the arts and cultures of China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam. Those who complete the hunt earn a prize! They can also make a spring-inspired craft to take home as a souvenir, plus catch a screening of Pixar's Turning Red . The film plays in the auditorium at 2 pm daily during spring break. Admission is $15 for ages 13 and up, $9 for ages 7 to 12, and free for children ages 6 and under. Thursdays are free admission days for everyone.

Children's Museum Houston
The museum's Spring Break Blast features an array of activities, daily performances, hands-on experiments, and a block party extravaganza. Kids can fit themselves into human hamster balls, bounce on the bungee trampoline, get immersed in Super Mario's Mushroom World, cuddle animals at the petting zoo, and much more. Activities change daily and are included in museum admission, which is $17 for those 1 and older.

Holocaust Museum Houston
The museum has special Spring Break hours, including being open on Monday, March 11 and free admission and extended hours on Thursday, March 14 from 10 am to 7 pm. Visitors can experience the museum’s four permanent galleries and the featured exhibition The Kinsey African American Art & History Collection, celebrating the achievements and contributions of Black Americans from 1595 to present day. Other options include a family friendly magic show, a firsthand account from a local Holocaust survivor, and a screening of the film 999: The Forgotten Girls telling the story of how, in the spring of 1942, the Nazis ordered the Slovak government to send a slave labor force and received 999 teenage, Jewish girls. Their railway ticket was a one-way trip to Auschwitz. Admission is $22 for adults, $16 for seniors (ages 65+), and free for children and students ages 18 and under.

Houston Zoo
There's always a wild time to be had at the zoo, which offers multiple activities every day. Check out the new dinosaurs exhibit, where kids and adults can discover what these giant, prehistoric reptiles were like, take in keeper talks to learn what it's like to look after the zoo's animals, and explore the ongoing exhibits that bring wildlife up close. Be sure to check the zoo's daily calendar to find out what specific activities are taking place. Admission starts at $34.70 for adults and $27.70 for kids 3 to 12.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Join museum educators and artists to explore art-making activities inspired by Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage and experiment with new materials, tools, and processes to create your own works of art. Daily gallery activities, coloring sheets, colored pencils, and knowledgeable educators help families spark the discovery and exploration of art. Spring break activities are included with museum admission. $24 for adults and $20 for kids ages 13 to 18. Children 12 and under get free admission.

Space Center Houston
Blast off with spring break fun at Space Center Houston's Moon2Mars Festival, March 13 through 16. Celebrating NASA's Artemis Program, the event features virtual reality experiences, performances, and astronaut meet-and-greet opportunities. Music fest concerts include millennial favorite The All-American Rejects.

Staycations

Margaritaville Lake Resort
The whole family will find something to love at this Lake Conroe retreat. Book the resort's Something 'Bout a Boat package to get $40 per hour off the rental of a motorized watercraft and a $50 dining credit for onboard snacks. With amenities like the Fin City Arcade, mini golf, a pool, and more, it'll be an experience to remember.

Marriott Marquis Houston
With its Texas-shaped, lazy river pool, this downtown destination is the perfect spot for families looking for fun without leaving town. Weekend feature a poolside DJ to keep the party going. Visitors are encouraged to sample the hotel's many dining options, including Mexican restaurant Xochi, sports bar Biggio's, and Sky Bar, which serves both cocktails and mocktails.

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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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