Hermann Park

Hermann Park is the anchor of Houston's family outdoor experience — the 445-acre park adjacent to the Museum District that somehow manages to be both Houston's most popular park and still feel genuinely spacious on most days. If you're visiting Houston with kids and you can only do one outdoor space, this is the one.

The park is free to enter, and you can spend an extraordinary day here without spending a dollar beyond food. The Japanese Garden is free and beautiful. The McGovern Centennial Gardens are free and impressive.

The Space Adventure playground is free and beloved. The park's lawns are free and perfectly suited for picnics, kite flying, and letting young children run. Hermann Lake has paddleboat rentals ($15–20) if you want to add a water experience.

Layering in paid experiences: the Houston Zoo is the park's most famous tenant and worth the admission for a dedicated zoo visit. The miniature train ($4/ride) is a universally beloved experience for kids under 10 — the little loop around the park makes children inexplicably happy. Miller Outdoor Theatre hosts free performances ranging from Shakespeare to symphony to family movies throughout the year — check the calendar before your visit because showing up on an event day feels like a bonus gift.

The METRORail Red Line to Hermann Park/Rice University station is the recommended approach on weekends and any time an event is happening at Miller Outdoor Theatre or the zoo. Parking lots fill up completely and quickly, and the frustration of circling for 30 minutes is avoidable. The train ride from downtown is genuinely pleasant.

Hermann Park rewards the seasons differently: spring brings wildflowers and mild temperatures; fall is the best weather; summer requires early morning visits only; winter is quiet and peaceful with its own appeal. There's no bad time of year — only better and worse times of day in summer.