Bucket Lists

Here’s the truth… I find bucket lists a little intimidating.  I want to be sure we make the most of our summer break… but I don’t want to feel like we’re failing if we do not get through the entire list.

Each summer the kids and I write down our absolute must-do things… and tackle them right away.  And then we either add more items or make up the fun on-the-go!

So, if you are looking for DOZENS of things to do this summer, go HERE.  The list is big and amazing.

And if you just want a simplified list for YOUR kind of fun, look below!  We have something for the Animal and Nature Lovers, for the Little Heros, for the Train Engineer, Boat Lovers and Pilots, for the Rock Stars and Sports Stars, for the Museum Lovers and Artists, for the Little Foodies, for those with a Quirky Sense of Humor and for those looking for the Coolest Parts of Houston!

If you have ideas to add, let us know!  (And for Houston Summer 2016 Calendar of Events, go HERE!)

For the Animal Lover:

• Bayou Wildlife Park: Safari rides through acres and acres… feed the exotic animals that come right up to the tram!
• Houston Zoo: Animals in the middle of the Museum District!  See how to beat the crowds and save some money HERE.
• Crocodile Encounter: Alligators, crocodiles and giant tortoises to feed!
• TGR Exotics: 100 animals representing over 25 species.
• Waugh Bridge at Buffalo Bayou:  See hundreds of thousands of bats emerge each night at dusk.
• Mounted Patrol Stables:  Feed nearly 40 police horses at the Mounted Patrol Stables, for free!
• Downtown Aquarium: Aquarium, stingray touch tank, train rides through a shark tank and… a white tiger.  Look for buy one get one free coupons on Tuesdays this summer!
• Old MacDonalds Farm:  Year round outdoor fun!

 

For the Nature Lover:

• Houston Arboretum: Make crafts, read books, walk on the rope bridge and take a hike.
• Nature Discovery Center: Small nature center with trail and indoor nature rooms.
• Camping Near Houston:  Find a camping spot, right around Houston!

 

For the Hero:

• Houston Fire Stations:  Visit your local station.  Stop by and say “hello”!
• Houston Fire Museum:  Play in the truck and slide down the pole at the old fire station!
• Houston Police Museum:  Stop by the Houston Police Headquarters.
• Mounted Patrol Stables:  Feed nearly 40 horses at the Mounted Patrol Stables

 

For the Train Engineer:

• Hermann Park Train:  Ride the park train!
• Be an Engineer for the Day:  Drive the Hermann Park train!
• METRORail: Ride Houston’s train!
• Rosenberg Railroad Museum:  Learn about trains (and see a lot of them!).
• Zube Park: Ride the little train operated by the Houston Area Live Steamers!
• The Antlers:  Sleep in a caboose!
• Tomball Depot Plaza: Play on the caboose and tour the old depot.
• La Porte Vistor Center: Go INSIDE the caboose at Sylvan Beach.

 

For the Pilot:

• Spot Airplanes:  See where to park and watch the big planes!
• Black Walnet at Conroe Airport: Watch planes and helicopters from the patio.
• Aviators Grill: Eat right by the runway at Hooks Airport.
• 1940 Air Terminal:  Tour the museum near Hobby Airport.

 

For the Astronaut:

• Space Center Houston: Visit the home of NASA Mission Control, International Space Station Mission Control and astronaut training!
• George Observatory: See the stars from Brazos Bend State Park!

 

For the Boat Lover:

• Maritime Museum:  Take a personalized tour.
• Port of Houston Boat Tour:  Tour one of the world’s busiest ports… for free!

 

For the Rock Star/Movie Star:

• Main Street Theater:  Go see Shrek The Musical
• Miller Outdoor Theatre:  Miller has free shows all summer!
• $1 Movie Theater Movies All Summer:  These are all over town… all summer!
• Hard Rock Cafe:  Eat (and rock) in the Theater District.

 

For the Sports Star:

• During the Summer, you can watch the Astros, Skeeters, Dynamo and Dash.
• Iron Sports: Take your little Ninja Warriors to train at this official train facility!
• Kids Bowl Free: Bowl free all summer!

 

For the Museum Lover:

• Beat the Crowds:  Houston has A LOT of museums… and sometimes we want to visit them, but we do not want to deal with the crowds. Lucky for us, Houston has a long list of small museums that are prefect for a quieter day with the kids.
• Arts & Smarts in Houston: 6 Venues that Teach and Entertain All Ages

 

For the Artist:

• Gorilla Murals:  Find the murals all over Houston.
• Mini Murals:  Find these little works of art.
• Museum of Fine Arts:  Go on Thursdays for Free Admission… or check out the many kid friendly events over the summer.

 

 

For the Little “Foodies”:

• Top 10 Places to Eat in Houston, with Kids: Who says you can’t go out to dinner with a table full of kids?  Our thought is, if the restaurant offers highchairs, then your kids belong there.  And as long as you are watching your kids (and they are not running laps around the table) you can ignore any stares and rude comments you get from irritable patrons.
• Gluten-Free and Family-Friendly: Parent recommended gluten-free and family-friendly restaurants.
• Houston’s Best Hole-in-the-Walls: We like a lot of restaurants around Houston but we love when we stumble upon a really good hole-in-the-wall. The kind where only the locals know to go, that might be small or even a little run down but the food is good and the people are great. (And to be clear, we use the not-well-defined term, hole-in-the-wall, as a compliment!)
• Houston’s Best Burgers: Sometimes I really just want a good two-hand-er, ten-napkin kind of hamburger.  And almost every other day of the week, I would love a good veggie burger (that is not a boring soy-paste patty).  I’m always on the look out for a good burger… but with all the restaurants in Houston, where do I try first?  I asked that BigKidSmallCity community, and this is what YOU told me.
• Houston’s Best Mexican Restaurants: Houston has no shortage of good Mexican food… but which restaurants are the best for families? I asked the BigKidSmallCity community and this is what YOU told me.
• Farmers Markets:  Find your own food at one of Houston’s Farmer’s Markets.

 

For the Park Lovers:

• Parks Map: Find an interactive Houston map with park reviews and pictures.
• Print a Houston Park Passport: Check off the parks as you visit this summer.
• Start with this List:  Find our favorite Houston Parks HERE!
• Visit Houston’s Splashpads
• Visit Houston’s Free Pools

 

For the Reader:

• Summer Reading Programs: Sign up at the library and local bookstores.. and get rewarded… for reading!
• Local Libraries:  Visit your local library to find a book, FlipKit or take a free class!
• Little Free Library:  Find all the Little Free Libraries… or set up your own!

 

For those looking for Quirky Houston:

• Find the Mysterious Red Button on Buffalo Bayou: Have you seen the mysterious red button on the Preston Street Bridge? A friend told us that their 5 year old’s favorite thing to do in Houston was to, “burp the bayou”, and we just had to know what this meant.
• Visit the Art Car Museum: This funky museum is small and free.  Stop by with the kids while you are in the Houston Heights!
• Explore the Orange Show and Smither Park: Experience art so unique you can only find it at a monument celebrating oranges. Visit the Orange Show and then picnic at Smither Park!
• See the Beer Can House: When you drive up, you think you’re in just any residential neighborhood until you see a shiny silver house with beer can chimes blowing in the wind.
• Visit the Waugh Bridge Bat Colony: Each night at dusk, watch hundreds of thousands of bats emerge in the middle of the city!

 

For those looking for the Coolest Parts of Houston:

• Tour Rice University: Pack up your explorers and start uncovering secrets at Rice University! Find goofy carvings, a marble wall that makes a croaking sound, whispering niches, angry dolphins and so much more.
• Travel to Chinatown: Shops, restaurants and cultural centers.  Driving down Bellaire Boulevard, from 610 to 8, you are transported much further than 7 miles.  Find a restaurant, like House of Bowls, bakery, like Six Ping, a grocery story, like Hong Kong Market or temple like Teo Chew Temple.
• Play at Barbara Fish Daniel Nature Play Area at Buffalo Bayou Park: Not only does it have a slide, climbing structures, water features and drums build in to the landscape, but this park has an amazing view of the downtown skyline, access to the Buffalo Bayou trails, has free parking, new restrooms at the Water Works building… and a newly uncovered historic cistern. You need to see the pictures HERE!
• Uncover History at the Sabine Street Cistern: The Cistern was Houston’s first underground drinking water reservoir. This reservoir was decommissioned many many years ago, but has been uncovered and is being improved to be a space for temporary art exhibits. Construction was underway when we visited, but the glimpse we saw was scary and amazing all at the same time. Once it is done, there will also be a periscope to view the exhibit from the top of the Water Works!
• Shop at Caninos Market & El Bolillo: Visit Canino’s Produce Market and be amazed by the cases of pastries at El Bolillo!
• Tour the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir:  Drive through an industrial area off the highway, and then through apartment complexes, and then out of no where are bright white pinnacles, topped with flags.  The Mandir is the first traditional Hindu Mandir of its kind in North America and is made from 33,000 pieces of Italian marble and Turkish limestone.
• Tour the Menil Collection: Walk through 3 free art exhibits, create your own works of art and then play with the art… all at the Menil Collection Campus in Montrose!
• Wander Through Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens: Once you cross the giant suspension bridge over the bayou, you are on the amazing property of Ima Hogg.  Winding paths, hidden garden rooms and beautiful mansion.
• Visit the San Jacinto Monument and Battleship Texas: Many years ago I was a Navy wife and spent a lot of time near Navy ships… but each time I see Battleship Texas, I have to stop and wonder where I am and what year it is.  And this one has giant cargo ships passing right by.  Touring the battleship, and the nearby San Jacinto Monument, certainly fits into the Surprising Sights category.
• Go to the Bethel Church Park: Just west of Downtown is a neighborhood with some houses and lots of townhomes. I’ve driven through many times, but I never realized that the fire damaged Bethel Baptist Church was now the Bethel Church Park!  You need to see the pictures.
• Walk through Sisters of Charity Park: This park does not have a playground… but it’s the most surprising thing you’ll find in Downtown Houston. Lush gardens, winding paths, tunnels, water and the coolest table you ever saw.
• Take Pictures at Helen’s Park: This might just be one of Houston’s best kept secrets. Google Maps doesn’t even know about it.  It’s tucked in between the Stella Link YMCA and McGovern Library, right behind Sheltering Arms Senior Services. It’s not marked on the map, but it’s open to the public.

 

For more to do in Houston and to add to your list, check out the Ultimate Insiders Guide.  For all the Summer 2016 resources you need, go HERE!

Learning about primitive medicine at George Ranch Historical ParkGood news!  Houston Mom and Photographer, Christi, has UPDATED her Houston Summer Bucket List… and wants you to use it and add to it!  AND, we’ve added a Houston MAP!

It’s organized by air conditioned, wet, outdoor and roadtrips… with websites, addresses and hours.  Find the Bucket List HERE!

So, this is what you do:

1.  Open up the Summer Bucket List.
2.  Check off items with your kids.
3.  Tell us what else to add to the list or links or information that needs to be updated.
4.  And check out Christi’s Creations, her custom albums, and give her big hug for doing all this research for Houston parents!  (And learn all about Christi HERE!)

AND

1. Find the bucket list map below.
2. The square in the top left will let you turn on and off layers for water activities, indoor activities, day trips, etc.
3. Click on the dots you want to learn more about.
4. In the window that opens, click on the link to see pictures and read about the venue!

For more Houston Summer things-to-do, go HERE!  Also, for Houston events, for May 26 through September 5, 2016, go HERE!

For even more to do around Houston, look at this BIG list of Houston Activities:

I can hardly believe that summer break is only 1 month away.  I was taking my son to his 1st day of kindergarten just yesterday.

Knowing that summer break will slip away even faster than the school year, we’re making our list of “must-dos” now.  These are all the things we want to do before summer 2013 kicks the bucket.  What’s on your list?

BigKidSmallCity Summer Break Bucket List:

1.  Visit the Waterworks Education Center.  We’ve never been, but we’ve watched Magic School Bus Water Cycle a million times, so it’s about time we made a trip.

2.  Tour the Keggs Candies Factory.  Located on Westpark, I’m certain we need to see how the chocolates are made and then test a few.

3.  Tour the Blue Bell Factory.   If we are learning about chocolate, we might as well learn about ice cream too!

4.  Visit our Local Fire Station 10 Times.  This is one of our favorite things to do but we’ve gotten busy lately.  This summer we’re going to make an effort to bring the firefighters lots of cookies.  (And they usually let us “drive” the truck in return!)

5.  Visit the Rice University Art Gallery.  We’ve never been!

6.  Go to Galveston.  The kids are always asking to go to the beach.  This summer we need to actually do it.

7.  Attend Main Street Theater Camp.  We.Love.This.Camp.  See our review from last summer HERE.

8.  Visit the Children’s Museum of Houston Tot Spot.   I’ve got to get James to the Children’s Museum of Houston’s Tot Spot while his siblings are at camp.  I keep thinking about doing it… but now that it’s on the bucket list… I have to do it!

9.  Participate in the Houston Library Events & Summer Reading Program.  Registration is open now.  The program is free, and if you read enough books, you can get coupons to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Houston Zoo and free tickets to the Houston Astros game.

10.  Visit the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston Fire Museum, Children’s Museum of Houston, Hermann Park, Discovery Green, Downtown Houston, Houston Parks, Houston Splashpads, Houston Zoo, and all the things we do throughout the school year.

We better get started!