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    Home » Things to do » Half Day in Houston

    Half Day in Houston: Funky Museum, Fortress Playground & Pizza in the Heights

    Modified: Aug 15, 2015 by Jill Jarvis · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · #sponsoredpost · Leave a Comment

    Having fun with the family and exploring Houston can be easy! If you have a few hours, we have ideas on how to spend them with the kids.

    In this Half Day in Houston series, find a place to park, play, explore and eat… all in one spot. Pick what you like or combine with another Half Day post!

    In this adventure, explore the funky Houston Heights neighborhood with a trip to the Art Car Museum, to a wooden fortress park and with really good pizza.

    Park:

    For most adventures, we park once and walk. You can walk this route, but cross some busy streets, so it is probably best to move your car. Free parking is available at each spot... with the tightest parking at the Art Car Museum. Check out the map below.

    Explore:

    Chicken Alfredo Chicago style on wheat crust
    1. Star Pizza - 77 Harvard Street, Houston, TX 77007 - Monday-Sunday, 11:00am-10:00pm/11:00pm

    Start your adventure at this casual pizza place, right on Washington. Eat on the porch or inside!

     

    Art Car Museum Houston
    2. Art Car Museum - 140 Heights Boulevard, Houston, TX 77007 - Wednesday-Sunday, 11:00am - 6:00pm - Free

    After pizza, head to a museum that is funky and small (and free and air conditioned)! The Art Car Museum is located in the Heights and is always free of charge. It has art cars as well as contemporary art. The museum’s goal is to “encourage the public’s awareness of the cultural, political, economic and personal dimensions of art”.

    Find about 5 cars before heading to the playground.

     

    Donovan Park Heights Sign
    3. Donovan Park - 700 Heights Boulevard, Houston, TX 77007 - Free

    Just up the street from the museum is a large wooden fortress. Donovan Park is a great place for imaginative play and it also has enough variety to keep kids of all ages busy.

    Walk across the rope bridges, climb up a chain, slide down slides and the fire pole, test your balance across moving balance beams, try monkey bars, and pretend to be the engineer and conductor for the train.

    This is not a city of Houston park, but sign inside and on the website says it's a playground for all children to enjoy. (If you know other rules, please let us know.)

     

    Heights Library Front
    4. Heights Neighborhood Library - 1302 Heights Boulevard, Houston, TX 77008 - Monday-Saturday, 10:00am/12:00pm - 5:00pm/8:00pm - Free

    After the playground, cool off at a cool looking building along the Heights Boulevard path, with a big children’s section and tons of free classes!

     

    Caninos Market Nectarines
    Looking for more fun? The permanent farmers market and Mexican bakery is close by!

     

    More Half Day in Houston

    • MetroRail on Main Street Houston
      Things to Do + Houston Downtown Tunnel Map
    • Half Day in Houston: Tomball Train Depot & Old Fashioned Soda Fountain!
    • Half Day in Houston: Uncover Secrets at Rice University
    • Half Day in Houston: Learn about Maritime history, about one of the busiest seaports in the world, play dress up and grab lunch!

    About Jill Jarvis

    Jill Jarvis is the owner of JillBJarvis.com, a BigKidSmallCity.com and Things to Do in Houston, with Kids, blog!

    She is the mom of five and started the website years ago... when she was tired of constantly cleaning up the same mess in the family room.

    Another mom showed her that you could just go do fun things in Houston, without hours of planning.

    This inspired the blog and changed everything about how she enjoyed life in Houston, with kids!

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