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Playground at Houston Children’s Zoo

by Jill Jarvis Leave a Comment

Otter Ropes at Houston Children's Zoo
Okay, okay, I know this is not our usual weekly park review. Instead of a public park, this week the review of the playground at the Houston Zoo Children’s Zoo.

The thing is, I used to do all I could to avoid this place. When the zoo is busy, the Children’s Zoo is insanely busy. I may have told my kids it was being remodeled for the last few years.

BUT… I recently discovered on a weekday afternoon when the zoo is not very crowded, the Children’s Zoo is really quite enjoyable.

Playground Tube at Houston Zoo
Now, if you don’t have a Zoo Membership, I’d probably opt for another Houston park. If you do have a membership, you can drop in and out of the zoo any time, making this a great hour long adventure.

Hippo at Playground at Houston Zoo

Children’s Zoo Playgrounds:

In the Children’s Zoo, there is a playground, a rope climbing area, and a super secret rope climbing area.

The traditional play structure is  next to the petting zoo. It has some cool features, including a bridge, curving rockwall, fireman pole and lots of tubes.

Behind it is also a little hippo to climb through and on. This area does not look to have an age limit and my 3, 5 and 7 year old all like it.

Music at Houston Zoo Playground Children's Zoo
Across the way is the otter slide and climbing ropes. For these, the sign says you need you need to be 48 inches tall to climb.

That said, my 3 year old James can’t read and couldn’t hear me when I told him “no”. (Odd that he can’t hear when he doesn’t like what I say.)  I didn’t try too hard to stop him and did pretty well swinging like a monkey.

Relaxing in Ropes at Houston Zoo
This spot is neat because the otters are next door and can slide down their own slide, right next to the kids.

The only tricky thing is that at the top of the rope ladder is the exhibit area, so kids can climb up and run off if you are not careful.

Otter Slide at Houston Zoo
The next area is right around the corner from the otter ropes. It’s not actually a secret… but we visited the zoo about 5 million times before we found it.

It’s tucked between the otters and the pelicans… and unless you sneak around the back way, you may not see it.

Climbing at Houston Zoo Ropes
This is an even taller rope climbing area with a big tube slide. It’s usually less crowded and our favorite spot to hang out.

Houston Zoo Playground
All the play areas are shaded and there are benches for the parents (except for the secret rope area).

As if this wasn’t enough, the kids can also play make-believe on the boat and climb through the mongoose tunnels… plus their is a whole zoo to explore as well!

Feeding Giraffes at Houston Zoo
So, I’ve changed my mind… the play spots at the Houston Zoo’s Children Zoo are great… just not at peak hours!

Houston Children’s Zoo:

Address: 6200 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX 77030

Filed Under: All, Houston Zoo, Parks, Things to do January 2, 2015

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 4 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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jill-jarvis-bigkidsmallcity-circle-300 Welcome!  JillBJarvis.com is the go-to blog for things to do in Houston with kids!  It is upbeat and dedicated to making our big city feel small.   START HERE!    

On this website you will find a full list of Houston weekly events, things to do around the city, travel ideas and resources for parents.

I know just what it’s like to be overwhelmed by work, life and family. I spent a lot of years traveling for work, missing big milestones for my kids and feeling bad about everything.

I started this website to make a list of all the events happening around Houston and then pick one to enjoy with my kids. And instead of thinking of all the things I was missing, I started to enjoy the things we were doing together.

If you are a parent that is feeling overwhelmed by all the things you could be doing in Houston… please just use our weekly lists and daily posts as suggestions. Pick one thing to do with your family and intentionally ignore the rest!

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