• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
JillBJarvis.com
  • Events Calendar
    • Houston Events for Today
  • What to do in Houston
    • Free Things to Do
    • Houston Mural Map
    • Houston Field Trips
    • Farms and Safaris
    • Houston Parks
  • Restaurants
  • Travel
    • Family Travel from Houston
  • Resources
    • Summer Camps
    • Party Venues
    • Applying to HoustonISD Magnet Schools
    • Find a Preschool
    • Find a Doctor
    • Moving to Houston
  • Connect with Us
    • About Jill
    • Sign Up for the Newsletter
    • Contact Jill at JillBJarvis.com
    • Work with Us
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Calendar
  • Any Day
  • Restaurants
  • Travel
  • About
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Work with JillBJarvis.com
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Calendar
    • Any Day
    • Restaurants
    • Travel
    • About
    • Resources
    • Contact
    • Work with JillBJarvis.com
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Things to do » Port of Houston Tour

    Port of Houston Tour - Tour one of the World's Busiest Ports... for Free!

    Modified: Dec 8, 2016 by Jill Jarvis · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · #sponsoredpost · Leave a Comment

    Port of Houston Tour
    Location: Sam Houston Boat Pavilion
    Cost: Free!
    The Port of Houston Authority offers FREE boat tours 5 days a week, 11 months a year. The only thing required is a reservation and a valid ID.

    We had this tour on our Summer Bucket List, but it turns out that everyone else did as well. No reservations were available over the summer, so we booked a spot in October. As long as space is available and you reserve a spot 24 hours in advance, you can take a free tour of one of the busiest ports in the world.

    Find the schedule HERE.

    Port of Houston Dock
    I had it in my head that the Port of Houston was a long drive from Downtown Houston. In reality, the tour begins inside the 610 loop and is only about 20 minutes from Downtown.

    Port of Houston Tour Boat
    We took the Saturday 10:00am tour. Following THESE directions,  we made it to Sam Houston Gate 8 at 9:30am. Here we showed our drivers licenses and drove back to the pavilion.

    There was a huge parking lot and plenty of room for the 100 tour boat passengers. The pavilion was very nice with clean bathrooms. It was so nice with the brick construction, benches and water view, that I hope it gets used for lots of parties and not just us tour go-ers.

    Port of Houston View
    At 10:00am, we boarded the 95 foot M/V Sam Houston for our 90 minute cruise along the Houston Ship Channel. While we were at land, everyone was inside enjoying the air conditioning, free coffee and clean seating area. As we pulled away, we were allowed to go outside and enjoy the views.

    Outside you stand at the front of the boat or take a seat in the back. Or walk laps like my kids did.

    As we passed the cargo vessels and refineries, the tour guide would announce what we were seeing. The speakers are not very loud, but if stand in the right spot, you can learn a lot about the Houston Ship Channel.

    Brooke and James
    After 45 minutes, the boat turns around at the beverage counter is opened. Each passenger can grab one free soda.

    On the boat we just saw a few crew members who were pleasant but not outgoing. If you asked them, they could tell you a lot about the Port of Houston. If we had paid for the tour, I'd have expected them to volunteer the information. For free, I was very pleased with the experience!

    Port of Houston Kids
    The kids had a lot of fun walking around the boat and watching the water, ships and cranes. They also thought the bathrooms in the basement were pretty awesome. (And really, they were clean and had running water, so I also think they were awesome.)  The seating areas were also very clean and it was okay for Baby James to be-bop around, so overall, it was a great experience.

    Afterwards we made the short drive to The Original Ninfa's on Navigation making it the perfect Saturday morning.

    We recommend you take the tour! To reserve a spot, go HERE or call 713-670-2416.

    (And in case you are concerned, I asked the crew and was told that taking pictures was okay!)

    More Port of Houston Tour

    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!

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    On JillBJarvis.com, you will find things to do in Houston, with kids! Find all the Houston events, things to do any day, restaurants and resources for local parents.

    Popular Posts

    • Hermann Park Reflecting Pool
      What to Do in Houston Today, May 11-31, 2025

    • Smile Yall are in Houston Mural
      What to Do in Houston with Kids Any Day

    • Midtown Park Boulder
      Houston Parks: Citywide Map, Pictures & Parent Reviews

    • Boys at the Beach
      Things to Do in Houston with Teens

    Featured On

    Go HERE for more media appearances!

    As Seen On Media Channels

    Browse Website by...

    • Parks

    • Farms and Zoos

    • Beach

    • Things to do

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Jill
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Media Kit

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 JillBJarvis.com