On December 5, a plane lands at Ellington Airport and Santa climbs out of the cockpit of a vintage Stearman. Two weeks later the Children's Museum turns its galleries into a snow globe, and on December 31 Kemah Boardwalk runs a countdown early enough that a five-year-old sees the fireworks and still gets to bed on time.
That stretch, from November 14 to January 4, holds the best holiday events for kids in Houston. Most come down to a booking decision: which night to grab first, and which to save for the empty week after Christmas.
Twelve of the 20 events below come with a GetOut Houston membership. The other eight sell their own tickets, and a few cost nothing.
Start with Zoo Lights. It opens November 19, entry is timed, and every night between Christmas and New Year's fills after 7 p.m.
Holiday Events for Kids in Houston at a Glance
#
Venue
Area
Best For
How Long
1
Houston Zoo Lights
Museum District
All ages
Two to three hours
2
Galaxy Lights, Space Center Houston
Clear Lake
Space fans
Two hours
3
Holiday in the Gardens, Moody Gardens
Galveston
A full evening
Three to four hours
4
Sugar Land Holiday Lights
Sugar Land
Big family groups
Two hours
5
Lights in the Heights
Woodland Heights
A free night out
One to two hours
6
Breakfast With Santa, Downtown Aquarium
Downtown
Ages 2 to 8
Two hours
7
Santa's Landing, Lone Star Flight Museum
Ellington Airport
Ages 4 to 10
Half a day
8
Jingle on the Boardwalk, Kemah
Kemah
Santa believers
Three hours
9
Polar Palooza, Children's Museum Houston
Museum District
Ages 1 to 9
Three to four hours
10
The Nutcracker, Houston Ballet
Theater District
Ages 6 and up
Two and a half hours
11
Nutcracker on Ice, Ice at the Galleria
Galleria
Kids who skate
Two hours
12
Dickens on the Strand
Galveston
Kids in costume
Three hours
13
Ice Rink at Discovery Green
Downtown
A cheap skate night
75 minutes
14
Aerodrome Ice Skating Complex
Willowbrook
A rainy afternoon
Two hours
15
Pleasure Pier
Galveston
Ride fans
Half a day
16
Humble Family Skate Center
Humble
A weekend afternoon
Two hours
17
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Museum District
Ages 4 and up
Three hours
18
The Health Museum
Museum District
Ages 5 and up
90 minutes
19
Big Air Trampoline and Adventure Park
North Houston
Energy to burn
90 minutes
20
Fort Bend Children's Discovery Center
Sugar Land
Ages 1 to 8
Two hours
Light Displays and Night Walks in Houston
Houston Zoo Lights
Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and stay lit until 10:30, with last entry at 9:30. Santa works his workshop through December 23, the Frosted Forest makes snow every night, and Campfire Canyon sells s'mores beside the fire pits. New for 2026: safari animal lanterns at Gateway to Wonder and hundred-year-old oaks wrapped for Celestial Flight. November 30 is the sensory inclusive night. The zoo opens on Christmas Day for the first time, and parking is free in Hermann Park.
Galaxy Lights at Space Center Houston
Space Center Houston strings its rockets with lights on select nights from November 14 through January 3. The route runs beneath the Saturn V and past the aircraft outside, and a new galactic snow slide opened this season. Ticket counts are capped by night, and the December Fridays and Saturdays go first. Relatives driving down from North Texas can build their end of the trip around the GetOut Texas DFW membership.
Holiday in the Gardens at Moody Gardens
Galveston's festival runs November 21 through January 2 with free parking the whole season. ICE LAND: Caribbean Christmas holds two million pounds of carved ice at 9 degrees, with a giant slide and an ice bar near the exit. The Holiday Lights Trail stretches a mile along Offatts Bayou under two million lights, with outdoor skating beside it. A Very Electric Christmas, a glow-in-the-dark Lightwire Theater show, runs December 19 through January 2, and every show ticket includes the trail. Breakfast with Santa lands December 12, 13, and 19 through 23.
Sugar Land Holiday Lights
Constellation Field takes 3.5 million lights across 10 themed areas, two of them new, and the nine-hole mini golf inside the route costs nothing extra. Santa visits nightly through December 23. Sunday through Thursday it closes at 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday at 10, while December 31 runs to midnight with fireworks. December 15 is a sensory friendly night. Kids 3 and under get in free, and parking costs nothing.
Lights in the Heights
Woodland Heights lights its curbs and porches on Saturday, December 12, from 6 to 9 p.m., and admission is free. Musicians play from front porches along Highland and Omar, and the Norhill Esplanade fills with the neighborhood's electric dinosaurs. Streets close to traffic, so park a few blocks out and walk in. The stretch of Highland between 7 and 8:30 is shoulder to shoulder, so a wagon beats a stroller. Anyone with family in Central Texas can plan the next weekend with the GetOut Texas Austin membership.
Breakfast With Santa and Festive Mornings
Breakfast With Santa at Downtown Aquarium
The buffet runs December 12, 13, and 19 through 24, with a photo stop. On December 31, Sharkey leads the New Year's Eve party with his friends from the tanks. Any other day the exhibit pass covers the Shark Voyage train through the shark tank, the white tigers, and Stingray Reef, where kids feed rays by hand. GetOut covers one exhibit entry pass, any day. Our guide to 15 kid-approved Houston attractions covers the rest of the building.
Santa's Landing at the Lone Star Flight Museum
Santa steps out of a vintage PT-17 Stearman at Ellington Airport on December 5, weather permitting, then sits down for a breakfast that runs 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Photos and holiday activities continue until 2 p.m. The hangar holds more than 24 historic aircraft, the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, and simulators kids can fly. GetOut covers one general admission Tuesday through Sunday.
Jingle on the Boardwalk at Kemah
Weekends from December 4 through 20 bring Santa, holiday music, kids' crafts, and a toy drive to the boardwalk. Saturdays add the Cocoa and Cookies Stroll through December 19, and Christmas movies play in the Plaza on December 4, 11, and 18. The 65th Christmas Boat Parade crosses Clear Creek Channel on December 12, with hundreds of decorated boats passing the rides. The park stays open Christmas Day, and GetOut covers one all day ride pass any day.
Polar Palooza at Children's Museum Houston
From December 19 through January 4 the galleries turn into a snowy wonderland, with multicultural holiday activities throughout. The museum opens on Mondays December 22 and 29 and on January 5, stays open New Year's Day until 8 p.m., and closes Christmas Day. Thursday free family night runs 5 to 8 p.m. GetOut covers one general admission Tuesday through Sunday.
Holiday Shows and Stage Traditions
The Nutcracker at Houston Ballet
Stanton Welch's production runs November 27 through December 28 at the Brown Theater in the Wortham, with more than 300 academy students sharing the stage with the company. It takes about two hours with a 25-minute intermission. Seats on December 26 run $54 in the balcony up to $255 in the founder's box. December 18 is a sensory friendly performance. No show on Christmas Day.
Nutcracker on Ice at Ice at the Galleria
The rink under the Galleria's glass dome stages Nutcracker on Ice 2026, with seats at $70 and no assigned spots at purchase. The mall's tree lighting happens November 13, and public sessions run around it all season. GetOut covers one skating admission Monday through Thursday. The rink's own skaters carry the show.
Dickens on the Strand
Galveston's 53rd Dickens festival fills December 4 through 6 with four stages, costumed street vendors, and parades. Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. is free. Saturday runs 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6. Tiny Tim's Playland gives kids their own stage, activities from the Galveston Children's Museum, a petting zoo, and a snow yard. Adults pay $20 and kids 7 to 12 pay $13, with children 6 and under free. Tickets cost $5 more after November 20, and a Victorian costume halves gate admission. Families driving in from the west can close the weekend with the GetOut Texas San Antonio membership.
Skating and Boardwalk Days
Ice Rink at Discovery Green
The rink on Kinder Lake opens November 15, and a ticket runs $18 plus tax for 75 minutes with skates included. Toddler sizes come with double runners. Mondays are Cheap Skate nights at $9 on November 16 and 30, December 7 and 14, and January 11. Skating with Santa takes the ice Sundays from 4 to 5 p.m. on December 6, 13, and 20, and Inclusive Skaters Night sets aside a quiet session on December 1 and January 5. Bumper Cars on Ice arrives January 4 through 18 at $20 for seven minutes, for anyone taller than 42 inches. Buy the timed ticket online and finish the waiver first.
Aerodrome Ice Skating Complex
Aerodrome runs public sessions year round at Willow Place North, which makes it the plan when a cold front turns a lights walk into a shiver. The ice suits kids who have never skated, and a couple of hours of wobbling ends in hot chocolate. GetOut covers one general admission, any day.
Pleasure Pier
Galveston's pier puts the rides over the Gulf, with the Iron Shark coaster dropping toward the water and a Ferris wheel turning above the surf. Between December 25 and January 1 a Polar Pass covers five days across Downtown Aquarium, Kemah Boardwalk, and the pier, which turns three separate parks into one holiday week. GetOut covers one all day ride pass, any day.
Humble Family Skate Center
The rink on North Houston Avenue has been in the same family since 1977, with a wooden floor, arcade cabinets along the wall, and themed nights that include glow skates. GetOut covers one afternoon public skate session on Saturdays and Sundays.
New Year's Eve for Kids in Houston
Most Houston countdowns for kids start early. Kemah Boardwalk throws a family celebration on December 31 with a kids' countdown and fireworks over the water, and the Downtown Aquarium counts down with Sharkey and friends in front of the tanks. Moody Gardens runs its New Year's Palooza from December 30 through January 1 with bounce houses, arcade games, and foosball, then fireworks over the bay on the final night.
Discovery Green keeps holiday hours through the countdown, opening 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on December 31 and 1 to 7 p.m. on January 1. The Children's Museum stays open New Year's Day until 8 p.m. with Polar Palooza running, and Sugar Land Holiday Lights holds its gates open past midnight with fireworks.
Winter Break, Indoors
Houston Museum of Natural Science
The permanent halls cover dinosaurs, gems, Egypt, and Texas wildlife, and the planetarium runs its own shows. GetOut covers one general admission to the permanent exhibit halls, any day. The museum sits inside Hermann Park, so a morning indoors and an afternoon on the lawn make one trip.
The Health Museum
The walk-through brain and the 12-foot beating heart fill a small museum that fits an afternoon, and winter break camps run through the school holiday. GetOut covers one general admission on Thursdays.
Big Air Trampoline and Adventure Park
Trampolines, dodgeball lanes, a Battle Beam over a foam pit, and a ninja course fill the park on FM 1960 East. Grip socks are required. GetOut covers one 90-minute jump session, any day.
Fort Bend Children's Discovery Center
Sugar Land's children's museum runs Wednesday through Sunday with a kid-sized city, an H-E-B market kids can run, and a Tot Spot built for babies. It pairs with Sugar Land Holiday Lights down the road for a full Saturday. GetOut covers one general admission Wednesday through Sunday.
How to Plan the Houston Holiday Weeks
Book the timed entries first. Zoo Lights, Galaxy Lights, the Discovery Green rink, and ICE LAND sell slots by date or hour, and the week between Christmas and New Year's tightens every one of them.
Monday is the gap. The Children's Museum takes it off, though December 22 and 29 are exceptions.
Weather decides the rest. A wet December night turns an outdoor lights walk into a wasted ticket, and Houston gets plenty of those between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Keep an indoor option loaded for each week, whether that means the best indoor spots for a Houston weekend or a rescue plan from our indoor arcade and skate guide.
Here is what the membership covers at each of the 12 GetOut venues in this list, including the days each offer works.
Venue
What the Pass Covers
Days It Works
Downtown Aquarium
One exhibit entry pass
Any day
Lone Star Flight Museum
One general admission
Tuesday to Sunday
Kemah Boardwalk
One all day ride pass
Any day
Children's Museum Houston
One general admission
Tuesday to Sunday
Ice at the Galleria
One skating admission
Monday to Thursday
Aerodrome Ice Skating Complex
One general admission
Any day
Pleasure Pier
One all day ride pass
Any day
Humble Family Skate Center
One afternoon public skate
Saturday and Sunday
Houston Museum of Natural Science
One general admission, permanent halls
Any day
The Health Museum
One general admission
Thursdays
Big Air Trampoline and Adventure Park
One 90-minute jump session
Any day
Fort Bend Children's Discovery Center
One general admission
Wednesday to Sunday
Which Holiday Event Fits Your Kid
Work backwards from the kid you have in the car.
If You Want
Go To
Why
A countdown that ends before eight
Kemah Boardwalk
Kids' countdown and fireworks on December 31, with the boardwalk rides lit around them
Lights without a ticket
Lights in the Heights
Free on December 12, with porch music and the dinosaurs on Norhill Esplanade
Santa photos with the lights included
Sugar Land Holiday Lights
Santa visits nightly through December 23, mini golf comes free, and kids 3 and under get in
A dry afternoon on a wet weekend
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Dinosaurs and the planetarium with no weather risk, any day the pass works
A first skate for a toddler
Ice Rink at Discovery Green
Double runners in toddler sizes, 75 minutes per ticket, and skating with Santa on Sundays
A tween who is done with lights
Big Air Trampoline and Adventure Park
Ninja course and Battle Beam instead of another walk through a display
One property that fills a whole day
Moody Gardens
Ice sculptures, a mile of lights, films, and a Santa breakfast without moving the car
Frequently Asked Questions
Which holiday events in Houston are free?
Lights in the Heights costs nothing on December 12. Dickens on the Strand is free on Friday, December 4, from 5 to 9 p.m. Sugar Land Holiday Lights lets kids 3 and under in free and charges nothing for parking. Houston Zoo Lights and the rest need a ticket.
Which of these events come with a GetOut Houston membership?
Twelve of the 20 venues are on the pass: Downtown Aquarium, Kemah Boardwalk, Pleasure Pier, the Children's Museum, Lone Star Flight Museum, Ice at the Galleria, Aerodrome, Humble Family Skate Center, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Health Museum, Big Air, and Fort Bend Children's Discovery Center. Six of those offers only work on certain days, and the table above lists which.
Which Houston holiday event works best for a toddler?
Discovery Green fits a small kid inside 75 minutes, with double runners and the option to leave early. Polar Palooza at the Children's Museum gives a toddler a whole building to roam, and the Tot Spot sits away from the crowd. Zoo Lights works at stroller speed if you arrive at 5:30, before the paths fill.
Where can kids celebrate New Year's Eve in Houston before bedtime?
Kemah Boardwalk runs a kids' countdown with fireworks on December 31. The Downtown Aquarium counts down with Sharkey, and Moody Gardens opens its New Year's Palooza on December 30 with games and bounce houses. The Discovery Green rink closes at 7 p.m. that night, which leaves time for dinner on the way home.
What happens if it rains during the holidays in Houston?
Move to the Museum District or a rink. The Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Health Museum, the Children's Museum, and both ice rinks run indoors, and Big Air covers an afternoon of energy. Discovery Green refunds tickets when weather closes the rink, so the outdoor skate is the one booking that carries no risk.
Plan the Season With GetOut
A GetOut Texas Houston membership runs $84.95 a year for one person and covers 53 venues around the metro. Most families cover the cost in two or three outings, and the 12 holiday venues in this list do it faster in December.
Six weeks of lights is a small slice of a twelve-month pass. The same membership covers museum afternoons in February, water parks in June, and the rainy Saturdays between, which is why our Houston family weekend itinerary keeps circling back to it.
If the holidays take you out of state, the same structure exists elsewhere. Families flying to Atlanta can line up visits with the GetOut Georgia membership, and each pass covers one person, so every traveler needs their own.
On December 5, a plane lands at Ellington Airport and Santa climbs out of the cockpit of a vintage Stearman. Two weeks later the Children's Museum turns its galleries into a snow globe, and on December 31 Kemah Boardwalk runs a countdown early enough that a five-year-old sees the fireworks and still gets to bed on time.
That stretch, from November 14 to January 4, holds the best holiday events for kids in Houston. Most come down to a booking decision: which night to grab first, and which to save for the empty week after Christmas.
Twelve of the 20 events below come with a GetOut Houston membership. The other eight sell their own tickets, and a few cost nothing.
Start with Zoo Lights. It opens November 19, entry is timed, and every night between Christmas and New Year's fills after 7 p.m.
Holiday Events for Kids in Houston at a Glance
#
Venue
Area
Best For
How Long
1
Houston Zoo Lights
Museum District
All ages
Two to three hours
2
Galaxy Lights, Space Center Houston
Clear Lake
Space fans
Two hours
3
Holiday in the Gardens, Moody Gardens
Galveston
A full evening
Three to four hours
4
Sugar Land Holiday Lights
Sugar Land
Big family groups
Two hours
5
Lights in the Heights
Woodland Heights
A free night out
One to two hours
6
Breakfast With Santa, Downtown Aquarium
Downtown
Ages 2 to 8
Two hours
7
Santa's Landing, Lone Star Flight Museum
Ellington Airport
Ages 4 to 10
Half a day
8
Jingle on the Boardwalk, Kemah
Kemah
Santa believers
Three hours
9
Polar Palooza, Children's Museum Houston
Museum District
Ages 1 to 9
Three to four hours
10
The Nutcracker, Houston Ballet
Theater District
Ages 6 and up
Two and a half hours
11
Nutcracker on Ice, Ice at the Galleria
Galleria
Kids who skate
Two hours
12
Dickens on the Strand
Galveston
Kids in costume
Three hours
13
Ice Rink at Discovery Green
Downtown
A cheap skate night
75 minutes
14
Aerodrome Ice Skating Complex
Willowbrook
A rainy afternoon
Two hours
15
Pleasure Pier
Galveston
Ride fans
Half a day
16
Humble Family Skate Center
Humble
A weekend afternoon
Two hours
17
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Museum District
Ages 4 and up
Three hours
18
The Health Museum
Museum District
Ages 5 and up
90 minutes
19
Big Air Trampoline and Adventure Park
North Houston
Energy to burn
90 minutes
20
Fort Bend Children's Discovery Center
Sugar Land
Ages 1 to 8
Two hours
Light Displays and Night Walks in Houston
Houston Zoo Lights
Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and stay lit until 10:30, with last entry at 9:30. Santa works his workshop through December 23, the Frosted Forest makes snow every night, and Campfire Canyon sells s'mores beside the fire pits. New for 2026: safari animal lanterns at Gateway to Wonder and hundred-year-old oaks wrapped for Celestial Flight. November 30 is the sensory inclusive night. The zoo opens on Christmas Day for the first time, and parking is free in Hermann Park.
Galaxy Lights at Space Center Houston
Space Center Houston strings its rockets with lights on select nights from November 14 through January 3. The route runs beneath the Saturn V and past the aircraft outside, and a new galactic snow slide opened this season. Ticket counts are capped by night, and the December Fridays and Saturdays go first. Relatives driving down from North Texas can build their end of the trip around the GetOut Texas DFW membership.
Holiday in the Gardens at Moody Gardens
Galveston's festival runs November 21 through January 2 with free parking the whole season. ICE LAND: Caribbean Christmas holds two million pounds of carved ice at 9 degrees, with a giant slide and an ice bar near the exit. The Holiday Lights Trail stretches a mile along Offatts Bayou under two million lights, with outdoor skating beside it. A Very Electric Christmas, a glow-in-the-dark Lightwire Theater show, runs December 19 through January 2, and every show ticket includes the trail. Breakfast with Santa lands December 12, 13, and 19 through 23.
Sugar Land Holiday Lights
Constellation Field takes 3.5 million lights across 10 themed areas, two of them new, and the nine-hole mini golf inside the route costs nothing extra. Santa visits nightly through December 23. Sunday through Thursday it closes at 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday at 10, while December 31 runs to midnight with fireworks. December 15 is a sensory friendly night. Kids 3 and under get in free, and parking costs nothing.
Lights in the Heights
Woodland Heights lights its curbs and porches on Saturday, December 12, from 6 to 9 p.m., and admission is free. Musicians play from front porches along Highland and Omar, and the Norhill Esplanade fills with the neighborhood's electric dinosaurs. Streets close to traffic, so park a few blocks out and walk in. The stretch of Highland between 7 and 8:30 is shoulder to shoulder, so a wagon beats a stroller. Anyone with family in Central Texas can plan the next weekend with the GetOut Texas Austin membership.
Breakfast With Santa and Festive Mornings
Breakfast With Santa at Downtown Aquarium
The buffet runs December 12, 13, and 19 through 24, with a photo stop. On December 31, Sharkey leads the New Year's Eve party with his friends from the tanks. Any other day the exhibit pass covers the Shark Voyage train through the shark tank, the white tigers, and Stingray Reef, where kids feed rays by hand. GetOut covers one exhibit entry pass, any day. Our guide to 15 kid-approved Houston attractions covers the rest of the building.
Santa's Landing at the Lone Star Flight Museum
Santa steps out of a vintage PT-17 Stearman at Ellington Airport on December 5, weather permitting, then sits down for a breakfast that runs 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Photos and holiday activities continue until 2 p.m. The hangar holds more than 24 historic aircraft, the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, and simulators kids can fly. GetOut covers one general admission Tuesday through Sunday.
Jingle on the Boardwalk at Kemah
Weekends from December 4 through 20 bring Santa, holiday music, kids' crafts, and a toy drive to the boardwalk. Saturdays add the Cocoa and Cookies Stroll through December 19, and Christmas movies play in the Plaza on December 4, 11, and 18. The 65th Christmas Boat Parade crosses Clear Creek Channel on December 12, with hundreds of decorated boats passing the rides. The park stays open Christmas Day, and GetOut covers one all day ride pass any day.
Polar Palooza at Children's Museum Houston
From December 19 through January 4 the galleries turn into a snowy wonderland, with multicultural holiday activities throughout. The museum opens on Mondays December 22 and 29 and on January 5, stays open New Year's Day until 8 p.m., and closes Christmas Day. Thursday free family night runs 5 to 8 p.m. GetOut covers one general admission Tuesday through Sunday.
Holiday Shows and Stage Traditions
The Nutcracker at Houston Ballet
Stanton Welch's production runs November 27 through December 28 at the Brown Theater in the Wortham, with more than 300 academy students sharing the stage with the company. It takes about two hours with a 25-minute intermission. Seats on December 26 run $54 in the balcony up to $255 in the founder's box. December 18 is a sensory friendly performance. No show on Christmas Day.
Nutcracker on Ice at Ice at the Galleria
The rink under the Galleria's glass dome stages Nutcracker on Ice 2026, with seats at $70 and no assigned spots at purchase. The mall's tree lighting happens November 13, and public sessions run around it all season. GetOut covers one skating admission Monday through Thursday. The rink's own skaters carry the show.
Dickens on the Strand
Galveston's 53rd Dickens festival fills December 4 through 6 with four stages, costumed street vendors, and parades. Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. is free. Saturday runs 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6. Tiny Tim's Playland gives kids their own stage, activities from the Galveston Children's Museum, a petting zoo, and a snow yard. Adults pay $20 and kids 7 to 12 pay $13, with children 6 and under free. Tickets cost $5 more after November 20, and a Victorian costume halves gate admission. Families driving in from the west can close the weekend with the GetOut Texas San Antonio membership.
Skating and Boardwalk Days
Ice Rink at Discovery Green
The rink on Kinder Lake opens November 15, and a ticket runs $18 plus tax for 75 minutes with skates included. Toddler sizes come with double runners. Mondays are Cheap Skate nights at $9 on November 16 and 30, December 7 and 14, and January 11. Skating with Santa takes the ice Sundays from 4 to 5 p.m. on December 6, 13, and 20, and Inclusive Skaters Night sets aside a quiet session on December 1 and January 5. Bumper Cars on Ice arrives January 4 through 18 at $20 for seven minutes, for anyone taller than 42 inches. Buy the timed ticket online and finish the waiver first.
Aerodrome Ice Skating Complex
Aerodrome runs public sessions year round at Willow Place North, which makes it the plan when a cold front turns a lights walk into a shiver. The ice suits kids who have never skated, and a couple of hours of wobbling ends in hot chocolate. GetOut covers one general admission, any day.
Pleasure Pier
Galveston's pier puts the rides over the Gulf, with the Iron Shark coaster dropping toward the water and a Ferris wheel turning above the surf. Between December 25 and January 1 a Polar Pass covers five days across Downtown Aquarium, Kemah Boardwalk, and the pier, which turns three separate parks into one holiday week. GetOut covers one all day ride pass, any day.
Humble Family Skate Center
The rink on North Houston Avenue has been in the same family since 1977, with a wooden floor, arcade cabinets along the wall, and themed nights that include glow skates. GetOut covers one afternoon public skate session on Saturdays and Sundays.
New Year's Eve for Kids in Houston
Most Houston countdowns for kids start early. Kemah Boardwalk throws a family celebration on December 31 with a kids' countdown and fireworks over the water, and the Downtown Aquarium counts down with Sharkey and friends in front of the tanks. Moody Gardens runs its New Year's Palooza from December 30 through January 1 with bounce houses, arcade games, and foosball, then fireworks over the bay on the final night.
Discovery Green keeps holiday hours through the countdown, opening 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on December 31 and 1 to 7 p.m. on January 1. The Children's Museum stays open New Year's Day until 8 p.m. with Polar Palooza running, and Sugar Land Holiday Lights holds its gates open past midnight with fireworks.
Winter Break, Indoors
Houston Museum of Natural Science
The permanent halls cover dinosaurs, gems, Egypt, and Texas wildlife, and the planetarium runs its own shows. GetOut covers one general admission to the permanent exhibit halls, any day. The museum sits inside Hermann Park, so a morning indoors and an afternoon on the lawn make one trip.
The Health Museum
The walk-through brain and the 12-foot beating heart fill a small museum that fits an afternoon, and winter break camps run through the school holiday. GetOut covers one general admission on Thursdays.
Big Air Trampoline and Adventure Park
Trampolines, dodgeball lanes, a Battle Beam over a foam pit, and a ninja course fill the park on FM 1960 East. Grip socks are required. GetOut covers one 90-minute jump session, any day.
Fort Bend Children's Discovery Center
Sugar Land's children's museum runs Wednesday through Sunday with a kid-sized city, an H-E-B market kids can run, and a Tot Spot built for babies. It pairs with Sugar Land Holiday Lights down the road for a full Saturday. GetOut covers one general admission Wednesday through Sunday.
How to Plan the Houston Holiday Weeks
Book the timed entries first. Zoo Lights, Galaxy Lights, the Discovery Green rink, and ICE LAND sell slots by date or hour, and the week between Christmas and New Year's tightens every one of them.
Monday is the gap. The Children's Museum takes it off, though December 22 and 29 are exceptions.
Weather decides the rest. A wet December night turns an outdoor lights walk into a wasted ticket, and Houston gets plenty of those between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Keep an indoor option loaded for each week, whether that means the best indoor spots for a Houston weekend or a rescue plan from our indoor arcade and skate guide.
Here is what the membership covers at each of the 12 GetOut venues in this list, including the days each offer works.
Venue
What the Pass Covers
Days It Works
Downtown Aquarium
One exhibit entry pass
Any day
Lone Star Flight Museum
One general admission
Tuesday to Sunday
Kemah Boardwalk
One all day ride pass
Any day
Children's Museum Houston
One general admission
Tuesday to Sunday
Ice at the Galleria
One skating admission
Monday to Thursday
Aerodrome Ice Skating Complex
One general admission
Any day
Pleasure Pier
One all day ride pass
Any day
Humble Family Skate Center
One afternoon public skate
Saturday and Sunday
Houston Museum of Natural Science
One general admission, permanent halls
Any day
The Health Museum
One general admission
Thursdays
Big Air Trampoline and Adventure Park
One 90-minute jump session
Any day
Fort Bend Children's Discovery Center
One general admission
Wednesday to Sunday
Which Holiday Event Fits Your Kid
Work backwards from the kid you have in the car.
If You Want
Go To
Why
A countdown that ends before eight
Kemah Boardwalk
Kids' countdown and fireworks on December 31, with the boardwalk rides lit around them
Lights without a ticket
Lights in the Heights
Free on December 12, with porch music and the dinosaurs on Norhill Esplanade
Santa photos with the lights included
Sugar Land Holiday Lights
Santa visits nightly through December 23, mini golf comes free, and kids 3 and under get in
A dry afternoon on a wet weekend
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Dinosaurs and the planetarium with no weather risk, any day the pass works
A first skate for a toddler
Ice Rink at Discovery Green
Double runners in toddler sizes, 75 minutes per ticket, and skating with Santa on Sundays
A tween who is done with lights
Big Air Trampoline and Adventure Park
Ninja course and Battle Beam instead of another walk through a display
One property that fills a whole day
Moody Gardens
Ice sculptures, a mile of lights, films, and a Santa breakfast without moving the car
Frequently Asked Questions
Which holiday events in Houston are free?
Lights in the Heights costs nothing on December 12. Dickens on the Strand is free on Friday, December 4, from 5 to 9 p.m. Sugar Land Holiday Lights lets kids 3 and under in free and charges nothing for parking. Houston Zoo Lights and the rest need a ticket.
Which of these events come with a GetOut Houston membership?
Twelve of the 20 venues are on the pass: Downtown Aquarium, Kemah Boardwalk, Pleasure Pier, the Children's Museum, Lone Star Flight Museum, Ice at the Galleria, Aerodrome, Humble Family Skate Center, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Health Museum, Big Air, and Fort Bend Children's Discovery Center. Six of those offers only work on certain days, and the table above lists which.
Which Houston holiday event works best for a toddler?
Discovery Green fits a small kid inside 75 minutes, with double runners and the option to leave early. Polar Palooza at the Children's Museum gives a toddler a whole building to roam, and the Tot Spot sits away from the crowd. Zoo Lights works at stroller speed if you arrive at 5:30, before the paths fill.
Where can kids celebrate New Year's Eve in Houston before bedtime?
Kemah Boardwalk runs a kids' countdown with fireworks on December 31. The Downtown Aquarium counts down with Sharkey, and Moody Gardens opens its New Year's Palooza on December 30 with games and bounce houses. The Discovery Green rink closes at 7 p.m. that night, which leaves time for dinner on the way home.
What happens if it rains during the holidays in Houston?
Move to the Museum District or a rink. The Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Health Museum, the Children's Museum, and both ice rinks run indoors, and Big Air covers an afternoon of energy. Discovery Green refunds tickets when weather closes the rink, so the outdoor skate is the one booking that carries no risk.
Plan the Season With GetOut
A GetOut Texas Houston membership runs $84.95 a year for one person and covers 53 venues around the metro. Most families cover the cost in two or three outings, and the 12 holiday venues in this list do it faster in December.
Six weeks of lights is a small slice of a twelve-month pass. The same membership covers museum afternoons in February, water parks in June, and the rainy Saturdays between, which is why our Houston family weekend itinerary keeps circling back to it.
If the holidays take you out of state, the same structure exists elsewhere. Families flying to Atlanta can line up visits with the GetOut Georgia membership, and each pass covers one person, so every traveler needs their own.
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