Houston Weekend with Kids: Complete Family Travel Guide (2025)

Planning a family weekend in Houston with young children? After taking our 4-year-old and 17-month-old on a spontaneous Houston adventure, I’m sharing the real deal about what worked (and what didn’t) for our luxury family travel style.

Let me tell you about our trip to Houston to celebrate our son’s 4th birthday! As a celebration of our last trip on Mimi’s United flight benefits, we decided to take a trip to Houston together and experience Dig World (a tractor theme park for all ages) and a Houston Astros baseball game – one of my son’s favorite sports.

When to Actually Enjoy Houston with Kids

Okay, real talk – I definitely would not recommend visiting Houston at the end of July because of the blazing heat combined with the humidity. I honestly would have rather gone in spring (March-May) or fall (September-November). We could have avoided both the heat and crowds, and let’s be honest, my hair would have stood a fighting chance.

Here’s something I learned the hard way: try to do any outdoor activities in the morning hours before it gets too hot. The humidity and heat combo is no joke when you’re chasing toddlers around.

Why We Chose the Marriott Marquis (Spoiler: It’s the Lazy River)

When we’re planning a Weekend trip to Houston with kids (and by planning, I mean frantically googling hotels two days before), location is everything. Since we were planning to hit Dig World in Katy and catch a baseball game downtown, we had a lot of ground to cover. We ultimately decided to stay downtown so we could walk to the game and be close to other attractions like the aquarium and museum of fine art.

But let’s be honest – we had our eye on the Marriott Marquis for one reason: that Texas-shaped lazy river. Ever since we saw it during our last Houston stay, we’ve been dying to try it. This weekend was the perfect opportunity to burn some Marriott points (hello, Chase Reserve credit card perks from all those brunch outings!).

The hotel was absolutely perfect for our family! Only two blocks from the ballpark, and they have this amazing Oaxacan restaurant, Xochi, with incredible brunch in the lobby area. I’d absolutely recommend it if your children are of brunch age (lol, mine definitely are not).

What Made This Hotel Work for Us:

Several restaurants right in the lobby (lifesaver with kids)
Valet parking (worth every penny when you’re juggling car seats)
That legendary Texas-shaped lazy river
Rooms that actually work for families
They’ll bring a pack-n-play to your room

The Room Situation:

Our room was actually great for the family setup. It had a fold-out chair that doubled as a twin-sized bed, which was perfect for our toddler (he’d slept on something similar during our cruise out of Houston in February, so he was familiar with it). The hotel provided a pack-n-play that I managed to fit by the room entrance. I opened the closet door to create a little nook and used our sound machine (the same one we use at home) to help him feel comfortable and block out hallway noise.

Side note: I have a fresh take on credit card points: If there’s a place you’ve been wanting to stay, use the points. Points are always getting devalued so the best time to use them is now. Especially if its a place you’ve been eyeing to stay!

Friday Night Flight Delays

Our adventure started with a classic travel-with-kids moment. We were supposed to catch the 5:30 pm flight to Houston but ended up waiting at the airport for hours due to storms. Luckily, our son made a friend his age at the airport, and I had packed enough snacks for a small army (thank goodness), but it was brutal. More on packing here. We didn’t board until after 10:30 pm, and my kids normally go down by 7 pm. To say I was exhausted would be an understatement – I had also packed for the whole family and cleaned the house that same day (all the mom duties that somehow fall on travel day).

We didn’t get settled into our hotel until 2 am after getting the rental car and arranging for a crib delivery. It was honestly a rough start, but we had 9 am tickets to Dig World the next morning.

Thankfully, our son loves Starbucks, so we made a stop at this wonderful location along the way and grabbed our mobile order, which was incredibly fast and even had a thoughtful message on the cup (you’d never find that in our hometown!). It’s the 217 Heights Blvd location, if anyone’s wondering.

Day 1: The Dig World Experience

From there, my 17-month-old threw hash browns all over the car (naturally), and we made our way to Dig World, which is set up in the Katy Mills Mall parking lot. Those 9 am tickets were absolutely genius because there were hardly any people there yet, which meant no lines! My kids got to go on several of the “rides” without waiting.

Picture this: skid steer tracks, Ranger rides, boom lifts, and excavators – all set up so kids can operate them either alone (if they’re tall enough) or with an adult. Our son chose to ride with us on everything, which was actually really fun. There truly is something for all ages here – tactile games you can play with excavators, water pump rubber duck races, and they provide construction vests and hard hats for the kids. It was such a hit!

Notes on Dig World:

Go early (9 am was perfect)
It’s completely stroller-friendly
There really is something for every age
The kids get to feel like real construction workers
Plan about 2-3 hours if your kids are really into it

The Reality of Traveling to Houston with Little Ones:

Can we talk about the outfit situation for a minute? My son had already pooped through an outfit at the airport before we even left home. We honestly just threw it in the trash, thinking I had packed enough outfits for our two-day trip. But then he pooped through another pair of pants before we visited friends, and then another pair on the way out. After dinner, we had to make an emergency Target run for a 3-pack of pants. The joys of traveling with kids, am I right?

Day 2: The Texas Lazy River We’d Been Dreaming About

Our Sunday was much more relaxed! We actually got to sleep in (finally) and had breakfast at Walker Street Kitchen restaurant inside the Marriott. It was set up as a buffet, and here’s the best part – kids eat free! My son got to make his own pancakes, and we had plenty of bacon and eggs for our youngest. We ate while watching the light rail pass by which was plenty of entertainment for the youngest… “choo choo”. Honestly, a buffet is such a game-changer with kids because you never know how much they’re actually going to eat.

That Legendary Lazy River:

After breakfast, we headed to the pool – and by pool, I mean the Texas-shaped lazy river we’d been fantasizing about. This unplanned activity ended up being the absolute highlight of our trip. Sometimes having no expectations leads to the most magical moments when you’re traveling with kids!

We spent close to an hour just floating around and around the state of Texas with both boys. The pool area provides tubes, and you can even order drinks and food poolside. There were plenty of chairs available when we got there around 10 am, but I know it’s a day-pass experience for non-guests, so it definitely gets busy on weekends.

The Houston Weekend Astros Game Experience (Front Row Seats!)

We got a late checkout and packed everything up during nap time, then headed to the 1 pm baseball game. Pro tip: we were able to store our luggage in the rental car in the parking garage during the game, which worked out perfectly.

My husband actually scored front-row tickets to the Astros that morning for a great deal – sometimes being flexible really pays off! We had an amazing view of the train and went straight for the food since we’d skipped lunch.

What to Know About Astros Games with Kids:

The foot-long hot dogs and bottomless popcorn were absolutely the move. My 4-year-old was obsessed with the popcorn (okay, we all were), and thank goodness it was bottomless because we downed the first bucket before the end of the 4th inning.

A few things that surprised me: the park is actually covered and climate-controlled. Our floor seats were actually chilly in my shorts and top, but it was warmer on the upper levels when we explored. Also, it is somewhat stroller-friendly – you can check your stroller with guest services, which is so helpful.

This was our first time at this ballpark, so we definitely wandered around and got a little lost, which gave us another great opportunity to refill that popcorn! The 7th inning stretch was my son’s favorite part – they sing “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” and he sang it the entire way home, even after the Astros lost, (dare I admit he’s still singing it as I’m writing this one week later).

Getting Home: IAH Airport Success

Our oldest skipped his nap, so he managed to sneak in a car nap after the game on the way to the airport (score!), while our youngest just ate snacks the entire drive. I took the opportunity to explore Houston’s River Oaks neighborhood.

At the airport, we returned the rental car and actually got on a standby flight home without any issues. After that delay on our arrival, I guess the odds were finally in our favor!

Our gate was in Terminal C, where my favorite restaurant, Ember, is located. If you ever find yourself there, definitely try the cheeseburger egg rolls for a fun Texas twist on a classic. The club sandwich is great, and the pot roast was actually a hit with the kids.

The flight home was surprisingly smooth – the Airbus had individual entertainment screens in every seat, so the kids watched their own shows the whole way (Bluey, Space Jam, Paddington, and this animal show called The Americas). The airline even provided headphones, so it was a win all around.

What I’d Pack Differently Next Time

For Houston’s brutal humidity, here’s what actually worked:

Mostly athletic wear and forgiving fabrics (anything that doesn’t highlight sweat, because there’s no avoiding it!)
Hats for the kids (though the park lines were surprisingly well-shaded)
Way more backup outfits
Our trusty sound machine for hotel sleep
An embarrassing amount of snacks for potential airport delays

The Marriott room setup worked perfectly, but I learned that having a familiar sound machine & sleep suit really helped our youngest sleep in the new environment.

If You’re Planning Your Own Houston Weekend

Here’s how our weekend actually played out:

Day 1:

Morning: Dig World Katy (those 9 am tickets were clutch)
Afternoon: Hotel nap time, then visiting friends
Evening: Emergency Target run for baby pants (the glamorous side of travel!)

Day 2:

Morning: Hotel breakfast buffet (kids eat free!)
Mid-morning: Texas lazy river heaven
Afternoon: Houston Astros front-row experience
Evening: Smooth airport experience and flight home

Would We Do Houston Again?

Despite the flight delays, wardrobe malfunctions, and that brutal July heat, Houston was such a hit with our family. The combination of unique attractions like Dig World, that incredible lazy river at the Marriott, and the excitement of a professional baseball game made for an unforgettable 4th birthday celebration.

Would we return? Absolutely! Spring or fall would be perfect for exploring Houston with young children.

A few things I’d definitely do again:

Book the Marriott Marquis for that lazy river (seriously, it was so fun and the park next door is on my list as well as the aquarium)
Hit Dig World right when they open at 9 am
Pack way more clothes than seems necessary
Try Ember restaurant at IAH Terminal C if you’re flying through
Plan any outdoor activities for the morning hours

Have you taken your family to Houston? I’d love to hear about your favorite spots in the comments!