Children's Museum of Houston

Description:

• The goal behind the Children's Museum was to create a place where children can engage the world around them on their own terms, a place that will spark their imaginations, and where they will learn the joy of discovery. It is for children up to 12 years old, but even if you're without kids in tow, you might like to take a glance at the museum's fun exterior designed by Robert Venturi in association with Jackson & Ryan Architects of Houston. It's a playful sendup of the classical museum facade and is apt clothing for this institution that blurs the distinction between museum and playhouse.

  The museum's staff seems to be very much in touch with the inner child. They have developed such fun interactive exhibits as Bubble Lab and Kid-TV, which gives kids the opportunity to imitate what they see on the tube while giving them a behind-the-scenes understanding of television production. Another exhibit re-creates the Mexican Indian village of Yalalag; another, called Tot Spot, focuses on the 6-month- to 3-year-old crowd, helping build motor skills through ingenious forms of play. The museum managers bring in many visitors and special shows; inquire about what they might be planning to do during your visit. The best time to go is in the afternoons when there is less probability of school-trip crowds.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010