My family and I have been coming to Kemah Boardwalk for over 20 years, and it is so special that I…read morenow get to bring my own kids here to experience the magic and create core memories of their own! We had such an incredible day from start to finish. We ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., where the staff was amazing and the food was delicious. Then we took our 8- and 9-year-olds and their friends to the Aquarium for the stingray experience, which was easily one of the highlights of the day. They absolutely loved it! We also rode the boat and had a blast--the crew was so fun, energetic, and engaging. We finished the day riding all of the rides, many of them multiple times, and the kids could not have been happier. Kemah Boardwalk has been part of so many memories for our family over the years, and getting to experience it now through our kids' eyes makes it even more special. Thank you to all of the wonderful staff who helped make our day so unforgettable. We can't wait to come back!

I'm old enough to remember when Kemah was just a sleepy, small fishing town caught (no pun…read moreintended) between Harris and Galveston counties. And then, sometime near the turn of the century, the Kemah Boardwalk changed all that. Out-of-town visitors by the -- give or take -- tens of thousands pay a visit every spring and summer, making Kemah a necessary item on any Houston travel itinerary. As a lifelong resident of the Houston area, I've been to the Boardwalk quite a few times for that rare opportunity to fine dine or show relatives from afar around. In my latest visit, my older brother, my eldest cousin, and I took our cousins visiting for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary here for a good hour or two on a comfortably warm day. While I'm not that thrilled that the Boardwalk is under the Landry's corporate umbrella, I still feel it's a landmark worth treating your guests to. The nearby Clear Creek and Galveston Bay look spectacular when the weather is cooperating, providing for an ideal backdrop for selfies and group pictures. Continuing on the subject of pictures, train your phones or cameras on the place's piece de resistance, the amusement park area. The famed Rattler is the most visually striking feature of the complex in my book. My poor health prevents me from getting on the rides except for the train, but I can't pass up a chance to take snaps of them. The six of us took the train around the Boardwalk. It was a great, quick way to catch a glimpse of the premises. Two tunnels, with one that's attached to Saltgrass Steakhouse, are a part of the short trek. If you're capturing pictures, I recommend that you do them in bursts . The train may move at a slow speed, but things tend to go by really fast. I almost forgot, there's a row of games that you would find at a traditional amusement park along the water. Highly recommend if you have kids. The Boardwalk isn't exactly for me, but it doesn't stop me from giving it close to high marks.

Great place for the kids and family!!! Very great customer service and great food and drinksread more

One of my son 's friends had a birthday party at Slick City Action Park on a Tuesday evening, and…read moreit was a lot of fun! I really loved that even adults can join in--sliding, jumping, and just having a good time right along with the kids. Because it was a Tuesday night, it wasn't crowded at all, which made the experience even better. There was plenty of space for the kids to run around and enjoy themselves without feeling overwhelmed. The party itself was great. There were lots of kids, pizza provided by the venue, and a variety of treats like cake pops and other sweets that were made by the birthday girl's mom--everything was nicely done and enjoyable. The pizza was actually good, which is always a plus at kids' parties. The staff was pretty decent--nice and friendly--and the restrooms were clean. My only small complaint is that the restrooms didn't have paper towels, only hand dryers, which I personally don't love. Other than that, everything was good. The boys went home full, happy, and satisfied. All in all, it was a great way to spend a Tuesday night, and I'd definitely recommend Slick City Action Park for a kids' party or just some active family fun.

We went here a few months ago to celebrate my boys' birthday and this place was so neat! I didn't…read moreknow what to expect because I've never heard of this place. However, we were gifted a Groupon so that's how we knew about OUAC. When we went it was a cloudy and rainy day so it wasn't crowded at all, which was nice. The place was unique because it had many different stations and activities for your kids to play. It's like a huge Montessori playground. My boys loved the train ride and riding on the dinosaurs the most. I like that the place includes both indoor and outdoor stations. The place seems rather small compared to an amusement park like Six Flags, but it's just enough. Kids can easily spend 30 minutes - 1 hour in just one location so I really like how they can enjoy their time and casually play without parents feeling overwhelmed to get everything done to maximize the amount of money spent. We didn't host a birthday party here, but there were other parties booked. I don't know how much it costs, but let me say that the decorations were beautiful! I'm not sure if it was included or if the parents decorated themselves, but if you wanted to go all out for your child, you certainly can. The staff were also ALL super sweet and friendly! The place plans for everything, like rain. They had numerous umbrellas for patrons to use within the grounds. When it started to rain, all the staff were asking if we needed umbrellas, and one even was willing to run in the rain to get us one! Seriously, I've never seen such hospitality in an establishment from everyone! I also would recommend going here on a weekend because according to their website, more stations and activities are open during that time. Even if it's more crowded, I think it is worth it. If you want to do something different for your child, then I would recommend this place!

Second visit was even better than the first!…read more We asked the kids when we were leaving what their favorite part was and neither could come up with just one. As for us grandmas, our favorite part was watching the kids have such a great time and being able to let them free to be kids. Seriously- from drawing on walls to virtually reality ax throwing tic-tac-toe there is a new adventure behind every door. I

WHY ARE WE CHARGING? It's a shame that you need to pay an admission fee to explore the boardwalk. I…read morejust walked to the entrance and turned around. Some of the rides looked closed, I didn't see enough attractions to warrant a quick visit on my already busy Summer day. Rather, I took a trip to the beach below and dipped my feet in the warm water. Underneath the boardwalk you'll find black gulls and locals hiding from the sun. The Pleasure Pier boardwalk has a rollercoaster, swing ride, Bubba Gump, and gift shop. The gift shop is overpriced but they have a few good stickers and Hello Kitty collectibles.

First visit for me. Went with some friends over the weekend and we bought the unlimited pass and…read morehad a fun time. There weren't that many people there when we arrived (1pm) and the lines were short. The park started getting quite a bit busier around 5:30-6pm. PROS -Almost all staff were nice and helpful. -The park is very clean and in pretty good condition overall. The restrooms were very clean when we used them. -The prices are comparable with similar places. I felt that the unlimited pass is a good deal. Food (prices) are about what I expected. Not cheap but not outrageous like it can be at some places. -The food I had there wasn't great, wasn't bad. They have hamburgers, hot dogs, corn dogs, chicken tenders etc. There are several food options close by and an easy walk to get to. Those places may be more to your liking (Bubba Shrimp, Chick Fil A etc) CONS -Two of the big rides (The roller coaster and the water ride) were closed during our entire visit, which was disappointing. I feel they should at least list on a board or tell you what isn't working when you arrive. TBH, if they told us those were not working, I would have still gone because there are other things to do. -I thought the 5D attraction was OK, but not great. The mine ride was fun, the shark attack less so. RECOMMENDATIONS -Check weather first and get there when the park opens. -Before buying your pass, ask if any rides are closed. A couple closed isn't a big deal but if 5-6 rides are closed you will want to know. -Get the unlimited day pass if you are planning on being there for more than a couple hours. -Get the unlimited refill souvenir drink cup. It pays for itself after a few refills and if you are there all day on a hot day, you will want it. It does not hold that much liquid. You can refill sodas, water or slushies. No alcohol. -If you decide to do the 5D attraction, bundle that + the park pass to get the best deal.

We went to the Houston Downtown Aquarium just to ride the Shark Voyage, and it was such a fun…read moreexperience. The ride was fun, smooth, informative, scenic, and very impressive. I really enjoyed it and would definitely go again. I highly recommend it if you want to experience it for yourself or if you're looking for something fun to do with children. The line was starting to get pretty long, so they brought out another train, which was actually exciting to see that they had more than one. After train ride we went over to feed the stingrays, which is always fun and slimy. We bought single tickets for these two exhibits, but they offer a full day pass of you want to see and do more.

I recently visited the Houston Downtown Aquarium using my CityPASS, and honestly, it was a huge…read moreletdown. The general admission section that comes with the pass took maybe 10 minutes to walk through completely. If you want to do anything else beyond that, there is an additional fee at every turn. To make matters worse, there is a complete lack of signage. It was incredibly confusing trying to figure out where to go, whether we needed to exchange our CityPASS for physical tickets, or if we needed a wristband (we weren't given any and were told our passes were enough). There was also no signage regarding pricing for the train ride. We waited in line, only to be turned away because we didn't know passes had to be purchased all the way back at the main entrance. I may have gone in with high expectations, hoping it would be comparable to the Texas State Aquarium, but this felt less like an aquarium and more like a frustrating, constant money grab. Save your time and money if you are looking for a true, full-scale aquarium experience.

We had a great experience at Dig World in Katy! We visited first thing on a Tuesday morning, which…read morewas the perfect time to go. The park was not crowded, and our 2-year-old was able to spend as much time as he wanted at each activity without having to wait. It started getting busier around 10:00-10:30 a.m., so I would definitely recommend arriving early. Our son absolutely loves tractors and big construction equipment, so this place was a dream come true for him. There were plenty of hands-on activities, and he had the best time exploring everything. Even though it was a hot day, there was a good amount of shade throughout the park, along with lots of picnic tables where families could sit, relax, or enjoy a snack. There is also a nice playground, which gave our toddler another fun option when he wanted a break from the equipment. The bathrooms were clean and well-maintained, and we especially appreciated that they had two family restrooms available. There is also a concession stand for snacks and drinks and a gift shop at the end, which was a nice touch before heading home. Overall, Dig World was a fun, unique, and well-thought-out experience for young children. Our 2-year-old had the best time, and we would definitely visit again!

To my surprise my little ones love this place. Although there's only a few activities they still…read moreenjoyed themselves. The only thing was that it was very hot and humid that day. It rained the day before so it was very muddy. But since it was a little rainy and gloomy there were a lot of people so there wasn't really lines we have to wait on. My kids favorite is driving the small tractors. They must have been on it at least 10 times. It is very kids friendly and my 5 year old can operate it.

Super cute spot for a date night if she's into a bit of a thrill. However, this is definitely an…read moreawesome place for kids! My son absolutely loved the experience. The have food, beer/seltzer and waiting area for all racers to be until their name is called. They should definitely have a few more games to keep customers busy, I walked in and one guy was sleep on the bench and nearly missed his turn. The only issue I had is the employee mentioned that the next race for my son would be "in about 15 minutes" so we bought several races on the premise of thinking that we'd have enough time to do them all in one night! Well, she lied! We ended up waiting nearly an hour! I was pretty PO'd. However, you can keep the races you bought until next time you visit. Sucks if you don't live close though. It's only for 1 year.

Special kudos to cashiers: Angelo, Emmalee, Alexis, Lupe. Track staff: Daniel, Gabby, Jacob…read more Mechanic: Dilan and Manager: Emerson K1 Speed made my son's birthday event an amazing experience. I give my best review!!!!

Indoor fun to beat the Texas heat! Came to take our kids and…read moresince I have a pass, why not... I decided to play too! Pretty sure the guy at the front desk was shocked since he was already wrapping a spectator wristband on my hand. I shook off my nerves since you're seeing straight down when you're going up what felt like 50 flights of steep stairs and I ended up having the best time. 2 hours flew by literally. Unfortunately a lot of things were shut down but all in all we all had a great time. The play park is huge and netscape was interesting and challenging but my old butt was not going in there. Left that to our young ones. They have go karts, basketball, dodgeball, a swing and a free other activities. I was truly shocked at how much there was to do in the mall overall. You could spend the entire day there. They also have plenty of comfy seats to just kick back and they sell snacks but it's a mall so if you're hungry there's plenty of food outside of the park. I'm still trying to figure out the recycling gun station. Yuck.

Fun Once You're In, But Be Prepared for a Rough Start…read more The check-in process really needs improvement. Even on a slow Monday, the line was long and painfully slow due to limited staff. Noah at the front desk was doing his absolute best (props to him!), but he was alone and clearly overwhelmed. Management -- give this guy some help! Heads up: the Groupon doesn't cover taxes or socks, so be ready to pay about $15 extra per person at the door. That wasn't clearly mentioned anywhere, which felt a bit sneaky. Once inside, the experience is much better. The slides are amazing -- well-designed, clean, and surprisingly varied. The bounce zones are split into dodgeball and basketball, which is fun, though some supervision or age separation would make it safer. There's a great toddler area (under 3.5 ft), but not much for kids just above that height -- a bit of a gap in options. The swing jump was nostalgic and fun, but poorly managed. Only one hook for two lines made the wait unnecessarily long, and there wasn't much staff presence to keep things moving. Concessions were fine -- typical venue pricing, nothing outrageous. Overall: Worth it if you're using a Groupon or season pass, but arrive early, expect delays, and bring extra cash. Once you're in, the kids will have a blast.

Why 4 stars? Because it's not the best waterpark we've been to, but it did the trick…read more --- --- --- We visited on Thursday, July 2nd and are very glad we opted to go on Thursday instead of Friday, as we noticed Galveston was a lot more crowded on Friday, which was a de-facto holiday for most people. We were walking in at 11:10am, just after they opened. We set our stuff down on a table near the entrance and headed to the first set of slides. Because we were there early on a weekday, there were no lines at all. We would talk up to the top of a tower and go right down a slide. As it turned out, it was pretty much a waste of money to grab the express passes because we only needed them on one tower (two slides). And had we known that, we would have gone to this tower first and really not even needed them at all. Every other group of slides either had zero wait, or didn't have an express lane. And unfortunately, MASSIV was closed, and as far as I could tell, that would have been the best ride. We did every slide in the park in the first two hours and then hung out for a while in the lazy river, which wasn't so lazy. I really enjoyed it, especially after climbing 40-50 stories worth of stairs to do all of the slides. I don't know that we would need to come back to Schlitterbahn again when there are other closer waterparks to us, but we were happy to try another new one that we hadn't been to before. One thing I'll note: we attempted to walk around barefoot, but the concrete was absurdly hot. I am no concrete engineer, but it seems like a waterpark should do something about that. Paint the concrete? Treat it? Add more shade? I don't know, but the answer shouldn't be: leave it all natural and 100% exposed to the elements. At the very least, leave little stations at the base of rides for sandals, because you weren't allowed to take your sandals on the slides, but there was also no place to really leave them, so we just kind of dropped them at the bottom of the stairs and hoped they would be there when we came back.

I encountered a very unprofessional and rude young staff at the refresh station near the entrance…read more I was mistaken for taking the wrong drink that's not part of the ticket i bought and instead of saying excuse me to get my attention, the staff repeatedly demanded me rudely, " you can't, you can't, you can't!" And i looked at her surprisingly. She then commanded me, " pour it back..!" like I was stealing something from the store. It was very humiliating in front of a bunch of customers staring at me. I reported this to the manager and they said they would send someone over. I still enjoyed the park later on but it was just unexpected and bad experience to be treated with disrespect.

I might just have to do a national barcade tour. We were here on Sunday afternoon, so there were…read morepeople everywhere, but I still had a blast. This place serves food, drinks, and has plenty of games! You can either buy your tickets in person or online beforehand. It's $12 for entry and you can stay as long as you want and come and go with unlimited game access. From what I can tell, some days have specials. Only additional purchases are food and drinks, obviously. They have pizzas, quesadillas, salads, dessert pizzas, and pizza burritos. I tried that last thing because I had never heard of it -- think of it as like a glorified hot pocket. It was delicious! I had a salad to balance things out, and I'll surprised by how hefty it was! Since I had never had their cider before, I decided to do a flight of five. When I placed my order, I was expecting them to give me a tray of five 1 oz pours... But instead, they told me the flight will consist of five 5 oz cups.... WHOA. So I grabbed the first two and had to come back for the rest after I finished. Every single one was delicious, but I really liked the mango habanero and the one with the coconut. Now, the games... I rarely come to a barcade that has TWO Guitar Hero setups. And they had plenty of classic cabinets, air hockey, Mario Kart, shooting games... Claw machines... It was quite epic. By the way, the claw machines did cost extra, and I peeped a party room in the back that had those interactive team floor games! That would be fun to reserve for a special occasion. This place really impressed me. If you enjoy games in a bar setting, I would recommend this spot if you are in the Houston area.

Cidercade is a good option for a big group activity that's (thankfully!) indoors, away from the…read moreHouston heat. I've been there with a group of adults and also with a group of kids, and just note that while it's totally fine (and very fun!) for kids, it's probably better for adults--there's no kid security check-in at the front, and the building is very big, with lots of games. We ordered a pizza from a touchscreen by a food window, and the pizza was actually pretty good, much better than I was expecting at an arcade. The downside was that, in the lunch rush, it took 30-40 minutes for that one pizza to come out, though you could tell they were individually making each item in the big pizza oven. If you want drinks, you separately order those at the front, near where you check in, which is a little odd to have two separate food/drink ordering spots. When we walked in, we paid for a wristband, which gave "free" access to all of the arcade games, except for the claw machines, which required you to buy an extra card.