Need Some Ideas, Inexpensive Family Vacation Nearby . . .

I've never been to Mobile, but Houston has a lot. If you stay on the south side you can go to the Kemah boardwalk - with some rides and the Aquarium restaurant and a spray area - take his swimsuit http://www.kemahboardwalk.com/flash_content/flash_content.... Then go to Nasa www.spacecenter.org/ and Galveston for the beach and Moody Gardens http://www.moodygardens.com/. They also have home tours of the Moody Mansion. I've been on a boat ride in the bay and if you go into Houston, there is a good Children's museum www.cmhouston.org as well as other museums if your 5 year old would be agreeable to that. http://www.hmns.org/
Have a great trip!

1 mom found this helpful

TUrner Falls is really close and is a sure way to beat the heat. There are also a couple of animal parks near there. We just went and rented a cabin. We all had fun- 4 years to 72 years.

try austin, texas there's barton springs, the capital, walking tours in the mornings, cemetery, ut-austin (go 'horns), austin city limits (music venue), etc. good luck.

I use to live in Houston and have visited Mobile many times over the years bc we have family there... I would recommend Houston over Mobile any day. Houston has waaayy more to do. Lots of Art, lots of museums, Six flags and the water park. And it's still somewhat close to the beach if you want to go.

Some things that Mobile does offer though is beautiful old antebellum homes, a battleship and tanks and war planes (your son would love those). It's pretty close to some gorgeous beaches and if you get hungry, my uncle owns an amazing bbq place that you can stop by in. =)

So if he is really wanting to see a completely different side to America, Mobile may be your destination. But if you are wanting lots of varied activities, Houston would be better.

Houston actually offers quite a bit for the family. You can go to Johnson Space Center/NASA which has a great things fro the whole family. You can go to Keemah Boardwalk which has a lot to do for the whole family, and if Galveston is back on the mend you can go to Galveston. We stayed at the Best Western near Nasa as it was central for all of the above.

Southwest and American have some great flight deals right now. We are flying nonstop to Phoenix ( 3 people) for under $620 round trip, non stop!!! My Hubby flies a lot and I just booked 2 flights for him to Houston for less than $80 round trip on southwest.

Houston has NASA, Kemah. Go to new Orleans, anywhere SW goes!!

Have fun!!

P.,
Houston has lots to do, but it is absolutely miserable in the summer because of the humidity.

I would recommend South Padre Island, Tx. Great vacation spot if you love the beach. a 10 hr or so drive from dallas or you could fly southwest airlines to Harlingen and from there on to the island. Great family vacation with Dolphin Cruises, parasailing,horseback riding on the beach,sea turtle museum, contact the tourist center south padre for brochurs etc. plenty to do for the whole family. Matamoros,Mexico is 20 miles away the hotels have shuttles, also the island has a huge water park.

Check out Galveston...specifically, Moody Gardens. There is so much to do for all ages! They have a web site.

Hot Springs, AR
Eureka Springs, AR
New Orleans, LA
Hilton Head Island, SC

How about Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas? Also, you can stop by Bill Clinton's hometown, Hope.
New Orleans is also a good choice. It will be hot and humid there in the summer. I'm sure it's just as hot as India and Texas though.
M.

Hello,

We just got back from Branson, MO and the whole family really enjoyed it. It was a 7hr drive, but on the way we stopped in Arkansas to break it up. We drove the whole way home and it wasn't bad at all. They also have non-stop cheap flights now too.

I have 2 boys...ages 4 and 6. There is plenty to do for kids as well as adults. The only show we went to was The Dixie Stampede...which is great for the kids because there are a lot of animal races, etc. There are some really cool tours called "Ride the Ducks"..which starts on a road tour, then you go into the water. There is a nice waterpark, amusement park.. and putt putt, go carts, etc. there as well.

The weather there was in the 70's and 80's the whole time we were there..and that was wonderful.

www.explorebranson.com