When school let’s out in the afternoon, we often find ourselves with time for an hour long adventure before heading home for homework, dinner and bed.  It’s not enough time to see the entire city, but it is enough time for some serious fun.  And, the destinations are often less crowded than they are on the weekends.

Here is the BigKidSmallCity top 7 after school adventure spots in Houston.

1.  Houston Museum of Natural Science – This museum has a lot to offer.  One day you can visit the Cockrell Butterfly Center, the next you can go to the Planetarium or Giant Screen Theater.  And that still doesn’t cover the permanent exhibits or special exhibits.  The Energy Hall is full of interactive exhibits, the new Paleontology Hall is unlike any other and the giant mural in the stairway is of a clausal squid and a whale, just like a scene in Wild Kratts.  Get a membership so you can explore the Houston Museum of Natural Science, one hour at a time.

2.  Houston Fire Museum - Open Tuesday through Saturday until 4:00, you will have just enough time to have fun after school.  There is a great play room with the cab of a real firetruck, a fireman’s pole, fire hoses and much more.  Head over right after school, let the kids wear the fireman gear and play until closing time.  Stop by the gift shop to buy all your kid sized Houston Fire Department gear, including shirts and caps.  If you don’t feel like cooking dinner, stop by Pho Sai Gon or one of the many Vietnamese restaurants near the Fire Museum.

3.  Downtown Houston – The best part about Downtown Houston on a weekday is that you can go to the observation deck on top of the JP Morgan Chase Tower and see the city from 60 floors up and then walk through the miles of tunnels under Downtown Houston.  Always open is the Big Bubble on Buffalo Bayou and it is one of the most unique things to see in Houston.  Be sure to find it and have some fun.  Rub shoulders with the business men and women working downtown and explore something out of the ordinary after school.

4.  Children’s Museum of Houston - Much like the Houston Museum of Natural Science, you could spend days at this museum.  Avoid the weekend crowds and visit after school.  The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday of each week.  One day you can play in the water at FlowWorks, the next you can visit the little city of Kidtropolis, the next you can climb the rock wall at at Power Play, and the next you can build in the Building Zone.  Get the membership so you can explore this big museum one hour at a time!

5. Local Park - There are a lot of parks in the city of Houston. Look through this 12 page list of city parks, find one near you, and enjoy some free afternoon fun.  For a list of city parks, go HERE.  Or just head to our favorite Hermann Park or Discovery Green.  For something a little out of the ordinary, visit the Japanese Garden in Hermann Park or the Listening Vessels in Discovery Green.

6.  Houston Zoo – Like the museums on the list, visiting the zoo on a weekday afternoon lets you avoid the crowds.  Stop by after school cruise from the sea lions to elephants to monkeys to giraffes to the Children’s Zoo without bumping strollers.  Find the piranhas and let the kids crawl through the glass aquarium tunnel.  Find the chimpanzees and sit right next to them, with only the width of the glass separating you.  Find the petting zoo and let the kids go wild.  And so much more.  Get the membership so you have the luxury of exploring the zoo one afternoon at a time.

7.  Houston Fire Station – Get yourself a box of cookies and head over to your local fire station.  Walk right in and ring the bell.  If the firemen are around, they will come down to greet you.  Give them a big thank you with your cookies and likely you will get a personal tour of the trucks.  You little ones may even get to “drive”!  This is certainly an afternoon well spent!

So you had big plans to visit the park and to explore Houston’s great outdoors… but it starts to pour.  The kids won’t settle for staying home, so what should you do?  Here are the top 7 picks for things to do when it’s raining in Houston.

1.  Cockrell Butterfly Center - Head inside the Houston Museum of Natural Science and to the rain forest.  Climb the stairs, gape at the giant waterfall and identify the hundreds of butterflies darting around your head.  Learn about insects in the education center or play games in the play area.  A trip to the Cockrell Butterfly Center lets you get “outdoors” without getting caught in the rain.

2.  Houston Museum of Natural Science – Technically, the Houston Museum of Natural Science already got a mention with the Cockrell Butterfly Center, but it gets another spot on the list because there is just so much to do here.  Besides visiting the butterflies, you can watch an IMAX movie, visit the planetarium or explore the exhibits.  The huge new Paleontology Hall is a must see, the Chemistry Hall often has demonstrations and the Energy Hall has movies and interactive exhibits.

3.  Downtown Tunnels & JP Morgan Chase Tower Observation Deck - If it’s a week day during working hours, go explore the miles of tunnels under Downtown Houston.  Take METRORail to the Main Street Square Station.  Walk a block south to where the tracks cross the fountain.  You can duck inside the 1000 Main Street building (with UBS listed on the sign) and access the tunnels.  Stop at any of the shops or restaurants and find the maps posted on the wall.  Weave your way to the JP Morgan Chase Tower.  From the lobby, you can take the elevator to the 60th floor observation deck.  The best part is that the tunnels and tower are open to the public for free!

4.  Ride METRORail End to End - I know some kids that love trains.  If it’s raining outside, make a day of riding one.  Park at Hermann Park, for free for 3 hours, and run over to the Hermann Park METRORail Station.  Buy a ticket for $1.25 for everyone over 5 years old and jump on board the north bound train.  Take the train to the end of the line at the University of Houston Downtown.  Here you will jump off and board the southbound train.  You can take it back to Hermann Park or keep going south towards Reliant.  Feel free to bring a stroller onboard or to let the kids sit on the seats.  If you get the one behind the driver, you can feel like you are driving the train.

5.  Houston Fire Museum - One of the best Houston play places is inside the Houston Fire Museum.  Currently housed in the old Fire Station 7, the back of the Houston Fire Museum has a kids room with fireman uniforms, real cab of a firetruck, fireman pole and more.  Kids can slide down the pole, put on their gear, jump in the truck, listen to the scanner, turn on the lights, drive to the fire and put it out.  There are also books, games and videos all on fire safety.  This is a fantastic place to spend a rainy day.

6.  Children’s Museum of Houston – I don’t think there is a “Top Picks” list for Houston that does not include the Children’s Museum.  The award winning museum has a tot spot for the littlest ones and lots of interactive exhibits for the big ones.  You can build, drive, shop, draw, problem solve, get wet, stay dry, climb, slide, play and just about anything else you want.  This is the perfect place to get rid of all that extra energy.  Just be ready for the crowds because everyone loves this museum.

7.  Splash in the Puddles – If it’s not lighting and it’s not raining too hard, go outside.  You’ll probably have the Houston Zoo, Hermann Park and Discovery Green to yourself.  Pack some extra close and go splash in some puddles.

Need more details on each of these?  Just leave a comment!