Kid Friendly Activities/Sites in Houston (San Antonio, Austin: home, neighborhood, to buy)

[Sampaguita]

We are in the initial stages of doing our research for our imminent relocation to Houston to be closer to family.

I won't lie - I am having a hard time with the idea of this move - leaving friends and where I've lived for the last 15 yrs is a bit difficult. I always imagined I would return to San Antonio (where I went to school & lived for 8 yrs) if we ever relocated to TX but Houston is calling because of the family link.

I realize we will be giving up some things for what is truly more important to us (our children growing up near family) but it would make the move easier in my mind to know that I won't be relegating the children to a/c-geared activities for most of their young/pre-school lives.

I am going to miss what SoCal has to offer in terms of activities for our children: LegoLand and the beaches are 10 minutes away and Sea World, the SD Zoo and Wild Animal Park are within 30 minutes and Disney Land is about 1.5 hrs drive. LL, SW & Zoo offer great yearly passes with lots of activity for children that you can partake of all year round.

Of course, I know that as a SAHM, I will spend a lot of time nurturing the children at home. But in terms of outdoors, does Houston have something comparable? Or should I just except that in the heat of summer, there really is no smarter choice than to keep the children indoors?

Any help insight would be much appreciated.

Thanks!
Sam

[blancspons]

I've also lived in San Diego, and there is just no comparison! SD is beautiful all the time- perfect weather, lots of activities, beaches, etc. Do yourself a favor and don't compare SD to Houston. Houston has its own wonderful qualities. It is hot in the summer, but there are lots of indoor things to do to make up for that. Join a moms group, put your kids in T-Ball, buy a membership to the Children's Museum and Zoo. I've found Houston's friendly environment a great place to have fun with my 2 and 4 year olds.

Check it out...
HoustonSAHM.com Home Page

Good luck with you move. You are lucky to have family around!

[Sampaguita]

blancspons - thank you for the VERY sage advice - not to compare Houston to SD. I appreciate the link to the SAHM website. I'm going to share that with a friend who is relocating to Houston from SD with her young family as well (this fall).

I mentioned to DH that I posted this question and he responded that while there are some things that we will be *losing* when we leave SD, we will be gaining something I truly miss and that is the support & physical presence of my family. That's something that we can't give our children here in SD.

[Topaz]

We haven't lived here that long so we have lots more exploring to do but so far our favorite things are our neighborhood splash park, swimming pool, playground, and walking trails. Our children love these places so much, they have never gotten bored with any of it even though we go a lot.

My children also enjoyed visiting the Kemah Boardwalk as a day trip and in August we are taking them to South Padre Island for a longer beach vacation.

I like this "Mom" site from the Houston Chronicle.

I grew up in Southern California and I love living in Houston. blancspons is right...if you don't compare San Diego and Houston, you can really enjoy it here, especially with the advantage that your children will be able to grow up around family, which is great. We have the same thing here with friends who are like family to us and now that we are in Texas, I wonder why we stayed so long in a different part of the country no matter how beautiful it was there. People are more important than scenery.

[LJarrett]

Sampaguita,

Where will you be living in the Houston area? I've found that there are many things to do with my 3 year old, but I try to avoid going into the city because of the traffic. Find a community that has alot to offer and you will find many things to do with your kiddos. We used to live in Austin and there were alot more outdoor activities there. They're here, too, but you may have to travel a bit further. But, if you find a great neighborhood there will be lots to do. Just get plugged into your community. Houston has alot to offer and the great thing is that you can live in a fantastic community with good schools for so little $. That's priceless to a child growing up.

[Sampaguita]

LJarrett - we're still doing our research. I will probably head down at some point within the next 6 months to scope out different areas. Right now we're leaning towards the Sienna Plantation area as that is where my brother & SIL want to buy. The goal is to be close to them but also to find, as you say, a community that has a lot to offer.

Topaz - you & blancpons are right about not comparing Houston to SD. I managed to have a great "social" time in Buffalo (of all places) despite the horrid winters. I'm sure we will be able to build a great life for our family in Houston. Thanks for the link - all these forums will help me a lot!