The Houston Museum of Natural Sciences is one of the busiest sciences museums in the United States. There were 2.5 million visitors to this location in just the last year, putting it up there in size with places like the New York Museum of Science and Natural History, or the Smithsonian. It is located in the Museum District of town, very near Hermann Park.

The complex has four floors of permanent exhibits. In addition, there are some multiple specialty locations to visit. One of the most popular is the Wortham IMAX theatre, where science gets brought to life in a very special way. You may also want to visit the Butterfly Center, George Observatory, or the Baker Planetarium. This is a whole day kind of place to visit.

There are also many temporary exhibits that come in and out of the Center, most of them world class in nature. The prices for the Science Center are very reasonable. If you want a real treat though, try visiting the Center on Tuesday afternoons. From 2:00 p.m.to 6:00 p.m., the location is free of charge.

The Museum of Health and Medical Science is named in honor of John McGovern. Many locals call this the Health Museum. It is perhaps the most interactive structure of its kind to be found anywhere in town. It is affiliated with the Texas Medical Center. You will find the location in the Museum District of town.

The Mission of the Center is to promote education on healthy living, in all aspects. So, you will see displays about living well physically, mentally and spiritually. The location gets almost 200,000 visitors a year. A fourth of this population comes in from local schools for educational opportunities. Based on these kinds of numbers, it is the single busiest health museum in the United States.
One of the neatest things about the museum is that is has a 4D Theatre inside. You can also spend a lot of time enjoying the sensory garden, the Challenge Gallery, and the Amazing Body Pavilion. There are also many rotating exhibits that come here from institutions across the U.S.

The Museum of Health and Medical Science is open from Monday though Sunday, from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for children. Each Thursday an event called Free Family Thursdays waives the admission charge from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.

The Children’s Museum is located in the Museum District, and is a very popular site among visitors to town. It gets 750,000 visitors a year. It is the largest museum and best attended facility of its kind in the U.S. So, you should be in for a treat. It has 14 galleries of exhibits, all of which are designed to be hands on for kids up to twelve years of age. The subjects covered are science, technology, history, the arts, and even geography. There is a little something here for everybody.

The location was founded in 1884. In 2007, a new wing was added to the location, as well as technology that makes it possible for displays to be presented bilingually. There is now also private classroom space and laboratories for nonprofit organizations and schools to use. The people of Houston pulled together and donated over $35 million dollars to make it happen. There is also a great gift shop here, as well as educational toys and snacks for sale.

The Holocaust Museum is located in the Museum District of Houston, Texas. It is certainly one of the more interesting places to visit, as one might not expect to find a world class museum of this kind in Houston. It is the fourth largest museum about the Holocaust in the United States. People visit here from all over the world.

The museum was opened in 1996, so it is a relatively new addition to the area. The mission of the location is to remind the general public about the dangers of political thinking that can lead to such tragic ends. Sadly, this mentality still exists in the world today. In addition, the museum is very dedicated to providing educational programming to students and the general public.

You can get a free guided tour on Saturdays and Sundays at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Audio tours are also available for a cost of $5.00 for the headset. The permanent exhibit can be very graphic, and is not recommended for children under the age of 10 years old. The audio tour is available in English and Spanish.

The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum tells the story of the first six Army units to be constituted entirely of African Americans. The location is in the Museum District in Houston, Texas. It was founded in 2000, so it is very new to the area.

The United States Army formed these units in 1866. They received their nickname, interestingly, from the Cheyenne Indians that they fought. The wiry hair of the African American soldiers, as well as their fierce fighting ability in battle, lead to the comparison of the men to the plains buffalo. Over time, the term “buffalo soldier” became a common term for any African American soldier. The exhibits on the inside will choreograph the history of African Americans in war from the Revolutionary War up to the present day. So, you will get a chance to see more than just the history of the first units of black soldiers in the U.S. Army.

The museum is open to the general public Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. It is also open on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The location is closed on Sundays. Admission is $5.00, so this place is a real value.

It is fitting that the John C. Freeman Weather Museum is located in tornado alley. This fun museum has a tornado chamber where visitors can actually put their hands in a tornado and watch while a tornado forms. There is also an educational component that discusses the enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, as well as tornado safety tips.

Hurricanes and typhoons are also highlighted, as well as the storm surge that can occur with these devastating weather events. Another interesting exhibit shows the changes in forecasting the weather over the decades. Everyone will love the 3-D weather sphere that shows tracks of various storms in the past, tectonic plates and satellite tracking capabilities.

Kids of all ages will love the weather experiments that are performed by museum staff. Another huge hit is the weather forecasting center that features a broadcast studio so budding weather persons can try out their broadcasting skills.

The museum is located at 5104 Caroline Street. The hours are 10 am to 4 p.m., from Monday through Saturday. The Museum is closed on Sundays. Thursdays are free from 12pm to 4pm although there are no guided tours available during this time. Admission at other times is $5 for adults, $3 for children over 3 and seniors. Kids under 3 are free. Weather camps are available for kids, so be sure and check with the museum if this is something that is of interest.

The Czech Center Museum was founded in 1996 with the purpose of furthering understanding of the peoples of Silesia, Moravia, Bohemia and Slovakia. An absolutely must see collection of rare glass is a permanent collection at the museum. The glass and pottery were made in Czechoslovakia between World War I and World War II. The facilities that made these pieces were destroyed or turned into plants to aid the war effort. There are over 1,000 pieces on exhibition.

Another beautiful feature of the museum is the Wenceslas chapel that can be used to hold weddings or vow renewals. The stained glass in the chapel is gorgeous, and there are also reception facilities available. There is a gift shop that has unique gifts, and a library that features contemporary periodicals, as well as collectible volumes.

In true museum fashion, there are also learning opportunities available. Language courses are available and lectures on Slavic history are given. There are also special events at the museum so be sure and check the calendar of events. Hours of operation are 10 am to 4 pm Monday through Saturday. The museum is closed on Sundays. The Museum is located at 4920 San Jacinto.

The Center for Contemporary Craft is located in the heart of the Museum District of Houston, at 4848 Main Street. As an organization, it is one of the only museums in the country that is so narrowly focused on the mission of the processes, history, and making of crafts. As such, it is also a very popular destination for visitors, as you can see everything from bead making to quilting here.

There are a lot of exhibits to see on every type of craft imaginable. The location is also used a lot for various shows. Studio space is available in the location, so that artists from all across the country can come and demonstrate their craft first hand. It’s a real opportunity to get hands on with the artists. You can even create some of your own gifts here. Educational programs for schools throughout the area are also done here.

The Center is open to the public from Tuesday through Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. On Sunday, it is open from noon until 5:00 pm. The Center is closed on Mondays.

The Jung Center of Houston is dedicated to the life and work of Carl Jung, who was a very famous psychologist. It is located in the Museum District of Houston, on Montrose Blvd. In many ways, this is one of the more eclectic places in the area, as it focuses on a type of psychology that is very different than the standard Freudian model or the Object Relations style of therapy. Anyone interested in psychology or psychiatry will get a kick out of this place.

More than a hundred classes a year are taught here, on various subjects related to psychology, philosophy, and the humanities. So, the Center does more than promote the work of Jung. There is a library here, though, that contains the largest collection of works on Jung in the southwest. The bookstore also sells class material and lectures on CD.

The Jung Center is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. On Friday it is open from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The center is closed on Sundays. The library and bookstore are open most of those times, they typically just open at noon.