Houston Family Vacations

Perhaps when you think of Texas, you envision endless desert plains, cowboys and hot, hot, hot temperatures. You'd have the heat right (if visiting in the peak of summer), but Houston is anything but quiet desert. Instead, this very cosmopolitan city -- large enough to hold New York City, Miami, Washington, D.C., Boston, San Francisco, Minneapolis AND Seattle -- is a hotspot of cultural arts, sports, entertainment, shopping and dining.

Families can find an array of activities, from exploring the city's renowned Space Center, taking in the numerous museums in the Museum District, splashing in the expansive water parks or the Gulf beaches in nearby Galveston, and learning about Texas' history in a variety of attractions.

Texas doesn't do anything small, which is why the shopping districts here are enormous, from the Galleria to Katy Mills Mall to Highland Village. Even its best family resorts are large, from the luxury Houstonian in the heart of town to the wooded acres of The Woodlands, just north of the city, and both of which featuring an array of kid-friendly fun.

And although you may want to dine on Tex-Mex food until your heart's content, the city is also home to more than 8,000 restaurants with any international cuisine type you can think of, including Gulf Coast Creole, Vietnamese, Italian, Cuban and Japanese sushi. You won't need to head deep into the heart of Texas to find Texas' heart.