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When you think about visiting Houston, Texas, what are the major attractions that come to mind? If you’re a fan of the outdoors, you might be thinking about the gardens and port activities that are in and around the Houston area. If you like indoor attractions, you probably have a series of museums and historic attractions on your itinerary. But what if you’re looking for a little bit more adventure during your stay in Houston? All of those other attractions are great but it’s the amusement parks and theme parks in the Houston area that are really going to get your heart racing! Whether you’re in Houston on a family vacation or you’re a single person seeking to spice up a Houston date, you might find that the thrill of a theme park is just what you need to leave Houston with a memory filled with fun.

As you start to check out what your options are in terms of theme parks and amusement parks in Houston, you’ll probably find that the place everyone is pointing you towards is the Kemah Boardwalk. This is the most popular Houston amusement area for people of all ages to enjoy. As the name implies, this is a boardwalk area that’s got all of the old-fashioned boardwalk fun that you would anticipate including hot dog vendors, arcade games and souvenir shopping. There is also a speedboat tour of the area and a stingray reef to enjoy. Of course, what you really want to know about before you head to the Kemah Boardwalk is what kind of rides you are going to find there.

credit: Michael (mx5tx)
The Kemah Boardwalk is home to the basic rides that you would expect from an area such as this one. The main feature, of course, is the Ferris Wheel which is appropriate for all ages unless you’re terrified of heights. It offers a great view of the area from the top. The Boardwalk Tower will also provide you with that great view. Scarier rides for the daredevils in your group include The Boardwalk Bullet rollercoaster, The Inverter, and The Bouncer. These rides are fairly affordable with all day passes costing under twenty dollars and individual rides average $3 a piece.

You’ll get a taste of Houston’s proximity to water when you enjoy some of the features at the Kemah Boardwalk but if you really want to enjoy some water fun then you might want to head over to Splashtown. This water park isn’t actually in Houston but it’s only a short half hour drive away which makes it a reasonable distance for most families visiting the Houston area. Like with other theme parks, it’s got a variety of different rides which provide activities for older daredevils as well as more reserved fun-seekers. The difference between this park and others is, of course, that it’s a water park so all of the rides are water rides.

There are eight major thrill rides available at Splashtown including the newest ride which just opened in 2008. These rides are a combination of water slides such as The Tornado which is a 4-person tube ride that shoots you 75 feet in the air through a tunnel that’s over 130 feet long. The new ride is called the RipQurl and it’s a water slide ride that has you spinning around and around in a downward spiral. There are also numerous smaller rides for everyone who wants to enjoy a more relaxing experience of the water at this park. If you’re visiting Houston during the summer, this park is one of the ones that should be high on your list.

Water parks are wonderful but they can be found almost anywhere in the nation. For people who are seeking a theme park type of experience that isn’t so traditional, and one that speaks to the heart of what Houston is all about, a trip to the Oil Ranch might be in order. This isn’t a theme park in the traditional sense but it’s got the kind of excitement and adventure that a theme park has. It’s a guest ranch which provides fun activities for people of all ages, activities which really show off the Texas way of life. It’s not so much a thrill-seeking kind of adventure but rather a chance to experience life on a ranch. That doesn’t mean it lacks the fun of a traditional amusement park, though. To the contrary, it’s got neat little treats like sno-cones, a swimming pool and holiday-themed events. It’s less than ten dollars per person and gives you an inside look at Texas.

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Are you thinking that a true ranch-style Texas experience isn’t your thing? You might be more interested in an amusement park adventure that’s a little more edgy then. In fact, you might want an experience that’s out of this world. In that case, your best bet is probably to head over to Space Center Houston. This is the visitor’s center for NASA’s Johnson Space Center and in addition to a lot of information you can also experience some space-themed rides here. The Blast Off Theater is one of the favorite spots but there’s also a Kids’ Space Place that’s popular among younger groups. The attraction here that’s best for all ages is the “Feel of Space” attraction which lets you actually get the sensation of what your body would feel like if it were in space. Now that’s an amusement park experience you aren’t going to find in too many other places!

Perhaps one of the most interesting attractions that you’ll find in Houston is something that’s not quite a theme park but doesn’t really fall into any other category of attractions either. That’s PHOBIA. Nicknamed “Houston’s Darkest Haunted Houses”, this is a series of haunted house attractions that bring the frightening fun of Halloween to the Houston area all throughout the year. There are numerous special events held at these haunted houses, including several which are associated with horror conventions held in the Houston area. Of course, this attraction is particularly fun during the Halloween season when it’s open more regularly but you can check out whether or not they’re having any special events during the time that you happen to be visiting. It’s a scary attraction so it’s only meant for kids old enough to handle the fearsome fun.

Believe it or not, PHOBIA isn’t the only option if you’re looking at a fright-themed amusement park in Houston. In fact, a more popular choice during the Halloween season is Scream World. There are five different haunted attractions at this theme park incorporating various levels of fear and some neat features such as 3D effects and movie-style special effects. Various events are held at this horror-filled amusement park and there are special features like palm readers and the like for all ages to enjoy. However, this one is only open in September and October since it’s considered to be a Halloween event location only.

You might want to head to Houston in the fall when the most amusement parks are open there and the weather is gorgeous for all to enjoy. However, there are theme parks to be enjoyed in the region all throughout the year which helps to make it a destination loved by families as well as solo travelers. Adding an amusement park adventure to your Houston itinerary can really boost the energy of your experience and give you something to remember when you’ve had to return back home.

Tags: attractions | houston | North America | texas | theme parks | United States