Trips close to Houston

Looking forward to a busy summer? Here are a few places to tour and field trip ideas that may add a little spark to your troop or family’s summer fun.
Tours:

Minute Maid Ball Park at 501 Crawford. Call 713-259-8000 for tour information or see information in the Program section on page 35.
The Houston Police Museum at 7000 Aldine Westfield. Tours are on Tuesday and Thursday and reservations are required. Call 281-230-2361 for more information.
Houston Fire Museum at 2403 Milam. Call 713-524-2526 for more information.
Weather Research Center at 3227 Audley. Call 713-529-3076 for reservation information on badge workshops.
African American Military Museum at 1824 Southmore. Call 713-942-8920 for more information.
Art Car Museum at 140 Heights Blvd. Call 713-861-5526 for more information.
Field Trips:

Water Wall at 2800 Post Oak Blvd located behind the Galleria. This water sculpture is a great place to take in a bit of people watching while being entertained by the fascinating Water Wall sculpture.
Farmer’s Cooperative Market at 2520 Airline Drive. The market is open daily.
Space Center Houston at 1601 Nasa Road 1. Call 281-244-2131 for more information.
Sea Center Texas is operated by Texas Parks and Wildlife and is located in Lake Jackson. It is open every day except Monday. Call 979-292-0100 for more information.
Edith Moore Nature Sanctuary at 2955 Memorial Drive. Self guided tours with maps may be obtained at the log cabin. Call 713-464-4900 for more information.
Houston Arboretum at 4501 Woodway. Call 713-681-8433 for more information.
Chase Tower at 600 Travis is open during business hours Monday through Friday. The 60th floor sky lobby is the highest public viewpoint in Houston.
Houston Museum of Natural Science at One Hermann Circle Drive. Call 713-639-4629 for tickets and more information.
Miller Outdoor Theater at 100 Concert Drive, Hermann Park. Call 713-284-8350 for a recording with updated programming information.
Volunteering Opportunity for Kids:

Texas Children Hospital where teens ages 15-18 are trained to volunteer in a variety of areas from entertaining children to hosting a weekend craft activity. Call volunteer services 832-824-2255 for more information.
Houston SPCA where there are dozens of volunteer opportunities from walking the dogs to training them. Call volunteer services director Yvette Carmona 713-869-7722 ext.129.
Plant Sea Grass in the West Bay and be a friend to the environment. Call the Galveston Bay Foundation 281-332-3381 for more information.

You can also look at a variety of Web sites to get more ideas on day trips, summer volunteer opportunities and travel games. Have a great summer exploring!

On the road again
Travel games for the car

COUNTING COWS: Play as individuals or teams. First, decide on a destination where you will stop counting. Then, count the cows on your side of the road. The goal is to have the highest number when the destination is reached. Pass a cemetery on your side and you have to start over again. If there aren’t any cows on your route, try counting red cars, mailboxes or phone booths.

TWENTY QUESTIONS: One player thinks of a famous person, place or thing. Everyone else gets to ask the player 20 questions, which must be answered “yes” or “no.” For example, “Does it know how to read?” is a valid question, but “What’s its favorite book?” is not. Whoever guesses correctly gets a turn to think up something.

GEOGRAPHY: Start with any place in the world – Kansas, for example. The next person has to think of a place that begins with the last letter of “Kansas,” such as “South Africa.” Whoever goes next needs a place that starts with an A. You may not use the same place twice in a game – and it has to be a real place.

A IS FOR ARMADILLO: Starting with A, each person tries to be the first to spot and name three items beginning with that letter. For example, the first to see and announce “armadillo, auto and apple” gets to choose the next letter.

LICENSE PLATE ID: See how many different states you can identify on license plates.
LICENSE PLATE LINGO: The goal of this game is to come up with a phrase using the letters on another car’s plate. So if you see the plate LMT 823, the first person to call out a somewhat logical phrase such as “Love me tender” or “Lost my tooth” earns a point.