The Houston Zoo has been on my list for a good while, ever since we made a stop at Hermann Park on the way home from Galveston for Saida to play when she was about a year and a half old. We could see the zoo entrance from where we played and it looked like a pretty legit zoo. Fast forward over 7 years and her 4th grade class took a class trip to Johnson Space Center and we decided to make a weekend out of it, which of course would include the zoo, but just barely because it rained most of the weekend.

Galapagos Exhibit

We happened to show up on day 1 of the Galapagos Exhibit and it was nothing short of incredible. When we exited the exhibit, the kids thought we were done with the zoo because it was just that good and how could there possibly be more things for us to see. That one exhibit is worth the price of admission. It was kind of like we got to do the zoo and an aquarium in one stop.

Houston Zoo Galapagos Island Exhibit, Sea Lion

Houston Zoo Galapagos Island Exhibit, Jelly Fish

Elephant Exhibit

The elephant exhibit was another favorite. I love the way they have this set up. Admittedly my zoo experience is limited, but I felt like Houston Zoo did a really good job of getting you in there and close to the elephants and providing fun/educational photo ops. You could even go into a building that has a window into a stall where you can see the zoo workers caring for the elephants.

Houston Zoo Elephant Exhibit, Elephant Poop

Houston Zoo Elephant Exhibit, Mom and Baby

Big Cats

I’m a sucker for big cats. This tiger put on a show for us while we were there. He paced back and forth giving me all the photo opportunities and he was nothing short of stunning. I think he enjoyed the attention though he tried to play a little hard to get. Typical cat.

The lions were quite literally a snooze fest. Get it?

Ape House (Chimpanzees and Gorillas)

I feel like every part of this was my favorite part, but I grew up a lover of Monkeys and Apes. Jane Goodall was my hero for at least a year in elementary school. My monkey and ape stuffed animal collection was pretty impressive and I’m pretty sure I checked out every book in the library on the topic. When I walked into the Ape House and could have reached out and touched chimps and gorillas if it wasn’t for a plexiglass, I was basically 8 years old again.

Once you come out of the Ape House, you’ll find another little area where you can get a view from lower down in the enclosure. That was 100% my favorite moment of the entire zoo. Henry the Gorilla was a great sport and I think he enjoyed playing along for some photos.

More Moments from the Houston Zoo

Houston Zoo

Where we Stayed

We were tempted to bring the camper for this trip, but opted to just get a hotel room for a couple nights. I had remembered the Medical Center area being pretty decent and it’s close to the zoo so we opted to stay in a brand new Hyatt Place between the medical center and NRG Stadium. It’s not super fancy, but it was clean and nice and the rooftop pool was heated. The kids love a good free continental breakfast too.

Mia’s Table

The kids’ favorite restaurant in Houston was Mia’s Table. Look, I know Houston is full of culinary goodness and we could have literally had any type of food at it’s finest. This place is just ok. There’s something for everyone and you get free soft serve. I wouldn’t choose to eat here without kids, but it’s a great little family spot that’ll make everyone happy when you have picky eaters.

I’ll leave you with this

Get the picture. This is literally the worst quality photo we’ve ever gotten, but I’m still glad we got it. I paid a stupid amount of money just so we could add this to our annual year book come the end of the year. No regrets.

If you know me at all, you know Lake Bastrop South Shore is our go to campground for when we want to getaway, but we don’t have that much time. It’s just far enough and different enough to feel like you’re somewhere else and if you wake up early enough on the right morning, you get to see this view. It’s like 50% of why we go there.

Here is a link to my original Lake Bastrop South Shore post from the very first time we went there. Give it a click. My kids have grown A LOT.

Original Lake Bastrop south shore post

Where did we stay?

Lake Bastrop South Shore Park (an LCRA Park), but not in one of our regular sites. We stayed in 16 this time with family all around us in the adjacent sites and it was the perfect set up for us. I have a feeling this crew will be booking these sites again in the future. Here is a view from our campsite.

Camping on Lake Bastrop South Shore Park — view from our campsite (Site 16) / Nikon Z6, ISO 400, Lensbaby Edge 35, 1/400 sec

What did we do?

Just the normal camping stuff plus some mini golf. I think this was our 4th or 5th time there, but the first time we’ve ever done mini golf. We’ve rented kayaks before, but it was a little cold on the water for that this go around. It’s always a gamble to book a mid January camping trip, but there’s always a 3 day weekend and a birthday so we do it anyway.

mini golf

It’s cool because you don’t even have to leave the park to play mini golf. Just stop by the office for a putter and a ball and head over to the main day use area.

Hiking

We did the absolute minimum in hiking this trip. I love the Loblolly trails, but we didn’t even make it over there given I’m currently dealing with some chronic foot pain that needs worked out this summer. We did take one short little hike though.