Houston attractions Archives - Pea of Sweetness

Making a Holiday Splash at Schlitterbahn Galveston

December 19, 2014 by Emilee Evans

Christmas is right around the corner. With all the hustle and bustle it’s a great time to take a day to relax and have fun with the family! Start a new holiday tradition with Schlitterbahn!
Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to facilitate my review. Regardless, all opinions are my own and those of my family.

Schlitterbahn Galveston

Schlitterbahn Galveston is a short drive from Houston and offers a fun way to celebrate the holidays with the family! Enjoy festive Christmas music, beautiful trees and decorations, and even surf with Santa! The best part is, most of it is indoors and heated which means you get to enjoy some of the great waterpark attractions while staying comfortable! There is nothing like saying you had fun at a waterpark in the winter!

I love how Schlitterbahn creates a festive atmosphere for the holidays. The decorations were gorgeous and even included ornaments made by children at the park! One of the things we loved the most was the “snow.” Snow in Texas! We were greeted by snow at the entrance, and even got snowed on while floating down Torrent River!

One of our highlights was definitely the Boogie Bahn. Our older two children both decided it was something they must do. I’m a bit of a worrier, so I was a little nervous. The staff was extremely helpful, though, and they not only gave them detailed instructions but were also there to help if needed. They did great and has a lot of fun!

Of course, we had to also go back to Surf with Santa at the Boogie Bahn when he was there. First he put on an amazing performance.

Then, it was time for the kids to Surf with Santa! He took each child out for a good amount of time! It was so much fun!

Our preschooler particularly enjoyed the Wasserfest Kids Area. It has warm shallow water and a Pirate ship to play on with slides. There is even a big frog with a tongue slide! This is a great area for the younger kids, but even our daughter and oldest son (ages almost 7 and 8) enjoyed it, too!
It’s a great area to take a break for lunch as well. There are many picnic tables available as well as lounge chairs to just sit back and relax while the kids play.

There is one big fun ride that is open during the winter season called the Guada Loopy and Loopy Luge, which we enjoyed a few times! We went on a Sunday so it was less crowded, which we discovered has one down side – there are no lines for the ride so you don’t have a chance to catch your breath when you go up the stairs! Ha! They are so much fun!

Of course, you have to take a ride down the Torrent River! Simply sit back and enjoy the huge waves!

If you have a younger child that doesn’t like the waves like our little guy, there are two play areas for younger children with slides. This was great for letting him play and switching out to take turns going down the Torrent River. I’m pretty sure he went down those slides close to 100 times! He loved it!

Our fun at Schlitterbahn lasted until well past lunch, and we did some shopping at the Gift Shop and then the kids went on the Holiday Bounce Houses outside on our way out!

Moody Gardens Ice Land

Schlitterbahn Galveston is conveniently located to other great family fun attractions at Moody Gardens. To round out our family fun weekend we went to Moody Gardens Ice Land, which is a spectacular display of ice sculptures of Sponge Bob and friends.

Because we went on a Sunday, it was not at all crowded, and we basically walked right in! (If you have children with special needs like ours this is definitely ideal!) We went over some fun Trivia then stood in line for parkas for less than 10 minutes, got our picture taken, then went inside for the fun!

The details in the sculptures are absolutely amazing. Even the stairs were ice with the metal handles built into it. They also had things like the fun ice slides!

Of course, it was obviously cold at only 9 degrees, but you can see and do everything in a pretty short amount of time as it’s not very large. The kids even braved sitting in ice seats for a picture!

We really enjoyed looking at all the sculptures. It is just absolutely amazing detail! It was a great way to wrap up our fun family weekend!

Accommodations

If you are visiting from out of town or have a little further to drive, there are convenient accommodations at the Moody Gardens Hotel, which is within walking distance of both locations. It is a beautiful hotel with amazing amenities and you definitely can’t beat the location close to all the family fun! You can purchase a “Stay and Play” Package to include your Schlitterbahn tickets with your accommodations!

We’re moving up to Ohio this weekend, so this was also a great way to have fun with my mother in-law as well before we go! I know when we come back for our holiday visits, this will definitely be included in our holiday tradition!
Are you ready to start a new holiday tradition? Take a day off from the hustle and bustle and make a holiday splash at Schlitterbahn with your family!
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A Fun Time at Mountasia Houston

April 18, 2014 by Emilee Evans

Disclosure: We received all day play passes to facilitate our Mountasia Houston review. Regardless, all opinions are my own and those of my family.

Last week we had the chance to visit Mountasia Houston. We decided to go on a weekday during the day so there wouldn’t be a crowd. We knew the kids would be less likely to have sensory meltdowns, and we could enjoy things at our pace! The All Day Play Passes include unlimited use of the mini golf courses, go karts and bumper boats. In addition, they also offer batting cages and a game room.
We definitely went at a quiet time with only a few families there. We were greeted after approaching the counter, and they were really nice to the kids and helpful when choosing our clubs and balls for mini golf.
We decided to start off with mini golf since that is something we all could do. We knew when we got to the go karts and bumper boats our little guy wouldn’t be able to ride. In fact, they have different height levels – passenger (where our daughter fit), passenger for go karts but can drive the bumper boats (where our oldest son fit), and of course those that are tall enough to do all of it. So we got our wristbands that showed which one of the height ranges we were in, and we were off to have fun!

It was the kids’ first time playing mini golf, and our daughter got a hole in one on the first hole! We liked the unique obstacles on the course (the kids particularly like the rock in the shape of Texas), and the waterfall, of course, makes it really exciting. When the kids discovered we actually get to play through the cave, that was fun stuff! There was also a hole that is three levels, and one hole will take you straight down to the bottom level, but the other will take you to the second level. That was another highlight for them watching for the balls to come through on the next level.
After mini golf we decided to go inside for a bit to have some smoothies and play some games.

The kids really enjoyed playing the games and winning the tickets. My husband and I were a little disappointed by some of the games as the screens were “washed out.” A few only had one color left, and it was hard to even see what we were doing. We decided to stick to the fun games that give you tickets after that discovery. So we all got to move around and have fun. We got quite a few tickets which the kids cashed in for some little prizes.
Next were the bumper boats and go karts!

My husband and our daughter got in one boat, and our oldest son drove his own. There was another family, too, so that definitely made it more fun. The bumper boats have water cannons so you can have water wars. Unfortunately, the water cannon on the boat my husband and daughter was on didn’t work, and she was really disappointed. Aside from the water cannons, they also got quite wet from the waterfall! I definitely advise going on the boats last or possibly bringing a change of clothes – especially if you have children like ours with sensory issues that don’t like to keep on wet clothes!
Then, my husband and oldest son went on the go karts. They had a blast! I really think that was the most exciting part for our oldest son. The family that was on the bumper boats with them went to the go karts next, too, so again, although there weren’t many families there, it was nice that there was one to go on the rides with! I was having a hard time getting pictures because we did have a very upset little guy since he couldn’t go on the rides.
Overall, we did have a good time, and we’ll most likely go back when we need a entertainment day. The older two kids weren’t ready to leave! We did spend a bit of money on the games because the best bang for your buck is definitely the $20 because you get the most free coins (almost $10 worth). So it’s overall not a weekly kind of place but a splurge for a fun day place.

Discount!

There is still time to take advantage of this great Mountasia Houston Discount you don’t want to pass up! This exclusive coupon offer for the Mountasia Houston entertainment center is good for $5 off per person, but only until 4/30/14!
Get your Printable Coupon here! Plus, it is easy to spread the word and share it with your friends! You can share this post as well to be sure to let them know about this great offer!

For More Information about Mountasia Houston:

Visit the Mountasia Houston Website
Connect with Mountasia Houston on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

$5 Off per person at Mountasia Houston

February 17, 2014 by Emilee Evans

Have you had the chance to check out Mountasia Houston? If you’re looking for something fun to do in the Houston area, Mountasia Houston near the Willowbrook Mall is a fun place to go! Mountasia Houston makes celebrating a birthday, having a party, doing corporate parties, events and team building, or spending quality time with family and friends easier and hassle free. It’s the perfect place for friends and families to get together and cut loose with fun, games, and great food. With Bumper Boats, Go Karts, Arcade, Miniature Golf, Batting Cages, and so much more, there’s every way to play at Mountasia Houston!

Have you already experienced the fun of Mountasia Houston? Whether you’re a frequent visitor or planning to go for the first time, I have a great Mountasia Houston Discount you don’t want to pass up! This exclusive coupon offer for the Mountasia Houston entertainment center is good for $5 off per person, but only for a limited time! You can purchase your tickets online and receive the $5 off on your online purchase or you can print out a physical coupon to take with you. Please note that mobile coupons will not be accepted, so if you’re choosing to take a coupon be sure to print it out and have it ready or take advantage of the option to order tickets in advance using the discount!
Purchase tickets online with exclusive discount or Printable Coupon
The Printable Coupon makes it easy to spread the word and share it with your friends! You can share this post as well to be sure to let them know about this great offer!
Have you been to Mountasia Houston? What is your favorite part? If you haven’t been yet – what are you most excited to do? I haven’t been in the batting cages in a while, so I’ve been wanting to practice some fastpitch softball again!

Houston Vacation Highlights

August 30, 2013 by Emilee Evans

There were different posts for our awesome 4th of July mini vacation to Houston, but I wanted to share a wrap-up so you can see just how much you can enjoy in a few days in Houston!
Right now it’s about a 3 hour drive for us to visit Houston, so we left here on July 4th just before noon and arrived at the perfect time to check in at Hotel Sorella. It was pretty easy to find even though we didn’t know where it was before we took this trip. We also got a great parking spot in the parking garage.

We saw Studio Movie Grill was in the same parking garage, which was on our list! I guess we wouldn’t have a hard time finding it when we were ready to go there! We didn’t have time that evening, though, because we had dinner reservations at The Bistro and, of course, would be watching fireworks that evening! We had a wonderful dinner, and they were so accommodating!

We went back to our room to get ready to go out to the fireworks, but our youngest ended up totally crashing out. Luckily, though, we had an amazing view right from our room! It worked out perfectly! We didn’t have to deal with the crowds and still had a great view! I’m glad we stayed in our room.
The next morning we were ready to put our CityPASS to use! First we wanted to grab a bite to eat, though, because we missed breakfast. So we headed over to SmashBurger. It was our first time at a Smashburger, and they were so friendly and helpful! Plus the food was fantastic!

Once we had full bellies we were ready to go!
We knew we wanted to start at Space Center Houston. I hadn’t been there since before I was a teen, so I couldn’t wait to go again. Wow, has it changed! We really had a great time, and the kids LOVED the Space Angry Birds Matrix! It was REALLY crowded being a holiday weekend, so we enjoyed a few great highlights and were ready to head on to the next adventure!

Next, we went to Kemah Boardwalk which holds great memories for my husband and me. We used to go there frequently before we were married. It was such a great experience seeing it from the eyes of a family perspective. They have so many fun things for the kids to do that I didn’t even know were there! We rode a few fun rides and, of course, went on the train. Our little guy slept through the whole train ride! We used the Cool Zone for breaks to stay cool and headed out around dinner time.

We knew we had time left to visit the Downtown Aquarium as it is open fairly late. So, we went there next after grabbing dinner to go. We enjoyed looking at all the aquatic creatures as well as the white tiger and parrot. We also got to pet the stingrays, which the kids thought was really neat! We passed on the rides since we had just ridden a few rides at Kemah Boardwalk. It was a nice way to wind down.

The next day was our last day in Houston, and we had to make the 3 hour drive back home, so our time was limited. We didn’t get to do anything else on the CityPASS unfortunately. We did start with breakfast at the hotel before checking out. Then, the kids enjoyed some time running in the Plaza until our brunch reservations at Straits. We opted to sit outside and enjoy the nice day while we ate. It was so nice! Brunch was great, too!

After that it was time to head to Studio Movie Grill for Despicable Me 2. It was almost sold out already when we got there, but luckily there were 5 seats in a row left near the front. So, we snatched them up and waited to be seated. This was a new experience for all of us! We loved it! We didn’t order more than just popcorn and drinks since we just came from brunch, but it was so neat not having to wait in line to get them! The movie was great, too!

We sure felt like we did a lot in just a few days, and the kids had so much fun! They’ve been stir crazy ever since! haha Have you ever been to Houston? What are your favorite highlights?
Here is slideshow of our trip! If you are unable to see it you can also view the full photo album.

Schlitterbahn Galveston

Moody Gardens Ice Land

Accommodations

*Discount!*

For More Information about Mountasia Houston:

Discount!