This past year we’ve done so many fun things as a family. We’ve had a foreign exchange student living with us and we’ve had a blast showing her all the different things to do in Texas. We’ve gone all over the state: Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and as of most recent, Houston! As a family with a disabled child, we are always searching for things to do in Texas that are not only fun, but accessible. We found just that at Space Center Houston!
Space Center Houston features more than 400 space artifacts, permanent and traveling exhibits, experiences and theaters related to the exciting future and remarkable past of America’s human space-flight program. We were so excited to take a visit, and decided to attend their Sensory Friendly Event. It was the best decision for our family, and if you have a family member that prefers or requires a sensory-reduced environment, this will be perfect for you, too!
Space Center Houston invites people of all ages diagnosed with conditions such as, but not limited to, autism spectrum disorder and sensory processing disorder, to explore science and space exploration in a reduced sensory environment. They provide modified lighting, music and sound effects, as well as fun activities for the family. The activities are educational and operated by special instructors who are trained to accommodate guests with sensory sensitivities.
Space Center Houston Sensory Friendly Event
Our family had an amazing time at Space Center Houston, and the Sensory Friendly event was the perfect way to start off our day. The event starts 2 hours before opening to the public, and we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. We were greeted by some helpful staff, given a map that shared where all the activities were, and were told to come back before the event ended to get a prize. The kids were so excited. Interactive activities like Mail a Postcard to Space, Astronaut Training Challenge, Rocketry, and more were set up, and were so much fun. We even had a wonderful staff member stop and tell us all about the Artemis project, which was fascinating! We got to do 3 activities out of the 5, and then the kids collected their prizes.
The dimmed lighting, quieter sounds, and incredibly kind staff made the Sensory Friendly experience so great. We all were highly impressed with how much thought was put into helping families like ours have an enjoyable time. We raved about it all day. I need to mention- there is also a Quiet Room available for families that need it. Our family didn’t need to utilize it, but I think it is a great resource for those that do!
Space Center Houston Exhibits
Once the Sensory Friendly Event was over, Space Center Houston opened up to the public and got busy, fast. Even still, exhibits are spread out thoughtfully with lots of room for maneuvering wheelchairs. It’s rare for us to visit a museum and not feel squished, so this was a treat for us! The kids enjoyed watching videos, riding interactive rides, looking at cool space memorabilia, and touching as many things as possible.
Space Center Houston is incredibly accessible- about 95% accessibly for our family (just a couple stairs on the interactive rides, one exhibit inside, and one partial exhibit outside made Addie unable to do them fully in her wheelchair). Everything was so enjoyable for everyone in our family and it was fascinating to see everything Space Center Houston had to offer. If you’re an ambulatory wheelchair user, you’ll likely find everything 100% accessible, though! It was very apparent how much thought was put into accessibility for each exhibit (height, use of buttons, space around the exhibit) and we greatly appreciated that. For more on Space Center Houston’s impressive eye on accessibility, check out their info on Accessibility Options.
Space Center Houston Tram Tours
As part of our itinerary at Space Center Houston, we thought it would be fun to check out their tram tours. Let me tell you- do not miss these because they are INCREDIBLE! When you purchase your general admission tickers, you can purchase a tram tour to visit the Historic Mission Control Center, or you can do the “Blue Tour” that includes an Astronaut Training Facility tour and the George W.S. Abbey Rocket Park tour. The Blue Tour is free with admission, but spots fill up quickly so either grab them first thing when you come in, or book them in the Space Center Houston app.
We showed up 10 minutes before each tram tour, as directed, and were extremely pleased with how helpful the staff was regarding Addie. Addie was boarded first literally every tram ride! Every tram has a spot for wheelchair users, and Addie and her wheelchair were safely strapped in by Space Center Houston staff. We were so taken aback by everyone’s genuine kindness and joy while they helped us that Mathew even thanked them for their extra attention to Addie, and they told us they really enjoy helping!
Each tram tour takes you on a drive a few minutes away to different facilities around the Johnson Space Center. Our first tour was to the iconic Christopher C. Kraft Mission Control building, where we got to see the Historic Mission Control which NASA led Gemini and Apollo missions. We got to see how Mission Control was used for the momentous first lunar landing mission. It was such a cool experience! We also learned that if you have 6 or more photos on your phone, you have more technology in your phone than they did for that first lunar landing mission. Isn’t that wild?! This tour has 80-something stairs to climb, but there are elevators for those that need. We were so grateful that Addie had no issue participating here!
After heading back from the Mission Control Tour, we made sure to get spots for the Astronaut Training Facility tour and the George W.S. Abbey Rocket Park tour. On this tour we went on an elevated path through the Astronaut Training Facility where NASA astronauts train for current missions and where scientists and engineers are developing the next generation of space exploration vehicles. We all thought this was SO cool! I’d love to come back on a weekday and actually see people working. I think that would be incredibly fun too! Then they took us to where one of only three of the remaining actual Saturn V rockets is displayed, along with other rockets that propelled space exploration.
Whichever tour you decide (or both!) just know you’ll be wildly entertained. There’s so much to see and learn! Truly an awesome experience for the whole family.
Our tram dropped us off at Independence Plaza and we took some time to explore the shuttle replica Independence, mounted on top of the historic and original NASA 905 shuttle carrier aircraft. It is the world’s only shuttle mounted on an SCA and the only one allowing the public to enter both. This exhibit has stairs to take you 4 floors up, or you can take an elevator if you need.
The first stop at the top of this exhibit is the flight deck, where you will see how the astronauts piloted the orbiter during missions. One floor down, you can experience how cramped living conditions were on the mid-deck and walk out into the payload bay to see an actual flown artifact from STS-49, a satellite rescue mission in which three people from the same spacecraft walked in space at the same time. Down on the last floor, walk inside the NASA 905 shuttle carrier aircraft, and see so any fascinating exhibits with lots of interactive options. We loved this whole exhibit, but recommend going first thing in the morning if you’d like it less crowded. It gets really busy because it’s so cool, but remember, it’s a shuttle and an airplane, so it can get packed quickly.
All in all, we had an incredible time at Space Center Houston and absolutely recommend it as one of our favorite things to do in Texas for not only fun, but incredible accessibility. Take a drive to Houston and explore all that this leading science and space exploration learning center have to offer. You’ll be so glad you went, and I think you’ll find a whole new side of loving STEM than before!
