Watch Santa arrive by plane at Stearman Santa. Photo courtesy of Lone Star Flight Museum.
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The Black Bear Diner in Houston offers Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. Photo courtesy of the restaurant
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Tomfoolery is packed with toys. Photo by Jessica Stautberg
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Dickens on the Strand in Galveston. Photo courtesy of Visit Galveston
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Disney Junior Play Zone at Katy Mills Mall. Photo courtesy of Simon Malls/Simon Property Group.
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Santa's Wonderland is a whole holiday lights extravaganza. Photo courtesy of Santa's Wonderland, A Texas Christmas Experience at College Station
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Beautiful neighborhood Christmas lights are all around Houston. Photo courtesy of the Franck's Christmas Light Show
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Bass Pro Shops Present Santa's Wonderland. Photo courtesy of the event.
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There are so many ways to see The Nutcracker in Houston this season. Photo courtesy of NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet
The Nutcracker Ballet and Other Holiday Shows for Kids in Houston
It's time to get your annual picture with Santa, and we know just where to go. Photo courtesy of the Houston Galleria
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College Station is perhaps the closest Christmas town to Houston. Photo courtesy of Santa's Wonderland at College Station, Facebook
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See alligators in Beaumont, about 90 minutes from Houston. Photo courtesy of Gator Country Wildlife Adventure Park
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Christmas trains near Houston 2025. Photo courtesy of The Polar Express Train Ride at the Texas State Railroad
Polar Express Train Rides and Christmas Trains Near Houston in 2025
With activities for all, Texas Ren Fest is the largest Renaissance-themed attraction in the county.
Texas Renaissance Festival: A Magical Fall Tradition for Houston Families
Buffalo Bayou Park has trails, climbing structures, and skate park, slides, and more. Photo by Jessica Stautberg.
Things To Do in Houston That Everyone Will Love - From Toddlers to Teens (and Parents Too!)
Free alligator education at Brazos Bend State Park. Photo by Sarah Banks.
The 10 Best Free Hidden Gems for Kids in Houston
Visit the Hall of Paleontology at the Museum of Natural Science. Photo courtesy of Visit Sugar Land.
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Help your Scout rack up the badges at these programs in Houston. Photo courtesy of Canva.
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Unique Birthday Party Venues in Houston for One-of-a-Kind Birthday Parties
Our favorite gymnastics gyms in Houston. Photo courtesy of Canva
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Palace Social has bowling and a restaurant in addition to arcade games. Photo courtesy of Palace Social
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The Mini classes at Goldfish Swim School are a great bonding experience for parent and child. Photo courtesy of the school
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Ready Go Amusement Arcade photo by author Elizabeth R.
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A crafting party at one of these venues or at home is the perfect celebration for a creative kid. Photo courtesy of Color Me Mine
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Our top picks for your Houston bar/bat mitzvah. Photo by Juliano ASTC, courtesy of Pexels.
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These Houston ice cream shops have the best treats for kids. Photo by Kelly Patino, courtesy of Mommy Poppins.
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Pick your own flowers at one of these Houston farms. Photo courtesy Summer Skye Gardens
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Go for a nature walk in on of Houston's huge parks. Photo by Anthony Rathbun, courtesy of the Houston Arboretum.
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Discovery Green hosts free events like Arte en el Parque, where kids learn Spanish while making art. Photo courtesy of Discovery Green
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Levy Park in Houston has one of our favorite playgrounds. Photo courtesy of OJB Landscape Architecture
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NASA's Space Center is one of Houston's best science museums for kids. Photo by Pierce Ingram, courtesy of Travel Texas
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Firetruck Park in West University. Photo by Jessica Stautberg
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See animals up close at some of these farms near Houston. Photo courtesy of Dewberry Farm
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Children's Museum Houston is free every Thursday evening. Photo courtesy of the Children's Museum Houston
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Photo courtesy of Levy Park, Facebook
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City Park Skate Park near Houston. Photo courtesy of the Sugarland Texas Govt.
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Pleasure Pier in Galveston is a top attraction near Houston. Photo courtesy of Visit Galveston
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John P. McGovern's state-of-the art playground is perfect for both younger and older children. Photo courtesy of Discovery Green.
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Stop at Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo for some cool photos on your roadtrip to the Texas Panhandle.
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Baywatch Dolphin Tours are a fun, kid-friendly tour near Houston. Photo courtesy of Visit Galveston
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Make dining out with kids more fun at one of Houston's themed restaurants. Photo courtesy of Rock N Roll Sushi
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Houston's Walking Stick Brewing Company has plenty of outdoor space. Photo courtesy of the Walking Stick Brewing Company
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Urban Air has quite a few trampoline parks near Houston. Photo courtesy of Urban Air Adventure Park
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Batting cage photo courtesy of the Bellaire Bats
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Photo courtesy of Big Air in North Houston
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Plan a magical quinceañera with these dress shops and venues. Photo courtesy of Canva
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Houston has many kid-friendly museums, and not all are children's museums. Photo courtesy of the Children's Museum of Houston
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In winter, visit Luminations at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center. Photo by Ann Alva Weiding Photography, at bigredmuse.com.
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New to fishing? Try a Galveston fishing boat tour.
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The outdoor pool at the Moody Gardens Hotel, photo courtesy of Visit Galveston.
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One of our favorite petting zoos near Houston. Photo courtesy of Dewberry Farm
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Make it an unforgettable family getaway from Houston by hiking Enchanted Rock. Photo courtesy Passport to Texas.
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Photo courtesy of Schlitterbahn Waterparks
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MKT has great family-friendly restaurants! Photo courtesy of @mendocinofarms and MKT
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There's no shortage of fun baby activities in Houston.
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Your little learner will love the variety of toddler classes in Houston. Photo courtesy of the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
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Treat your kid to one of these Houston spas with services for children. Photo courtesy of Float Baby
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Climb with your kids at one of these indoor rock climbing gyms in Houston. Photo courtesy of Texas Rock Gym
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Best STEM Summer Camps in New Jersey

This summer, encourage the awesome in your child at iD Tech summer programs. Photo courtesy of iD Tech
This summer, encourage the awesome in your child at iD Tech summer programs. Photo courtesy of iD Tech
2/11/25 - By Laurie Rein

STEM summer day camps in New Jersey promise a summer of fun for budding scientists, engineers, and computer programmers, so we've rounded up the best NJ has to offer.

For more on summer camps in New Jersey, bookmark our New Jersey Summer Camp Guide and Camp Directory, where you can search for summer camps by type, age, and town. 

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STEM Summer Day Camps in New Jersey

Storming Robots

Branchburg
Ages 10-18
Storming Robots offers engaging, results-oriented STEM courses and camps specifically tailored to middle and high schools students. Classes focus on engineering challenges you won't typically find in grade-school curricula, like robotics engineering, computational thinking, and computer programming. Meanwhile summer camp hones in on software development, robotics, and computer vision. READ MORE

Club SciKidz North Central New Jersey

Multiple NJ locations
Ages 4-14
Club SciKidz themes include astronomy, meteorology, sea adventures, climate change, veterinary medicine, robotics, Marvel stop-motion animation, chemistry, rocketry, wizarding world (Harry Potter), medicine, and surgery–to name a few.  READ MORE

Game Camp Nation - New Jersey

Morristown & Saddle River
Ages 9-19
Creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration: Game Camp Nation emphasizes the 4 C's needed for success in today’s media-driven world. This educational game studio for kids and teens offers in-person summer day camps, sleepaway camps, and year-round online lessons for aspiring game designers, programmers, and artists of all skill levels. READ MORE

Montclair Learning Center Camps

Bloomfield
Ages 3-12
Campers can explore STEM concepts through themes like Code Academy, Maker Lab, STEAM/Engineering and Chess. STEM Camp is available for students entering first through sixth grades. Full and half day options are available. Little Engineers Camp offers 3-5 year olds a summer of hands-on and engaging activities developing their creativity, curiosity, problem-solving, critical thinking, communications, and teamwork skills.   READ MORE

Little Ivy Academy STEAM Camps

Ridgewood
Ages 6-14
This summer, your camper can build and code Lego robots, create electronic spy gadgets, learn to code, craft digital spy gadgets, craft digital stop animation videos, and much more. Traditional summer day camp activities are included, too, getting kids outdoors daily.  READ MORE

Buehler Challenger & Science Center

Paramus
Ages 4-18
Blast off into a summer of space exploration, flying object creation, and simulated space missions at Buehler's summer camps. Groups are arranged by age, with full days for the older space explorers. Camp groups include Little Astronauts, Is There Life in the Universe, Rocket Girls and more.  READ MORE

Science Summer Camp at Liberty Science Center

Jersey City
Ages 6-14
Where better to build STEM skills than this well-known, science-focused museum? Campers at Liberty Science Center explore weekly topics that include Creative Engineers, Animal Detectives, Mind Games, CSI: LSC, Explore the Planets, Drone Flight School and more.  READ MORE

Lavner Summer Camp

Cherry Hill
Ages 6-14
Lavner Summer Camp focuses on hands-on learning, collaboration, excitement, and cutting-edge topics in STEM, technology, and the arts. Topics include Graphic Design, Coding, Roblox, Minecraft, YouTube, 3D Printing and more.  READ MORE

Code Ninjas Norwood-Northern Valley

Norwood and other NJ locations
Ages 5-14
At Code Ninjas, kids learn to code through an engaging, game-based curriculum that teaches teamwork, logic, math, and problem-solving. Roblox, Minecraft and AI are the focus of some of the summer camp's programs. READ MORE

Snapology of Monmouth County

Tinton Falls
Ages 2-12
Animal robotics, space science, video game design, Pokemania, and STEAM programs are just some of the offerings from Snapology's summer camp program. Half- and full-day programs are offered. READ MORE

Genius Gems

Millburn
Ages 5-12
At Genius Gems, educators use hands-on learning to lead kids in topics that include science wonder lab, witches and wizards Camp, rainbow and magic potions, Lego brick engineering, and more. Summer camps, for grades K-6, offer themed weekly sessions with early drop-off and aftercare options.   READ MORE

iD Tech Summer Programs

Multiple NJ locations
Ages 7-18
Kids can explore a prestigious college campus while making friends and mastering new tech skills. At iD Tech camps, students ages 7-18 learn to code, design video games, produce videos, mod Minecraft, create with Roblox, build laptops, learn about cybersecurity, and more. READ MORE

Code Wiz Rutherford

East Rutherford
Ages 7-14
Ignite your child's passion for technology, coding, and robotics with hands-on experiences at Code Wiz. Check out school holiday camps and summer camps centered around topics like robots, Legos and Minecraft. READ MORE

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About the Author

Laurie Rein
Laurie Rein is passionate about finding fun (especially free!) activities for her twin daughters. Before joining Mommy Poppins New Jersey, Laurie worked in the television industry, with roles as an NBC page, copywriter, affiliate liaison for The Rosie O'Donnell Show, and research manager for CBS.
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