Location: Houston
Top Things to do in Houston
Things to do in Houston, Texas (TX): The Best Military Museums
Houston hums with an energy and independent spirit all its own. A leading cultural and culinary destination in the South, the city is home to over 11,000 restaurants featuring cuisine from more than 70 countries. The thriving arts scene includes resident opera, ballet, symphony and theater companies. The Museum District houses 19 museums, all within walking distance. Be sure to visit Space Center Houston, where you can visit NASA’s Historic Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center.
Restaurants in Houston
1. Commemorative Air Force - Houston Wing
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By Maps597533
We happened upon this wing of the CAF several years ago and it (along with other CAF events) have given us some of the most memorable experiences of our lives. The annual events give you the opportunity to meet with some of the heros/treasures of the past. We had the honor of meeting WWII pilots and hearing their stories while being surrounded by awesome aircraft firing up and providing rides to awestruck passengers. Their periodic open houses and location events give other great opportunities to visit too. If you haven’t been to one of their events, I would highly recommend it...You won’t forget it! Check out local CAF locations and events near you. I’ve flown in the N3N and AT-6 in Houston and the BT-13 in Alaska. Anything you do in the air or just going to an event is a great experience for adults and kids.
2. Lone Star Flight Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 89 reviews
Housed in a large aircraft hangar, this world-class aviation museum features restored aircraft and historic photographs.
Reviewed By Chrisinkingwood2 - Houston, United States
We took advantage of the Smithsonial Free Museum Day tickets where you can get free admission for 2 to many museums around the country. I took my 14 year old grandson, I figured he might have an interest and wanted him to know that air battles just don't happen in all those video games he plays! We got there about 10:30 and stayed for 3 hours. The displays are fantastic, so many old planes and jets restored as they were when they were brand new. The panels with photographs and stories were very interesting and they also have several interactive displays that kids can do to learn about the effects of wind and the physics of flight while having fun. At one point we watched them wheel out the big bomber and it took off with guests who had purchased tickets for a flight around the Ellington Field area. My grandson got to try flying in the flight simulators which was really fun, sadly he found out it isn't as easy as a video game and crash landed!
3. Military Museum of Texas
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 34 reviews
Reviewed By 784555 - Houston, United States
This is a very enjoyable museum. Not free as one comment said -- we paid $10 per adult and it was $6 for kids under age 11 -- but to us it was well worth the price. We got a great tour from Will, who was amazingly knowledgable as well as friendly, and clearly was passionate about the exhibits. Will showed us and our 13- and 8-year old through the museum for 2 hours and 20 minutes (I'm sure he could do it more briefly, but we found ourselves really interested and he accommodated us). Will gave us a lot of information that was brand-new to us, and he made sure that we understood all that he was telling us by being very interactive and talking about all the exhibits in relation to each other so that they made sense as a whole, and making everything fit together in the context of war and history. Will made it an extremely interesting and educational experience for us. Our tour started in a warehouse-like building with no air conditioning housing a number of APCs, tanks and Humvees, a PT boat, two helicopters, and equipment from WW1 to the present day. The tour went in chronological order. Almost all the vehicles indoors are quite well-restored and kept in good, running condition; indeed, the people involved with the Museum used them during Hurricane Harvey to save people from high water. The outdoor exhibits included perhaps thirty APCs, tanks, Humvees, and a couple of boats that haven't been fully restored. After the outdoor exhibit, we spent about fifteen minutes in an air-conditioned indoor exhibit, which had a number of uniforms, WWII-era rifles, pistols, and grenades, ration kits, and a set of soldiers' equipment from D-Day. We had a great time and highly recommend the experience.
4. Buffalo Soldiers National Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 135 reviews
"The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum a proud member of the Houston Museum District is the only Museum dedicated primarily to preserving the legacy and honor of the African-American soldier, in the United States of America."
Reviewed By GlendaKHouston_Texas
The day that we visited, we were the only people in this very informative and well organized museum that chronicles the history of the buffalo soldiers and other African Americans who served in the military. I was very impressed with the large amount of memorabilia and artifacts that they had. I loved the pictures and while looking at a group photo often wondered what was the "story" of each of the men pictured. This is a museum well worth the time to visit.
