Houston City Pass – Review, Price, Where to Buy, Attractions

When visiting Houston for the first time, you may want to have some time sightseeing the top attractions. There are plenty of sights to visit whether you are a family, a group, or a sole traveler from the Kemah Boardwalk to the museum district, you will find the attraction very fascinating. However, a trip to Houston for sightseeing can cost you much money, so want to look out for ways to save some bucks.

Houston CityPASS allows you to save up to 49 percent on admission fees to top 5 attractions in Houston. It also allows you to skip many ticket lines. You can explore 5 of the premier Houston’s attractions at discounted prices. The CityPASS is an ideal choice if you long to visit the Texan metropolis.

Houston CityPass – Where to Buy and Inclusions

Using the CityPASS makes your sightseeing experience less costly and more convenient. You can decide which attractions you want to tour using your own schedule. The PASS can be bought when you visit any of the spots or you can purchase it online. When you order for the Houston CityPASS online you will get a voucher that you can print out and present it at the attractions. You can also use your phone to present the voucher in digital form after arriving in Houston. You will be given a booklet containing tickets for the individual attractions. With the CityPASS booklet, when you activate it, it will last for nine days and during that time, you can visit the five attractions at your own pace.

A visitor holding the Houston CityPASS will have access to Houston Museum of Natural Science, Downtown Aquarium, and Space Center Houston. In addition, a visitor can choose two attractions of the remaining four to make up five attractions. The choices are between Museum of Fine Arts and Houston Zoo or between Children’s Museum of Houston and Kemah Boardwalk. When you present the CityPASS booklet for the first time, it becomes activated straightaway and from that time, you will have nine days to spend in touring the five attractions.

Something to note here is that the option for Kemah Boardwalk offered by the CityPASS involves all day ride but excludes Iron Eagle , Stingray Reef, and Boardwalk Beast. Also, adults visiting the Children’s Museum of Houston should be accompanied by a child.

Attractions covered by Houston City Pass

Downtown Aquarium

The Downtown Aquarium gives you an exciting experience as you tour the underwater world. The Aquarium Adventure Exhibit consists of a 50,000-gallon aquatic wonderland where you can explore over 400 species of marine life. You will be able to touch and feed stingrays or watch the beautiful Maharaja’s Temple white tigers. A visit to Downtown Aquarium lets you tour the marsh as well as bayous of the Gulf Coast within the Louisiana Swamp.

You will enjoy wild encounters by watching alligator snapping turtles, gators, and spotted gar. You also see the catfish, crayfish, and bullfrogs for a really exciting Cajun County experience. Entering the Shipwreck of the 17^th century sunken hull of the Spanish galleon gives you an opportunity to see great species of the oceans like live coral reefs, moray ell, and a giant pacific octopus. A visit to the lush Rainforest is also worth the experience as you can watch the rainforest frogs, emerald tree boa, and beautiful birds. The hours for touring Downtown Aquarium may be adjusted seasonally, there may be early closures or sometimes late openings because of private events being hosted there. You should find out the current hours when planning to visit the aquarium.

Space Center Houston

In this NASA Johnson Space Center you will explore the past as well as present and future of the program. It is the No. 1 Houston attraction for visitors from around the world. Visitors will see the largest assortment of artifacts about Space Center in southwestern part of the United States. There are over 400 space artifacts, which include flown spacecrafts and moon rock displays. The red planet in the Mission Mars exhibit is another thing you will see when you visit the attraction. You can also enter the simulated Orion capsule and feel the virtual Martian sunset.

Moreover, you can explore what it feels like to travel to Mars, the fourth planet in the solar system and learn how humans could someday live on the Mars. The Independence Plaza is an international landmark presented by Boeing and the only one of its kind space shuttle replica patched on a shuttle aircraft. The eight-story complex allows visitors to have a glimpse into the historical shuttle era along with the breakthroughs that NASA has made in its Space Shuttle Program.

Houston Museum of Natural Science

If you are fascinated by the natural world, then this is an attraction you don’t want to miss. It comprises four floors having dynamic exhibits that educate and entertain visitors of all age groups. In this attraction, you will explore the long timeline of gems, minerals, and fossils along with Texan wildlife and African wildlife. It is in this museum where you find the largest dinosaur halls within the US.

Visitors also get to sample a prehistoric safari where they learn much about the human evolution including the tree-climbing australopithecines and the courageous hunters. In addition, you will see some of the stunning rare crystallized mineral samples in the globe like a brilliant red rhodochrosite and the Alma Queen.

There are many Egyptian artifacts to explore including the mummies and coffins. The interactive shows and films showing African wildlife ecology are an ideal thing to see when in the museum. The museum is open every days from 9 am to 5 pm and during summer, it extends to 6 pm. The hours of visit may change on holidays or when there are special exhibitions and events. During Christmas Day and Thanksgiving, the museum is closed as it is on the first Saturday in March when the annual gala party is hosted.

Houston Zoo

Being the second most visited Zoo in Texas, it is home to elephants, giraffes, bears, chimpanzees, and lions among other animals. Over 6,000 animals are housed in this zoo. The newest addition, Gorillas brings in another exciting moment for visitors. The power of these legendary creatures, their majestic movement and presence are just awesome. You can watch and see what makes these creatures so wonderful. The young elephants splashing around the 80,000-gallon pool will leave you even more entertained.

Walking down a winding boardwalk brings you closer to viewing endangered species like primates and the orangutans near the end of the boardwalk. The Kathrine McGovern Water Play Park has 37 different water-play features. The sea serpent, a water tree and the fountains, misters, and jets are a nice thing to explore. The park opens everyday from 1 April to 31 October.

Visitors can also entertain themselves at the John P. McGovern Children’s Zoo, which was built for kids. Houston Zoo itself opens everyday and in March to November the operating hours are 9 am to 7 pm and from November to March, the hours are from 9 am to 6 pm. The last entry is done one hour before the closure time. The attraction is closed during Christmas Day and in Thanksgiving Day. When using the CityPASS, there are upgrades of the Houston Zoo, which include visiting Texas Direct Auto Wildlife Carousel for $3 per ride or having Giraffe Feedings at a cost of $7.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

There are over 67,000 works of art in the Museum of Fine Arts. This Houston’s attraction feature is among the 10 largest museums of art in the US. In the main campus, there you will find the Caroline Wiess Law Building, the Audrey Jones Beck Building, the Glassell School of Art, the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden, and The Brown Foundation, Inc. Plaza.

There are two cafes, two libraries, a repertory cinema, and nearby house museums made for decorative arts. The admission hours are 10 am to 5 pm on Tuesday to Wednesday and 10 am to 7 pm on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the Museum of Fine Arts opens from 12.15 pm to 7 pm and it remains closed on Monday except when the Monday is a public holiday. The attraction is closed on Christmas and Thanksgiving. Holders of Houston CityPASS may realize that certain special exhibits attract an additional charge.

Kemah Boardwalk

This boardwalk is becoming a leading attraction in Houston. This feature has theme park rides like the Bullet roller coaster, Ferris wheel, and a 140 ft. tall Drop Zone. There are also waterfront dining experiences at the restaurants. Holders of the CityPASS get an all-day-ride for the amusement rides but it excludes the Stingray as well as the Iron Eagle and the Boardwalk Beast.

Kemah Boardwalk overlooks Galveston Bay and is a renowned spot for family entertainment. Dining in the Aquarium Restaurant allows guests to enjoy their sumptuous dishes as they have a great view of marine life in the 50,000-gallon aquarium. The Saltgrass Steakhouse, Bayside Grill, and the Flying Dutchman are all housed in the Kemah Boardwalk. The 35-acre attraction also features a boat ride that will take passengers four miles to reach the Galveston Bay. The Forbes Traveler.com named the Kemah Boardwalk one of the leading 10 American boardwalks in 2009.

Children’s Museum of Houston

This spot is a favorite for children as they will harness the fierce force of water running wild on them at the FlowWorks. Kids will get an opportunity to learn more about the science and physics of movement of fluids as the floodgates open their unleashing forces of water. This all-new attraction is now twice as big. It has also been rated the number one children’s museum in America by the Parents Magazine. It has a 90,000 square feet interactive bilingual exhibit specially designed for kids of ages up to 12 years. Kids will also be able to crawl and go up the PowerPlay in addition to inventing their own gadgets within the Invention Convention.

Houston City Pass – Price

When you have the Houston CityPASS, you can save up to 49 percent of the admission price for the tourist spots. The cost of the CityPASS is:

Adults 12+ will have a regular price of $115 while the CityPASS offers the admission to the attractions at only $59. This means you save $56
For kids under 12, the regular price for the attractions is $86 but the CityPASS goes for $49 meaning they save $37.

What Other Benefits Come With Houston CityPASS

Besides saving money, you also have other benefits to enjoy with Houston CityPASS:

You will skip lines when you gain entry to the attraction. Because you already have the tickets with you, you won’t need to queue up in lines. The time you save gives you an edge over other visitors because you can use it to spend more hours in the attractions.
There is value for your money in the sense that you save a lot with the huge discounts. Visiting only three of the attractions is worth your dollars. At the back of the booklet, there are coupons that you can use to save more on dining, entertainment, shopping, and transportation.
It is also convenient to use the CityPASS because you have all the tickets within one booklet. You can keep track of the tickets and you don’t have to spend time looking into your bag for separate tickets when you arrive at the entrances.
Unlike other travel passes, having Houston CityPASS gives you flexibility because you have the freedom to explore attractions in any order using your own schedule. You can think of it as a self-guided tour.

Houston City Pass – Is it worth the cost?

First, the tickets are only usable for 9 consecutive days from the time you activate the CityPASS. So be careful when you first activate it, because if you do it in the evening upon arrival, you may not have enough time to tour the attractions you want that day and it will be counted as day one of your CityPASS usage.

If you have purchased the CityPASS online, you will get a voucher which you must redeem it at a partner attraction in exchange for the ticket booklet. The redeeming should be done six months from the date of purchase. However, when you get the booklet, it doesn’t expire until 12 months from the date of purchase.

Do not attempt ripping out the tickets from the booklet because they may be regarded as null and void. To prevent invalidation of the tickets, leave then intact. Don’t loss your pass too because you won’t be able to get entrance to the attractions. The digital form of the CityPASS may be a safer option because it reduces the risk of losing the hard copy booklet or leaving it behind in the hotel room. You can present the digital copy of the booklet using your smartphone at the entrances.

There is useful information contained in the booklet that you can use to plan your excursions and enjoy the freedom. You also learn the discounted extras that come in form of coupons attached at the backside of the booklet. Take advantage of these discounts to get the most of your trip and CityPASS.