Space Center Houston is home to over 400 artifacts, along with educational and awe-inspiring exhibits, attractions, and displays focused on the wonders of space and space exploration. Perfect for space nerds like me!
Please note this post may contain affiliate links.
From a young age I have always been fascinated with astronomy and space exploration. Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan, Arthur C Clark, Star Wars, Star Trek, and even movies like Close Encounters of the Third Kind have provided endless hours of entertainment over my lifetime. While other girls my age were reading Teen Beat I was reading magazines like Astronomy and Sky & Telescope. On top of that, my dad is am amateur astronomer, so I grew up always having a telescope in the house and spending many nights with him viewing the night sky. Even now as an adult we have fun together chasing awesome once-in-a-lifetime astronomical events.
So naturally Space Center Houston (along with Johnson Space Center) had been on my bucket list for years. The problem was, I never had a reason to go to Houston and other travel plans aways pulled us in other directions. However when Peter decided that he wanted to spend his birthday sitting on the beach in Galveston, I decided it was time to check this dream off my list! Here’s what we loved, what I wish we’d done differently, and everything I’d recommend knowing before your first visit.
Planning a Visit to Space Center Houston?
📍 Location: Houston, Texas
⏰ Time needed: 4 hours minimum; 7+ hours for a full visit
🎟️ Tickets: Buy in advance, especially during weekends, holidays and school breaks.
🚋 Don’t miss: NASA Tram Tours
🚗 Parking: $10 plus a service fee at the moment. Space Center Houston
🏨 Staying nearby? Find Hotels Near Space Center Houston
🚀 Want a guided experience? See Houston & NASA tours
Our Visit to Space Center Houston
Unfortunately, on the day we went a lot of other people were also checking the space center off their bucket list! Turns out, the week between Christmas and New Years is one of the worst times to visit the space center. It’s so bad they even have a permanent warning on their website when you purchase general admission tickets:
The four tram tours currently offered by the space center are the most sought-after attractions, so tickets tend to sell out quickly. Tickets for the Mission Control Tour were already sold out by the time I booked our entrance tickets (a couple of days ahead of time) so there was no chance of seeing that. And even though we arrived just an hour after opening, tickets for the Astronaut Training Facility tram tour were already sold out for the day.
Jacki’s Tip: Don’t make the mistake I did and wait until the last minute! Some of the NASA experiences have very limited availability. If Mission Control is important to you, book it when you purchase your admission.
So, that left Rocket Park, which was thankfully still available. After making it through the security line the first we were going to take a look around the main building before doing the tram tour, but a museum guide told us that we should do it first thing, because by afternoon the lines are crazy. And he was right – by lunch time the line for the tram tour was already about 2 hours long!
Rocket Park
During the tram ride from the visitors center to Rocket Park we heard a brief history and a few fun facts about the Johnson Space Center. We also got to see an alligator sitting along a ditch, which calls the Johnson Space Center home. After getting dropped off I looked around and thought “is this it?” There were a few rockets outside, but nothing extremely exciting. One was Little Joe II (1963-1955), which was used to test the Apollo/Saturn V launch escape system and isn’t so “little” and Mercury-Redstone (1960-1961), which was used to propel the first American astronauts into space.
However, once we entered the hanger I was overwhelmed by one of the most awe-inspiring displays I’ve seen in any museum. It’s one thing to see a Saturn V rocket blast off on movies and TV shows, but it’s another to see it in person. It’s massive!
Thankfully this was not a timed admission because I spent a lot of time time walking slowly along each side of the rocket, studying all the details and reading all the signs along the way explaining how all the stages of the rocket worked.
It was actually a little funny. We had recently finished watching the fantastic sci-fi TV show For All Mankind, an alternate history depicting what would have happened if Russia had put the first man on the moon and the space race never ended. It was such a great (and believable) series that we kept looking for references to the characters when reading the signs and displays on the wall highlighting the astronauts involved in each Apollo mission.
Even when my dad saw the photos I posted on Facebook he asked “Where is Gordo and Tracy’s statue?”
Independence Plaza
After making it back to the visitor center, we explored the Independence Plaza outdoor exhibit complex. It houses a real Boeing 747 aircraft with a replica Space Shuttle mounted on top.
The really cool thing is that both are open to the public! We first explored the interior of the NASA 905 aircraft, which has been turned into a mini museum, with a lot of exhibits and hands-on activities explaining the history NASA and space travel. We didn’t spend too much time in here as there were a lot of people in a small enclosed space.
Even though it was a replica and not a real shuttle, it was cool to see. And also makes you realize that interior of the shuttle is actually quite small compared to what is portrayed in TV shows and movies!
SpaceX Falcon 9
A little walk from the space shuttle display is a reusable SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This rocket, which was used on two missions back in 2017 was made by SpaceX. The rocket has landing legs (the dark gray things you see in the photo) that deploy as part of landing…just like in the movies!
There was also a flag display representing the flags of all the countries that have sent astronauts to the International Space Station. We thought that was pretty cool. Thankfully Peter and Emma were in a good mood to put up with my cheesy photo requests.
Main Visitor Building
After fueling up in the food court (pun intended!) we decided to walk about the main visitor building of the space center. Here there are several sections and exhibits and lot of it seemed to be geared towards children, but it still seemed interesting. However, the hoards of people were making it nearly impossible for us to look at the exhibits, let alone read any of the displays. We were able to walk around for a little while and take a few photos, but then we were just done with the crowds.
My favorite artifact were these space flowers. I thought they were super cute and sweet.
Space Center Houston Gift Shop
I’ll be honest – I love a good gift shop and the gift shop here at the space center, aptly called SpaceTrader, is definitely worth saving your pennies for. We ended up walking out with some cool tshirts and other souvenirs. I was slightly disappointed that they didn’t have many puzzles, though.
Can’t Get Enough Space History?
If you’re like me and visiting somewhere immediately makes you want to read everything you can about it, here are a few books about NASA and the space program worth adding to your reading list.
And Yes...We Bought the Cheesy Photos
Seeing Rocket Park was the highlight of our visit to the space center. Coming in at a close second was the cheesy photos we bought on our way out. I mean, look how awesome these things are!
What To Know Before You Go
A little planning can make a huge difference when visiting Space Center Houston. We learned that lesson the hard way by visiting during one of the busiest weeks of the year and waiting too long to plan our NASA tram tours. If I were planning our trip again, these are the things I would want to know before we arrived.
Buy Your Tickets Ahead of Time: I definitely recommend buying your Space Center Houston tickets online before your visit, especially if you’re visiting on a weekend, holiday or during a busy school break. Not only can popular dates get crowded, but buying your tickets ahead of time means one less thing to worry about when you arrive. Ticket prices can vary depending on the date, so check the Space Center Houston website for current admission prices and hours before your visit.
Plan Your NASA Tram Tours Before You Arrive: If there is one piece of advice I wish I had followed, it’s this one! Don’t wait until you arrive to start thinking about which NASA tram tours you want to take. We purchased our tickets just a few days before our visit, and by then the Historic Mission Control tour was already sold out.
Arrive Early: This is especially important if you want to take one of the free NASA tram tours with same-day boarding passes. Arriving early also gives you more time to explore before the museum gets busier. We visited between Christmas and New Year’s, so our experience was probably more crowded than a typical day, but by afternoon the main visitor center was absolutely packed.
Give Yourself Plenty of Time: Technically, you can see some of Space Center Houston in a couple of hours, but I wouldn’t recommend rushing through it. Plan on at least four hours for a first visit. If you’re a space-history nerd like me and want to explore the exhibits, see the Saturn V, visit Independence Plaza and take one or more NASA tram tours, I would give yourself most of the day. Space Center Houston recommends around four hours for a half-day visit and seven or more hours for a full-day experience. And yes, I would happily spend seven hours here.
Parking at Space Center Houston: Space Center Houston has on-site parking, making it easy to visit if you’re driving from Houston or taking a day trip from Galveston. Parking is currently $10 plus a service fee, but prices can change, so check the official website before your visit.
My Biggest Tip?
Don’t treat the NASA tram tours as an afterthought. I did, and it meant missing out on some of the things I most wanted to see. Decide what your must-do experiences are before you visit, make any advance reservations you can and then build the rest of your day around them. Don’t get me wrong, we still had a fantastic time, and finally seeing that Saturn V was worth the trip by itself, but next time I’m getting myself into Mission Control!
Where to Stay Near Space Center Houston
If Space Center Houston is one of the main reasons for your trip, staying nearby makes it much easier to get an early start, something I definitely recommend if you want the best chance of getting on the NASA tram tours.
Use the map below to compare hotels near Space Center Houston or expand the search if you’re planning to spend some time exploring the rest of Houston.
More Things to Do in Houston
Space Center Houston may have been the main reason for our visit, but there is plenty more to see around Houston. If you’re turning your visit into a longer Texas getaway, these tours and experiences are worth checking out.
Visiting More Houston Attractions?
If Space Center Houston isn’t your only stop, it may be worth comparing individual admission prices with the Houston CityPASS before buying your tickets.
Check Houston CityPASS prices → Click Here
Is Space Center Houston Worth Visiting?
For me? Absolutely.
Seeing the Saturn V alone was one of those museum experiences I’ll never forget. Photos simply don’t prepare you for how enormous it is when you’re standing beside it.
Our visit wasn’t perfect. We went during one of the busiest weeks of the year, missed two of the NASA tours I wanted to take and eventually admitted defeat when the crowds became too much.
But I would still go back in a heartbeat. We would just do things a little different next time!
Are you a fellow space-history nerd? Save this guide for your Houston trip and follow me on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok or more museums, aviation history and other places worth visiting.
Pingback: Our Visit to Moody Gardens Aquarium in Galveston - Jacki Goes Places