Best Family Vacations in Texas
12 family destinations across Texas, ranked by what actually matters to families with kids — quality of pool/beach access, walkability, kids' programming, and honest cost. 25 editorial property picks below.
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Destinations in Texas
San Antonio
4 picksRiverwalk, SeaWorld, Six Flags, and Alamo in walking distance
Galveston
3 picksTexas Gulf Coast escape with Schlitterbahn waterpark
- Katie Haugland Brown / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Houston
3 picksSpace Center Houston + Children's Museum + Houston Zoo — family base for the Texas Gulf Coast
- Satx usa / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
South Padre Island
3 picksSchlitterbahn Waterpark + emerald Gulf + family condos — Texas Gulf family island
- Quintin Soloviev / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Austin
2 picksLake Travis + Thinkery + family hotels on South Congress
- Michael from Minnesota (@Michael) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Big Bend
2 picksMost remote US NP in lower 48 — Rio Grande river trips + Santa Elena Canyon + winter-best Texas family wilderness
- Matthew T Rader / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Dallas
2 picksPerot Museum + Six Flags + arboretum + Marriott family suites
- Quintin Soloviev / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Port Aransas
2 picksThe real Texas beach town — Gulf surf, dolphin cruises, and walkable vacation rentals on Mustang Island
- Quintin Soloviev / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Corpus Christi
1 pickTexas Gulf Coast beach with Padre Island National Seashore, the Texas State Aquarium, and affordable family resorts
Grapevine
1 pickGreat Wolf Lodge + LEGOLAND Discovery Center + Grapevine Lake — DFW's top family-resort suburb
Lost Pines
1 pickHyatt Regency Lost Pines on the Colorado River — Central Texas's only full-service family resort in a longleaf pine forest
Round Rock
1 pickKalahari Texas (the largest US indoor waterpark resort) and Dell Diamond — Austin's family-resort north suburb
What kind of trip works in Texas
We've indexed resort, rental, beachResort, hotel, vacation-rental stays across Texas. Pick a destination above for editorial picks, or use the advisor to get matched to a destination based on your kids' ages and budget.