Things to see in Houston

An opportunity to experience an underwater world brimming with hundreds of exotic species in naturalistic ecosystems, all from the safety of the Shark Voyage train which travels through the middle of the tank. Sea life is recreated around various exhibits of different habitats, including a sunken galleon, a coral reef, the Amazon rainforest and the swamplands of Louisiana. There's also is a wonderful white tiger exhibit and a number of funfair rides, all with a marine theme.

Sun-Thurs 1000-2100, Fri and Sat 1000-2300.

Yes

A fascinating museum, the Health Museum (at the world-renowned Texas Medical Center) gives an exciting tour of the human body in the Jim Hickox Amazing Body Pavilion, with huge sculptures of human organs including a 3m- (10ft-) tall walk-through brain and a 7m- (22ft-) long backbone with ribs descending from the ceiling to the floor. There is also a large walk-in eyeball that demonstrates how the eye receives and perceives images, as well as plenty of hands-on and interactive exhibits that explore how the body works and how to stay healthy and a 4D theatre.

Tues, Wed, Fri and Sat 0900-1700 (also open Mondays from Memorial Day to Labour Day), Thurs 0900-1900, Sun 1200-1700.

Yes; free for families Thurs 1400-1700.

The Sam Houston Historical Park contains a collection of restored historic buildings - including houses, a church and a reconstructed row of shops. The buildings have been collected together on this site, to go with the 1847 Kellum-Noble House, the oldest house in Houston. The latest addition to the collection is the Baker Family Playhouse built in Greek Revival style. These historic buildings set against the sleek city skyscrapers make for a great photo opportunity. The only way to see the houses is on one of the regular guided tours.

Guided tours Tues-Sat 1000, 1130, 1300 and 1430, Sun 1300 and 1430; museum Tue-Sat 1000-1600, Sun 1300-1600.

No (except for historical house tours)

This museum contains an impressive collection of natural exhibits. Highlights include the Cockrell Butterfly Center - filled with butterflies and tropical plants and featuring a 21m (40ft) waterfall, a rainforest environment, a planetarium and permanent exhibitions of dinosaur skeletons. There is also an IMAX theatre, a stunning collection of gems and minerals, a four-screen video wall about the wildlife of Texas, the interactive Discovery Place where children can investigate science in action and the Foucault pendulum which demonstrates the Earth's rotation.

Opening times: Mon and Wed-Sun 0900-1700, Tues 0900-2000. Butterfly Center daily 0900-1700. Times vary for the planetarium and IMAX.

Yes

The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, established in 1948, is housed in an award-winning contemporary all-metal structure. It displays new and recent works from the last 40 years, by regional, national and international contemporary artists. Exhibitions have included the works of the avant-garde artist Yoko Ono, black conceptual art, the influence of comics in contemporary art and the art of punk high-priestess Patti Smith. As a non-collecting museum it puts on dynamic ever-changing exhibitions, exemplifying the relationship between contemporary art and society, through various media including paintings, films and sculptures.

Wed and Fri 1100-1700, Thurs 1000-2100, Sat and Sun 1100-1800.

No

The National Museum of Funeral History houses memorabilia from the funerals of celebrity figures, such as John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Judy Garland, John Wayne and Elvis Presley. The collection also includes the original equipment for the John F Kennedy Eternal Flame, which was used between 1967 and 1998, a funeral sleigh, a Packard mourning bus, a collection of fantasy coffins from Ghana, ranging in shape from a chicken and a leopard to an airplane, and an exhibit featuring the lives and deaths of popes.

Mon-Fri 1000-1600, Sat and Sun 1200-1600.

Yes