Enjoy a rewarding Houston, Texas vacation with the whole family and choose the hotel in downtown Houston that gets you closest to all the top family attractions, the Crowne Plaza Houston Downtown Hotel. Located only minutes from the esteemed Houston Museum District where you'll find the Houston Museum of Natural Science and many others, we offer the most family-friendly amenities among downtown Houston hotels. Enjoy free high-speed Internet in every room, on-site car rental and a complimentary area shuttle to help you get around with ease.  Check our Houston hotel deals and packages.

Houston Museum of Natural Science

The most beloved of all Houston, TX museums and one of the most highly-attended in the country, the Houston Museum of Science commands equal prestige as the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., and it's located less than three miles from our Houston, Texas hotel's front door. A sprawling complex in Hermann Park, the HMNS displays hundreds of artifacts over dozens of exhibits, including a number of high-profile guest exhibits.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science began humbly in 1909 with no aspirations that it would become the revered institution it is today. In fact, for the first twenty years of its existence, it didn't even have its own building, instead sharing space in the city auditorium. As the collection grew, however, so too did attendance, and today the HMNS has not only an expansive complex in Hermann Park, it has seen the addition of the Wortham IMAX® Theatre, the Burke Baker Planetarium and the Cockrell Butterfly Center.

The museum attracts over 2 million visitors annually on the strength of its many exhibits, both permanent and temporary. Travel millions of years into the past at the Hall of Paleontology, where you'll see 450 fossils and fossil replicas of creatures from the lowliest trilobite to the monstrous T-Rex. If you're more interested in applicable science, visit the Wiess Energy Hall, featuring a broad floor of interactive, edutaining exhibits following energy from the oil field to the home. You'll also discover exhibits on space science, chemistry, Texas wildlife, mineral science and many more, not to mention the fascinating presentations at the IMAX® and Planetarium.

Regular adult admission at the HMNS is $15. There may be an additional charge for IMAX®, Planetarium and Butterfly Center presentations as well as for special or traveling exhibitions. The museum offers free admission to permanent exhibits on Tuesdays from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, visit the Web site.

Choose a convenient Houston, TX lodging that's ideal for the whole family and explore the endless delights of one of the most fascinating museums in Houston, Texas.