HOUSTON – Chug along on a train that takes you through a massive shark tank, climb aboard a wooden playground packed with replica trains or chow down on some of the Bayou City’s best seafood in an actual rail car. Whatever you do on this list, you and your kiddos are guaranteed to have a trainload of fun.

Train rides

Downtown Aquarium Shark Train

Feeling adventurous? Hop aboard the C.P. Huntington train and take a ride through a 200,000-gallon shark tank packed with the ocean’s most majestic predator. Adults must accompany and kiddos under 42 inches tall.

410 Bagby St, Houston, TX 77002

Hermann Park Railroad

Ride the rails through Hermann Park. This train takes a 2-mile, 18-minute journey through one of Houston’s most beloved parks. The train departs from Kinder Station every 25 to 30 minutes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Take a round-trip adventure through the park or stop at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Rice University or the Buddy Carruth Playground for All Children. Adults must accompany kids 12 years old and younger.

6102 Hermann Park Dr, Houston, TX 77030

Free rides with Houston Area Live Steamers

This nonprofit run by train enthusiasts builds live steam locomotives. The club and its members own more than 30 locomotives and 100 train cars. On the third Saturday of each month, the group offers free train rides to the public. The group has a car designed for standard-width wheelchairs.

Playgrounds

The Heights Playground at Donovan Park

This Heights-area playground features a railroad theme. This wooden fortress boasts boxcars, a locomotive, rope bridges and more.

700 Heights Blvd, Houston, TX 77007

Woodland Park

This playground near the Woodland Community Center features a replica of a streetcar. Let your little engineer or conductor climb aboard and play on it then head to the playground, where you’ll find swings, a teeter totter and a jungle gym.

212 Parkview, Houston, TX 77009

Main Street Indoor Park

Perfect for rainy days, this indoor park at First Methodist Houston is designed for children age 5 and under has a train-shaped jungle gym.

1320 Main St, Houston, TX 77002

Museums

Galveston Railroad Museum

Hop on the Harborside Express for a 15-minute train ride on an open-air caboose and then take a trip through the museum. Enjoy a model train exhibit, a close look at two F-7 locomotives referred to as Santa Fe Warbonnets or take stroll through the Garden of Steam.

2602 Santa Fe Pl, Galveston, TX 77550

Rosenberg Railroad Museum

Get a glimpse of a miniature Historic Rosenberg, explore a Missouri Pacific caboose, walk through a 19th-century rail car and more at this railroad museum.

1921 Avenue F, Rosenberg, TX 77471

Restaurants

The Loose Caboose

Order your food in an actual rail car at this Old Spring barbecue joint about an hour's drive from downtown Houston. With fun offerings like boxcar nachos, steam engine fries and the caboose burger, your lil’ jr. conductor will have a blast ordering off the menu.

26403 Preston Ave, Spring, TX 77373

Goode Company Seafood

Parents with kids who have a love for locomotives and under-the-sea eats should head to the original Goode Company Seafood restaurant for a one-of-a-kind rail car dining experience.

2621 Westpark Dr, Houston, TX 77098

More

Union Station Lobby at Minute Maid Park

On game day, the drama unfolding out on the field often overshadows historic features of Minute Maid Park like the Union Station. Originally constructed in 1911 to serve Houston’s rail customers, the lobby now serves as the grand entrance to Minute Maid Park. The next time you go to a game, take a moment to teach your kids about the building’s history or get an in-depth lesson on the station’s background on a Minute Maid Ballpark tour.

501 Crawford St, Houston, TX 77002

Papa Ben’s Train Place

Take your burgeoning model train hobbyist to the Bayou’s City’s oldest model train store. Here, you’ll find a massive inventory of starter sets, engines, freight and passenger cars, scenery materials, books and more.

4007 Bellaire Blvd E, Houston, TX 77025