🔒Insiders: Glow-in-the-dark magic you can find across Texas

HOUSTON – When you’re a kid, things that glow in the dark are the best things.

Heck, who are we kidding – glow in the dark things never lose their allure.

Give me that glow stick, kid!

With that spirit in mind, we’ve rounded up the best of the best that Texas has to offer that glow (or light up) in the dark.

Kayaks, rowboats and paddleboards at night

Paddle SMTX captivated us with its fun, bright way to enjoy the night life of San Marcos River out on a clear kayak that lights up. But since that story was published here, we were been exposed to this beautiful lit-up world of nighttime boating, some other companies have come to our attention with a similar concept. Glow Row has multiple locations around Southeast Texas, including Port O’Connor, Rockport, Port Aransas, North Padre Island, and Corpus Christi.

Glow-in-the dark run is a foam wonderland

Foam Glow Run Houston is scheduled to be held on July 23. The event will be held at Three Palms Action Sports Park in Conroe. The race organizers explain the experience this way: “Along the up to 5K running path you will find Foam Glow 5K Zones, which are associated with a designated color: orange, pink, or green. As the runners/walkers reach the Foam Glow 5K Zones, They will run through different color foam that Glows in the Dark under our high intensity black lights. All products are 100% natural and non-toxic. At the end of the race there will be a Foam Glow 5K after party filled with music pumping from the stage, Foam Glow 5K and tons of black lights! Every registered runner gets a Foam Glow 5K event T-shirt, race bib, temporary tattoo and a finishers medal.”

Get the details for this year’s race here.

Light up slides

In recent years, Typhoon Texas has lit up its massive slides for big events like July 4, Astros’ wins and special occasions like its Glow Night.

Cave explorations with glow-in-the-dark surprises

There are plenty of amazing options to take in the caves of Texas, but there are a few sights to behold that we’d like to mention that are particularly fun for the glow-in-the-dark fan.

At Natural Bridge Caverns, there’s a Christmas Lantern Tour that’s held in the mornings around the holidays. It’s the first tour of the day and visitors are invited to explore the Natural Bridge Cavern’s Discovery Passages illuminated only by the light of a cave lantern, just like the original discoverers did decades ago.

“Travel down the winding passages of this San Antonio attraction and be amazed how the incredible and rare formations of the cavern reveal themselves in room after dazzling room,” the website reads. “Towering stone monuments. Glistening, delicate soda straws. Waves of colorful cave ribbons. You’ll feel like you’re one of the first people to experience Texas’ largest and most spectacular underground cavern.”

Other caves appear to glow in the dark. At Inner Space in Georgetown. Texas. As OnlyinYourState noted, skip ahead to 3:39 and 11:39 in the video below to view the walls appearing to glow in the dark.

Planetarium adventures

Travel through the cosmos as high-resolution video technology projects images of planets, stars, meteors, solar systems and entire galaxies on the domed surface of the Burke Baker Planetarium. Here are the shows currently running or on the way at the planetarium.

Here’s just one example of the shows you can see. Trippy, no?

“Pink Floyd’s legendary album returns, enhanced by all of the capacities of the museum’s high-definition, full-dome video system. Fantastic sound and incredible images create an unforgettable experience. It’s not just a laser show, it’s a totally new digital revolution in sight and sound—surrounding you, immersing you, losing you in the Dark Side of the Moon. This unique video experience is provided by Starlight Productions.”

Glow-in-the-dark cosmic bowling

Bowlero cosmic bowling has fun black light bowling at its Houston-area locations, and then there’s interactive bowling with interactive light-up experiences like Unreal Bowling at Del Mar Lanes. See the fun in the video below.

Airboat adventure in the dark

Go on a two-hour airboat adventure in the dark swamps of Texas near Orange, Texas near the Louisiana border. Captain Sallie Floyd, owner of Dragon Lady Airboats for 34 years, takes people out as the sun sets and gives the night-adventurous a look at alligators and frogs that come out to play in the swamp.

“Imagine cruising through the swamp on an awesome airboat as the sun is setting,” the website reads. “You get to see the swamp at dusk and into the night.”

Up to six people can take the private $450 tour.

Floyd told KPRC 2 in addition to alligators and frogs, hogs, nutria, birds, turtles, and lovely swamp flowers are also common to see on the tour. “It’s kind of spooky and really beautiful,” Floyd said, adding that the tour includes education about the swamp, its wildlife, history and conservation. “It’s a bucket list trip.”

Glow and golf

Miniature golf is more fun in the dark -- with glowing elements of course. There are plenty of options in the Houston area for getting in on the fun: Shankz in The Woodlands, Palava in Spring, Track 21 Houston Indoor Go Karting & More in northwest Houston and Main Event in Webster.

What would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments.

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