So we decided to see the Space Center because they were doing a special where the military and first responders get in for free during November 2018. All we had to do was show proof at the window; this was not available online. In person tickets weren’t a problem though as the Space Center opens at 10 and the ticket booths open at 0930.
For those who are unfamiliar, the space center is close to League City, Texas which is close to Houston. Plan your drive accordingly as Houston traffic is one of the world’s great cities for congestion and its accompanying stupidity. We got there at 9ish and had our choice of parking. The Space Center’s website stated parking is $5, but when we got there, there wasn’t anybody at the parking booth. Your mileage may vary. We also decided not to do the Houston city tour based on some of the reviews we had read about it, nor the city pass based on our timeline.
Once the gates opened up we headed straight for the trams to get it out of the way. We recommend that you do the same as the lines looked like feeding time at the zoo after noon. There are two trams that take you to different parts of the center. One goes to a training/robotics building, and the other goes to mission control. Of the two we enjoyed the training/robotics area the most. There was more to see & learn about, although it’s viewed from an observation window. Mission control is viewed from seating behind the glass and was a training version of the real McCoy. Both trams end up in a building where there is a full scale Saturn V rocket with everything there except the Lunar Module. The display is most impressive and pictures/films simply don’t do it justice. The stages are separated so you can see what’s between them. Outside of this building is a Mercury-Redstone and a small version of the Saturn used for escape rocket/capsule testing.
Inside the center itself is also very interesting with lots to do and see to include Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space capsules. There is also the Shuttle Independence atop a 747 carrier plane that one can tour through.
We liked the space center and if you’re a space buff we think you would like it as well.