This past Thanksgiving week, my wife and I accompanied our son, his wife and their three young children for a visit to the Space Center. There is probably not a better place in the world to reconnect with those glory days of the Mercury, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. The center is easy to access with adequate, inexpensive ($5) parking, even during holiday periods. Once you arrive, you simply buy your tickets at one of the several ticket booths. Discounts are generous for military, veterans and seniors. Once tickets are purchased, you have to go through a short security line to get inside the building. Be forewarned, if you are a photographer you will be turned back if you have any lens that is longer than 3 inches. I am not sure about the rationale for that specific size, but my 4" Canon "L" series lens caused me a long walk back to my vehicle. Once inside the center, it is a bit of sensory overload. Exhibits are scattered throughout every open area of the building. While signage is generally good, it's hard to know where to start if you have not carefully planned your trip. The two major attractions, the Saturn V rocket and the Mission Control Center, both require obtaining an additional free ticket to ride a shuttle to the locations, and wait lines for these attractions are longer than the lines to purchase the main tickets. My advice is to arrive early and get your shuttle tickets first before checking out the other exhibits. Be prepared to spend several hours if you want more than a cursory look at any of the exhibits. If you have small school age children, there are a number of interactive displays to interest them, but some of the displays are actually a little too high for smaller kids to see, There is quite a lot to see and do for anyone of any age; anything under 2-3 hours would not do it justice. The Houston Space Center is worth the investment of at least a half day, or multiple visits. If you can avoid the major holiday seasons, do so - it may make your overall experience a little less frenetic!!! 5 Stars - Highly Recommended!!!