HOUSTON (Sept. 29, 2026) – Ghosts, ghouls, and giggles unite! Children’sMuseum Houston (CMH) is bubbling over with frightfully fun activities as ittransforms into the BOO!seum from now through Oct. 31, 2026. For awhole month, families can creep it real with daily Halloween magic, mystery,monsters and more, all leading to an epic Halloween Night extravaganza withthe Museum open until 8 p.m.

Make no bones about it:this is the Halloween hub for kids in Houston. Safe trick-or-treatingbegins Oct. 22, with candy stations throughout the Museum on Thursdays(4 to 8 p.m.), Saturdays and Sundays (all day) and on Halloween (9 a.m. to 8p.m.)

From creepy crafts tomonstrous meet-and-greets, mad science, and DJ dance parties, the BOO!seum hasa cauldron full of thrills to keep the whole family under its spell.

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Highlights include:

• Pumpkincarving, movie makeup and “Thriller”dance on Saturday, Oct. 3.
• Madagascarhissing roaches and owl pelletdissections on Saturday, Oct. 10.
• Texas Bubblers’ WonderfulWorld of Bubbles on Thursday, Oct. 15.
• PuppetPizzazz’s Shadow Puppet Show onThursday and Friday, Oct. 15 and 16.
• DJ Betelgeuse and Houston Ghostbusters on Saturday, Oct. 17.
• Meet the magicalsisters of “Hocus Pocus” on Sunday, Oct. 18.
• Enjoy 3 daysof Gabby’s Dollhouse with MEOWseum Discovery Days tour, Oct. 23 to 25.
• Trick-or-treattill 8 p.m. on Halloween night!

SPECIAL EVENTS - WEEKLYWICKED FUN!

Halloween Countdown:Costumes, Crafts & Creepy Creations

Saturday, Oct. 3

Kick off the Halloweenseason at CMH with a day of spooky creativity, costume fun and Halloween-themedactivities. Families can transform their looks, create festive crafts, enjoy a Thrillerdance performance and more.

• Transform with Movie Make-Up: Learn spooky special effects and creative makeup techniques to transform into a Halloween character and complete your costume look.  When:  From 9 a.m. to noon in Alexander DesignStudio.

• Create a Pumpkin Masterpiece: Make your own glowing pumpkin without themess of traditional carving. Limit 12 participants at a time; ages 7+ and while supplies last. When: From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Chevron Maker Lab.

• Craft a Paper Bag Costume: Turn a simple paper bag into a one-of-a-kindHalloween costume using your imagination and crafting skills.  When: From 1 to 4 p.m. in Alexander DesignStudio.

• Learn the “Thriller” Dance: Watch Prodigy 17 Dance Company perform Thriller,then stick around to learn the moves yourself. When: At 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in Brown Auditorium.

• Design DIY Costumes: Experiment with plastic fusion techniques to create a unique Halloweenaccessory or costume piece.  When:  All day in INVISTA Science Station.
• Craft Spookley: Create your own paper craft version of Spookley the Square Pumpkin. When:  All day at the Kids’ Hall Activity Tables.

Grosstopia

Saturday, Oct. 10

Sponsored by INVISTA
Get ready for anight of creepy crawly discoveries, gross-out challenges and creative science. Meetunusual animals, test your taste buds, explore thermoplastic and learnfascinating facts about insects.

• Meet CreepyCrawlers: Get up close withfascinating creepy-crawly animals and learn surprising facts about thecreatures around us.  When:  From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Tree Top.
• Take the JellyBean Challenge: Dare to bite into ajelly bean and discover whether you get a tasty treat or a nasty-tasting trick.  When: From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in New Kids’ Hall.
• CreateThermoplastic Bugs: Shape and moldthermoplastic into your own colorful creepy-crawly creature while exploringthis unusual material.  When:  All day in INVISTA Science Station.

• DiscoverMadagascar Hissing Roaches: Get anup-close look at Madagascar hissing roaches and discover fascinating factsabout these unusual insects.  When:  All day in CenterPoint EcoStation.

• ExploreHalloween Mystery Boxes: Use yourhands to investigate spooky mystery boxes and guess what’s hiding inside.  When: All day in INVISTA Science Station.
• Makea Cockroach Hand Puppet: Create your own creepy crawly paper puppet and put ona spooky show.  When:  All day at the Kids’ Hall Activity Tables.
• Build ScarySpider Webs: Weave a spooky spiderweb using craft sticks and yarn. When:All day at the Kids’ Hall Activity Tables.

• Join SpaceMission: Teamwork!: Help two spaceexplorers solve a problem through communication, cooperation and teamwork, evenwhen they don’t speak the same language. When:  From 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. inthe Parent Resource Library.

Boo-Yah! Its’s a Ghost!

Thursday to Saturday, Oct.15 to 17

Bring Halloween to life with ghostly experiments, crafts, performancesand scavenger hunts. Families can create holograms, make glowing paint, searchfor hidden ghosts and enjoy shadow puppetry throughout the weekend.  Highlights include:  

• Thursday,Oct. 15: Join us to explore thewonderful world of bubbles with Texas Bubblers at 5 p.m., create ghostlyholograms and watch a magical shadow puppet show with Puppet Pizzazz at 6:30p.m.
• Friday,Oct. 16: Create ghostly holograms,make luminescent paint, search for hidden ghosts, craft a spooky BOO!kmark andenjoy a shadow puppet show with Puppet Pizzazz at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• Saturday,Oct. 17: Meet DJ Betelgeusefor spooky games from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., keep an eye out for HoustonGhostbusters, and enjoy ghostly holograms, glowing paint, a scavenger huntand more.

Potions, Brews and Oozefeat. Hocus Pocus!

Sunday, Oct. 18

Sponsored by BASF
Dive into a dayof mad science, slimy experiments and colorful creations. Watch excitingdemonstrations, explore polymers and make your own glowing creations andcalming potion jars.

• “HocusPocus” Inspired Meet-and-Greet:  Meet the magical sisters of “Hocus Pocus” andsnap a spooky Halloween pic with these witches. When:  Roaming from 10 a.m. to 2p.m.
• AmericanChemistry Society:  Explore hands-on chemistry experiments incelebration of National Chemistry Week. When:  From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. inKids’ Hall Alcove.
• Experimentwith Mad Science Shows: Watchexciting demonstrations which combine fun, learning and jaw-droppingexperiments.  When:  At 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Brown Auditorium.
• ExploreBASF Labs Spooky Polymers: Mix commonhousehold ingredients to discover how polymers behave and create your ownslimy, glowing creation to take home.
• Recommendedfor ages 6+. When:  At 10:30 a.m., 1 and3 p.m. in Power Science Lab.
• MixUp Fizzy Reactions: Create bubbling,fizzing reactions while discovering the chemistry behind the spooky science.  When: All day in INVISTA Science Station.
• Makea Peace Potion: Create a calming jarwith Halloween colors and watch glitter and colors swirl before settling into amesmerizing potion. While supplies last.
• When:  All dayin Chevron Maker Annex.
• Crafta Mad Scientist Wig: Make your hairstand on end with your very own mad scientist wig.  When: All day at the Kids’ Hall Activity Table.

Trick or Treat! WickedWeekend

Saturday and Sunday, Oct.24 and 25

Celebrate Halloween with candy, creative challenges and festive craftsthroughout the Museum. Visit candy stations, build haunted houses, createmonster toys and transform yourself with spooky face designs.

• GoTrick or Treating: Visit fivedifferent candy stations throughout the Museum and get into the Halloweenspirit.  When:  All day around the Museum.
• BuildFrankenToys: Mix, match and reimaginetoy parts to create your own one-of-a-kind monster toy.  When: All day in Chevron Maker Lab.
• Designa Haunted House: Use creativity andproblem-solving skills to design and build your very own haunted house.  When: All day in Chevron Maker Annex.
• Createa Ghastly Face: Use washable facecrayons to design a fun, silly or frightfully fantastic Halloween look.  When: All day in Alexander Design Studio.

Gabby’s DollhouseMEOWseum Discovery Days

Friday to Sunday, Oct.23 to 25

In collaboration withDreamWorks Animation and the Association of Children’s Museums

Get ready, Houston! Children's Museum Houston is thrilled to welcome back Gabby's Dollhouse MEOWseum Discovery Days for a second year! Join us for a fairy-tastic dayfeaturing a special Meet & Greet with Gabby, hands-on activities, andplenty of imaginative play inspired by Fairylandia! ‍Come and meet Gabbyevery day.  Additional highlightsinclude:

• Friday,Oct. 23:  Move and groove along to favorite Gabby’sDollhouse songs in a fun Gabby Zumbini musical movement experience forlittle ones!
• Saturday,Oct. 24:  Get ready to dance, sing, and move to themusic at a high-energy Gabby’s Dollhouse dance party with DJ Tyler!  
• Sunday,Oct. 25:   Enjoy favorite episodes of Gabby’s Dollhouse playingthroughout the day! Plus, design cat stuffies and go on a cat scavenger hunt.

Happy House!

Free Family NightThursday, Oct. 29, from 5 to 8 p.m.

In partnership with RadioONE

Get ready for a Halloween party made for kids! Dance to hauntingly hiptunes from Radio ONE’s DJs, meet monstrous characters and show off your mostboo-tiful or frightfully freaky costumes.

• Dance at Happy House: Howl at the moon and boogie around the Museum with Radio ONE’s wicked DJs and monstrous characters. Costumes are encouraged! When:  From 5 to 8 p.m. around the Museum.

• Trick or Treat: Visit five different candy stationsthroughout the Museum and celebrate Halloween with sweet surprises.  When: From 4 to 8 p.m. around the Museum.

Last entry is at 7:45p.m.

Halloween MonsterMayhem  

Saturday, Oct. 31, openlate till 8 p.m.!

Celebrate Halloween with a monster-filled day of creativity, science,crafts and festive fun. Trick-or-treat, make monsters, meet Frankenstein,explore bubble science and dance to Halloween jams!

• GoTrick or Treating: Visit five different candy stations in celebration of Halloween. When:  All day all day throughout the Museum.

• CreateThermoplastic Monsters: Transform thermoplastic beads into Halloween creatures while exploring the science of reversible physical changes. When:  From 9 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 8 p.m. in INVISTAScience Station.

• MeetFrankenstein: Say hello toFrankenstein on stilts and snap a fun Halloween photo with one of the holiday’smost iconic monsters.  When:  From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Kids’ Hall.
• MakeMonster Stuffies: Create your owncuddly, silly monster to take home and celebrate Halloween. Limit 12participants at a time; recommended for ages 3+. When:  From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Alexander DesignStudio.

• ExploreBubble Science: Test, create andobserve bubbles up close through interactive science activities and experiments.  When:  From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in INVISTA ScienceStation.

• Dancewith DJ Beetlejuice: Get into theHalloween spirit with festive tunes spun by DJ Beetlejuice.  When: From 4 to 8 p.m. in Kids’ Hall Alcove.
• GetYour Face Painted: Transform intoyour favorite creature or character with Halloween face painting.  When: From 4 to 8 p.m. in One World.
• DesignMonster Headbands: Create your ownunique monster headband to wear for Halloween. When:  All day at the Kids’Hall Activity Tables.

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ABOUT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM HOUSTON

Winner of 2024 NationalMedal for Museum and Library Service, winner of Good Housekeeping’s “BestFamily Travel Award” four years in a row (2023 to 2026), voted “Houston’s BestMuseum” in Houston Chronicle’s Best of the Best Awards two years in a row (2023and 2024), winner of Tripadvisor “2024 Travelers’ Choice Awards,” only Americancontinent finalist in 2023 Hands On! Children in Museums International Award,listed among Forbes, LA Times and USA Today’s “Best Children’s Museums in theU.S.,” The Culture Trip’s “Top Museum and Landmark to Visit in Houston” and oneof “Houston’s Must-See Museums” by Travel Channel, Children’s Museum Houston isa Playground for Your Mind™.  It isdedicated to improving the trajectories of children in Greater Houston throughinnovative, child-centered learning. Founded in 1980 and housed in a whimsicalbuilding designed by internationally acclaimed architect Robert Venturi,Children’s Museum Houston offers a multitude of innovative exhibits andbilingual learning programs for kids ages birth to 12 years. The Museum is a501(c)(3) organization. For more information, visit www.cmhouston.org or call (713) 522-1138.  Can your mind come out to play?™

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