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-treating begins 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 to monstrous meet-and-greets, mad science, and DJ dance parties, the BOO!seum has a 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!

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Halloween Countdown:Costumes, Crafts & Creepy Creations

Saturday, Oct. 3

Kick off the Halloween season at CMH with a day of spooky creativity, costume fun and Halloween-themed activities. Families can transform their looks, create festive crafts, enjoy a Thriller dance 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 the mess 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-kind Halloween costume using your imagination and crafting skills.  When: From 1 to 4 p.m. in Alexander Design Studio.

• 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 Halloween accessory 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.

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Grosstopia

Saturday, Oct. 10

Sponsored by INVISTA
Get ready for a night of creepy crawly discoveries, gross-out challenges and creative science. Meet unusual animals, test your taste buds, explore thermoplastic and learn fascinating facts about insects.

• Meet CreepyCrawlers: Get up close with fascinating 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 a jelly 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.
• Create Thermoplastic Bugs: Shape and mold thermoplastic into your own colorful creepy-crawly creature while exploring this unusual material.  When:  All day in INVISTA Science Station.

• Discover Madagascar Hissing Roaches: Get an up-close look at Madagascar hissing roaches and discover fascinating facts about these unusual insects.  When: All day in CenterPoint EcoStation.

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

• Join Space Mission: Team work!: Help two space explorers solve a problem through communication, cooperation and teamwork, even when they don’t speak the same language. When:  From 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Parent Resource Library.

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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, search for 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 ghostly holograms 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 and enjoy 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.

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Potions, Brews and Oozefeat. Hocus Pocus!

Sunday, Oct. 18

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

• “Hocus Pocus” Inspired Meet-and-Greet:  Meet the magical sisters of “Hocus Pocus” and snap a spooky Halloween pic with these witches. When:  Roaming from 10 a.m. to 2p.m.
• American Chemistry Society:  Explore hands-on chemistry experiments incelebration of National Chemistry Week. When:  From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. inKids’ Hall Alcove.
• Experiment with Mad Science Shows: Watchexciting demonstrations which combine fun, learning and jaw-droppingexperiments.  When:  At 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Brown Auditorium.
• Explore BASF 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.
• Mix Up Fizzy Reactions: Create bubbling,fizzing reactions while discovering the chemistry behind the spooky science.  When: All day in INVISTA Science Station.
• Make a Peace Potion: Create a calming jar with Halloween colors and watch glitter and colors swirl before settling into a mesmerizing potion. While supplies last.
• When:  All dayin Chevron Maker Annex.
• Craft a Mad Scientist Wig: Make your hair stand on end with your very own mad scientist wig.  When: All day at the Kids’ Hall Activity Table.

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Trick or Treat! Wicked Weekend

Saturday and Sunday, Oct.24 and 25

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

• Go Trick or Treating: Visit five different candy stations throughout the Museum and get into the Halloween spirit.  When:  All day around the Museum.
• Build FrankenToys: Mix, match and reimagine toy parts to create your own one-of-a-kind monster toy.  When: All day in Chevron Maker Lab.
• Design a Haunted House: Use creativity and problem-solving skills to design and build your very own haunted house.  When: All day in Chevron Maker Annex.
• Create a Ghastly Face: Use washable face crayons to design a fun, silly or frightfully fantastic Halloween look.  When: All day in Alexander Design Studio.

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Gabby’s Dollhouse MEOWseum 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 day featuring a special Meet & Greet with Gabby, hands-on activities, and plenty of imaginative play inspired by Fairylandia! Come and meet Gabby every day.  Additional highlights include:

• 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.

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Happy House!

Free Family Night Thursday, 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 most boo-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.

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Halloween Monster Mayhem  

Saturday, Oct. 31, open late 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!

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

• Create Thermoplastic 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.

• Meet Frankenstein: Say hello to Frankenstein on stilts and snap a fun Halloween photo with one of the holiday’s most iconic monsters.  When:  From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Kids’ Hall.
• Make Monster Stuffies: Create your , 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.

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

• Dance with DJ Beetlejuice: Get into the Halloween spirit with festive tunes spun by DJ Beetlejuice.  When: From 4 to 8 p.m. in Kids’ Hall Alcove.
• Get Your Face Painted: Transform in to your favorite creature or character with Halloween face painting.  When: From 4 to 8 p.m. in One World.
• Design Monster 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 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, winner of Good Housekeeping’s “Best Family Travel Award” four years in a row (2023 to 2026), voted “Houston’s Best Museum” in Houston Chronicle’s Best of the Best Awards two years in a row (2023and 2024), winner of Tripadvisor “2024 Travelers’ Choice Awards,” only American continent finalist in 2023 Hands On! Children in Museums International Award, listed among Forbes, LA Times and USA Today’s “Best Children’s Museums in the U.S.,” The Culture Trip’s “Top Museum and Landmark to Visit in Houston” and one of “Houston’s Must-See Museums” by Travel Channel, Children’s Museum Houston isa Playground for Your Mind™.  It is dedicated to improving the trajectories of children in Greater Houston through innovative, child-centered learning. Founded in 1980 and housed in a whimsical building designed by internationally acclaimed architect Robert Venturi, Children’s Museum Houston offers a multitude of innovative exhibits and bilingual 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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