Field Trip Foto Friday: Houston Ship Channel Tour

The Houston Ship Channel (Port of Houston) is one of the busiest ports in the world. We took our field trip to the ship channel while we were studying about sunken ships. An added bonus to this field trip is the fact that it is FREE. It was fun to see all the ships and flags along the channel. The kids really enjoyed being on the boat. It was hard to get Kaden to leave the back seat near the sound of the rushing water.

I would suggest taking a country flag chart if you go so that you can figure out where each cargo ship is from. We went on a overcast day, and it was in the fall (and from what I hear, it is better in cooler weather). I was a little cold with the moist air blowing by, so take a sweater – even if you don’t think you’ll need it (unless you go in the heat of summer, of course).

The trip down the channel and back takes about 90-minutes and is a relaxing ride. While the sights may not be the prettiest of Texas landscape along the tour, there are a great many interesting things to see (such as cargo ships, military vessels like the one pictured below, seagulls, refineries, and tug boats).

I think it is really super that the Port of Houston Authority gives free tours. In a day and age when hardly ANYTHING is free anymore, this is a refreshing service they offer! They even offer you a coke or coffee on the trip – free of charge. You can sit inside and look out the windows, or stand outside and feel the wind blowing by (to see a picture of the actual coast guard boat you ride in, click the Port of Houston Authority link above).

There are restroom facilities at the port’s Sam Houston Pavilion where you board the boat, and there are restrooms on the boat itself. Each tour is limited to a maximum capacity of 100 passengers, but we have never had any trouble getting a seat on the days we have gone. We have taken this tour twice now, and enjoyed it both times.

For a free field trip, the Houston Ship Channel is top notch!

Another Review with helpful tips can be found here: Frommer’s Review by David Baird