Things to do in Pearland in March with teens

Shadow Creek Ranch Nature Trail

A 42-acre pocket of restored coastal prairie in west Pearland, with paved loops through the grassland and an elevated wooden platform where a mounted set of binoculars looks out over the marsh. It is the closest thing in town to a real walk in the wild, and March is the sweet spot for it: mild air, active wildlife and no Gulf Coast humidity yet. Teens who want distance can string the loops together, and there are bike racks at the trailhead if someone would rather ride. It is dawn to dusk only, with no lighting, so it is a morning or afternoon plan.

Delores Fenwick Nature Center

Pearland's environmental education centre is free to walk into, and inside there are live native animals, a touch table of bio-facts and hands-on exhibits staffed by people who like explaining them. Outside, almost two miles of trail wrap around two ponds with bird nesting islands, turtles and an educational pond with interpretive signs. That combination makes it a flexible March stop: twenty minutes indoors if the weather turns, an hour or two on the loops if it holds. It is closed Sunday and Monday, which catches people out.

Independence Park

The city's flagship park on Pearland Parkway, built around an amphitheatre, a covered stage, a pavilion and a lot of open grass. For teens it is the unstructured option: meet friends, kick a ball, or turn up for whatever the city has programmed that weekend. It stays open until 10 p.m., so late-afternoon plans still work as the March evenings stretch out. Spring Fest, the city's big spring event with live entertainment, a craft market and paid ride wristbands, takes over this park in early April, and the parks calendar is worth a look before you go.

Pearland Recreation Center & Natatorium

A 107,000-square-foot city facility with a two-court gymnasium, two racquetball courts, an elevated indoor track, a weight and cardio room and two pools, one of them a 50-metre competition pool. For a visiting family the practical door is the natatorium swim pass, $10 for ages 3 to 17 and $15 for adults; the gym side runs on memberships. It opens at 5 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. at weekends, which makes it the dependable fallback when a March front rolls through and the outdoor plan collapses.

Pearwood Skate Center

An old-school roller rink on Broadway that runs public sessions on Saturday and Sunday and a Friday-night glow skate, which is the one teenagers actually ask for. Admission is $12 and the Saturday session runs noon to 10 p.m., so you can drop in late without missing much. It is closed Monday through Thursday, so this is strictly a weekend plan. Saturday morning beginner lessons exist for anyone who has never laced a pair of skates.

Pearland Town Center

The open-air centre on Broadway, and the default answer when a teenager asks to be dropped somewhere with friends: department stores, chain fashion, a food line-up and a central pavilion with a fountain and lawn that hosts events. Because the walking between shops is outdoors, it is pleasant in March and miserable in a downpour. The Visit Pearland office sits here, which is where you pick up the PearScape trail material, and a pair of the painted pear sculptures stand on the property. Nothing to pay unless you are buying.

Sri Meenakshi Temple

The most surprising thing to see in Pearland: a South Indian Dravidian temple complex on McLean Road, built in 1982, the only temple outside India dedicated to Meenakshi and the third-oldest Hindu temple in the United States. Visitors are welcome and admission is free, and Visit Pearland publishes a self-guided tour, downloadable or picked up on site, that takes about 90 minutes. Teens who have been dragged along tend to stop complaining at the first sight of the carved gopurams over the courtyard. It is an active place of worship, so dress modestly, follow the posted etiquette, and plan around the midday closing.

Doglegs Golf Lounge

An indoor golf lounge on East Broadway with four 15-foot simulator bays, a couple of comfort-seating bays and a library of 150,000-plus courses, plus a kitchen with a real chef behind it. Bays are rented by the hour rather than per person, $50 an hour or $35 early-bird Monday to Thursday before 5 p.m., so a group taking turns splits it cheaply. The lounge also serves cocktails and whiskey, so ring ahead about bringing under-21s at a busy hour; the venue does say simulator games are set up for kid-friendly events. Reservations are strongly recommended.

Bay Area Equestrian Center

A riding academy on 14 acres on Broadway, teaching Houston-area riders since 1995, with a weather-independent indoor arena that keeps lessons running seven days a week. A 30-minute private lesson is $65 and books online, so this is the plan for a teen who has been asking to ride rather than a walk-in afternoon. There is seating so the rest of the family can watch. They also run horse camps, which is worth knowing if the March school break needs filling.

Lone Star PAWZ CATfé

A cat cafe on West Broadway run by the Lone Star PAWZ rescue, where adoptable cats free-roam the room while you order a latte or a snack from the counter. You book a time slot online, which is worth doing on a spring-break afternoon when it fills. Open Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 7 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday. It is a 45-minute stop rather than a half-day, and nearly every cat in the room is up for adoption, which is either the appeal or the risk depending on your teenager.