“Hou-Ville” Holiday Experience Offers Free Sensory Day for Autistic and Special Needs Children

HOUSTON, TX - Hou-Ville, a life-sized, Houston-themed indoor Christmas village, is offering a FREE Sensory Day for children with autism and special needs!

On December 17, 2020, from 11:30am to 2:30pm, Hou-Ville is inviting 100 autistic and special needs children, accompanied by a parent, to enjoy the whimsical H-Town Holiday City free of charge, courtesy of Hou-Ville and Houston specialty pharmacy, BioTek reMEDys.

“Families with special needs children often face a different set of challenges when it comes to exploring public exhibits and holiday events,“ said Sherrie Handrinos, the co-owner of Hou-ville. “Kids have been having a ball exploring the life-sized sets, taking photos and playing the faux snow at Hou-Ville. We wanted to offer the same unique experience to children with special needs, free of charge, in a comfortable, welcoming setting and we are so grateful to BioTek reMEDys for helping us make it happen!”

To accommodate families this day, The DoughCone will be making dairy-free hot coco, Cubby Love Bears will be doing giveaways of their Auzy Bear created for non-verbal children and families will have access to a “look book” to also prepare their children for this fun visit.

The Hou-Ville Free Sensory Day is open to any autistic or special needs child and an accompanying parent or guardian. To participate, parents need to RSVP via email to HouVilleevents@gmail.com to receive a special promotional code for tickets to the event. Tickets will be limited to the first 100 children who have a parent or guardian RSVP in order to safely accommodate guests with proper social distancing protocols.

Hou-Ville is an indoor, immersive holiday exhibit that brings to life a whimsical city filled with everything we love about Christmas and Houston! Located indoors, at Live Nation’s 40 Below, (40 steps below the Bayou Music Center), 520 Texas Ave, the limited-engagement holiday event offers Christmassy fun the entire family with photo opportunities at each stop along the 12 life-size Hou-Ville City sets! There’s a Hou-Ville Bakery with over-sized goodies, an Astro’s-themed Gingerbread House, Santa’s Workshop filled with toys and giant stuffed Houston Rockets teddy bears, a Ski-lift, Santa’s Space Station Sleigh, and a Candy Cane Lane with complimentary hot chocolate and coffee, and handmade holiday ice cream treats by Houston’s famous food truck The DoughCone.

The holiday village also includes a Hou-Ville Gift Shop, with gifts and stocking stuffers, a cash bar on the weekends for adults, and appearances by Santa Clause and a mischievous Grinch!

For the safety of the staff and guests at Hou-Ville, masks are required, which will be provided free of charge if needed, and wellness checks, including temperature checks, will be conducted upon entry for the Free Sensory Day and all other scheduled visits. Hand sanitizing stations and wipes are located throughout the village, the exhibit is sanitized between scheduled time slots, and the entire facility is steamed and sterilized nightly.

Parking is available at the Green Garage located at 511 Rusk in Downtown Houston, with a Level 2 tunnel that leads directly to Hou-Ville.

For more information visit www.hou-ville.com.

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