This page gathers the practical details for visitors with a disability, and the people traveling with them: where to park, how to get around Town Center, what The Pavilion offers and which parks and pools are easiest to use. Hours and services change, so it’s worth calling ahead.
Accessible parking in Texas
Since Jan. 1, 2022, a car in an accessible parking space in Texas needs a placard or license plate showing the International Symbol of Access, the wheelchair symbol. Disabled veteran plates without the symbol no longer qualify on their own. A placard only counts when the person it was issued to is in the car, as driver or passenger.
Placards and plates come from the tax assessor-collector’s office in the county where the person lives (Montgomery County for most of The Woodlands, Harris County for Creekside Park). A permanent blue placard is free; a temporary red one costs $5. Misusing one can bring a fine of up to $1,250. Details: TxDMV disabled parking placards and plates.
Getting around Town Center
Every Town Center Trolley is wheelchair accessible and ADA compliant, and the ride is free. Wheelchairs and strollers can come aboard. The route stops at hotels, shopping centers, parks, parking areas and event venues.
For riders who can’t use the trolley, the Township runs ADA Complementary Paratransit: a free, shared, curb-to-curb ride on the same days and hours as the trolley. Both the pickup and the drop-off have to be within 3/4 mile of the trolley route. Riders apply for eligibility first, then book up to seven days ahead and no later than the day before. A companion or personal care attendant rides free, and people who live outside the area can apply for visitor status. The Township Transportation Department answers questions weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 281-210-3800 or transitcompliance@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov. Paratransit details and application
Motorized wheelchairs are allowed on the Township’s 220-plus miles of pathways. Other motorized vehicles, e-bikes and e-scooters included, are not.
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
The Pavilion keeps a limited number of free accessible parking spaces in the Gold Lot next to the Town Center Parking Garage, first come, first served, for cars with a state placard or plate. The lot entrance is on Six Pines Drive. Drop-off and pick-up are at the North Plaza, 2005 Lake Robbins Drive. Every other lot is on the Pavilion parking page.
Accessible seats are spread across several sections and price levels. They’re sold through Ticketmaster or in person at the box office at the north entrance (281-364-3024); the box office doesn’t take phone or online orders. First Aid staff can take a guest to their seat in a wheelchair, but The Pavilion doesn’t lend wheelchairs for the show.
Each concessions plaza has a private, wheelchair-accessible restroom for guests who need a companion’s help. The stands next to the lawn stairs have accessible windows, and every plaza has accessible drinking fountains.
For guests who are deaf or hard of hearing, The Pavilion provides American Sign Language interpreters with at least three weeks’ notice. Free assisted-listening headsets (FM, Channel 22) are handed out at the Information Booth in the North Plaza. More on The Pavilion’s accessibility page and the guide’s Pavilion page.
Parks and playgrounds
Bear Branch Park, 5200 Research Forest Dr., has the Township’s only playground built to be fully inclusive. The Township rebuilt it in 2021-22 with ramps up to the raised play decks, an accessible merry-go-round and several kinds of swings. Every other Township playground met ADA standards when it was installed. The rest are listed on the Public Parks page.
The Township’s Parks and Recreation Department also runs Adaptive Pickleball and Pickleball for Parkinson’s on the covered court at the Bear Branch Recreation Center. Sessions run by season; sign up online or at 281-210-3954.
Pools
Two Township pools have zero-depth, beach-style entry: the Rob Fleming Aquatic Center, 6535 Creekside Forest Dr., and Wendtwoods Pool, 8950 Creekside Green Dr., both in Creekside Park. For a lift or other help getting into the water at the other 12 Township pools, call Parks and Recreation at 281-210-3800 before going.
Township contacts
The Woodlands Township, 2801 Technology Forest Blvd., The Woodlands, TX 77381, 281-210-3800. The Township makes reasonable changes to its policies and services when a person with a disability needs them, and provides its ADA information in other formats on request. To ask for an accommodation at a Township meeting, email ADA@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov. Transit complaints go through the Township’s ADA complaint form.