I lived in Kemah while the boardwalk area was being renovated. It was a great place to take the kids until it got so popular. The Aquarium was so popular after opening, the wait was 2 hours plus for a year. The food is pretty good, but you pay for the atmosphere. Highly recommended at least once.
Personally, my favorite place to visit along I-10 (or kinda close to it) was Austin. The downtown clubs always had incredible live music for any musical taste - jazz, blues, rock, country, alternative, or whatever. I always had a great time in Austin.