Houston has a ridiculously large community of museums and art spaces, with something to please just about everyone. There are also amusement parks (sorry, not AstroWorld; it shut down in 2005!), aquaria and zoos (yes, more than one!), arboretums, beautiful city parks for walking, hiking, and biking, shopping malls, and even a world-class skateboarding park!
Please note that due to COVID-19 shelter in place restrictions, we have not been able to verify which attractions will be open during our event, or if there will be operational limitations due to COVID-19 precautions.
Some attractions currently show as closed on their websites, with pending reopening announcements once the shelter in place orders have been lifted.
Keep in mind that typical Houston July weather will make walking from the hotel impractical for many of the attractions listed below.
If you have a car with you, be aware that parking can be very difficult in the Montrose sections and several other neighborhoods.
Note that driving, using public transit, taxi, Uber, or Lyft may be more appropriate methods of accessing many of these neighborhood locations.
Is there a favorite attraction we may have missed? Please email newsletter@houprom.com, or use our Contact Form.
| Name | Type | Notes | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Pews | Arts | Small church converted into a microtheatre showing thought provoking and educational films. | https://14pews.org |
| 1940 Air Terminal Museum | Museum | Art Deco, served as Municipal Airport Terminal 1940-1955 | https://www.1940airterminal.org/ |
| Art Car Museum | Museum | Art cars. See the website to see what this means. | http://artcarmuseum.com/ |
| Asia Society Texas Center | Museum | Asian/Texan History. | https://asiasociety.org/texas |
| Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens | Museum | American decorative arts and paintings, displayed in the former home of Houston civic leader and philanthropist Ima Hogg (1882–1975). | https://www.mfah.org/visit/bayou-bend-collection-and-gardens |
| Beer Can House | Attractions | Yes, it's a house made of beer cans. | https://www.orangeshow.org/beer-can-house |
| Blaffer Art Museum | Website/Tour | Website of Blaffer Art Museum. | http://blafferartmuseum.org/ |
| Buffalo Bayou Cistern | Article | History of the Buffalo Bayou Cistern. | https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/houston-opens-its-huge-underground-cathedral-visitors-180959204/ |
| Buffalo Bayou Cistern | Website/Tour | Official website and tour booking for the Cistern.. | https://buffalobayou.org/visit/destination/the-cistern/ |
| Buffalo Bayou Park Tours | Attractions | Boat and walking tours of Buffalo Bayou. | https://buffalobayou.org/events-tours/ |
| Buffalo Soldier National Museum | Museum | Black soldier units history. | https://www.buffalosoldiermuseum.com |
| Children's Museum Houston | Museum | Children's museum. | https://www.cmhouston.org |
| Contemporary Arts Museum Houston | Museum | Contemporary art. | https://camh.org |
| Czech Center Museu | Museum | Slavic history. | https://www.czechcenter.org |
| Discovery Green | Parks | 12-acre downtown green space | https://www.discoverygreen.com/discovery-green-park-map |
| DiverseWorks | Museum | New visual performing and literary art. | https://www.diverseworks.org |
| Downtown Houston Interactive Map | Map | Allows filtering by category. | https://www.downtownhouston.org/map/ |
| Eater Guide to Eating with a View in Houston | Article | Where to eat with a view in Houston. | https://houston.eater.com/maps/where-to-eat-and-drink-with-a-downtown-view |
| Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park | Parks | Park featuring a gigantic water sculpture. | https://www.uptown-houston.com/news/page/water-wall-park |
| Glenwood Cemetery | Parks | Visit the graves of notable residents. | https://glenwoodcemetery.org/explore/notable-interred/ |
| Health Museum | Museum | Interactive museum for medicine and health. | https://www.thehealthmuseum.org/ |
| Hear Our Houston | Audio Tour | Main website for downloadable free audio tours. | http://www.hearourhouston.com/ |
| Historic Market Square Park | Parks | Houston's original market square, now a park. (Watch out for gargoyles!) | https://marketsquarepark.com/visit/ |
| Holocaust Museum | Museum | Holocaust Museum. | https://hmh.org |
| Houston Aquarium & Animal Adventure | Attractions | Aquarium, reptiles, zip-lining, aviary, shark-feeding, and mermaids! | https://houstonaquariumtx.com/ |
| Houston Arboretum & Nature Center | Attractions | 155-acre non-profit urban nature sanctuary. | https://houstonarboretum.org/ |
| Houston Center for Contemporary Craft | Museum | Process and history of craft. | https://crafthouston.org |
| Houston Center for Photography | Museum | Contemporary photography. | https://hcponline.org/ |
| Houston Downtown Tunnels | Article | Article on Houston downtown tunnel system. | https://www.houstononthecheap.com/downtown-houston-tunnels |
| Houston Downtown Tunnels Map | Map | Static map of downtown tunnel system. | https://www.downtownhouston.org/media/uploads/attachments/2016-07-28/2016-AB-MAP-Buildings.pdf |
| Houston Museum District | Website | Houston Museum District website (19 museums!). | http://houmuse.org/ |
| Houston Museum of African American Culture | Museum | African American culture. | https://hmaac.org/ |
| Houston Museum of Natural Science | Museum | Science, planetarium, giant screen theatre, butterfly center. | https://www.hmns.org |
| Houston Zoo | Parks | Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! | https://www.houstonzoo.org |
| James Turrell Twilight Epiphany Skyspace | Arts | Acoustically sensitive art/performce/meditation space. | https://moody.rice.edu/james-turrell-twilight-epiphany-skyspace |
| Jung Center | Museum | Rotating exhibits and events regarding psychology, spirituality, philosophy. | https://junghouston.org/ |
| Kemah Boardwalk | Attractions | Amusement park in same vicinity as Space Center Houston (7 miles away) | https://www.kemahboardwalk.com/ |
| Lawndale Art Center | Museum | Regional focus on contemporary art. | https://lawndaleartcenter.org |
| Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark | Parks | 30,000 square foot skatepark designed by Grindline. | https://northhoustonsportcomplex.com/skatepark/ |
| Lyric Market Light Show | Arts | Article about the Lyric Market's evening light shows. | https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Meet-downtown-s-Lyric-Market-parking-garage-soon-13107626.php |
| Midtown Arts and Theatre Center (MATCH) | Arts | Performing arts center. | https://matchouston.org/ |
| Miller Outdoor Theatre | Attractions | Open air theatre, rotating series of events. | https://www.milleroutdoortheatre.com/ |
| Minute Maid Park Tour | Attractions | Tour the home of the Houston Astros. | https://www.mlb.com/astros/ballpark/tours |
| Moody Center for the Arts | Museum | Art with a focus on creative thinking and original expression. | https://moody.rice.edu/ |
| Moody Gardens (Galveston Island) | Attractions | Aquarium, Waterpark, Rainforest, 3D Theatre, Paddlewheel Boat, and Discovery Museum. | https://www.moodygardens.com |
| Museum of Fine Arts, Houston | Museum | Huge art museum spanning multiple periods and areas. | https://www.mfah.org/ |
| National Museum of Funerary History | Museum | We couldn't make this up if we tried. (Insert your own death jokes here.) | https://www.nmfh.org/ |
| Orange Show Center for Visionary Art | Attractions | Folk art/performance art/architecture/park. | https://www.orangeshow.org/ |
| Project Row Houses | Arts | A series of row houses converted to art galleries. | https://projectrowhouses.org/ |
| Rothko Chapel | Arts | Meditative space featuring Rothko art. | http://www.rothkochapel.org/ |
| Sam Houston Boat Tour | Attractions | 90-minute free boat tour of Houston's port. | https://porthouston.com/sam-houston-boat-tour/ |
| Schlitterbahn Waterpark (Galveston) | Attractions | A German-named mega-waterpark in Texas owned and run by Cedar Fair. Home to the world's tallest water coaster, MASSIV. | https://www.schlitterbahn.com/galveston |
| Smither Park | Parks | It's a park! It's Art! It's BOTH! | https://www.orangeshow.org/smither-park |
| Space Center Houston | Attractions | The official NASA Johnson Space Center tour. | https://spacecenter.org/ |
| Terry Hershey Park | Parks | Immense park with hiking and bike trails. | https://www.pct3.com/parks/terry-hershey-park |
| The Escape Game, Houston | Attractions | Escape room. | https://theescapegame.com/houston/ |
| The Galleria | Attractions | Shop 'til you drop. Some scenes from "Logan's Run" were filmed here. | https://www.simon.com/mall/the-galleria |
| The Gender Book Project | Audio Tour | Downloadable free audio tour. | http://www.hearourhouston.com/tour/the-gender-book-mile-the-gender-book-project/ |
| The Menil Collection | Museum | Private art collection, well known for its Surrealist collection. | https://www.menil.org/ |
| Transgender History Archive | Audio Tour | Downloadable free audio tour. | http://www.hearourhouston.com/tour/transgender-center-koomah/ |
| UH Public Art | Audio Tour | Downloadable free audio tour. | http://www.hearourhouston.com/tour/universiry-of-houston-public-art-collection-mike-guidry/ |
| UH Public Art/Blaffer Art Museum | Museum | Article on UH public art and Blaffer Museum. | http://houstonhistorymagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Blaffer.pdf |
| Urban Harvest Farmer's Market (Saturdays) | Attractions | Weekly Saturday farmer's market | https://www.urbanharvest.org/farmers-market/ |
Last update to this page: 9/7/2020