The skyline of Downtown Houston, Texas. f11photo/Shutterstock
Houston's philanthropists, professional sports teams, visionary artists and diverse population have all contributed to the huge number of things to do in the city. The following guide focuses heavily on indoor, air-conditioned activities, which are especially desirable in a place with 75% humidity and temps that can creep over 100°F. There are also plenty of outdoor activities like hiking and biking trails, the arboretum and the Houston Zoo.
Art seekers, science nerds, theater connoisseurs and basketball and baseball fanatics all converge here. Houstonians are welcoming (I can speak to this firsthand, being a recently repatriated Houstonian), well-informed about their city and rightfully prideful of all its accomplishments. Get to know them and some distinctively Houston experiences by starting with these recommendations.
1. Play astronaut at Space Center Houston
Houstonians have a deep love for NASA, and local lore claims “Houston” was the first word spoken from the moon (it wasn’t). Immerse yourself in the science and mythos of “Space City” by spending a day at Space Center Houston, the Official Visitor Center of NASA Johnson Space Center. Tram tours take you to where Mission Control directed the first moon landing and allow you to witness astronauts training in real time for upcoming missions. You can also step inside a massive replica of the shuttle Independence, buy the same snacks astronauts eat in space, see moon rocks and watch documentaries at the IMAX theater.
2. Attend a show under the night sky at Miller Outdoor Theater
Hermann Park’s open-air Miller Outdoor Theater hosts plays, musical events and dance spectaculars for its yearly eight-month season put on by the non-profit group Theater Under the Stars. Shows have always been free here since they were started by a pre-med student in 1968. The wide-ranging programming – Motown tributes, dance performances tied to the Chinese Zodiac, the Houston Shakespeare Festival – gives testament to the cultural diversity of the performers and audience alike.
Performances are world-class, and you might catch Broadway stars or America’s Got Talent competitors onstage. Part of the fun is watching the shows with everyone else – the crowd can reach up to 50,000 people, only contributing to the magnetic energy in the air. Patrons can sit in the 1705 seats in the covered area, but it’s more fun to find a spot on the lawn with your own blanket and snacks.
Planning tip: Lawn seating doesn’t require tickets, but covered seating does (though free). Reserve them when the box office opens at 10am on Miller’s website the day before each show.
3. Walk among dinosaurs and butterflies at the Houston Museum of Natural Science
The Houston Museum of Natural Science has a full day of activities for kids and adults alike. Walk through the Morian Hall of Paleontology, full of imposing dinosaur skeletons towering above you. Be transfixed by the twinkle of the more than 450 rare gems in Cullen Hall. Just below, in the Cockrell Butterfly Center, hundreds of butterflies of over 50 different species flit around in a recreated rainforest habitat. See treasures from ancient Egypt, try out chemistry experiments, and stop by the Foucault Pendulum to witness a demonstration of the Earth’s gravitational pull.
Planning tip: If you like nerdy parties, check out the museum’s occasional after-hours event, Mixers and Elixirs, where you can sip cocktails and dance under dinosaurs while a DJ spins.
4. Celebrate Houston’s wacky, wonderful art at the Orange Show Center for Visionary Arts
Jeff McKissack, a postal worker in the 1950s, began building a distinctive monument to his favorite fruit (the orange) at the border of Houston’s East End and the Third Ward. He hoped for it to be a sort of found-object, low-budget Disneyland. Instead, it eventually developed (with the help of ZZ Top) into one of the city’s most important folk art spaces. Now managed by the nonprofit the Orange Foundation, the Orange Show Monument, a metal maze of welded together wheels, tractor seats, fencing and other objects, has grown to become the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art (OSCVA), which manages other Houston art sites, such as the Beer Can House and Smither Park, as well as produces the Art Car Parade.
OSCVA houses performance venues, a wishing well and maker spaces. It also hosts block parties at the Beer Can House, the former residence of an upholsterer who covered his home in an estimated 50,000 beer cans.
Planning tip: While the center is currently closed for expansion, you can take art classes at Smither Park by signing up on the website.
5. Boat, float or primal scream along Houston’s waters
Given that Houston is famously in the floodplain, it’s no wonder there are lots of water-based activities here. Take an educational boat cruise along the Houston Ship Channel to learn how it helped turn Houston into an economic powerhouse. Seagulls, pelicans and giant tankers are just some of the sights you’ll see. It’s free, but you have to reserve your spot in advance on the Sam Houston Boat Tour website.
To learn more about the history of water in Houston, head to the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern to see the city’s now-defunct subterranean water reservoir, as well as learn about how the local government functions. Strange reflections, lingering echoes and a group primal scream are all included in the tour. Sound healing meditations and concerts are also held here.
For a luxurious water activity, buy a day pass for the Marriott Marquis Houston to float the Texas-shaped lazy river on its roof.
Planning tip: The cistern is free on the first Thursday of each month, but you must book in advance.
6. Pamper yourself at the international spas
At least one-fourth of Houston’s population is made up of immigrants, some of whom brought their country’s spa cultures with them, making Houston a great place to try a range of wellness treatments. Book a hammam experience at Oasis Moroccan Bath to get scrubbed down, masked and moisturized. Two Korean-style spas in Katy, Gangnam Spa and Spa World, both have super-hot bul-ga-ma (hot kiln), salt caves and gender-separated baths with pools and steam rooms. For foot massages, look no further than Chinatown for a range of options, but JL Foot Massage is usually a solid choice.
Planning tip: As is traditional in Korea, clothing or bathing suits are prohibited in the bathing area at any of the Korean spas.
7. Contemplate at the Rothko Chapel
The namesake of this chapel, abstract expressionist Mark Rothko, painted the dark-hued canvases that adorn its walls. Despite it being a chapel, the Rothko is not tied to any one religion. Rather, its owners intended it to be a place where anyone could come who desired peace and a place to think amongst art. Many musicians have been inspired by it, including Philip Glass and Peter Gabriel, and the Rothko periodically hosts concerts. Free to enter, you can sit on the benches or meditation cushions to admire the paintings or peruse the various spiritual texts on offer. Plan for longer than you think you want to spend here – it’s the type of space that draws you in.
Detour: Next door, the Menil Collection is a privately held, stunning art collection open to the public for free.
8. Art-hop around different sites of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston
Whether you want to roam the trails of the Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens or the galleries of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH) itself, the museum’s main campus and its house museums offer beauty in many forms. The rooms of Bayou Bend, the former home of Houston philanthropist Ima Hogg, are filled with American decorative arts and the property’s 14 acres, with Country Place era-style gardens (think labyrinths of flowers and Greek goddess statues). The other house museum, the pink Rienzi, showcases European decorative arts. The MFAH’s main campus is massive, with 80,000 works in its permanent collection, spanning seemingly every period of art you could imagine. It can feel both impressive and overwhelming. It’s best to pick two exhibits you want to see before going and focus on those. The Cullen Sculpture Garden across the street is always free to visit and ideal for a picnic.
Planning tip: On Thursdays, the permanent collection at MFAH is free. Consider visiting the Rienzi when it hosts yoga classes by the pool.
9. Go to a professional sports game where the venues are as famous as the teams
Texas has a sport-based culture, and Houstonians caught “Rocket fever” in the mid-1990s, when the pro basketball team won back-to-back national championships, and “Astros fever” in 2017, when the pro baseball team won the World Series for the first time. The city also has a history of building impressive venues, such as the Astrodome, where Astroturf was first used.
The Rockets play at the Toyota Center, and the “Stros” play at Daikin Park, both in Downtown. The professional football team, the Houston Texans, plays at NRG Stadium, where Lady Gaga famously jumped off the roof for the 2017 Super Bowl halftime show and where the annual Houston Rodeo takes place. For soccer, head to the East End to Shell Energy Stadium to catch a game of the Houston Dynamo or Houston Dash (the men’s and women’s pro teams, respectively).