19 Best Things to Do in Houston, Texas

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Updated on 12/04/20

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Downtown Houston skyline — Downtown Houston from the Buffalo Bayou trail.
Jon Hicks / Getty Images

Houston is home to NASA's astronaut training and flight control complex, a buzzing Historic District full of 19th-century architecture and upscale restaurants, and some world-class museums and art spaces, to boot. The Texas metropolis maintains its warm climate year-round, making mid-winter outdoor movie screenings and off-season strolls through the Buffalo Bayou entirely possible. There's always something to do in the Bayou City, for first-time visitors and lifelong Houstonians alike.

01 of 19

Cheer on a Home Team

League Championship Series - New York Yankees v Houston Astros - Game Six — Bob Levey / Getty Images

If there's one thing Texas is known for, it's the sports. While Houston's teams fail to measure up to Dallas' Cowboys in terms of cult favoritism, the city is still incredibly sports-centered. It's the home of the Astros, who won the 2017 World Series and play every summer at Minute Maid Park. Other times of year, you can catch the Rockets playing basketball at the Toyota Center, the Houston Texans tossing the pigskin at NRG Stadium, or the men's and women's soccer teams, Dynamo and Dash, playing at BBVA Stadium.

02 of 19

Indulge in the City's Thriving Music Scene

1st Annual Clay Walker Gala & Live Performance To Benefit MS — WireImage / Getty Images

Austin isn't the only Texas city with a flourishing music scene. Houston has a wealth of iconic concert venues—some massive enough to host international acts, others small but acutely hip and under-the-radar. For big events, check the schedule at the Bayou Music Center (formerly the Revention Music Center) by Live Nation, the Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land, or the House of Blues downtown. But for something more intimate, don't skip Satellite Bar, a hip dive showcasing local bands, and The Heights Theater.

03 of 19

Tour 19th Street in the Heights

Craft Session: Demystifying Mastering... — WireImage / Getty Images

Address

339 W 19th St, Houston, TX 77008-3941, USA

Phone +1 214-272-8346

Web Visit website

And speaking of the Heights, this neighborhood's 19th Street is an eccentric strip ideal for thrift-store hopping and cafe dining. Strolling amid its retro buildings, whose storefronts are adorned with vibrant antiques and vintage clothing, will teleport you to a simpler time. The district is a hub for local arts and culture, frequently holding community events like Third Thursdays Sip & Socials. Check the 19th Street Facebook page for upcoming happenings.

04 of 19

Catch an Outdoor Movie, Any Time of Year

Rooftop Cinema Club Drive-In experience — Rooftop Cinema Club

Even throughout the winter, Houston's highs remain in the 60-degrees range, meaning: Movies in the park are a year-round tradition. Green spaces around the city—Discovery Green, Market Square Park, Sugar Land Town Square, and the Lawn at Memorial City, to name a few—keep the al fresco flicks streaming on their big screens regardless of the season. For a more upscale, date night-worthy experience, try the Houston Rooftop Cinema Club, which screens classic films on various iconic rooftops around the city.

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05 of 19

Tour the Johnson Space Center

Exhibition of space suits at the space center — Robyn Correll / TripSavvy

Address

2101 E NASA Pkwy, Houston, TX 77058, USA

Phone +1 281-483-0123

Web Visit website

The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, home of the NASA astronaut corps, occupies 1,620 acres in Southeast Houston, consisting of roughly 100 facilities. The sprawling estate is not just for astronauts, either; tourists can experience a zero-gravity simulation in the Living in Space exhibit or encounter a virtual rocket launch, complete with exhaust, at the Destiny ("Blast Off") Theater.

06 of 19

Visit the Houston Zoo

A tiger at the houston zoo — Robyn Correll / TripSavvy

Address

6200 Hermann Park Dr, Houston, TX 77030, USA

Phone +1 713-533-6500

Web Visit website

Sheltering more than 6,000 animals and 900 species, the Houston Zoo is one of the most visited zoos in the nation. Spend the day strolling through the facility’s impeccably landscaped grounds, or get more hands-on by scheduling a guided tour—experiences range from feeding a giraffe to shadowing a staff veterinarian for an entire day.

07 of 19

Stroll Around the Museum District

Entrance to the Fine Arts Museum — Robyn Correll / TripSavvy

Address

1001 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX 77005, USA

Phone +1 713-639-7300

Web Visit website

The Houston Museum District is where a number of museums, galleries, and cultural centers are packed into a mile-and-a-half radius of Hermann Park. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, which also houses the Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, boasts a collection of roughly 60,000 pieces, and just a few blocks away is the Health Museum, home to Houston’s first 4D theater. Other area attractions include the Holocaust Museum, Houston Center for Photography, and the Lawndale Art Center.

08 of 19

Have a Little Fun at Kemah Boardwalk

Kemah Boardwalk — Richard Cummins / Getty Images

Address

215 Kipp Ave, Kemah, TX 77565, USA

Phone +1 281-535-8100

Web Visit website

Spanning 60 acres on the Texas Gulf Coast waterfront, Kemah Boardwalk has grown from a dining destination to Houston’s largest theme park, featuring a Ferris wheel, train, and carousel (all available for rides and individually priced). Packed with hotels and restaurants like Landry’s Seafood House and Saltgrass Steakhouse, this amusement hub makes for a fail-proof family outing, only 30 miles from downtown.

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09 of 19

Go on a Walking Tour of Montrose

street art in a houston neighborhood — Robyn Correll / TripSavvy

Address

2010 Waugh Dr, Houston, TX 77006-1106, USA

Phone +1 713-521-0521

Web Visit website

One of Houston’s most demographically diverse regions, Montrose has become the city’s centerpiece of vintage shopping, live music, and LGBTQ+ activism. Restored mansions and bungalows, tree-lined boulevards, and an antique mall make the neighborhood a unique, pedestrian-friendly tourist spot. Stop at Rudyard's, a neighborhood dive bar, for a cold beer and a meal—you might even catch one of its famous comedy shows.

10 of 19

Eat Delicious Tex-Mex

Ceviche at Ninfa's — Patrick Feller / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Address

2704 Navigation Blvd, Houston, TX 77003-1517, USA

Phone +1 713-228-1175

Web Visit website

Houston might not have invented the fajita, but it sure has mastered it. Between its hundreds of Tex-Mex restaurants, there's certainly no shortage of tortillas in this city. Check out the Original Ninfa's on Navigation—a hotspot for fajitas since the early '70s—for a lesson on the area's culinary history, or El Tiempo Cantina, the franchise launched by Mama Ninfa's own grandchildren, for a sprawling collection of quesos. And don't forget to sample the breakfast tacos while you're in town—they're a Houston specialty.

11 of 19

Hang Out at Discovery Green

Discovery Green in Houston, Texas. — Jon Hicks / Getty Images

Address

1500 McKinney St, Houston, TX 77010, USA

Phone +1 713-400-7336

Web Visit website

A splash of vegetation in Houston's otherwise concrete and glass-laden downtown, Discovery Green is more than just a pretty park. It's also a common venue for open-air concerts, exercise classes, summer picnics, and more. The 12-acre green space is worth visiting just for a stroll, but check the park's events calendar for special events.

12 of 19

See Sharks at the Downtown Aquarium

Shark in public aquarium — Thinkstock / Getty Images

Address

410 Bagby St, Houston, TX 77002, USA

Phone +1 713-223-3474

Web Visit website

Discover 400-plus species of marine life and dine alongside a 150,000-gallon, two-story tank at the Downtown Aquarium. Here, you can pet a stingray or go on an exhilarating train ride through the Shark Voyage, then wrap up the evening with a seafood feast followed by decadent desserts in the aquarium restaurant.

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13 of 19

Go Shopping in the Galleria Mall

Inside a mall — Robyn Correll / TripSavvy

Address

5085 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77056, USA

Phone +1 713-622-0663

Web Visit website

The Galleria Houston is an upscale shopping mall centrally located just outside the 610 Loop in Houston’s Uptown District. The retail center is anchored by Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue, and occupies such high-end tenants as Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton, and Saint Laurent. It's especially handy for escaping the summer heat or rainy days.

14 of 19

Take a Bike Ride Down Buffalo Bayou

The sun peaking through a large scale sculpture in Buffalo Bayou Park with a running trail going by it — Vincent Mercer / TripSavvy

Address

Buffalo Bayou Walk, Houston, TX 77019, USA

The Buffalo Bayou stretches from just outside the 610 Loop all the way into the center of the city, and the park—beginning at Shepherd Drive—offers some breathtaking views of the downtown skyline. Don't have a bike? You can rent one using the city's bike-share program, Bcycle. Docking stations are located near the trail at Jackson Hill and Memorial Drive and the Sabine Bridge.

15 of 19

Admire the James Turrell Skyspace

Exterior of the light exhibition — Robyn Correll / TripSavvy

Address

Suzanne Deal Booth Centennial Pavilion, Houston, TX 77005, USA

Phone +1 713-348-2787

Web Visit website

Head to the Rice University campus for one of the most impressive art installations you may ever see. Artist James Turrell has created an acoustically-engineered light and sound installation next to the campus' Shepherd School of Music, and it happens to be one of the best things to see in H-Town. Dubbed Twilight Epiphany, the show is projected onto the building's roof at sunrise and sunset. The show is free, but reservations are required.

16 of 19

Make Your Own Craft Beer Pub Crawl

A patio at a local brewery — Robyn Correll / TripSavvy

Houston is home to Texas' oldest craft brewery, Saint Arnold, which is open for tours Monday through Saturday. After visiting the original, you can keep the momentum going at 8th Wonder Brewery, known for its massive backyard, or Brash Brewing, a tucked-away warehouse-style brewery with a low-key atmosphere.

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17 of 19

Float Along a Texas-Shaped Lazy River

Marriott Marquis Houston's Texas-shaped lazy river — Marriott Marquis Houston

Address

1777 Walker St, Houston, TX 77010, USA

Phone +1 713-654-1777

Web Visit website

Everything's bigger in Texas—even the swimming pools. Houston's massive Marriott Marquis might top them all with its truly impressive Texas-shaped lazy river. While the pool is primarily open only to guests of the hotel, non-guests can book a spa treatment at the hotel's Pure Spa for day access. Floaties and towels are provided.

18 of 19

Go See the Bats at Waugh Bridge

bats flying out from underneath the houston bridge — Robyn Correll / TripSavvy

Address

Houston, TX 77019, USA

Web Visit website

If you thought Austin was the only city with a famous bat population, think again. Houston has its very own colony of 250,000 Mexican free-tailed bats, which reside under the Waugh Bridge, near Buffalo Bayou. While Austin's colony is larger, Houston's bats live under the bridge year-round and are not migratory. The bats emerge nightly to feast on insects, often eating up to 1,200 mosquitoes in an hour.

19 of 19

Meditate at the Modern Rothko Chapel

Meditation benches — Robyn Correll / TripSavvy

Address

3900 Yupon St, Houston, TX 77006, USA

Phone +1 713-524-9839

Web Visit website

This one-man museum is one of Houston's most popular attractions—an impressive feat given that it only houses 14 works of art. Rothko Chapel opened its doors in 1971 as a monument to the work of abstract artist Mark Rothko. Today, the main room of the interfaith chapel is a quiet octagonal room filled with the artist's massive, single-color canvases. Other than simple wooden benches and a few meditation mats, the chapel has no furniture or decoration.

19 Best Things to Do in Houston, Texas