Things to Do in Houston, TX

Houston is one of the most culturally diverse and economically dynamic cities in the United States, offering residents and visitors a wide range of experiences across its sprawling geography.

This page is part of Bird Carpentry's Cabinet Maker in Houston, TX location guide.

Houston Museum of Natural Science

Located at 5555 Hermann Park Drive in the Museum District, the Houston Museum of Natural Science is one of the most visited natural history museums in the United States. The museum features permanent halls covering paleontology, gems and minerals, space science, and Texas wildlife alongside rotating special exhibitions that draw national attention. The surrounding Hermann Park campus includes the Houston Zoo and the Houston Garden Center, making the area one of the most activity-rich public spaces in Houston, TX.

Space Center Houston

Located at 1601 NASA Parkway in Clear Lake, Space Center Houston is the official visitor center of NASA's Johnson Space Center and one of the defining cultural institutions of the greater Houston area. The center offers tram tours of the NASA campus, historic mission control facilities, astronaut training equipment, and extensive exhibits on human spaceflight history. Visiting Space Center Houston provides direct access to things to do in Houston that connect the city to its identity as the global center of human space exploration.

Buffalo Bayou Park

Stretching for 160 acres along the banks of Buffalo Bayou from Shepherd Drive to the edge of downtown, Buffalo Bayou Park is one of Houston's most significant green spaces and a central amenity for the inner loop residential communities. The park includes walking and cycling trails, kayak launches, the Cistern underground art space, and consistent programming that makes it one of the most regularly used public spaces in Houston, TX throughout the year.

The Menil Collection

Located at 1533 Sul Ross Street in Montrose, the Menil Collection is one of the most respected private art museums in the world, housing more than 17,000 works spanning antiquity, Byzantine and medieval art, surrealism, and contemporary art. Admission is free and the museum's design by Renzo Piano is itself considered an architectural landmark in Houston. The surrounding Menil neighborhood is one of the most walkable and culturally active districts in the city.

Houston Arboretum and Nature Center

Located at 4501 Woodway Drive adjacent to Memorial Park, the Houston Arboretum covers 155 acres of native Texas woodland in the middle of the city's most active residential corridor. The arboretum includes five miles of nature trails through forest, wetland, and prairie habitats and serves as a significant environmental education resource for the Houston area. It is one of the most consistently popular things to do in Houston, TX for families and residents throughout the year.

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston

Located at 1001 Bissonnet Street in the Museum District, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston is the largest art museum in the American South, with a collection of more than 70,000 works spanning 6,000 years of art history. The campus includes two main buildings, a sculpture garden, and a cinema and is one of the most significant cultural institutions in Houston, TX. The surrounding Museum District is anchored by more than 19 museums and cultural institutions within a walkable area.