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Bored...Looking for something to do?
Look no further here is a list of things to do around Houston.
Whether on a whim, a weekend or when family comes to visit. Our wonderful city
has something to do twenty-four hours a day!
Movies
Doesn't everyone love to go to the movies?
Here is the best way to find out what is playing near you! Visit Fandango and you can not only see what is playing but purchase tickets online as well.
Just go to the website : http://www.fandango.com and enter your zip code [77074] and you will get the listings for all of the movies in our area!
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Along Buffalo Bayou sits the grand white home that belonged to Miss Ima Hogg.
This 14-acre tract was the Eden-like setting for Miss Hogg for 40 years. She
sculpted the gardens and selected the antiques. The home and gardens are open
for tours and are featured during the annual Azalea Trail each spring. 1
Westcott Street off Memorial Drive. (713) 639-7750
Houston Arboretum and Nature Center
This 155-acre urban nature sanctuary houses the first environmental education
program in Houston. Visitors can enjoy over five miles of nature trails and view
some of the almost 160 species of native and migrating birds. Free public tours
are conducted most Sundays at 2 pm and 3 pm. Admission to the grounds is free.
The Houston Arboretum and Nature Center is located at 4501 Woodway Drive in
Memorial Park. (713) 681-8433
Houston Zoological Garden
The Houston Zoo has been transformed. Covering more than 50 acres and with 3,000
exhibits, the zoo exhibits animals in realistic habitats. Popular attractions
are the alligators which can be seen eating buckets of fish each Thursday and
Sunday at 2 pm from April until September at the Alligator Pond. Sea lions swim
for brunch at 11 am and 1 pm and for supper at 3 pm every day in the Mammal
Marina. The Discovery Zoo, complete with petting zones, attracts the attention
of young zoo visitors. 1513 North MacGregor. (713) 525-3300
Reliant Park
This sports complex is currently made up of he Reliant Stadium, Reliant
Hall, the Astrodome, the Astrohall and the Astroarena and Expocenter. Daily
tours are offered with a high tech video presentation of its history included as
part of the tour. 8400 Kirby Drive. (713) 799-9500
Space Center Houston
Space Center Houston is a state-of-the-art education and entertainment complex
at the Johnson Space Center. Visitors can see a full-scale mock-up of the space
shuttle cargo bay, see demonstrations and hear lectures by SC scientists,
experience training simulators, and view one of the world’s most complete
assemblages of space suits. Many other activities and exhibits await the visitor
to Space Center Houston. 1601 NASA Road 1. (713) 480-7778
Moody Gardens/Rainforest Pyramid
A tropical rainforest environment with thousands of exotic butterflies, birds,
plants and fish is housed in a ten-story, 40,000-square-foot glass pyramid that
includes waterfalls, cliffs, caverns, wetlands and forests. Next door, an IMAX
Theater shows 2-D and 3-D films on a six-story screen. Other attractions include
Palm Beach, a white sand and blue lagoon swim center for families, and The
Colonel paddle wheeler, which takes visitors for a leisurely tour of the bay.
Two Hope Boulevard, Galveston Island. (409) 744-1745
Bayou City Art Festival
In the fall the Bayou City Art Festival is located downtown, while the spring
show is located at Memorial Park. Both feature over 300 artists of various media
in these juried shows. Music, food, and drink add to the festivities. (713)
521-0133
Holiday in the Park - Bellaire
Santa’s official arrival in Bellaire is the highlight of this celebration
sponsored by the Bellaire Parks and Recreation Department. Held the first
Thursday in December, Bellaire Park (7008 South Rice, behind City Hall) is
converted into a winter wonderland. Children can give Santa their wish lists and
have a picture made with him. (713) 662-8280
Houston International Festival
Sam Houston Park and the surrounding area is the scene of the city’s celebration
of the performing and visual arts. The Houston International Festival provides
entertainment for ten days each spring when the streets of downtown bustle with
music, a juried arts and crafts exhibition, dance performances, street
performances, fireworks and exotic international foods. More than 2,000 artists
participate. A different country is chosen to celebrate each year, but the
emphasis of the event remains on promoting Houston’s indigenous art community.
(713) 654-8808
Azalea Trail
The Azalea Trail, Houston’s elegant showcase of Southern culture, winds through
beautifully landscaped yards and gardens in the River Oaks area each March for
two weekends. The River Oaks Garden Club Forum of Civics at Westheimer and Kirby
is the headquarters for the event. Trail-goers can visit the club’s gardens and
buy tickets to visit various private residences. (713) 523-2483
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
For several days in late February and early March, The Houston Livestock Show
and Rodeo offers entertainment and activities for all Houstonians. The real
purpose of the event, which began in 1932, is for young farmers to show their
stock, to compete and to gain financial support for their continuing education.
Every year civic-minded Houstonians bid enormous amounts of money for the
winning animals, to contribute to scholarship funds and generally support the
youngsters’ efforts. 2002 is the last year that the Rodeo will take place in the
Astrodome. Renamed Rodeo Houston for 2003, the event will be in the new Reliant
Park Arena. Country and Western stars who regularly perform for Rodeo visitors
include George Strait, Clint Black and Reba McEntire. The Livestock Show
features several types of cattle among the 28,000 entries. The highlight of the
show is the champion steer auction. 8400 Kirby at Loop 610. (713) 791-9000
Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a holiday unique to Texas. It celebrates June 19th, the day word
finally reached Texas in 1865 that President Lincoln had signed the Emancipation
Proclamation, legally freeing all slaves. Blues and jazz performers entertain at
Miller Outdoor Theatre the weekend closest to June 19th. (713) 520-3290
Thanksgiving Day Parade
A favorite with children, the Thanksgiving Day Parade winds through the streets
of downtown Houston with floats, marching bands, baton twirlers, majorettes,
drummers and, of course, Santa Claus. It officially starts the holiday season.
Museum District
The Museum of Health & Medical Science
The Museum of Health & Medical Science is a new addition to the museum district
and one of only three medically focused museums in the country. It features a
122-seat theater for program-related video and artistic presentations. On
Hermann Drive between The Children’s Museum and the Hermann Park Rose Garden.
(713) 521-1515
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston displays a world of art spanning 5,000 years in
two gallery buildings. The elegant new Audrey Jones Beck Building brings new
light to Old Masters while the Caroline Wiess Law Building rededicates its
expansive galleries to modern and contemporary art. Both buildings showcase
outstanding traveling exhibitions. MFA also offers a full calendar of major
exhibitions, bookstore, gift shop, library and the popular museum cafe. 1001
Bissonnet at Main. (713) 639-7300
Contemporary Arts Museum
The Contemporary Arts Museum is a non-collecting museum which houses changing
exhibits of new-direction art and modern-day masters. Shows are exhilarating and
often radical. 5216 Montrose at Bissonnet. (713) 526-3129
Burke Baker Planetarium
The 232-seat Planetarium at the Houston Museum of Natural Science lets you
experience the universe. The Planetarium presents star shows, simulating
Houston’s starfield. 1 Hermann Circle Drive in Hermann Park. (713) 639-IMAX
IMAX Theater
IMAX films tend to be much more engrossing than the local movie theater’s
format, so the audience feels a part of the action. The theater seats 394. Shows
are on the hour. 1 Hermann Circle Drive in Hermann Park. (713) 639-IMAX
The Children’s Museum of Houston
A recent addition to the museum district, The Children’s Museum encourages
children ages two to 12 to engage in hands-on projects and to interact with
cultural and scientific exhibitions. Admission is free for children under 2.
1500 Binz. (713) 522-1138
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Founded in 1909, the Houston Museum of Natural Science has grown to become one
of the most respected science museums in the country. The star attraction of the
museum’s permanent collection is a $6 million, world-class assembly of over 600
mineral specimens in the Sams Collection of Gems and Minerals. Located in
Hermann Park across from the Miller Outdoor Theatre. (713) 639-IMAX
Holocaust Museum Houston
This museum maintains a permanent exhibition, Bearing Witness: A Community
Remembers, and Voices, a 35-minute film of testimony by Holocaust survivors.
Other works are featured by Holocaust survivors, and local and national artists
have special exhibitions. 5401 Caroline. (713) 942-8000
Police Museum
The museum has an exhibition of more than 5,000 items depicting the history of
the Houston Police Department. Admission is free. 17000 Aldine-Westfield Road at
Rankin. (713) 230-2300
Texas Seaport Museum
Located at Pier 21 in Galveston, The Texas Seaport Museum is home of the tall
ship Elissa, a National Historic Landmark. Admission includes a wide-screen,
multimedia presentation of Elissa: The Longest Voyage. (409) 763-1877
Lone Star Flight Museum
A collection of restored aircraft from the late 1930s is displayed. Scholes
Field Municipal Airport, 2002 Terminal Drive, Galveston. (409) 740-7722
Houston Fire Museum
The museum displays firefighting vehicles dating from the 19th century and
exhibits about the evolution of the firefighting profession, from the days of
the bucket brigades to today’s advanced firefighting services. 2403 Milam. (713)
524-2526
Theater District
The Theater District is a 17-block area in the heart of downtown Houston that is
home to eight world-class performing arts organizations Alley Theatre, Houston
Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Symphony, Da Camera, Pace Theatrical,
Society for the Performing Arts, and Theatre Under The Stars. Houston is one of
the few metropolises in the nation to maintain permanent companies in all four
major performing arts disciplines opera, ballet, symphony and theater. The
Theater District has 10,501 seats, which ranks second only behind New York City
for the most theater seats in a concentrated downtown area.
The Alley Theatre
The Alley Theatre received the 1996 Special Tony Award for its continuous level
of artistic achievement and its contribution to the growth of theatre
nationally. The Alley Theatre celebrated its 50th anniversary season in 1996-97.
(713) 228-8421
Da Camera
Da Camera is Houston’s most innovative producer and presenter of ensemble music
and is committed to reinventing the concert experience of the 20th century.
(713) 524-5050
Houston Ballet
The Houston Ballet is the fifth largest ballet company in America. Houston
Ballet offers the 47 dancers in its company a 44-week annual contract, the
longest contract of any American dance company. Houston Ballet proudly claims
more than 20 years under the leadership of internationally acclaimed artistic
director Ben Stevenson, whose works have been staged by the world’s most
prestigious companies. (713) 227-ARTS
Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera is internationally recognized as one of the innovators in
musical theater. The company’s track record speaks for itself 20 world premieres
and six American premiers in over 40 years of presenting opera. (713) 227-ARTS
The Houston Symphony
The Houston Symphony, one of America’s oldest performing arts organizations, was
founded in 1913. Its summer home is the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, where
it plays with a wide range of performers. (713) 227-ARTS
Society For The Performing Arts
Society For The Performing Arts is the largest nonprofit performing arts
presenter in the Southwest and has sponsored more than 600 performances of the
world’s finest music, dance and theater events since it was founded in 1966. SPA
attracts the most diverse audiences among Houston’s major performing arts
organizations. (713) 227-2787
Theatre Under The Stars
Theatre Under The Stars is the largest nonprofit producer of musical theatre in
America. Performing an average of 200 shows annually, TUTS has a reputation for
premiering new musicals and organizing national and international tours. Its new
venue opens in 2002. (713) 558-2600
Miller Outdoor Theatre
This outdoor amphitheater in Hermann Park presents free performances each
summer, including multi-cultural performances and traditional favorites. (713)
520-3292
Ensemble Theatre
The Ensemble Theatre is Houston’s largest black theater company, founded in 1976
by actor/director George Hawkins. The largest minority theater in the Southwest,
the group evolved from a band of strolling players into a resident professional
company of 40 actors and eight directors. (713) 520-0055