Buffalo Bayou Big Bubble
Dean Ruck designed this art happening which can be accessed beneath the Preston Street Bridge. There's a big red button, unlabeled. If you push the button, an air compressor emits a big air bubble into the water of Buffalo Bayou. Installed in 1998.
510 Preston St
Downtown, Houston
77002
Downtown Tunnel System
Throw out your old ideas of grimy, dark tunnels and step below the skyscrapers in downtown Houston. You'll find over six miles of brightly lit, shopper-friendly, and sometimes elegantly-designed walking and retail space connecting major buildings.
Wells Fargo Plaza tunnel entrance
1000 Louisiana St.
Downtown, Houston
77002
NASA Rocket Park
A display of space launch vehicles which were used by the Johnson Space Center for manned space flight and related projects. A great place take photos with visitors next to rocket ships. Including on tram tour, but usually free to visit by car.
1601 NASA Road 1
Clear Lake, Houston
77058
Orange Show Center for Visionary Art
A major institution in the preservation of outsider art, the Orange Show manages not only the Orange Show Monument on Munger Street but also Houston's Beer Can House and annual Art Car Parade.
2402 Munger Street
Third Ward, Houston
77023
Eclectic Menagerie Park
Open air public museum of very large metal sculptures at Texas Pipe & Supply. Most of the work is by Ron Lee or Mark Rankin. When Texas Pipe owner Jerry Rubinstein began collecting, early works were kitschy, but recent additions are modern sculpture.
2330 Holmes Road
South Main, Houston
77051
Hermann Park
One of Houston's oldest, largest and most popular parks, Hermann Park recently celebrated its centennial. Situated between the Medical Center, Museum District and Rice U., and covered with large trees. Includes zoo, science museum, formal gardens.
6100 Hermann Park Dr
Museum District, Houston
77030
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
A Hindu Mandir, or place of worship for the Swaminarayan faith, opened in 2004. As a house of worship, the guidelines for visiting require you to wear neat, casual but not revealing clothing, shoes left at the door, and no photos inside the temple.
1150 Brand Lane
Stafford, Houston
77477
Glenwood Cemetery
A tourist-friendly cemetery, beautifully landscaped with notable gravesites, including that of Howard Hughes and his family. 84 acres of gently rolling terrain with many trees and sculptures. Lots still available!
2525 Washington Avenue
First Ward, Houston
77007
High Island Rookery at Smith Oaks
Owned by the Houston Audubon Society and open year round, the rookery is a favorite nesting spot for thousands of waterbirds including spoonbills, cormorants, herons and egrets. On an island in a small pond, safe for the birds and nearby watchers.
Smith Oaks Sanctuary, Old Mexico Road
East Bay, Houston
77623
Rice University Campus
Lush, urban campus with many historic buildings and public art installations. No free parking but many options. 300 acres with dozens of tree-lined walks. Most buildings are accessible. Must see: Twilight Epiphany building by James Turrell.
6100 Main Street
Museum District, Houston
77005