Houston Living · What to Do
What to Do in Houston.
Houston is a big, spread-out city with world-class museums, a downtown theater district, enormous parks, a top-ranked zoo and a dining scene that spans every cuisine. This guide rounds up the essentials for visitors and new residents, researched from current public sources and dated September 8, 2026, with links to each venue's official site.
Museums
World-class museums, most in the Museum District.
Houston's Museum District clusters most of the city's top museums within a few square miles south of downtown. Hours and admission change, so confirm details on each venue's official site before you go.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
One of the largest art museums in the country, with more than 65,000 works from antiquity to today across its main Bissonnet campus and the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building.
Free general admission every Thursday, 10 am to 9 pm.
Official siteHouston Museum of Natural Science
Dinosaurs, gems, a planetarium and the Cockrell Butterfly Center, all inside Hermann Park on the edge of the Museum District.
Permanent exhibits are free on Tuesdays, 5 to 8 pm.
Official siteThe Menil Collection
A 30-acre art campus in Montrose with more than 17,000 works in a Renzo Piano-designed building, plus the Cy Twombly Gallery, Rothko Chapel and Dan Flavin installations.
Admission is always free.
Official siteHolocaust Museum Houston
One of the four largest Holocaust museums in the United States, with three stories of permanent and traveling exhibitions on the Lester and Sue Smith Campus.
Free to visitors 18 and under, and free to all Thursdays, 2 to 5 pm.
Official siteChildren's Museum Houston
Fourteen hands-on exhibits across three floors make this one of the best children's museums in the country, a perennial favorite for local families.
Free Family Night Thursdays, 5 to 8 pm.
Official siteSpace Center Houston
The official visitor center of NASA's Johnson Space Center, with the Space Shuttle Independence replica mounted on the original NASA 905 carrier aircraft and behind-the-scenes Mission Control tours.
Paid admission; see the center's site for current tickets and bundle offers.
Official siteThe Theater District
Downtown's stage row, from Broadway to the ballet.
Houston's Theater District packs eight world-class performing venues into one downtown block, including the homes of the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet and Theatre Under The Stars. It also runs an annual Theater District Open House with free backstage tours.
The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
Sarofim Hall and Zilkha Hall host Broadway touring shows, and Theatre Under The Stars calls the Hobby Center home.
See the calendarJones Hall
The downtown home of the Houston Symphony, with a storied concert calendar in the heart of the Theater District.
See the calendarWortham Theater Center
The city's largest performing-arts complex, where Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera share the Brown and Cullen Theater stages.
See the calendarThe Alley Theatre
A Tony Award-winning resident theater company at 615 Texas Avenue, a Houston institution for drama since 1947.
See the calendarOutdoors
Houston's big parks and the zoo.
Houstonians live outdoors, and the city's three signature parks each offer something different, from Memorial Park's 1,500 wooded acres to Hermann Park's gardens to Buffalo Bayou Park's downtown skyline trail.
Memorial Park
About 1,500 acres of trails, tennis, the Memorial Loop and the Land Bridge and Prairie, the largest urban green space in Texas.
Park siteHermann Park
A 445-acre park in the Museum District with McGovern Centennial Gardens, Miller Outdoor Theatre, a Japanese Garden and pedal boats on McGovern Lake.
Park siteBuffalo Bayou Park
A 160-acre, 2.3-mile linear park along Buffalo Bayou with skyline views, the 1926 Cistern, hike and bike trails and canoe launches.
Park siteThe Houston Zoo
Inside Hermann Park, the Houston Zoo is a year-round family destination. Its Galápagos Islands exhibit, which opened in April 2023, was the first major Galápagos habitat in any U.S. zoo and includes a huge One Ocean aquarium. Visit the zoo's official site for hours, admission and the annual membership and events calendar.
Dining
Dining highlights, from steakhouses to street tacos.
These are current, well-reviewed Houston restaurants with their own websites, chosen to span the city's range: downtown steakhouses, Uptown patios, the Washington Corridor, Midtown Vietnamese and downtown cantinas. Menus change; check each restaurant's site for current hours.
Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse
A downtown steakhouse institution steps from the Theater District, known for prime steaks, chops and an extensive wine list.
1510 Texas Avenue, Downtown
Restaurant siteThe Rustic
Texas comfort food and live music in a casual, open-air setting at Uptown Park.
1121 Uptown Park Boulevard, Uptown
Restaurant siteGus's World Famous Fried Chicken
Memphis-style fried chicken with serious heat, a neighborhood favorite on Washington Avenue.
1815 Washington Avenue, Washington Corridor
Restaurant siteLa Calle Tacos and Cantina
Big, brunch-friendly tacos and margaritas in downtown's Market Square.
909 Franklin Street, Downtown
Restaurant siteMai's Restaurant
A Midtown classic for Vietnamese cooking, from pho and vermicelli bowls to family-style favorites.
3403 Milam Street, Midtown
Restaurant siteThe Pearl
An upscale downtown bistro and bar for craft cocktails and coastal-leaning plates near Market Square.
1117 Prairie Street, Downtown
Restaurant siteThis guide was compiled from current public sources as of September 8, 2026. Houston's cultural calendar and restaurant hours shift seasonally, so always confirm on the official websites linked above before you go.
Talk to Sharon
Moving to Houston? Sharon can show you the neighborhoods.
Houston's fun is spread across its neighborhoods, and choosing the right one is about more than the house. Sharon Yeary has 27 years of Texas real estate experience and can match your lifestyle, commute and school needs to the right part of town, then hand you a local list like this one for your own street. Reach out and start the conversation.
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Associate Broker with eXp Realty
27 years of experience in Texas real estate, helping families find both the right home and the right Houston lifestyle.
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