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Houston Living · What to Do

Local Guide Museums · Theater · Parks · Zoo · Dining

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 November 5, 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 District

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

One of the largest art museums in the country, with collections spanning antiquity to today across its Bissonnet campus and the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building. On view now: 'American Modernism from the Charles Butt Collection' (through January 18, 2027), 'Of Light and Air: Winslow Homer from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston' (through February 7, 2027) and 'America 250 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston' (through January 3, 2027).

Thursdays are always free: general admission to the Permanent Collections is free for everyone every Thursday, courtesy of Shell USA (the main campus is closed Tuesdays; Thursday hours run until 9 pm); special exhibitions require a separate All Access ticket.

Official site
Hermann Park

Houston Museum of Natural Science

Dinosaurs, gems, a planetarium and the Cockrell Butterfly Center, all inside Hermann Park on the edge of the Museum District. Special exhibitions on view now include 'Extreme Animals Alive', 'ATACAMA' and 'Freedom Plane: Documents That Forged a Nation', alongside the new permanent Matter & Motion hall covering quantum chemistry to astrophysics; 'Dead Sea Scrolls: The Exhibition' opens November 20, 2026 and 'Marvel: The Exhibition' opens December 18, 2026. Special exhibitions require separate tickets; see the museum's official site for current general-admission pricing.

Free admission to the permanent exhibit halls Tuesday evenings, 5 to 8 pm (last entry 7:30 pm); special exhibits may be excluded.

Official site
Montrose

The Menil Collection

A free art campus in Montrose with a Renzo Piano-designed main building, plus the Cy Twombly Gallery, Rothko Chapel and Dan Flavin installations. On view now: 'Terry Winters: Vitalized Geometry' through April 4, 2027 and 'Fragility' at the Menil Drawing Institute through January 24, 2027, with the 'Wall Drawing Series: Jitish Kallat' continuing through August 8, 2027.

Admission is always free, no ticket required; the campus is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am to 7 pm.

Official site
Museum District

Holocaust Museum Houston

Permanent and traveling exhibitions on the Lester and Sue Smith Campus in the Museum District.

See the museum's official site for current hours, admission and free-visit programs.

Official site
Museum District

Children's Museum Houston

Hands-on exhibits across multiple floors make this one of the most popular children's museums in the country, a perennial favorite for local families.

See the museum's official site for current hours and admission.

Official site
NASA Parkway, near Clear Lake

Space Center Houston

The official visitor center of NASA's Johnson Space Center. General admission covers the exhibit halls, theaters and space artifacts plus the standard NASA tram tours (free boarding pass required); the Historic Mission Control Tour is a separate paid add-on. The 'Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks' immersive show in the renovated Space Center Theater and the new permanent Artemis Exhibit are included with general admission. Hours vary by day, roughly 10 am to 5 pm weekdays and 10 am to 6 pm weekends, with timed entry required, so confirm the exact date on the official site.

Date-based pricing: online adult tickets run about $29.95 to $39.95, seniors 65 and older from about $27.95, and kids 4 to 11 $24.95 to $34.95; children 3 and under are free. Box-office prices run about $5 higher.

Official site

The Theater District

Downtown's stage row, from Broadway to the ballet.

Houston's Theater District is the city's performing-arts row downtown. The Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet and Theatre Under The Stars all call it home, and Broadway touring shows stop through regularly.

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 calendar

Jones Hall

The downtown home of the Houston Symphony, with a storied concert calendar in the heart of the Theater District.

See the calendar

Wortham 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 calendar

The Alley Theatre

A Tony Award-winning resident theater company at 615 Texas Avenue, a Houston institution for drama since 1947.

See the calendar

Outdoors

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 site

Hermann 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 site

Buffalo 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 site

The Houston Zoo

Inside Hermann Park, the Houston Zoo is a year-round family destination. It uses dynamic flex pricing with online timed entry and no gate sales; adult daytime tickets typically run about $22.95 to $34.95, up to about $38.95 on peak dates, with kids and seniors priced about 20% below the adult rate. Free Zoo Days are offered on the first Tuesday of each month with free advance reservations required; the remaining 2026 dates, November 3 and December 1, were both fully reserved. Starting November 11 the zoo runs holiday daytime hours, 9 am to 4 pm daily (last entry 3 pm), through January 3.

Plan a Zoo Visit

Dining

Dining highlights, from steakhouses to street tacos.

These are current Houston restaurants, chosen to span the city's range: a Museum District rooftop newcomer, new River Oaks and Galleria-area arrivals, and downtown steakhouse institutions. Menus and hours change; check each restaurant's site before you go.

The Branch

A rooftop restaurant and lounge from Beard-recognized chef Chris Williams at the Forme high-rise, opened October 1, 2026, with a wellness-focused seasonal menu, a rotating raw bar and skyline views toward downtown.

5501 La Branch Street (12th floor), Museum District

Opening coverage

Aroma

Opening Saturday, November 14, 2026 in the former Tavola space: Neapolitan-style pizza and casual Italian from chef Salvatore Martone of the Bastion Collection, using a 55-year-old sourdough starter and an Italian-imported oven.

1800 Post Oak Boulevard, Uptown

Opening coverage

Mack Allen's

A 16,000-square-foot steakhouse and seafood restaurant that recently opened in the 5POP office tower at the River Oaks-Uptown edge, from The Rouxpour owner Mack McDonald.

4400 Post Oak Parkway, Uptown

Opening coverage

Fielding's STEAK

The former Fielding's River Oaks relaunched as Fielding's STEAK, a steakhouse focused on prime, reserve and dry-aged cuts plus a Wagyu tasting spanning Australian, American and Japanese beef.

River Oaks, near the Westheimer corridor

Opening coverage

Picos

The longtime Houston Tex-Mex favorite closed its Kirby Drive home in August 2026 and reopened in September at a new Westheimer location in the former Cyclone Anaya's space, near the River Oaks corridor.

3736 Westheimer Road, River Oaks

Reopening coverage

Trill Burgers

Bun B's smashburger concept opened its fourth Houston-area location on September 25, 2026, its first with a late-night drive-thru; the original Montrose outpost remains open too.

7616 Westheimer Road, Galleria area

Opening coverage

H&H Bagels

The New York bagel institution opened its first Texas location in River Oaks on September 10, 2026, an instant line-out-the-door favorite.

2850 Westheimer Road, River Oaks

Opening coverage

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 site

Pappas Bros. Steakhouse

A Houston fine-dining classic near Discovery Green, repeatedly rated among the city's best steakhouses, with a celebrated wine program.

1200 McKinney Street, Downtown

Restaurant site

This guide was compiled from current public sources as of November 5, 2026. Houston's cultural calendar and restaurant hours shift seasonally, so always confirm on the official websites linked above before you go.

Now and Coming Up

Current events across Houston, November through January 2027

A snapshot of what is happening across the city over the next couple of months, compiled from public event listings as of November 5, 2026. Dates and details change, so confirm on each organizer's site before you go.

For the full picture, see Visit Houston's things-to-do calendar , the city's official events guide.

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 brings deep 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.

Sharon Yeary, Associate Broker with eXp Realty and owner of Sharcom Realty Group

Sharon Yeary

Associate Broker with eXp Realty

Texas real estate experience helping families find both the right home and the right Houston lifestyle.

Call Sharon (832) 388-9945 Email Sharon Sharonyeary@gmail.com

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