Believe it or not, but there’s more to Houston than just oil and gas. We’re home to thriving arts scene and have a cluster of 19 museums conveniently located for your enjoyment in the center of town. While not particularly residential, the Museum District offers a wide range of entertainment for all price points and all ages all year long.
The area is defined by anything south of 59, east of 288, North of the Texas Medical Center and west(ish) of Montrose Boulevard.
Get discounts at the gift shops and entry to 9+ museums with a Museum Pass! You can grab a museum pass for 1-day (for your out-of-town family!) or 30-days (for your local friends!).
Where you need to go
- Best Date Spot: Paddle boating in Hermann Park
- Best Running Trail 1: Hermann Park – 2 mile shady loop!
- Best Running Trail 2: Rice University – 3 mile shady loop!
- Best Bayou: Brays Bayou — 16 miles of trails!
- Best Workout Class: Camp Gladiator
- Best Happy Hour: Thursday’s at the MFAH – DJ, drinks and free museum entrance!
- Best Summer Exhibit: MFAH — Here are the 2017 and 2016 exhibits
- Best Nightlife: Grand Prize Bar
- Best Parking Secret: Street parking by the Church
- Best Staycation: Hotel Zaza –weirdest hotel you’ll ever go
- Best Free Event: Anything at Miller Outdoor Theatre
- Best Swanky Dinner: Monarch
- Best Zen Spot: The James Turrell Skyspace on Rice’s Campus
- Best Brunch: Lucille’s
- Best Proposal Spot: McGovern Centennial Gardens — sooner or later you’ll meet someone who got engaged here
- Best Iconic Spot: Fountain Roundabouts on Montrose
- Best Veggie Spot: Green Seed Vegan
- Best Queso: Barnaby’s
- Best Patio Bar: Axelrad
- Best Pizza: Luigi’s Pizza
- Best Picnic Spot: Hermann Park
- Best Underrated Museum: Museum of Contemporary Art
What you need to know
The Museum District is a center of activity and life. Some of our favorite events include visiting Zoo Lights, where you can stroll through the zillions of Christmas lights in the Zoo with a boozy (or not) cup of hot cocoa in hand. During the summer, you must catch one of the free shows at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Bring a blanket and picnic for the perfect summer evening! Also, most museums offer a free day (usually Thursday), so you really have no excuse not to go! Also, prioritize all of the MFAH interactive summer exhibits–they’re amazing! The Museum of Natural Science throws events pretty regularly for fun holidays like Pluto’s birthday and Halloween. It’s a small cover charge to get in, but the geeky live bands make up for it!
Also has a fantastic Flower District located along Fannin (just south of 59) that’s sketchily open 24/7 and you can get exotic flowers in bulk at all sorts of discounts.
The Museum District is conveniently connected to the rest of Houston with several stops along the METRO Rail. In general, parking in this area kinda sucks, but you can usually find some spaces in the Zoo parking lot (be prepared to walk) and some street parking–pay attention to signs, they will ticket!
Is there anywhere to live? Not really. There’s some townhouses along 288 and some houses on the west side, but that’s edging into West U territory. Most people who live around this area have a lot of money (and attend Rice live in West U) or are sleep-deprived residents working in the Texas Med Center.