Museums and Music

• Museum of Natural Science
  The Houston Museum of Natural Science (abbreviated as HMNS) has an amazing collection of mineral specimens, space station models, 60 large skeleton mounts – which include four Tyrannosaurus Rex and three large Quetzalcoatlus – a planetarium, and lots more to occupy the family for the day.
• Children’s Museum
  The museum has some absorbing hands-on interactive exhibits in subjects such as science and technology, history, and culture, and more.
• The Health Museum
  For all the budding scientists in the family, or just those who enjoy things of a scientific nature, this is the venue for you.
• Museum of Fine Arts
  The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, houses an encyclopedic collection of nearly 70,000 works of art created throughout the world, from antiquity to the present. Explore the Museum’s art collections through this searchable database, which is continually being updated. Browse to discover art across time periods, cultures, classifications, and more. Then visit the Museum to experience your favorites in person.
• 1940 Air Terminal Museum
  This is a must see for all the aviation addicts. The museum is housed in the original art deco Houston Municipal Airport and showcases a truly wonderful display of all things airline related, including Houston’s own aviation history.
• Cockrell Butterfly Center
  The Cockrell Butterfly Center and Brown Hall of Entomology has a huge variety of species and serves as a teachable moment for kids, and anyone interested in bugs, providing entertainment and education for the entire family.
• Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
  There are some wonderful shows and plays performed here and a visit to the center would be a lovely outing for all the family.
• Miller Outdoor Theatre
  This outstanding theater offers both culturally and artistically assorted programming as part of its free productions season as well as many other free plays, concerts, dances and shows to suit all ages. The theater, situated on 7.5 acres of land in Hermann Park, runs from mid-March through mid-November. The seats are covered in case of rain.

Activities and Attractions

• Discovery Green
  Recently renovated, this 11.78-acre public city park is thought of by locals as a much-needed urban oasis. It is very community spirited, offering free yoga classes, toddler story times as well as movie nights and regular concerts.
• Downtown Aquarium
  This 500,000-gallon aquatic wonderland contains 200 species of exotic global residents.  It is a great attraction for all the family, and especially the kiddies as they can enjoy the fun aquarium’s rides, from Frog Hopper to Shark Voyage and Aquatic Carousel.
• Minute Maid Park
  Minute Maid Park is home to Houston’s Major League Baseball team the Astros and is now famous for seeing a major league team playing on natural grass outdoors.  See the Astros take on the Texas Rangers while in town.
• Hines Waterwall Park
  To stand in the Waterwall’s mist and be enveloped by the gentle roar of cascading water is one of the city’s most memorable experiences. The park features a 64 ft semicircular fountain that re-circulates 11,000 gallons of water per minute that tumbles down the structure’s inner and outer walls. 
• JPMorgan Chase Tower
  This 75-story skyscraper, standing at just over 1,000 ft high, is the tallest building in Texas.  Take a ride to the observation deck where you can enjoy the wonderful view beyond you. The tower’s architecture is of an art deco design and truly lovely.
• Buffalo Bayou Park
  The meandering park is made up of 124 acres of spacious green with awesome views of Houston skyline thrown into the mix. Besides all of this, there is also a nature play area, artwork, and live artistic performances to enjoy together with a dog park.
• The TMC Library
  As the Library serving all other TMC member institutions, it is one of the most inclusive and collaborative spaces on the campus.  We provide a depth and breadth of electronic resources that rival other medical libraries.

NASA Space Station

• Space Center Houston
  Space Center Houston is one of the only places on Earth where visitors can see astronauts train for missions, touch a real moon rock and take a behind-the-scenes tour of NASA. The exhibits, attractions and hands-on activities in this 250,000-square-foot educational entertainment complex tell the story of America’s human space flight program, giving guests an experience like no other.

Restaurants and Bars

Here are some of the city’s most-loved spots.

Bars and Breweries near the Convention Center

• Bayou & Bottle
  Bayou & Bottle brings a chic bourbon bar to downtown Houston, serving flavorful cuisine inspired by Houston’s melting pot of cultures. 
• Little Woodrow’s Eado
  A favorite watering hole in downtown Houston.
• MKT Bar
  A global gastropub within walking distance of many of Houston’s favorite attractions and entertainment venues.  There’s something for everyone from live music showcasing popular Houston-area acts and national stars to local art exhibits and family-friendly events.
• Miss Carousel
  Creative & traditional cocktails, wines & beers plus a menu of elevated pub grub in a sleek space.
• Neil’s Bahr
  Weekly karaoke (Wednesdays), video game tournaments (Tuesdays) and movie nights (Mondays), Pablo cooking on the patio, a comic book selection and free-play arcades are just a few things that makes Neil’s a great place to get together.
• Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar
  Who is Pete exactly? He’s an entertainment enigma who prefers to keep a low profile. What’s most important to him, really, is that everyone feels 100% themselves when at his watering hole, so you are encouraged to sing, scream, and dance your heart out when you’re here.
• Pitch 25
  Pub grub & nearly 100 draft beers in a cool, cavernous warehouse with games & lots of outdoor seats.
• Reserve 101
  Reserve 101 is one of the top whiskey bars in the country.  Located in the heart of Downtown Houston, Reserve 101 is housed in an early 1900s building that’s seen plenty – including Prohibition – come and go.