The Museum District, Rice University, and the Texas Medical Center

As you head south on Main Street from downtown Houston, the urban landscape begins to fade, and things slow down a bit. Dense blocks and seas of concrete give way to tree-lined boulevards after you pass under Southwest Freeway (U.S. 59), signaling that you're entering the Museum District. A bit farther down the street you'll pass lush Hermann Park and the live oak–filled campus of Rice University—if you like to picnic, you're going to want to visit this part of town. Past the park and university, the urban jungle returns as the skyscraping towers of the Texas Medical Center, one of Houston's "other" downtowns, poke above the majestic trees.