38 Best Sights in Houston and Galveston, Texas

Remember Apollo 13's "Houston, we have a problem?" This is the "Houston" that Jim Lovell and his crew were talking to—and the home of the Mission Control that NASA astronauts communicate with today when they're in space. Visitors to the center can learn about the history and science of space exploration at the Living in Space exhibit, which simulates what life is like aboard the space station—and how even "simple" tasks like showering and eating get complicated in zero-gravity. In the Kids Space Place, children can ride on a lunar rover and try out tasks in an Apollo command module. Want to know exactly how it feels to be launched into space? Then check out the Blast Off Theater, where you'll experience the rocket boosters and billowing exhaust of liftoff. You'll then dock at the International Space Station to get started on your mission. The adjacent Johnson Space Center tour includes a visit to (the real) Mission Control and laboratories that simulate weightlessness and other space-related concepts. You can also see a real Saturn V, the launch vehicle for the Apollo moon missions, in Rocket Park. Be sure to allow several hours for your visit.

This is one of the city's premier cultural treasures. Italian architect Renzo Piano designed the spacious building, with its airy galleries. John and Dominique de Menil collected the eclectic art, which ranges from tribal African sculptures to Andy Warhol's paintings of Campbell's soup cans. A separate gallery across the street houses the paintings of American artist Cy Twombly; Richmond Hall, a few blocks away, houses one of only two permanent Dan Flavin installations in America.

If you can't visit Houston during the annual Art Car Parade (though do try to if you can), the next best thing is a visit to this funky museum, where you can see several of the over-the-top autos plus cutting-edge temporary exhibits (of the non-car kind).

This estate houses the MFAH's decorative arts collections and lets you step back in time to witness the elegant lifestyle of the first half of the 20th century. Noted Houston philanthropist and collector Ima Hogg donated the 28-room mansion, complete with period pieces dating back to the 1600s, to the Museum of Fine Arts. Be sure to take the time to wander through the beautifully manicured gardens—you'll feel as if you're strolling the grounds of a French château. The woodland trails are especially wonderful, like something out of a fairy tale. Guided and self-guided tours of the mansion must be scheduled in advance (no reservations are necessary in order to tour the gardens).

Frescoes from a 13th-century votive chapel have been preserved in this jewel in the Menil complex, located one block from the Rothko Chapel. The dome and apse were rescued from thieves and restored under a unique arrangement with the Greek Orthodox Church and the Republic of Cyprus.

Northwest of Tranquility Park, this 1939 modernist structure of Texas limestone was designed by Joseph Finger, Houston's premier architect of the time. There's a visitor center on the ground floor.

Housed in an aluminum-sheathed trapezoid, this non-collecting institution hosts traveling avant-garde art shows. Previous exhibitions have included "Design Life Now: National Design Triennial," showcasing the experimental projects, emerging ideas, major buildings, and new media that were at the center of contemporary culture from 2003–06; firms represented in the show included Apple and Nike. The museum also throws "Steel Lounge," an evening get-together of music, drinks, and mingling masses, on the final Friday of every month.

This 12-acre greenspace across from the George R. Brown Convention Center features Wi-Fi access, a lake, a model-boat pond, an amphitheater, and The Grove, serving steaks, seafood, and acclaimed burgers.

A Landry's property with a themed restaurant, this one's a lot of fun for the kids. There's a giant Ferris wheel, arcade games, and rides, plus an enormous aquarium with exhibits that include a Louisiana swamp, a 17th century shipwreck, a tropical rain forest, a shark voyage, and an exhibit featuring white tigers.

Got a date? On your way to visit a friend at the hospital? Or perhaps for some reason you need fresh tulips at 3 am? The 24-hour Fannin Flower District is filled with shops offering super-cheap flowers, plants, and arrangements any time, night or day. While you're there, you can stock up on garish knickknacks like teddy bears, bonsai trees, giant topiary monkeys, and helium balloons, plus greeting cards.

Galveston Island State Park, on the western, unpopulated end of the island, is a 2,000-acre natural beach habitat ideal for birding, walking, and renewing your spirit. It's open daily from 8 am to 10 pm. The Nature Center is open weekends from 10 to 2.

Housed in the carriage house of the historic Ashton Villa, one of the city's historic Victorian-era mansions, the exhibit ("And Still We Rise ...") tells the story of the origin of Juneteenth, the day in 1865 (June 19, 1865 to be exact), when Union General Gordon Granger and others read General Order No. 3, announcing that the formerly enslaved residents of Texas had been emancipated two and a half years earlier by Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation (Confederate general Robert E. Lee had surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in April of that year). June 19 has since been declared a federal holiday in the U.S. to commemorate this event.

This massive convention center on the east side of downtown, one of the 10 largest in the nation, is named for Houston entrepreneur, civic leader, and philanthropist George R. Brown. Adjacent to the hotel are the Discovery Green Park and the Hilton Americas-Houston, which is connected to the convention center via several skywalks. With 1,800,000 square feet, the center hosts the nation's largest quilt show, as well international technology conferences like ITEC.

There's plenty to see and do on this 545-acre oak-shaded urban oasis. Kids love riding the miniature train (just $2.25 a pop) that winds through the trees and taking a pedal boat out on eight-acre McGovern Lake. Duffers can tackle a challenging 18-hole course, and horticulturalists may swoon over the Japanese Garden and the Houston Garden Center, surrounded by 2,500 rose bushes. The park also contains the Houston Zoo, The Museum of Natural Science, and the Miller Outdoor Theater (with a hill that's fun to run—or roll—down).

This shopping area is defined by the architecture of its 19th- and early-20th-century buildings, many of which survived the storm of 1900 and are on the National Register of Historic Places. When Galveston was still a powerful port city—before the Houston Ship Channel was dug, diverting most boat traffic inland—this stretch, formerly the site of stores, offices, and warehouses, was known as the Wall Street of the South. As you stroll up the Strand, you'll pass dozens of shops and cafés.

This memorial and education center to those who died and survived the Holocaust is housed in a stark, cylindrical edifice. Devastating and uplifting, the main exhibit, "Bearing Witness: A Community Remembers," can be viewed individually or by tour. There is also a 1942 German Holocaust–era railcar, the type that was used to carry millions of innocent victims to their deaths.

Located in the Museum District, just a short stroll from Hermann Park, the Children's Museum of Houston offers fun, hands-on exhibits and activities for children of all ages. Your kids can work in a TV station, shop in a supermarket, enter an inventors' competition, and much more.

You've got to hand it to this Houston museum for expanding the definition of traditional science programming with recent blockbuster shows on jeweler Fulco Verdura, life in Imperial Rome, and Diana: A Celebration, which detailed the life and work of the Princess of Wales. The museum's permanent exhibits are a little more traditional and include Wiess Energy Hall, the dazzling Smith Gem Vault, and the Farish Hall of Texas Wildlife. Also housed within the museum are the Burke Baker Planetarium, the Wortham IMAX Theatre, and the Cockrell Butterfly Center, where you can commune with 1,500 live butterflies. If you plan to see everything, buy the combination ticket.

This small but pleasant zoo is home to 4,500 animals, housed in carefully designed ecosystems along shaded trails. Be sure to visit the boardwalks and treehouses of the Wortham World of Primates. If you need a break from the heat, take a spin on the climate-controlled Wildlife Carousel near the Children's Zoo. The zoo is free on certain holidays: Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Get a quick overview of Houston by taking in the entire urban panorama from the 60th-floor observation deck of Texas's tallest building (weekdays 8–5). Architect I. M. Pei designed this 75-story structure, built in 1981.

OK, we'll cut to the chase—the Kemah Boardwalk is a commercial, touristy development run by Landry's Restaurants (the folks who brought you Joe's Crab Shack and Saltgrass Steakhouse)—but most people love it. Just off I–45 between Houston and Galveston, this cluster of moderately priced restaurants, amusement-park rides, game arcades, and inns is set on a bustling ship channel. It's a family-oriented destination where you can catch a Gulf breeze, eat seafood, shop, or just watch the ships sail by. Kids can get up close to some of nature's most misunderstood creatures at Stingray Reef—they can even feed them. A 96-foot-tall wooden coaster called the Boardwalk Bullet was recently added to the mix. It reaches speeds of 51 mph—only five feet from the water's edge. Don't eat first!

The Houston Astros play in this modern-but-retro baseball stadium, which has a retractable roof and a monster a/c system to defy Houston's frequently changing weather. Upper-deck seats on the first base side have great views of the downtown skyline—even when the roof is closed, due to a very cool retractable glass wall. The stadium incorporates Houston's 1911 Union Station (designed by Warren and Wetmore of New York's Grand Central Station fame), which houses the ball club offices, retail stores, and eateries. Heavy hitters can rent out Union Station's rooftop, which has views into the stadium from above.

Moody Gardens is a multifaceted entertainment and educational complex inside pastel-color glass pyramids. Attractions include the 13-story Discovery Pyramid, showcasing marine life from four oceans in tanks and touch pools; Rainforest Pyramid, a 40,000-square-foot tropical habitat for exotic flora and fauna; Discovery Pyramid, a joint venture with NASA featuring more than 40 interactive exhibits; and two theaters, one of which has a space adventure ride. Outside, Palm Beach has white-sand beach, landscaped grounds, man-made lagoons, a kid-size waterslide and games, and beach chairs. Attraction admissions can be purchased individually, or there are also combo tickets and a daypass.

Moody Mansion, the residence of generations of one of Texas's most powerful families, was completed in 1895. Tour its interiors of exotic woods and gilded trim, filled with family heirlooms and personal effects.

Remarkable for the completeness of its enormous collection, the MFAH is housed in a complicated series of wings and galleries, many designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. When the Audrey Jones Beck Building, the work of famed Spanish architect Rafael Maneo, it doubled the museum's size. Renaissance and 18th-century art is particularly well represented, and there's a fine selection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist works. You'll also find an ample survey of Asian, Pre-Columbian, Oceanic, and African art, and an impressive collection of modernist paintings, prints, and sculpture. The Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden displays 19th- and 20th-century sculptures by Rodin, Matisse, Giacometti, and Stella in an outdoor space designed by Isamu Noguchi.

The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art's two installations—celebrating the work of individuals with extraordinary imaginations—are definitely two of Houston's strangest (and coolest) attractions. The Orange Show monument, located near the University of Houston at 2401 Munger St., is a handmade architectural spectacle constructed by late postman Jefferson Davis McKissack from 1956 to 1979. The outdoor 3,000-square-foot installation, which celebrates the artist's favorite fruit, includes a wishing well, a pond, a stage, a museum and a gift shop; McKissack built it with concrete, brick, found objects, wagon wheels, and statues. The Orange Show Center's other sight is the Beer Can House at 222 Malone St., near Memorial Park. The house—completely covered and decorated with aluminum beer-can "siding," and garlands of cut beer cans hanging from the roof edges—represents the meticulous beer chugging and recycling work of the late John Milkovisch; more than 50,000 cans were used.

Across the street from Hermann Park is top-ranked Rice University, where 3,000 undergraduates from all over the country (and the world) live in an Oxford-inspired Residential College System. The campus is filled with live oaks, Mediterranean-style architecture, and some extremely hefty squirrels. It's a quiet place to escape from the city, and there are many wonderful places to picnic. Rice also houses the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, named for George H. W. Bush's secretary of state. The Rice Owls play football at Rice Stadium, where in 1962 President John F. Kennedy gave his famous "Moon Speech," in which he reaffirmed his earlier call to Congress and the nation that the United States would put a man on the moon in that decade. The 3-mi-long gravel path rings the campus; it's a popular place to walk or jog; massive trees shade most of the route.

When you're done gawking, head to the neighborhood's top spot, Houston's first, to grab a coffee or some lunch, catch a movie, or pick up a new outfit.

Adjacent to the lawns surrounding the Menil complex, this moody octagonal sanctuary designed by Philip Johnson houses 14 Mark Rothko paintings. Outside the ecumenical chapel is Barnett Newman's sculpture Broken Obelisk, symbolizing the life and death of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Alfred Finn, a Houston architect, designed this 570-foot-tall monument, which rises over the site (in nearby La Porte) where Sam Houston triumphed over General Antonio López de Santa Anna in the final battle of the Texas Revolution of 1836. The cenotaph, built between 1936 and 1939, is made of concrete and 100-million-year-old Cordova shellstone quarried north of Austin. At its top rests a nine-point, 35-foot-tall star weighing 220 tons. The park also includes the San Jacinto Museum of History; The Jesse H. Jones Theater for Texas Studies, which shows a movie about the battle called Texas Forever!; the Battleship Texas; and the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Library, covering Texas history.