Help me kill a Tuesday in Houston...

May 9, 2011 5:59 PM

Help me kill a Tuesday in Houston...

Shame on me for missing that all the museums are closed tomorrow, Tuesday. Open to any creative, active or just plain wacky ideas. No family, no restrictions.

posted by VeniceGlass to Travel & Transportation around Houston, TX (12 answers total)

If you don't mind driving for about an hour from central Houston, you could go to NASA and have seafood nearby.
posted by lukemeister at 6:18 PM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

Houston Zoo maybe?
posted by jschu at 6:30 PM on May 9, 2011

MFAH is open.
Astros have a game that eve against the Reds. Lots of good seat since the team isn't doing so well. Or Kylie Minogue is playing, if that is your bag.
Shop at the Galleria, wander on Westheimer in the Montrose, Stroll along 19th in the Heights.
Eat Greek at Niko Nikos on Montrose or mac & cheese at Jus' Mac on Yale. Or Vietnamese at Van Loc then a beer at Khon's in Midtown.
posted by nimsey lou at 6:43 PM on May 9, 2011 [3 favorites]

Seconding the suggestion to check out Johnson Space Center - it's a great experience. T-Bone Tom's nearby has some excellent BBQ too.
posted by orangeseed at 6:51 PM on May 9, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks for the quick responses. MFAH looks great. As for the Space Center... for adults, really?
posted by VeniceGlass at 6:52 PM on May 9, 2011

The zoo is very pleasant, in spite of being a small city zoo. But Bayou Wildlife Park is a delightfully sketchy safari on a farm where you'll feed ostriches, eland, emus, a watusi bull, buffalo, donkeys, goats, deer, camels, llamas, etc., etc. by hand. You can also pet live stingrays nearby there at the Kemah Boardwalk.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 6:53 PM on May 9, 2011

If you really want to drive out there, then you can take the NASA tour from Space Center. Much of Space Center is for kids, but the NASA tour is really cool. If you have $90 to burn, then take the level 9 tour. It is worth it. You can also go out to Rocket Park while you are there.

You can go to the First Ward Arts District. Several artist studios around. Including the big president heads by David Adickes

Also check out Hot Town Cool City
posted by nimsey lou at 7:25 PM on May 9, 2011

You could have a very nice Tuesday in Houston. Some of the more offbeat museums are also open -- the Museum of Funeral History has an exhibition about fantasy coffins up now. The Houston Telephone Museum is open only on Tuesdays. Also, the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum. If you're more arts-oriented, you might check out Lawndale Art Center, which has a hillerbrand + magsamen video installation up that I'm keen to see.
posted by *s at 7:45 PM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I'm going to second the Lawndale Art Center. I was just there for the Marc Bell and Jim Woodring exhibit, and everything in there right now is excellent. There's also Domy Books.
posted by lunalaguna at 7:53 PM on May 9, 2011

And the Rothko Chapel is always open.
posted by lunalaguna at 7:55 PM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

If you like science, the Natural History Museum is open too, it's close to MFAH. They have a quirky energy exhibit that really highlights Houston's place as the home of the oil and gas industry.

Also there is a butterfly garden, an Imax theatre, and it's near a great park.
posted by eggm4n at 8:17 AM on May 10, 2011

Response by poster: Wow, the Lawndale center was great. Thanks everyone - hive to the rescue.
posted by VeniceGlass at 6:00 AM on May 12, 2011