Houston Sights

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Discovery Green Park

• Space Center Houston, in Clear Lake. Indoor fun space museum with lots of hands-on space-science exhibits and artifacts from the full history of U.S. space exploration. Highlights include the actual Apollo and Mercury launch vehicles, and a tour of astronaut training facilities.

• Houston Museum of Natural Science, Montrose/Museum District www.hmns.org.

• Houston Zoo, Montrose/Museum District www.houstonzoo.org.

• Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Montrose/Museum District www.mfah.org.

• Children's Museum of Houston, Montrose/Museum District www.cmhouston.org.

• The Health Museum, Montrose/Museum District www.thehealthmuseum.org.

• Houston Holocaust Museum, Montrose/Museum District. Phone: 713.942.8000. 5401 Caroline St. Holocaust Museum Houston is dedicated to educating people about the Holocaust, remembering the 6 million Jews and millions of other innocent victims and honoring the survivors' legacy. Using the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides, the Museum teaches the dangers of hatred, prejudice and apathy to tens of thousands of people worldwide each year.

• Contemporary Arts Museum, ☎ 713-284-8250, www.camh.org. 10-5 Tu-We, 10-9 Th, 10-5 Fr-Sa, noon-5 Su, closed Mo. Free admission.

• Hermann Park - Approximately 455 acres in south of Downtown which encompasses the Miller Outdoor Theater, the Houston Zoo, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and the Hermann Park Golf Course.

• Menil Collection, Montrose. 1515 Sul Ross. Tel: 713-525-9400. The Menil Collection is a unique museum environment located in the Montrose-area Museum District housing the collection of John and Dominique de Menil. The museum building is the centerpiece of a neighborhood featuring satellite gallery spaces and related cultural institutions set in a parklike setting.

• Bayou Bend, www.mfah.org/bayoubend.

• Discovery Green Park, Downtown. Discovery Green opened April 13, 2008. The downtown Houston park is located across Avenida de las Americas from the George R. Brown Convention Center and the Hilton Americas Hotel. Toyota Center, Houston Center and Minute Maid Park are only blocks away.

• Downtown Tunnel System, Downtown. The majority of Downtown Houston's buildings are connected by an intertwining, complex tunnel system. Scores of lunch restaurants and easy access to building entrances from underground keep Houston's workforce primarily underground during the day. Only open during the weekdays, the tunnels are an interesting spectacle to observe, but try to avoid getting lost.

• Chase Tower Observatory, Downtown. 600 Travis Street. The sky lobby on the 60th floor of the building is the observatory and free during business hours. The Chase Tower is the tallest building in Texas and the tallest five-sided building in the world.

• Forbidden Gardens, www.forbidden-gardens.com. Outdoor museum (expensive and sadly incomplete) replicating some of China's historic scenes

• Diverse Works, 1117 E. Freeway (N. Main at Naylor), ☎ 713-223-8346 (Tickets@diverseworks.org), www.diverseworks.org. noon-6 We-Sa. Alternative artwork center. Varies, some free..

• Williams Tower, in Uptown. The largest skyscraper in the world outside of a downtown area.

• Houston Ship Channel Boat Tour, boattours.poha.com/boattour/default.aspx. 10:30 and 2:30 Tu, We, Fr, Sa, 2:30 Th and Su.. See one of the busiest ports in the world. Advance reservations required. Free, reservations required..

• Downtown Aquarium, Downtown. Not an aquarium, but rather a restaurant with an aquarium inside it. Its high-profile location and neon lights make it hard to miss. It has a ferris wheel and other carnival-style rides.
• Rothko Chapel, 1409 Sul Ross, ☎ (713) 524-9839, www.rothkochapel.org. 10AM-6PM Daily. The Rothko Chapel, founded by John and Dominique de Menil, was dedicated in 1971 as an intimate sanctuary available to people of every belief. A modern meditative environment inspired by the mural canvasses of American abstract expressionist Mark Rothko, the Chapel welcomes thousands of visitors each year, people of every faith and from all parts of the world. free.
• Buffalo Soldiers National Museum (BSNM), 1834 Southmore, Houston, TX 77004, ☎ 713.942.8920, www.buffalosoldiermuseum.com. Monday - Friday: 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Saturdays from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Closed on Sundays. The BSNM is located in the Historic 3rd Ward, in the Museum District and is dedicated to the brave men and women of color who courageously served in every great American War and Military Campaign. The BSNM provides fun, interactive, multi-media exhibit for interest and education for its patrons. The BSNM also offers its patrons a complete look at African American military history from 1770 to 2000 (Revolutionary War to the Persian Gulf War). The BSNM seeks to reach as many people in its community through its educational activities and opportunities. Among its many outreach programs, the museum participates in parades, gives historical lectures, created a youth drill team and a summer high school ROTC internship program. The BSNM is an active participant in National Veteran projects, such as the Veterans' Registry Program. The BSNM actively seeks out collaborations within the arts and educational community in order to present multi-faceted events that present the untold story of African-Americans in the military. Admission: $2.00 per person.