Brazos Bend State Park
21901 FM 762 Rd, Needville, TX 77461
An hour southwest: 5,000 acres of wetlands with hundreds of wild alligators visible from the trails, plus the George Observatory for Saturday stargazing. Houston's best wildlife day.
Insider tip
Walk the 40-Acre Lake loop at 9am for guaranteed gator sightings. Reserve day passes online.
Located in Memorial & Energy Corridor. 1,500-acre park and corporate campuses.
Also in Memorial & Energy Corridor
Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
Free155 acres of forest and prairie trails inside Memorial Park, with boardwalks, a savanna, and a nature center. Free, dog-free, and surprisingly wild for a spot ten minutes from the Galleria.
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Memorial Park & Land Bridge
FreeAt 1,500 acres, almost twice the size of Central Park. The Eastern Glades lawn and lake, the 3-mile Seymour Lieberman jogging loop, and the new Land Bridge tunnels with prairie on top and skyline views.
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Beer Can House
$A bungalow covered in 50,000 flattened beer cans by a retired upholsterer over 18 years. Folk-art landmark, five minutes from Memorial Park, cheap to tour on weekends.
Memorial & Energy Corridor
Texas Renaissance Festival
$$The largest Renaissance festival in the US, on 55 acres an hour northwest of Houston, eight weekends each October and November. Costumes, jousting, turkey legs, and themed weekends.
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