Houston venues

7620 Katy Freeway, Ste. 455, Houston, TX 77024

Houston Improv is out on the Katy Freeway in the Marqe entertainment centre rather than downtown, which is the first thing to know: it is a drive, and the parking is free. It runs a two-item minimum per person like most comedy clubs, but unlike the Punch Line downtown, food counts towards it — order a starter and you are done. Doors are 18 and over with photo ID, 21 to drink.

412 Travis St, Houston, TX 77002

The Emerald Theatre looks like the busiest venue in Houston on any listings feed, and that is misleading: it is a 130-seat room in the Theater District running two resident shows — Drunk Shakespeare and Drunk Pirates — most nights of the week. So the eighty-odd calendar entries are really two shows repeating, not eighty different nights out. It is a 21-and-over evening, the show runs about 90 minutes with no interval, and the garage directly above the theatre is the easy park.

1204 Caroline St, Houston, TX 77002

House of Blues on Caroline Street runs two rooms — the Music Hall and the smaller Bronze Peacock — and your ticket says which, so check before you queue. The thing that catches people out here is the age policy: it is set per show, not per venue, and the listings are marked “Ages 18+” or “Ages 21+” individually. Read your own ticket rather than assuming. The Punch Line comedy club shares the building but has a separate entrance and separate rules.

2915 N Main St, Houston, TX 77009

White Oak Music Hall is a five-acre complex just north of downtown with three separate stages, and which one your ticket is for changes the night completely. Downstairs is the small room, Upstairs is the larger indoor hall, and the Lawn is the outdoor stage - an open-air show in a Houston August is a different proposition from an air-conditioned one. Check the stage name on your ticket before you plan around it.

1204 Caroline St, Houston, TX 77002

The Punch Line is a 250-seat comedy club inside the House of Blues complex on Caroline Street, and it is the busiest room on Houston's ticketed calendar - it books more shows than any arena in the city. It is a separate venue from the House of Blues music hall despite the shared address, with its own entrance, so do not queue at the concert doors. Two things catch first-timers out: there is a two-drink minimum per person in the showroom, and there is no re-entry once you are in.

18307 Egret Bay Blvd, Houston, TX 77058

401 Franklin St, Houston, TX 77201

713 Music Hall is attached to POST Houston, which makes it the rare Houston venue where you can make an evening of it without moving the car — the food hall and the rooftop farm are in the same building. It is mobile-ticket only and cashless, so bring a phone with charge and a card. Bags are capped at 12 by 6 by 12 inches and anything not clear gets a second look.

2600 Travis St, Houston, TX 77006

7326 Southwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77074

520 Texas Ave, Houston, TX 77002

Bayou Music Center sits in Bayou Place on Texas Avenue, and the single most useful thing to know is that street parking downtown is free after 6pm — for an evening show that beats the valet, which is run by the City of Houston rather than the venue. It is cashless and strictly no re-entry, so bring a card and everything you need before you go in.

339 W 19th St, Houston, TX 77008

2101 Polk St, Houston, TX 77003