Yes, I admit that it has taken a pandemic to break us out of our ruts and start visiting new places in our city! While many people know most of the major parks, like Discovery Green, Buffalo Bayou, and Memorial Park, we’ve discovered some great new outdoor spaces in Houston during this time. And, we have realized more and more how much there is to explore right here at home. Here are a few of our old favorites and some new discoveries!
Japanese Garden at Hermann Park
A fun fact is that Mr. LOTG and I actually had our very first date in Hermann Park, at the Miller Outdoor Theater. And yet I really haven’t spent a lot of time exploring this huge park – I only even heard that there was a Japanese Garden here a few months ago!
Bebe and I visited the Garden recently and loved this shady space. There are lots of water features, including a waterfall and several ponds with lots of turtles and fish, which Bebe spent lots of time examining! The Garden even has an authentic tea house, donated by the Japanese government. It really is a lovely space, and feels so different than much of Houston.
This is one of the best multi-use parks in the city! There are many open areas for play for kids and adults alike, plus a huge and very cool playground (currently closed but definitely looking forward to it being open again!), and several restaurants on site to grab an outdoor bite or drink. One corner of the park also houses a dog park! Bebe also loved the double decker bus, which is actually a pizza restaurant, right on the edge of the park. We had the nicest breakfast picnic here, sitting under the shade of the big live oaks. This is a Houston treasure for sure!
This little Center in Bellaire is a new find for us. We enjoyed spending the morning walking along the shady trails (lots of tree cover for the win) and spent a good 45 minutes watching the Critter Classroom bunnies and turtles eat their lunches – I think Bebe enjoyed watching them just as much as going to the zoo! Bebe talked about Clover the bunny all the way home.
This is an old favorite, which is funny because it is actually so close to the Nature Discovery Center. This is a smaller multi-use park, with a big slide and lots of space for kids to run around. I love eating breakfast at Betsy’s, and with covid, their huge outdoor seating area is a good place for a socially-distanced meal. I also love the Alice in Wonderland sculpture tucked into the corner of the park – it is a full size table where Alice and her friends are having a mad cap tea party. Kids are actually encouraged to climb right up on the benches and join the tea party!
We love the Arboretum! From fun fall events to spring mornings hiking the grounds, it is a perfect place to visit in all Houston seasons. This summer, we’ve been making sure to go early in the morning to beat the crowds and the heat – the Arboretum opens at 7am. You really feel like you are out in nature – not in the middle of the city!
And for more of our Houston favorites, check out this post on the Houston Museum of Natural Science and this post on the Houston Aquarium!