4-Day Houston Escape

Lucky Land

You will see century-old artifacts and fun whimsical displays here at Lucky Land, a public space dedicated to Asian culture. Visit the Terracotta  Army, the Panda Village, the Koi Fish Pond, Happy Buddha, the Kung Fu Statues, or the mini replicas of Chinese villages. There will be several vendors selling souvenirs and specialty items, as well as food and beverages reflective of the culture.

Allen's Landing Park

Otherwise known as 'Houstons Plymouth Rock', Allen's Landing Park is THE original Houston spot. No, really, this is where it all started! First occupied by August Chapman and John Kirby Allan in 1836, this site sits on the confluence of Buffalo and White Oak Bayous. Of course, this made the spot the economic hub of the soon to be a sprawling city.  Today you will see the entry plaza, embarcaderos, historic wharf, hiking and biking trails, and public text art.

Children's Museum of Houston 

This hands-on, highly educational, and highly popular Houston resident museum serves just over 1 million visitors a year, Houston holding one of the largest child populations in the United States. The 'whimsical building' the museum is housed in was created by Robert Ventura, a hard to miss building that serves the community by enhancing parent and community involvement in hands-on learning for children. A true 'playground for your mind', the gallery offers 14 different galleries, classroom curriculum programs, group activities, and regular special educational events and festivals.

Downtown Aquarium

Kiddos will love the different choices for quick thrills here, such as Shark Voyage, a journey into the lions, or rather sharks, den, or the Lighthouse Dive adrenaline cruiser! There are over 200 species within the aquarium itself. Enjoy a customized family, scout, or classroom visit with your group, the latter of which caters to pre k through high school. There are several different options for education sessions, like 'Somethings Fishy' for preschoolers, teaching them all about how fish survive, or Physics of Flight for high schoolers, a more detailed look at the center's flying friends.

Historic Market Square Park

This downtown public park is just blocks away from the spot the Allen Brothers first landed in 1836. They dubbed this metro-to-be as the 'city of the future', and for over 100 years the park has stood as a city cornerstone and civic center. While here your group can follow the black granite band around the park and tour the artwork, with photography, a mosaic fountain, and perhaps the most breathtaking piece, the James Surls Point of View 25-foot painted steel and wood sculpture. You can also choose to get a bit of exercise, relax, have a picnic lunch, shop the open air market, eat at Niko Niko's sidewalk cafe, or spend some time meditating in Lauren's Garden.

Bat Bridge Pontoon Tour

Each night during Houston's sultry summer months, during that magical moment between sunset and dusk, you can head to Waugh Drive Bridge and see over 250,000 Mexican Free-Tail bats emerge from the caverns.If interested, your group can take a Waugh Drive Bat Colony Pontoon Boat tour, offered the 2nd and 4th Fridays April through September. The ride lasts about an hour and a half and not only gets you close to the colonies cave quarters, but also informs you on the bats, their part in the local eco-system, and colony habits in general.

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens

With an emphasis on American decorative arts, Bayou Bend holds one of the finest collections of American furnishings, silver, ceramics, and paintings in the entire world. You will see several personal paintings collected by Ima Hogg, whose home this once was. Thousands of visitors come through to see the Hogg family collection and other art collected after their passing. Head to the Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center to start, walk around the collections, head to the Kitty King Powell Library, spend some time in the manicured gardens, then shop at the Bayou Bend gift shop.

Houston Arboretum

This 155-acre wildlife sanctuary was one of the first nature education facilities for children in the state of Texas, serving over 200,000 people annually, 10,000 of them specifically school groups. The Arboretum is located within Memorial Park, one of the largest in the country. The park holds integral history for Houston, serving as a WWI training camp from 1917 to 1923. After it served its military purpose it was put aside as both a public park and nature preserve. While here your student group will be able to participate in several activities, from the regular onsite activities offered to all guests, to customized educational journeys specifically put together for your group.

Gerald D Hines Waterwall Park

The General D. Hines Waterfall Park is one of the most interesting (and FREE) landmarks you can visit while in Houston. This multi-story sculptural fountain serves as the cornerstone of Uptown Houston, sitting just opposite of Williams Tower (trust us, you can't miss it). Incredible to gaze at, this waterwall sits at 64 feet high and recirculates 11,000 gallons of water per minute. The entire 'waterfall park' take us about 2.75 acres, holding 186 live oak trees around it. The park is 25 years old.

River Oak Theater 

Take it easy tonight and enjoy a show at Landmark's River Oak Theater, a historic movie theater set in River Oaks Shopping Center. Showing major blockbusters, interesting independent and international films, cult classics, and everything in between, this theater has a certain charm you just can't ignore! If you are in for a really unique theater experience, check to see if a midnight movie is showing during your visit, or if it is around Halloween visit the Rocky Horror Picture Show viewing party, a tradition that has gone on for years and years here!

Museum of Fine Arts

Within the Museum of Fine Arts or MFAH for short, your group will be able to explore various world cultures through art, with stunning examples of American decorative arts, European art, pre-Columbian and African gold, paintings, prints, and Latin American Art. And that's not even half of the things you will see, there are actually over 65,000 works of art total in here! Your group can choose to explore all the different galleries and exhibits on your own, in small groups led by your chaperones, or through a private group tour, if available.

Houston Zoo

Located on 55 spacious acres within Hermann Park, the Houston Zoo hosts about 2 million visitors a year, between regular zoo visits and special private and public events/entertainment. Be sure to save enough time to see ALL of the wonderful animal exhibits such as the African Forest, Carruth Natural Encounters, Sea Lion Lab, and Children's Zoo. You can take part in group visit activities, curriculum-based hands-on experiences, and up close and personal animal encounters while here, or just enjoy your day wandering around and learning about all the different animals. You will see so many different species and ecosystems, from African Tamarins and Cheetahs to Houston Toads and Anderson Newts!