Arts and Culture

Battleship Texas and San Jacinto Monument & Museum
Tel: 281/479-2431
3523 Highway 134
32 miles
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/battleship_texas/
Just minutes from downtown, the Battleship Texas offers visitors a chance to relive the day-to-day life of the thousands of courageous men who defended our country from her docks. The grounds also are home to the San Jacinto Monument built in 1926 to commemorate Texas' independence from Mexico. The towering obelisk is as tall as the Washington Monument but topped with a Texas Lone Star.

Bayou Bend
Tel: 713/639-7750
1 Westcott St.
15 miles
http://www.mfah.org/bayoubend/home.asp?par1=1&par2=1&par3=1&par4=1&par5=1&par6=1&par7=¤tPage=
Bayou Bend was built in the 1920's by Houston's most prominent architect, John F. Staub. Within its 28 rooms is a treasure trove of American furniture, paintings, and decorative objects dating back to Colonial times. A must-see for antique collectors and gardeners.

Children's Museum of Houston
Tel: 713/522-1138
1500 Binz
12 miles
http://www.cmhouston.org/
The Children's Museum was designed to create a place where children can engage the world around them on their own terms, a place that will spark their imaginations and help them learn the joy of discovery.

Contemporary Arts Museum
Tel: 713/284-8250
5216 Montrose Blvd.
12 miles
http://www.camh.org/
Located in Houston's Museum District, this silver-aluminum parallelogram presents temporary exhibitions of modern art and design.

Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park
Tel: 713/655-1912
1100 Bagby
10 miles
http://www.heritagesociety.org/
Eight of Houston's oldest homes have been moved from their original locations to this scenic park.

Houston Museum of Natural Science (Crockrell Butterfly Center, Wortham IMAX Theater, Burke Baker Planetarium)
Tel: 713/639-4629
1 Hermann Circle Dr.
12 miles
http://www.hmns.org/?r=1
This museum is home to dinosaur skeletons, displays of Texas wildlife, a stunning gem and mineral collection, plus a miniature rainforest environment created in the Crockrell Butterfly Center. Walk among hundreds of living butterflies as they dance about in the steamy air amidst a small waterfall.

Houston Zoological Gardens
Tel: 713/533-6500
1513 N. MacGregor
12 miles
http://www.houstonzoo.org/
Essentially a small city encompassing a world of ecosystems and experiences, the Houston Zoo is made up over 4,500 animals. More than 1.6 million guests each year come to experience the zoo's incredible variety of animals and ecosystems.

Menil Collection
Tel: 713/525-9400
1515 Sul Ross St.
11 miles
www.menil.org
Located near the University of St. Thomas lies Jean and Dominique de Menil's private art collections which include pieces from the Antiquity, Byzantine and Medieval, Tribal and Modern designs.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH)
Tel: 713/639-7300
1001 Bissonnet St.
12 miles
www.mfah.org/
One of the largest public art museums in Texas, the museum presents more than 56,000 artworks which date from Antiquity to present time.

Space Center Houston
Tel: 281/244-2100
1601 NASA Rd. 1
40 miles
www.spacecenter.org/
Space Center Houston is the visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center. Visitors to Space Center Houston will find plenty of exhibits and activities to interest both adults and children.