Bodegga by Snooze

Escape from the hustle and bustle of city life at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, where you can enjoy five miles of nature trails winding through native prairie, savanna, wetland, woodland, riparian habitats, and have ample opportunities for exciting wildlife sightings. Explore The Nature Center building, which features a Nature Shop filled with items for nature lovers of all ages, an interactive Discovery Room, Educational Exhibits, hands-on activities, live ambassador animals, biofacts, and a weekly botany display.

The Menil Collection Art Museum holds over 19,000 pieces of art that are displayed in the main building and often switched around several other types of art collected from the 1940s. The collection is significant in its European art, including paintings by Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. The permanent collection highlights Arts of Africa, the Americas and the Pacific Northwest, the Ancient World, the Pacific Islands, Drawing, Medieval and Byzantine, Modern and Contemporary, Surrealism, and the permanent installation entitled Witnesses.

Dive into the wonders of the underwater world at the unique Downtown Aquarium, where you can interact with the ancient legends of El Dorado in the Sunken Temple, sink to the bottom of the neighboring sea, and catch glimpses of offshore rig divers in the Underwater Rig. Tour the marsh and bayous of the Gulf Coast and encounter the alligators, turtles, bullfrogs, and more in the Texas Bayou. Step inside the sunken hull of a 17th-century Spanish Galleon and see the giant octopus, a moray eel, clownfish, and the diversity of species the ocean world has to offer at the Shipwreck. Explore the lush environment of the dangerous tropical life of the red-bellied piranhas and venomous freshwater stingrays in the Rainforest. Step into Discovery Zone and come face-to-face with electric eels, seahorses, and a dazzling array of colorful fish. Interactive monitors let you further explore coral reefs, the arctic seas, and the mysteries of the deep ocean. You may even meet one of our Ambassador Animals up close during the daily Animal Encounters.

Enjoy the serenity and beauty of kayaking with Buffalo Bayou Kayak Tours, which shows guests the best way to experience the natural wonders around the city area using kayaks. Buffalo Bayou focuses on safety, fun, and unique learning experiences surrounding the natural environment, like the bayou river trail that offers bird watching, bat viewing, and a unique paddling experience. If it’s your first time on a kayak or your hundredth time, their experienced guides provide expert instruction, and they have the best quality kayaks and equipment.