FitMix Houston

Bask in the sweet sounds of jazz music at the Houston International Jazz Festival, which makes its annual return by celebrating a remarkable run of music, artists, education, and history. The festival, benefitting Jazz Education, Inc., a nonprofit organization, starts the summer with live music and a host of musicians and bands worldwide. The focus of the festival always seeks to honor the legends, the music, and the standards of tradition, shaping young minds and educating them for the future.

Enjoy the smell of more than 250 worldwide varieties of spices at Penzeys Spices, where you can smell some of the most amazing seasonings that contain spices, herbs, flavorings, and gift sets. Penzeys has worked hard to make buying spice gifts a worthwhile thing to do. Yes, they have good spices. Great spices even, but they also understand that while customers appreciate the quality, they know that the gift may be spices, however the hope for the gift is that it opens the door to all the great things that become possible when good food causes friends and loved ones to linger around the dinner table just a little bit longer.

Go on a discovery tour at the Children's Museum of Houston, which has a 5-star rating on social network sites, was voted Ultimate Kid-Friendly Attraction in a Houston Chronicle readers' poll, and tied for the number one spot as the nation's best children's museum in Child Magazine. The Children's Museum was built specifically for youngsters so that the kids can learn while having fun with tons of interactive and bilingual exhibits. Check out the EcoStation, which will teach kids to understand how our actions impact the environment and what we can do about it. Stop by FlowWorks, which unleashes the power of water for children to explore and research the concept of energy flow, and try out The Invention Convention, where gadgets and gizmos galore are laid out for kids to connect, create and construct anything their heart desires.

Join Alley Theatre, the crown jewel, where actors, designers, composers, and playwrights thrive using arts scenes on stage and produce up to 16 plays yearly, ranging from the best current work to re-invigorated classic plays. The talented cast, crew, and producers challenge themselves with different shows each season. In addition to the educational and outreach efforts each year, they encourage young playwrights, performers, and future patrons to participate and explore programs like Stage to Page, HYPE, and the Young Performers Studio.