Off the Wall Work & Play Cafe'

Visit the Chapel of St. Basil, based at the University of St. Thomas. Designed by renowned architect Phillip Johnson, the chapel includes three functioning bells, a custom-built organ, and an overall style reminiscent of historic European churches. The chapel hosts Mass every day. It seats about 225 people and is lit from the inside by natural light from the dome, a skylight over the altar, and the statue of Our Lady on the east wall and from the asymmetrical glass cross on the west wall.

Get your motor runnin' at the Art Car Parade, where the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art showcases real working cars designed to suit the owner's aesthetic, personality, and creative inspiration. Celebrate the four-day extravaganza that attracts over 250 vehicle entries, that include anything on wheels, from bicycles and unicycles to lawnmowers, cars, and go-carts from over 23 states, including Canada and Mexico. Whether the vehicles have been painted, welded, sculpted, dropped, chopped, beaded, smashed, crashed, lit, or lifted, the Art Cars come in all shapes, sizes, and forms. The only rule is that it must roll.

The Grammy Award–winning Houston Symphony has played a central role in Houston’s cultural and civic life for more than 100 years. The symphony is now one of America’s oldest performing arts organizations and the largest performing arts organization in Houston. It's always a season to remember at the Houston Symphony. Throughout the year, the institution cultivates musical appreciation for all tastes. The symphony produces a classical season, a pops season, a family series, and symphony specials, so there are plenty of opportunities to catch a performance on a romantic date.

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.