Spider Smart

Discover new films every November at the Houston Cinema Arts Festival, where they feature a wide variety of curated feature films that focuses on the diverse cultural community of Houston, Texas. Houston Cinema Arts Festival is the only U.S. film festival that features films by artists about artists. This vibrant multimedia arts event breaks out of the confines of the movie theater through live music and film performances, outdoor projections, and more. They will also showcase the return of CineSpace, the annual short film competition with NASA, and the third annual regional short film competition Borders | No Borders.

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.

Take a tour through history at The Printing Museum, chronicled by the advent and modernization of printing methods, and learn how the printed word transformed modern culture. Your tour starts with the development of ancient Mesopotamian clay tablets, then the invention of moveable type and Gutenberg's printing press. Along the way, gain a better understanding of how newspaper accounts of major wars, the distribution of the Gutenberg Bible, the Declaration of Independence, and other pivotal documents chronicle the printing revolution and its impact on society.