Free & Cheap Ideas in Houston, Texas

1. Discovery Green

Discovery Green is one of Houston's newest public parks, spanning nearly 12 acres near the city's Avenida Houston entertainment district. The park was designed by architectural firm Hargreaves Associates and opened to the public in April of 2008, earning LEED environmental certification the following year. The park is home to the Anheuser-Busch Stage performance venue, which showcases free concerts and films throughout the year, along with the one-acre Kinder Lake and two casual dining restaurants. Public art abounds, including a 15-foot Mist Tree interactive water sculpture. Two dog runs are also available, along with several children's playgrounds, a tree-shaded jogging trail, and a number of recreational lawn areas. Free public events held throughout the year include a performing and visual art event series, a weekly urban market, and family-friendly yoga and exercise classes.

Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney St, Houston, TX 77010, Phone: 713-400-7336

2. Sam Houston Park & The Heritage Society Tours

The Heritage Society is Houston's premiere outdoor interactive historical society and park, showcasing nine preserved historic structures within a 10-acre radius of Sam Houston Park that were constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Society was originally founded in 1954 to preserve the 1847 Kellum-Noble House, located within the park's lands.

Today, it is headquartered at the Heritage Society Museum Gallery, which offers paid-admission exhibits related to the city's civic and architectural history.

Cell phone guided tours are free but do not give access inside the homes. Instructions for cell phone tours are posted in front of each historic building, prompting visitors to call an informational number or download audio from the Society's website elaborating on the history and architecture of structures.

The Heritage Society also offers paid docent-led historic houses tours.

1100 Bagby St, Houston, TX 77002, Phone: 713-655-1912, Map

3. The Menil Collection

The Menil Collection is a free-admission Houston museum that showcases the extensive art collections of John and Dominique de Menil, acquired as a result of intellectual pursuits throughout the mid-20th century. The collection now encompasses more than 17,000 works of art from cultures around the world, dating back as far as the ancient era and spanning through the present day. Collections include bodies of work from the Americas, Africa, the Pacific Islands, and ancient Byzantine works, along with collections of modern and contemporary Western art and Surrealist works. The museum is open to the public Wednesdays through Sundays during the afternoon and evening hours, with the exception of major national holidays. Free parking is available at the museum's adjacent parking lot, with additional overflow street parking available nearby.

The Menil Collection, 1533 Sul Ross St, Houston, TX 77006, Phone: 713-525-9400

4. The Contemporary Arts Museum

The Contemporary Arts Museum is a nonprofit contemporary visual and multimedia arts institution in Houston that was originally founded in 1948 to document the role of art in modern life. Since 1972, the non-collecting museum has been housed in a building designed by architect Gunnar Birkerts, showcasing a variety of rotating temporary exhibitions by regional and international contemporary and modern artists. Past exhibitions have included significant works by Dalé Gas, Ida Applebroog, Juan Muñoz, and William Kentridge, with a focus on exhibits presenting innovative multimedia works and pop culture and political themes. The museum is open to the public for free Tuesdays through Sundays during the afternoon and evening hours, with the exception of major national holidays. A variety of free public special event programming is hosted by the museum annually, including artist talks, film screenings, and family-friendly art workshops.

The Contemporary Arts Museum, 5216 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006, Phone: 713-284-8250

5. Asia Society Texas Center

Asia Society Texas Center is the headquarters of the Texas Asia Society, one of 12 international organization branches striving to strengthen the relationship between Asian and Western cultures and governments through public exhibitions and programming. As the leading educational organization in America dedicated to Asian culture, the Society was originally established in 1979 by Ambassador Roy M. Huffington and First Lady Barbara Bush, moving into its permanent home in 2012 in a multipurpose museum building constructed by architect Yoshio Taniguchi. The free-admission Center hosts temporary rotating exhibits of works by Asian artists, with a focus on art forms and topics related to Asian culture and society. Free programming is also offered at the Center, including monthly Night Markets, Family Days events, student tours, and business forums. The Center is open to the public Tuesdays through Sundays during the morning and afternoon hours, with low-cost transportation available nearby at the city's Museum District METRO station.

Asia Society Texas Center, 1370 Southmore Blvd, Houston, TX 77004, Phone: 713-496-9901

6. DiverseWorks

DiverseWorks is a nationally-recognized contemporary arts center, showcasing cutting-edge performing, visual, and literary arts works, with a focus on works centered on topics that typically have no other cultural outlet within the Houston area. The organization was founded in 1982 to raise community awareness for the arts and serves as a forum for artists to engage the public with new ideas. The center is open to the public Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays during the afternoon and evening hours, with free rotating gallery exhibitions showcasing the visual and multimedia artworks of emerging and mid-career artists. Public special event programming is also showcased regularly, with some performances and events open to the public for free admission. For lower-cost transportation, the center is accessible via the city's Ensemble/HCC Station MetroRail stop.

DiverseWorks, 3400 S Main St #292, Houston, TX 77002, Phone: 713-223-8346

7. Houston Center for Photography

Houston Center for Photography was originally founded as an artist-led cooperative in 1981, striving to showcase the talents of Houston-area photographers working in all mediums and art forms. Since 1982, it has been incorporated as a nonprofit organization, led by a 24-member board of directors and receiving significant national support from major arts organizations such as the Houston Arts Alliance and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Rotating temporary exhibitions of works by regional and national artists are showcased at the Center's free gallery, which is open to the public Wednesdays through Sundays during the afternoon and evening hours. The Center's Learning Center also offers a full Digital Darkroom facility, a 4,000-volume research library, and educational workshop programming for area students. Free parking is available at the Center's parking lot, with additional overflow street parking available nearby.

Houston Center for Photography, 1441 W Alabama St, Houston, TX 77006, Phone: 713-529-4755

8. The Jung Center of Houston

The Jung Center of Houston is a cultural and philosophical center dedicated to improving human spirits and society through the teachings and philosophies of famed 20th-century psychiatrist Carl Jung, noted for significant contributions to the field of psychoanalysis. Founded in 1958, the Center now offers more than 200 free and paid public workshops and events throughout the year centered around topics such as ethics, meditation, relationships, religion, and arts and culture. Free rotating art exhibits are also showcased within the Center's gallery space, which is open to the public Mondays through Saturdays during business hours. The Center's bookstore is also open to the public every day except Friday, showcasing the American Southwest's most complete collection of volumes related to the topic of depth psychology.

The Jung Center of Houston , 5200 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006, Phone: 713-524-8253

9. The Rothko Chapel

The Rothko Chapel National Register of Historic Places-listed chapel that doubles as a significant work of modern art, showcasing 14 artistic panel paintings by famed American abstract expressionist Mark Rothko, who had a significant hand in the building's design and construction. The chapel was commissioned in 1964 by Menil Collection founders Dominique and John de Menil and completed in 1971, serving as a major center for international social justice issue colloquiums since 1973. It is open to the public, allowing visitors to view its unique modern architecture and public works of art, including Barnett Newman's Broken Obelisk sculpture, which was originally commissioned in Washington, D.C. in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and is showcased on the chapel's grounds. Public forums, services, and special events are also hosted at the chapel regularly, including the ceremony for the biannual Óscar Romero Award, which honors significant contributions to human rights advocacy movements.

The Rothko Chapel, 1409 Sul Ross St, Houston, TX 77006, Phone: 713-524-9839

10. Buffalo Bayou Park

Buffalo Bayou Park is a new 160-acre park on the western edge of downtown Houston, opened to the public in October of 2015. The park was constructed through a public-private partnership agreement and is overseen by the nonprofit Buffalo Bayou Partnership organization, which protects a 10-mile stretch of the city's slow-moving Buffalo Bayou waterway. It is designed to facilitate flood control in the city and is home to a wide variety of free visitor attractions, including two visitor centers offering restaurants and information about the park, waterway, and city attractions. Public art is showcased throughout the park, along with native landscaping and garden areas and a number of community gathering and picnic lawns. Bike and paddlecraft rentals are available for exploring the park's waterways and nature trails, with children's playgrounds, a dog park, a skate park, and a creative nature play area also offered.

Buffalo Bayou Park, 1800 Allen Pkwy &, Memorial Dr, Houston, TX 77019, Phone: 713-752-0314