Free & Cheap things to do this summer - 2024
Free and cheap things to do in Houston, Tomball, The Woodlands, Magnolia, Spring, Hockley, Porter and other areas
Free Things to Do in Houston
In Houston, it's easy to enjoy budget-friendly attractions!
Spend your day exploring Houston’s greatest hotspots, while saving big with our list of the city’s most-loved free things to do. Luckily, for locals and visitors alike, several of Houston's most memorable attractions won’t cost a dime. And since you are saving money on activities, why not upgrade your hotel with these deals; you can also find amazing savings on these unique Houston experiences.
Since you're saving money on activities, check out these great hotel deals. And you can also find amazing savings on these unique Houston experiences and deals.
QUICKLINKS:
Outdoors
Back to Top of List
Pack a picnic and settle in for the show at Miller Outdoor Theatre from March through November. The theater, set inside Hermann Park, also allows patrons to BYOB (no glass containers).
Spend a relaxing Saturday morning at the Urban Harvest Farmers Market strolling the market for a lazy day of people watching, buying local produce, or just munching on any of the free samples!
Here are our picks for things to do outdoors.
Market Square Park
Nestled in Houston's Historic District, Market Square Park actually sits on the site of the original City Hall (and the three…
Discovery Green
Discovery Green, a 12-acre park located in downtown Houston, is designed as an engaging and active place with programming to serve…
Memorial Park
Dubbed “the largest urban park in Texas,” Houston's Memorial Park, just inside Loop 610 at Woodway, includes Texas’ top-rated…
Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
Located on the western edge of Memorial Park (4 miles from Downtown Houston), the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center offers an…
Port Houston Boat Tour
Port Houston offers free, 90-minute round-trip, educational cruises along the Houston Ship Channel. Embarking from the port's Sam…
Urban Harvest Farmers Market
In 2004, Urban Harvest’s Saturday Farmers Market started with just seven vendors, providing an outlet for community and backyard…
Glenwood Cemetery
Situated on 84 acres along the Washington Corridor, Glenwood Cemetery serves as a serene resting place for some of Houston’s most…
James Turrell “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace at Rice University
Rice University revealed its newest on-campus art installation, James Turrell’s “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace, in mid-June 2012. It…
Catch a sunset or sunrise (if you’re an early bird) LED-light show at Von Rice campus. The grass covered pyramid illuminates and changes colors as the natural light reflects off the structure and is a 40-minute wonder for the eyes. The show is free and is only closed on Tuesdays.
Who’s afraid of the big, bad... bats? Witness 250,000 bats emerge at dusk from under the Waugh Drive Bridge, located over Buffalo Bayou between Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive, if you dare.
Arts & Culture
The Menil Collection, widely considered one of the greatest of the twentieth century, consists of more than 16,000 works dating from the Paleolithic era to the present day. You could spend a whole day taking in the art, but don’t worry, the chic Bistro Menil is a great place to recharge and grab a bite to eat.
The Menil Collection
Philanthropists and art patrons John and Dominique de Menil established the Menil Foundation in 1954 to foster greater public understanding and appreciation of art, architecture…
Bistro Menil
Chef Greg Martin opened the much-anticipated Bistro Menil in October 2014 on the grounds of the Menil Collection. With its sleek and contemporary interior, the Bistro is divided…
Moody Center for The Arts
Designed by acclaimed Los Angeles-based architect Michael Maltzan to bring together the Rice community and the Houston public and enable innovative artistic work to flourish, the…
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston is a non-collecting institution dedicated to presenting the best and most exciting international, national and regional art of the last 40…
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is one of the few venues in the country dedicated exclusively to craft at the highest level, highlighting art made of glass, fiber…
Lawndale Art Center
Lawndale Art Center develops local contemporary artists and the audience for their art. Lawndale is dedicated to the presentation of contemporary art with an emphasis on work by…
Blaffer Art Museum
Blaffer Art Museum, the University of Houston's laboratory for the visual arts and contemporary culture, provides a top-of-the line exhibition space for the emerging and…
Project Row Houses
Project Row Houses is a highly acclaimed art and cultural community center consisting of 22 renovated shotgun-style homes. With the financial and material resources of Houston's…
The Rothko Chapel
The Rothko Chapel functions as chapel, a museum and a forum. It is a place where religion, art and architecture intermingle. The Rothko Chapel has become a pilgrimage stop for…
Sports & Recreation
After undergoing a $58 million project in 2015, Buffalo Bayou is now an outdoor haven for hiking, biking, art and the best views of the Houston skyline. Winding from Shepherd Drive through parts of the East End, the Buffalo Bayou's hike and bike trails are one of the best ways to take in the city.
The Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark is the creme de la creme of the grinding and boarding world. The $2.2 million, state-of-the-art facility – thought to contain the largest cradle in the world – is located close to downtown, near Eleanor Tinsley Park.
Buffalo Bayou
Buffalo Bayou, the 52-mile slow-moving waterway that was the site of Houston's founding in 1836, has become a destination for outdoor recreation near downtown Houston. It remains…
Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark
If you dream of riding bowls, grinding rails, or cutting and sweeping through the largest cradle in the world, you can fulfill your desire right here in Houston at the new Lee and…
Eleanor Tinsley Park
With its sloping hills and lush trees, this park is a great place to relax. Picnic tables are sunken into some of the hills to make for a unique setting. Some are also covered…
Free Days for Museums & Attractions
Buffalo Soldiers National Museum: Thursday 1 - 5 p.m.
Children's Museum of Houston: Thursday 5 - 8 p.m.
The Health Museum: Thursday 2 - 7 p.m.
Holocaust Museum Houston: Thursday 2 - 5 p.m.
Houston Museum of Natural Science: Thursdays 2 - 5 p.m. (3 - 6 pm during the summer and holidays)
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: Thursday all-day
24445 Tomball Parkway, Suite 100
Tomball, TX 77375
