Things to Do in Houston
Houston Things To Do Guide
With a variety of exciting things to do in Houston, it’s easy to find activities to suit any style of enjoyment. From cultural activities to exciting attractions, find fun for the whole family throughout the city. There is literally something for everyone in Houston, Texas.
Bayou Place is located in the heart of Houston’s Downtown Theater District. This 130,000 square foot entertainment megaplex is comprised of theaters, bars, lounges, and restaurants. Start the evening with Houston attractions, like dinner at the legendary Hard Rock Café or the authentic Italian Trattoria, Mingalone. Enjoy box office hits or catch the latest indie flick at the Angelika Film Center followed by drinks and dancing at ROCBAR, Houston’s largest rock and roll nightclub.
The Houston Zoo is home to over 4,500 animals and 900 species and is the 7th most visited zoo in the nation. Spend the day strolling through the facility’s beautifully landscaped grounds or enjoy a more hands-on encounter by scheduling a guided tour. A tour experience is one of the most unique Houston activities, from feeding a lion cub to shadowing a staff veterinarian for an entire day.
For exhilarating stuff to do in Houston, try the Kemah Boardwalk. Since the closing of Six Flags Astroworld, Kemah Boardwalk is now Houston’s nearest and largest amusement/entertainment park. Kemah Boardwalk is an ideal place to entertain the entire family. Dining options include Landry’s Seafood House, the Cadillac Bar, and Saltgrass Steakhouse. Attractions, such as a Ferris wheel, train ride, and a carousel, are all individually priced.
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, is home to the NASA astronaut corps and located in Southeast Houston. The center spans 1,620 acres and consists of 100 facilities. Tourists can experience a simulation of a zero-gravity environment in the Living in Space exhibit or encounter a virtual rocket launch complete with exhaust at the Blast Off Theater.
Things to Do Deals
Houston Margarita Festival
- Downtown
A dozen bands fill the park with jazz, Latin, brass, soul, ska, and zydeco sounds as guests sample margaritas, barbecue, and Mexican food
Get Active! Get Social!
Organizers create events at which singles and couples can easily mingle as they take in a night of theater or even leap from a plane
Fit With Chris
- Stafford
Exercising indoors and outside, group classes perform cardio and strength-training exercises designed to dramatically transform physiques
Bayou City Bike Tours
- Multiple Locations
Cruise through downtown Houston and its neighboring areas, or explore the historic Houston Heights and its top pubs and sites
Del-Mar Lanes
- Houston
Groups of up to four can enjoy a one-hour, weekend bowling outing at this bowling complex, which features optional bumpers on every lane
Pro Edge Paintball
- Houston
Technicians clean and tune-up paintball markers in a service package that includes 1,000 paintballs and replenishment of CO2 or HPA air tank
Hoger Mixed Martial Arts
- Woodlake - Briar Meadow
Kickboxing classes founded in muay thai—also called the science of eight limbs—teach a combination of punches, kicks, knees, and elbows
Recommended Things to Do by Groupon Customers
MaxBowl’s 32-lane wooden superhighway entertains bowlers with splits and spares during 10-pin tussles. Cosmic bowl on Fridays and Saturdays paints the alley with black lights, scattered multi-LED lighting, and the flickering of music videos on projection screens until 2 a.m. MaxBowl East plays country music on Friday nights, causing balls to soar down lanes with the rhythm of an accredited square dancer. Although refreshments are not included in the value of this Groupon, both bowling alleys offer eats and drinks at the MaxBowl Bar & Grill. Be sure to check the North league schedule and East league schedule ahead of time to avoid bumper-to-bumper bowling-alley traffic.
A former member of the USA Shotokan Karate national team, Olympic Karate & Sports Center’s sensei Alex Ndem won multiple martial-arts titles before putting his skills to use to train others. Ndem and his team of karate kingpins help clients bolster fitness, mental discipline, and self-defense skills with a wide range of group karate classes. A certified personal trainer with a degree in physical education, Ndem also conducts 45-minute indoor boot-camp classes that use high-octane exercises to ignite weight loss and hone cardiovascular strength.
Travis Tooke's passion for mixed martial arts fueled his decorated competitive grappling and Brazilian-jujitsu careers, which instinctively led him to form Team Tooke Mixed Martial Arts and share his expertise with others. He proudly wears a Gracie Barra black belt and has been a Brazilian-jujitsu and submission-wrestling trainer for more than 12 years, during which he’s mentored renowned UFC fighter Yves Edwards. He and his team of instructors lead students in an array of mixed-martial-arts fitness classes, including kickboxing, Brazilian jujitsu, and wrestling. They offer kids' classes, women's classes, and classes for combat buffs looking to break into the professional mixed-martial-arts world, which used to require locking your resume in a chokehold until it got you a job.
Emerald Bowl is a super-clean facility on Boone Road boasting a full bar and snack bar. From gorging on grub to pin knocking, this deluxe package will appease partygoers of all ages. If you're still scraping vanilla frosting off the ceiling fan from last year's soiree, hosting an event someplace other than your home is a way to celebrate sans time-consuming clean-up. Call ahead to schedule your shindig. Invite additional guests for $6 a person.
Movie Tavern transfixes one's taste buds and imagination by blending all-digital cinema with premium seating and sit-down dining. Moviegoers are encouraged to arrive 45 minutes prior to showtime, so that they can leisurely peruse an extensive menu of chef-inspired American cuisine, from kobe beef sliders to pizza and sandwiches. Nimble and unobtrusive servers slip in during the show to deliver orders, and can be called on for more drinks or dessert with the push of a button. At select locations, guests can opt to sip margaritas or signature cocktails at the bar before heading in to see a show. Audiences get to enjoy first-run films every week, retro cinema every Tuesday and Thursday evening, and breakfast food paired with early morning movies on Saturday and Sunday. While geared toward adults, the family-friendly establishment also serves finger food for kiddies along with film-inspired dishes. Guests can head to the bar or straight to the movie without ordering food, giving them some latitude in shaping their night out.
Additionally, Movie Tavern treats audiences to myriad benefits with their membership program. Anyone can sign up for free online to receive one free movie ticket on the spot and one free ticket every year on their birthday, as well as invites to screenings and other special events.
True to its eponymous mascot, Armadilla Lanes has burrowed itself into the entertainment scenes of both Houston and Pasadena. Both facilities buzz throughout the week with organized league play, which invites bowlers of all ages to rack up strikes and spares and compete in themed competitions. Outside of league play, the alleys also indulge casual competitors with standard pick-up games, special music nights featuring live DJs, and with optional bumpers outfitted on every lane. And for truly casual guests, each alley’s full-service snack bar dishes out burgers, pizzas, and nachos, all of which give fingers a break from having to hold a ball or point with conviction at unblinking pins.
