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Free Things to Do in Houston 

In Houston, it's easy to enjoy budget-friendly attractions that make cents!

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.

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.

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…

Glenwood Cemetery

Situated on 84 acres along the Washington Corridor, Glenwood Cemetery serves as a serene resting place for some of Houston’s most…

Catch a sunset or sunrise (if you’re an early bird) LED-light show at James Turrell's "Twilight Epiphany" Skyspace on 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

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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…

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

Due to damage from Hurricane Beryl, the Rothko Chapel is currently closed and is undergoing necessary repairs. The Welcome House is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through…

Sports & Recreation

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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

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