free stuff to do in houston?

The park...

 

Miller Outdoor theatre.
setting the post count record for a day on cc.net
For little money, the $2 theatres.
Pot Luck dinners
Dig up the old VHS tapes/DVDs
Go to walmart and play in the toy section or better yet find a toy store.
Midnight run on toonami
practical jokes
wrap a house
racquetball
toss the pigskin around

 

Free stuff or just cheap stuff?

You can always go to many of the local art galleries:

Art Car Museum
The Menil Collection

Most are free.

You can visit Rothko Chapel on the campus of St. Thomas. You can go to Hermann Park and feed the duks. You can take a long walk in Mercer Arboretum or the main Arboretum off of Memorial. My wife and I just went for a walk in the one off of Memorial last week.

You can drive down to Galveston and hang out on the Strand or hit the seawall even if it is a tad cold.

Indoors, there's always the Galleria. Take a walk through the tunnel system downtown. That's a wild place! The Astrodome used to have free tours every day but I don't know if that is the case any longer.

There's a few choices. There are plenty of others. Try hitting the Visitor Center at city hall downtown. They have lots of cool things to do in Houston there.

 

Concur with Jeff.....Strand is a good place to just hang.

The galleria is kind of bla to me.

Find a coffee shop that has a band playing.

 

The ducks are cool. They're psycho agressive. I remember when I was like 10 years old, I'd go out to feed them and get completely scared becuase they'd see that someone was giving out food and charge at me, almost biting off my hand in the process.

I've fed many 'domesticated wild animals': I've given peanuts to marmets at Yellowstone Park, I've had Ravens fly onto my outstretched hands to eat bread off of Colorado mountain rest stops, and I've had real striped chipmunks (not the crappy lame squirrles that inhabit Houston) grab my fingers for a taste of walnut, but nothing scared me quite as much as getting charged by 5-6 four foot tall swans looking for a handout. It's alot of fun.

Rothko, btw, is a really impressive place to have been, especialy if you know any NYC type art elitists, with their typical we are cooler than you demenor. It's a great name to name-drop, along the lines of Warhol or Kandinsky as a modern artist. I do have to say I'm not too down with staring at a painting trying to descern between 3 different shades of blue however. I mean, I get the concept, and all, but it's just not that exciting.

 

Also, the 'this week' section of the Houston Press is a great place to look for one time events, even though not all of them are free.

 

Hey Jeff I haven't been in the tunnel in years. Are there still a lot of shops down there?

 

The Menil is my #1 favorite free thing to do in Houston, besides stay home.

Also, across from the Menil is the Cy Twombly permanent exhibit, another excellent free thing to do.

You could also go downtown and visit the observation decks of a few buildings or explore the tunnels!

You could ride Metro all day for a buck! (I know, not free, but cheap!)

have fun,
rH

 

Whatever you do, don't feed the duck alka-seltzer.

 

50 Things to Do in Houston - FREE! <b>(lots of repeats in this cut and paste job)</b>

Experience some of Houston's greatest pleasures without spending a dime! The City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department administers some 162 picnic areas, 233 playgrounds and 38.4 miles of trails. Each of the city's major museums sets aside special hours on Thursdays during which the regular admission charge is waived; other, more eclectic museums are free all the time. Parades bring excitement and pageantry to the city's streets, while amphitheaters offer music, dance and drama at no charge.

Alkek Velodrome (18203 Groeschke at Saums Road in Cullen Park, 713/ 578-0858). This cycling track hosts regular Friday night races beginning in late March and continuing through November.

Annunciation Catholic Church (1618 Texas Avenue, 713/222-2289). Home of the oldest Roman Catholic parish in Houston, this church, built in 1871 and restored by Nicholas J. Clayton in 1894, has a soaring, vaulted sanctuary, towers and arched buttresses. Open only for services.

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church (500 Clay, 713/652-07381. Skyscrapers and parking garages now tower above Houston's first black Baptist church. The church traces back to nine former slaves who attended a religious service in 1866. The gray stucco church was originally a red brick structure completed in 1910. Inside, one wood-beamed room is filled with historical collections and furniture.

Bank United Thanksgiving Day Parade (Downtown Houston, 713/651-6975). Houston's biggest and best parade has enlivened downtown for over 60 years. The pageantry starts at 9 a.m. and includes floats, marching bands, the Budweiser Clydesdales and the year's first Santa sighting.

Blaffer Gallery at the University of Houston (Entrance 16 off Cullen Boulevard at the University of Houston, 713/743-9530). Hosts student showings as well as major exhibitions such as the photography of Ansel Adams.

Bolivar Ferry (Ferry Road at the Galveston Ship Channel, Galveston Island 409/763-2386). Without ever leaving your car, you can journey from Galveston Island, past historic Seawolf Park, to the sandy beaches of Bolivar Peninsula, site of Texas' oldest lighthouse.

Children's Museum of Houston (1500 Binz, 713/522-1138). A make-believe supermarket, television studio and more offer learning through experience for young minds inside a brand-new facility. Admission is free on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Christ Church Cathedral (1107 Chartres, 713/224-8091). The oldest Episcopal parish in Houston, and now cathedral church of the diocese of Texas, was built in 1893. Among the turn-of-the-century art glass windows is the one authenticated installation by Tiffany Studios in Houston. Tours offered after every Sunday 11 a.m. service or by special arrangement.

Contemporary Arts Museum (5216 Montrose at Bissonnet, 713/526-3129). A "non-collecting museum," the CAM presents new-direction art and modern masters produced largely over the last 40 years. Admission is free every day.

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (2005 Lake Robbins Drive, The Woodlands; 281/363-3300). Surrounded by lush foliage, this spectacular outdoor amphitheater has a number of free performances on its April-through-October schedule of events.

DiverseWorks (1117 East Freeway, 713/223-8346). Nestled in an industrial part of downtown, this is Houston's hot spot for cutting edge, avant garde art and art publications. There's even a free phone-in reading service.

Downtown Tunnel System (Downtown Houston). A subterranean world of shops, businesses and restaurants lies beneath the busy streets of downtown Houston. The six-mile tunnel system connects aboveground businesses.

Fiestas Patrias 713/926-2636. Hispanics throughout Houston unite in September for the annual celebration of Mexico's independence from Spain. It's one of the largest and most colorful community-sponsored parades in the Southwest.

Forest Park Cemetery (6900 Lawndale, 713/928-5141). Visit the graves of historic Houston figures, including Jesse Jones, 13-year director of the Reconstruction Finance Corp. during the Depression years; Hugh Roy Cullen, a staunch Houston philanthropist who gave more than $150 million to local hospitals; William Ward Watkin, architect of the original Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Rice University and J.W. Neal, one of the founders of Maxwell House Coffee.

Fort Bend Museum 281-342-6478. 500 Houston St. Richmond, Texas. This museum is devoted to the history of Fort Bend County from 1822-1922 including Civil War memorabilia. Perfect for children in the fourth through seventh grades studing Texas history.

Gallery Row (Colquitt and Lake Streets near Kirby Drive). Explore a dozen art galleries specializing in contemporary art, all within easy walking distance of one another. Galveston Seawall (Galveston Island). Cycle, walk or rollerblade the 10.4 miles of sidewalk atop the seawall protecting Galveston from the Gulf.

Glenwood Cemetery (2525 Washington, 713/864-78863. The final resting place of many a Bayou City luminary, this 65-acre graveyard filled with trees, hills and extraordinary statuary was established in 1871. Pay your respects to aviator-billionaire Howard Hughes, former Texas governors Ross Sterling and William P. Hobby, Astrodome visionary Judge Roy Hofheinz, and well-known wildcatter and Shamrock Hotel Founder Glen McCarthy.

Holocaust Museum Houston (5401 Caroline, 713/789-9898). Houston's new Holocaust Museum is the country's third largest institution of its kind. It remembers local Holocaust survivors and liberators.

Houston Center for Photography (1441 W. Alabama, 713/529-4755). Exhibits contemporary photography by local and nationally recognized photographers.

Houston Garden Center (1500 Hermann Drive in Hermann Park, 713/845-1000). Stroll through rose, bulb, fragrant and perennial Hardens, an international sculpture garden and a Chinese pavilion.

Houston Museum of Natural Science (1 Hermann Circle Drive in Hermann Park, 713/639-4600). A 140-million-year-old Diplodocus skeleton and a stunning collection of gems and minerals are only a sample of the exhibits. Free on Thursdays, 2p.m.to 6 p.m.

Houston Public Library System (Downtown branch: 600 McKinney, 713/247-2222). An extensive collection of adult and children's reading materials is found downtown and in 34 branches throughout the city.

Houston Symphony Open Rehearsals (Jones Hall, 713/224-4240). Witness Houston's acclaimed orchestra prepare for concerts during quarterly open rehearsals.

Houston Tenneco Marathon (713/864-9305). This traditional 26.2-mile citywide run, which begins and ends at downtown's George R. Brown Convention Center, has steadily grown to attract more than 6,000 entrants from around the world.

Houston Zoo (Hermann Park, 713/525-3300). The newest attraction here is the Wortham World of Primates, a 2.2-acre tropical rainforest simulation housing 13 species of prosimians, monkeys and apes. Free on city holidays.

Introductions (713/521-2215). Presented by the Houston Art Dealers Association - hipply known as HADA - this is the art gallery goers' event of the year, an all-day art walk at 18 commercial art galleries presenting new works, most located in the Museum District.

Jesse H. Jones Nature Center (20634 Kenswick, Humble; 281/446-8588). Paddle your canoe or hike five miles of boardwalk trails over cypress bogs at this peaceful, 225-acre nature preserve on the south bank of Spring Creek.

Lawndale Art and Performance Center (4912 Main St., 713/528-5858). Lawndale presents contemporary visual art by Houston artists, as well as performances, lectures and readings. Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden (Bissonnet at Montrose, 639-7540). Showcases 19th- and 20th-century sculpture by artists including Rodin, Matisse and Maillol from the Museum of Fine Art's permanent collection.

Memorial Park's Seymour-Lieberman Exer-Trail (Memorial Drive Loop, 713/845-1034). This three-mile, well-maintained, lighted trail is extremely popular among Houston joggers and power walkers. Run counter-clockwise to meet people.

The Menil Collection (1515 Sul Ross, 713/525-9400). The eclectic collection ranges from Byzantine and tribal art to the 20th-century schools of Cubism, Minimalism and Pop to exceptional Surrealist works by Ernst and Magritte.

Mercer Arboretum (22306 Aldine-Westfield Road, 713/443-8731). A 214-acre preserve of East Texas woods showcases 13 botanical gardens, miles of trails and a reproduction of the Big Thicket.

Miller Outdoor Theatre (Hermann Park, 713/520-3292). This outdoor amphitheater presents free performances each April through October, including zydeco, jazz, classical and gospel music; ballet; and the Houston Shakespeare Festival.

Museum of Texas History (1100 Bagby, 713/655-1912). Memorabilia and artifacts from Texas' past dating back to 1519, along with a reproduction turn-of-the-century general store and a gallery of changing exhibits.

Museum of Printing History (1324 W. Clay, 713/522-4652). Highlights at the museum include the oldest printed piece in the world, only known copy of the rules of colonization of Texas and engravings by the foremost German Renaissance designer.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (1001 Bissonnet, 713/639-7300). An encyclopedic permanent collection, highlighted by the Straus Collection of Renaissance and 18th-century art, the Beck Collection of Impressionist and Post-lmpressionist art, and the Glassell Collection of African gold. Admission is free on Thursdays from5p.m.to9 p.m.

Party on the Plaza (Jones Plaza, bordered by Smith, Texas, Louisiana and Capitol streets in downtown Houston; 713/439-5786). Every Thursday evening, 5-10 p.m. from March through November, Party on the Plaza hosts free concerts of rock, reggae, and rhythm and blues; the festivities are attended by downtown businessmen, rollerskaters and Harley riders.

Port of Houston (Gate 12 off Avenue R East, 713/670-2416). 90-minute tours past cargo ships lining the Houston Ship Channel are offered aboard the Port of Houston Authority's M/V Sam Houston. Or climb a 30-foot observation deck to view the Turning Basin, where ships are turned around by tugboats so they may exit the narrow channel.

Project Row Houses. A community-based public art project in Houston's inner city, includes 22 identical shotgun-style houses that cover almost an entire city block. The project has restored 10 of the structures as exhibit space, which is open to the public and display predominantly the works of African American artists.

Rodeo Parade (Downtown Houston, 713/791-9000). The official kickoff for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is held each February. Approximately 6,000 trail riders mosey through downtown, along with marching bands and festive floats.

Rothko Chapel (3900 Yupon at Sul Ross, 713/524-9839). An ecumenical center built by civic patrons John and Dominique de Menil to contain 14 paintings by Mark Rothko.

St. Anne's Catholic Church (2140 Westheimer, 526-3276). Completed in 1940, the distinctive Spanish-style exterior houses a vaulted basilica decorated in neo-Byzantine style, with pink concrete walls and rows of dark green plaster-faced columns. Open daily until dusk.

Sam Houston Park (1100 Bagby, 713/655-1912). A delightful spot for a stroll, a picnic or a number of Houston festivals. On the western edge of downtown, seven historical Texas homes and a tiny wooden church dot a rolling green, and they are open for tours with paid admission.

San Jacinto Monument and Battleground (San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Park, 713/479-2421). A 570-foot obelisk capped by a Lone Star stands in memorial to the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto, in which Texas won its independence from Mexico. Visitors may enter the ground-floor museum free of charge.

Sri Meenakshi Temple (17130 McLean, Pearland, Texas; 713/489-0358). Honoring the Sakthi deity Sri Meenakshi, this Hindu temple on a five-acre site is like nothing else in Harris County. Since its creation is 1979, it has become known for its elaborate exterior, carved-concrete blocks and spectacular shrines to Shiva, Vishnu and Ganesh.

Texas Room in Julia Ideson Building (500 McKinney, 713/247-1664). Inside the former home of the Houston Public Library, built in 1926. The magnificent Texas Room is filled with over 28,000 books, early Texas imprints, 27,000 periodicals, a map collection and early Texas newspapers.

Sky Lobby (600 Travis, 713/223-8013). A spectacular view of downtown and environs is to be had from the 60th-floor observation deck of Houston's tallest building.

Tien-Hou Temple (1507 Delano, 713/236-1015). Celebrating the Chinese goddess of heaven, this colorful temple near Chinatown's shopping and restaurant district combines Buddhist and Taoist beliefs. Visitors can toss a wooden half moon for a yes/no answer or shake out numbered reeds to obtain a reading on a paper slip printed in Chinese and Vietnamese.

Walking Tour of Market Square Historic District (Start at Market Square Park at Preston and Milam, 713/216-5000). Take a self-guided tour of the Bayou City's original Central Business District. Highlights include La Carafe, the oldest commercial building and extraordinary examples of High Victorian architecture in the Old Cotton Exchange Building, the Sweeney Coombs Fredericks Building and the Henry Brashear Building.

Water Wall at Williams Tower (2800 South Post Oak Blvd.). Houston's most-photographed site, this dramatic U-shaped fountain has water rushing down its inside and outside walls. The adjacent lawn is popular among frisbee-throwers and picnickers.

 

why'd you say the tunnel's crazy?

 

You could visit <a href="http://roadsideamerica.com/attract/TXHOUbeer.html">the beer can house</a>

 

Isn't free kinda a stretch? The only things I can think of that are "fun" and "free" are sitting around the house with a remote control in one hand and the other hand busily scratching myself, a dumb looking stare on my face, probably a little drool dripping out of the right, no, left, side of my mouth or sitting afront my computer and surfing the net. But if the you can elevate your standards from "free" to "cheap" nothing, and I mean NOTHING compares to the event that is taking place tomorrow night at the Dome.