Houston Museums & Historic Sites

Enjoy World-Renown Museums- Children's Museum of Houston, Houston Museum of Natural Science & more . . .

The Houston Museum District commonly known as, "The Museum District," is an association of museums, galleries, cultural centers and community organizations located in Houston, Texas, dedicated to promoting the arts, sciences, and cultural amenities of the area. This disctrict currently comprises 18 museums that host millions of visitors each year. All of the museums offer free hours, and 11 of the museums are free all the time.

Bordered roughly by Rice University, the Neartown area and Texas Medical Center, the Museum District specifically refers to the area located within a 1.5 mile radius of the Mecom Fountain in Hermann Park. The District is served by four stops on the METRORail, one specifically named for it and is easily accessible from US 59, State Highway 288 and Main Street.

The Museum District attracts visitors, students and volunteers of all ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities to learn about and celebrate art, history, culture, and nature around the world.

Houston Museums & Historic Sites listed by distance from hotel:

Museum of Fine Arts   •   19.4 mi

5601 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005-1823, 713-639-7360
Travel the world at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, home to centuries-old masterpieces and modern marvels. In addition to the ongoing schedule of touring exhibitions and thematic installations, the museum's encyclopedic permanent collections of world art fill the galleries with works from every era of history. Located in the heart of Texas's largest city, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is a dynamic cultural complex consisting of two museum buildings, two art schools, two decorative arts centers, and a sculpture garden.

Children's Museum of Houston   •   19.5 mi

1500 Binz, Houston, TX 77004, 713-522-1138
Rateda 5-star nationwide children's museumby Citysearch.com and the only one in Texas to receive such accolade, the Children's Museum of Houston is the highest-attended youth museum in the country for its size and is dedicated to its mission of transforming communities through innovative, child-centered learning. Housed in a whimsical building designed by internationally acclaimed architect Robert Venturi, the Children's Museum of Houston offers a multitude of exhibits bursting with action-packed fun that engage kids in the ultimate learning experience. childhood development to a community-wide priority.

San Jacinto Battleground  •  19.5 mi

3523 Battleground Road, LaPorte TX 77571, 281-479-2431RESS
The San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site holds a significant responsibility to preserve the proud history of the State of Texas and the United States. The famous Battle of San Jacinto that brought TEXAS its independence was fought on this site. Because of the great importance of the Battle to the course of history, the Battleground is of state, national and international significance, a fact that is attested to by the site's National Historic Landmark status.

The primary purpose of the 1,200-acre site is to commemorate the Battle and to preserve the Battleground on which Texian troops under General Sam Houston achieved the independence of Texas by defeating a Mexican Army led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna on April 21, 1836.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site consists of the Battleground, Monument and Battleship TEXAS. It is located within minutes of downtown Houston and a short distance to the beaches of Galveston Island. Millions of visitors come to this area each year to enjoy the mild coastal climate and cultural and sports activities. Students and visitors alike are most fortunate to be able to experience history first hand through living history at the San Jacinto Battleground and Battleship TEXAS State Historic Sites.

Houston Museum of Natural Science   •   19.6 mi

1 Hermann Circle Dr, Hermann Park, Houston, TX 77030, 713-639-4629
The Houston Museum of Natural Science offers a rich and diverse array of things to see, hear and touch in our many permanent exhibits. Come meet the past rulers of our planet in the Paleontology Hall. Explore the ways oil and natural gas are formed and how energy is used in our interactive Wiess Energy Hall. Create a chemical reaction in the Welch Chemistry Hall while learning about chemical processes and their importance in our everyday world. Whatever may strike your fancy, HMNS offers something for everyone!

John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science   •   20.1 mi

1515 Hermann Dr, Hermann Park, Houston, TX 77004, 713-521-1515
The Health Museum is Houston's most interactive science learning center and a member institution of the world-renowned Texas Medical Center. Located in the heart of the city's rich and varied Museum District, The Health Museum encourages growing interest and regard for healthier lifestyles, fitness and good physical, mental and spiritual health.

Take a larger-than-life walking tour of the Amazing Body Pavilion and get an up-close look at the human body and how it works. Ride a bicycle with a skeleton, find out how hard your heart works to pump blood and sit on giant teeth! Experience science in 4D at Houston's first and only 4D theater, the McGovern 4D Theater and see our newest 3D film, Planet You. Take a 3D microscopic adventure into the alien landscape of your own skin and find out all about microscopic things that live on us - dust mites, lice and ticks!

Join others in a learning environment that allows investigation into the who, what, when, where, and how of YOU at You: The Exhibit. Using the latest multi-media and special effects technology, The Health Museum has created an experience that will take the museum visitor on a journey to explore their physical, mental and future selves. Identify your personality, view your internal organs, see what you will look like in 30 years and much more!

Menil Collection   •   20.6 mi

1515 Sul-Ross St, Houston, TX 77006, 713-525-9400
Dominique and John de Menil commissioned architect Renzo Piano to design this steel-and-cypress building to showcase their extensive art holdings - considered one of the country's finest private collections. Modern works, tribal and ethnic art, and antiquities are well-represented, and surrealist works are prominent, especially those by Magritte. Also included in the complex are the Cy Twombly Gallery, Rothko Chapel, Richmond Hall (a Dan Flavin installation), Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum, and a bookstore. An amazing assemblage of periods and works.