Culture - Museums; Action & Reacton

While Houston may have borrowed heavily from other cultures in defining itself, its museums, from the exquisite to the quirky, present their collections for endless entertainment. Whether you want a quiet corner to think deeply about the exquisite artwork or you prefer an exhibit that encourages your participation and interaction, you will find it here.

Interactive Imagination

Science, nature and art come to life with hands-on exhibits and mental stimulation at Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS). For close encounters, try the museum’s Cockrell Butterfly Center where you can explore the glass pyramid and walk among 1,500 butterflies representing 60 species. Kids of all ages love the basement filled with hands-on stations showing the power of levers, weights and pulleys. The museum’s expanded precious gem collection brings fascinating exhibits from around the world. Favorite traditional exhibits include the ancient bones of a complete Tyrannosaurus rex. Other permanent exhibits are dedicated to chemicals, energy, exotic wildlife, the weather, space exploration and an IMAX theater.

Children’s Museum of Houston (CMH) is as wildly attractive inside as it is outside. With colorful and bold opportunities to learn about everything from science and technology to arts and faraway lands, CMH is a favorite. Fourteen hands-on galleries allow kids to have fun while they learn.

Older kids will enjoy John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Sciences, with its jaw-dropping, mouth-shaped entrance and interactive exhibits, explaining sight, digestion and brain waves.

Outside the city, explore Texas history in La Porte at the San Jacinto Monument, site of the 1836 battle between Mexico’s Santa Anna and Texas armies fighting for independence. Across from the monument is Battleship Texas, the last of the great battleships, having served in both world wars before its decommissioning in 1948. You can explore all over the ship and even climb up on the gunner seats.

For an exotic experience, Katy’s Forbidden Gardens takes you to the third century BC to view a one-third-scale replica of the first emperor of China’s amazing 6,000-piece terra cotta army.

Time to Reflect

Restore your balance with a visit to some of the city’s more profound spaces. Spend a contemplative afternoon surrounded by the dynamic and thought-provoking art inside Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH). View 45,000 distinctive pieces of art from around the world inside two beautiful buildings. The collection ranges from antiquity to the present, with a strong showing of post-1945 European and American paintings and sculpture. MFAH presents more than 30 changing exhibits a year as well as film festivals, educational programs and hands-on creative arts sessions. Recent exhibitions include the work of Thornton Dial and Basquiat.

The subtle, yet moving Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden (MFAH), displays diverse sculptures on a contrasting stage of bright green grass and angled concrete walls. Minimalist benches beckon you quietly to admire the scene while enjoying the mild temperatures.

The Menil Collection, a local favorite, offers an eclectic collection of paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs and rare books from the ancient to the contemporary and an outstanding surrealist collection. The building was designed by architect Renzo Piano to allow space for contemplation of the artwork.

Another favorite is The Rothko Chapel, a quiet monument to the modern art of American abstract expressionist Mark Rothko, well situated for meditation near the bustling Museum District.

The sobering and informative Holocaust Museum Houston (HMN) presents an exceptional testimony to the victims and survivors of one of history’s darkest hours