The Ultimate Guide to Houston's Best Parks
Memorial Park has gone through several multimillion dollar renovations in recent years, including the addition of the Kinder Land Bridges.
Image: Courtesy Nick Hubbard
Sprinkled around the everyday hustle and bustle of Houston city life are parks big and small, colorful and serene. Though a sprawling metropolitan home to many oil companies and prominent business headquarters, Houston is also littered with green space gems for every type of Houstonian. Looking for an afternoon jog around a Japanese Garden? You’ll find the serenity you crave at Hermann Park. Need somewhere creative to take photos? Pose in front of Smither Park’s mosaic backdrops. From exercise equipment to chess tables and hills made for rolling, these are some of our favorite parks in Houston.
Buffalo Bayou Park has easy access to the Waugh Drive Bat Colony, the Cistern, the Johnny Steele Dog Park, and a skate park.
Image: Buffalo Bayou Partnership
Buffalo Bayou Park
1800 Allen Pkwy and Memorial Dr, River Oaks
- Why we love it: This park is the beating heart of the city’s main artery, Buffalo Bayou, a 160-acre green space built along 10 miles of waterway.
- What to do: Explore the water in a kayak or on a pontoon boat, walk the Kinder Footpaths, take kids to the Barbara Fish Daniel Nature Play Area, and ride bikes on the Sandy Reed Memorial Trail.
- Who you'll find there: Every stripe of Houstonian, but particularly young Inner Loop denizens thrilled by great recreational opportunities so close to town.
- When to go: It depends on what you’re looking for. Weekends and weeknights, the park is a scene, with lots of foot, bike, and dog traffic, but weekdays, it’s quieter, perfect for calm contemplation.
Elizabeth Baldwin Park in Midtown is a go-to green space for tree lovers.
Image: Anthony Rathbun
Elizabeth Baldwin Park
3200 Crawford St, Midtown
- Why we love it: What this park lacks in size, it greatly makes up for in beauty.
- What to do: The 4.88-acre park is home to enormously twisted, century-old large oak trees that have provided generations of Houstonians with a place to master their tree-climbing skills.
- Who you’ll find there: Fitness gurus and chess champions taking advantage of the exercise equipment and chess tables.
- When to go: Any day is the perfect day to visit this park since it’s packed with things to do, from jogging trails to updated playground equipment and one of the oldest fountains in Houston.
Bellaire residents love the new Evelyn's Park.
Evelyn’s Park
4400 Bellaire Blvd, Bellaire
- Why we love it: This park, which opened in 2017, pays homage to the Teas Nursery, which occupied the acreage for over 100 years by filling its pathway-lined landscape with a vast variety of flowers and other flora.
- What to do: The five-acre park hosts food trucks, farmers markets, free fitness classes, and other fun, family-oriented events on its grassy central lawn.
- Who you'll find there: Ladies-who-lunch and grannies-who-garden; the park is perfect for low-key strolls.
- When to go: Sunday mornings for breakfast at Betsy's inside the park, whose oak-shaded patio is great for catching up with friends.
Bell Park
4800 Montrose Blvd, Museum District
- Why we love it: The charming 1.15-acre park opened in 1970 and offers a romantic and intimate place to spend time away from busy city life.
- What to do: Read a book on one of the benches, or have a picnic in one of the shade-covered areas.
- Who you’ll find there: Art connoisseurs taking a stroll after a day well-spent in the Museum District.
- When to go: Weekday afternoons to relish in some quiet time by one of the tiny bridges over the water features.
Levy Park occupies 6 acres in Houston’s Upper Kirby District and includes a dog park.
Image: Visit Houston
Levy Park
3801 Eastside St, Upper Kirby
- Why we love it: In the early 2000s, the Upper Kirby Management District took over maintenance of the previously neglected park, built in 1941, and unveiled a $15 million renovation in 2017.
- What to do: Tons of free programming, from story time, dance classes, and yoga to concerts geared toward kids, make this 5.2-acre park a green space that doubles as a cultural destination.
- Who you'll find there: Proud parents of human and fur babies alike (the massive playground and dual dog parks are big draws); community gardeners and composters.
- When to go: Saturday mornings. Work up an appetite at the 10am Bollywood and Bhangra dance class, then grab some tacos and refreshments at Gaspachos, a Mexican food stand inside the park.
Hermann Park boasts a reflection pool and a choo-choo train.
Hermann Park
6001 Fannin St
- Why we love it: It would be difficult to find a reason not to love this Houston staple. The park is adjacent to the Houston Zoo and Museum of Natural Science, plus it’s home to the Miller Outdoor Theatre, which hosts a variety of both free and ticketed shows all year.
- What to do: At some point, you’re going to have to roll down the large hill of Miller Outdoor Theatre—this is a rite of passage for any Houstonian. Then, take a paddleboat ride, hop on the mini train that tours the park, or take a walk in the relaxing Japanese gardens.
- Who you’ll find there: A mix of Houstonians who understand the Hermann Park hype, and tourists stopping by after a visit to the Houston Zoo. In the springtime, high school seniors come here to take graduation photos.
- When to go: Any day of the week is perfect, but sunset is an especially great time to visit and take in the sights from the gardens.
Emancipation Park was completely renovated in 2017.
Image: Michael Starghill
Emancipation Park
3018 Emancipation Ave, Third Ward
- Why we love it: A $33 million overhaul of Houston’s first public park, established in 1872, brought all-new facilities, including a swimming pool with dual twisty slides.
- What to do: The park’s glassy fitness center offers everything from a weight room and indoor gym to weekly Zumba and line-dancing classes.
- Who you'll find there: Athletes and adolescents, all taking advantage of the lighted basketball and tennis courts and softball fields.
- When to go: Any day you can catch Rado Market and Crumbville, TX bakery open on the same day. Grab some picnic essentials from the newly opened Rado to enjoy in the park, then entice the kids to finally exit the playground with the promise of Ella Russell’s famous “stuffed cups,” cupcakes with a cookie baked inside.
Smither Park is another piece of whimsy next to the Orange Show.
Image: Anthony Rathbun
Smither Park
2441 Munger St, Greater Third Ward
- Why we love it: Reminiscent of Antoni Gaudí’s work in Barcelona, but with a grungy and imaginative twist, this park is small but mighty in its creativity. It was created to honor the memory of John Smither, a supporter of folk art and the Orange Show, which is located next door.
- What to do: Explore the mosaic masterpieces created out of recycled materials like broken ceramic, bottle caps, tiles, and seashells.
- Who you’ll find there: Creatives and visitors from near and far ready for a photo op with the multitude of quirky mosaics.
- When to go: The park is open from dawn to dusk, but probably best enjoyed during the day to admire all the art's intricacies.
Yolanda Black Navarro Buffalo Bend Nature Park is perfect for a little peace and quiet.
Image: Katharine Shilcutt
Buffalo Bend Nature Park
2300 S Sgt Macario Garcia Dr, East End
- Why we love it: Recently rechristened the Yolanda Black Navarro Buffalo Bend Nature Park after the committed East End civic leader, this 10-acre park was built in 2016 from the remains of a construction fill site near the Port of Houston’s Turning Basin.
- What to do: Wander through the reconstructed wetlands meant to mimic the original landscape of the area pre-industry, and take in a totally different view of Buffalo Bayou.
- Who you'll find there: Solitude-seekers and bird-watchers, the latter of whom are treated to regular sightings of black-bellied whistling ducks, blue herons, white ibis, and other migratory species.
- When to go: Weekday evenings when the more popular Buffalo Bayou Park is packed, and you’re in search of an evening jog featuring more wildlife-spotting than people-watching.
The Kinder Land Bridges are Memorial Park's latest addition.
Image: Courtesy Nick Hubbard
Memorial Park
6501 Memorial Dr
- Why we love it: The sprawling 1,500-acre Memorial Park is almost twice as big as Central Park in New York City, and that's something Houstonians will never tire of bragging about.
- What to do: Stroll along the boardwalk of the stunning Eastern Glades, part of a multi-year restoration of the park that debuted in 2020. Then take a jog or brisk walk around the Seymour Lieberman Trail to the new Kinder Land Bridges, which have quickly become a favorite among locals to walk over or drive under. Don't forget to visit the Houston Arboretum, which is located inside the park complex.
- Who you’ll find there: Absolutely everyone, which is why we love Memorial Park so much.
- When to go: The park gets crowded on the weekends, but it makes for great people-watching and community-building. Pro tip: park in the less-packed Green Ridge Trail lot.
