The Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Bayou Park

Welcome to Houston's new front porch. Welcome to Houston's new front porch. Plus: the Houstonian family's guide to Florida, and life after the Texas foster care system.

In this issue:

Arts & Culture

Stage

Hand to God Playwright Robert Askins Returns to Houston

Askins' newest play, The Carpenter, will be performed this month at the Alley Theatre’s All New Festival.

01/23/2017 By Jeanne Lyons Davis

Visual Art

At the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Creating Art from War

Three U.S. military veterans-turned-artists turn their own—and others’—stories into art.

01/23/2017 By Greg Fails

Ice House

Our 5 Favorite Spotify Playlists from Houston Hotspots

Who needs a jukebox when you have a bar owner with really good taste?

01/23/2017 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen

Best of Houstonia

Family Guide to Florida

The Houstonian Family's Guide to Florida

Pack your bags, Houston. The Sunshine State beckons.

01/24/2017 By Bill Wiatrak, Craig Pittman, and Jamie Portwood

The Great Outdoors

The Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Bayou Park

Welcome to Houston's new front porch.

01/23/2017 By Houstonia Staff

Eat & Drink

Sweeter by the Dozen: 12 Restaurants We Love In Sugar Land

The dining scene in Fort Bend County gets finer by the day.

01/24/2017 By Katharine Shilcutt

The Top 7 Spots for Caribbean Cuisine in Houston

The cuisine of the Caribbean is way more diverse than rum and Scotch bonnet peppers.

01/23/2017 By Alice Levitt

Celebrate the Year of the Rooster with Our 3 Favorite Rice Dishes

East Asian cultures continue to celebrate the Lunar New Year through the middle of February. Here's where, and what, to eat.

01/23/2017 By Alice Levitt

Pour

Amid an Onslaught of Openings, Local Breweries Fight to Stand Out

Overwhelmed? Begin a pilgrimage along the new brew trail with our top picks.

01/23/2017 By Jenna K. White

Restaurant Review

A New Wave of French Restaurants Hits Houston

Two gorgeous Gallic eateries, Café Azur and Rise n°2, offer vastly different specialties.

01/23/2017 By Alice Levitt

Editor’s Note

Editor's Note

Thanks to Buffalo Bayou Park, Showing Off Houston to Visitors Has Never Been Easier

Buffalo Bayou Park is our Central Park, and it's magnificent.

01/23/2017 By Catherine Matusow

Home & Real Estate

Space City

Working from Home in Independence Heights

An artist and a commercial developer transform an old warehouse into a modern space.

01/23/2017 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen Photography by Peter Molick and Jack Thompson

News & City Life

News

Finding a Path Forward After Aging Out of Foster Care

Judge Katrina Griffith is trying to give kids aging out of the Texas foster care system a chance for independence.

01/23/2017 By Roxanna Asgarian

News

What Happens After a Life Spent in the Texas Foster Care System?

Far too often, what happens to children in foster care is as bad or worse than what brought them there in the first place.

01/23/2017 By Roxanna Asgarian

Ice House

How Did the Once-Largest Bank Heist in Houston History Happen?

Fifty years ago, with the Bayou City exploding, a bank that couldn’t keep up paid the price.

01/23/2017 By Adam Doster

Ice House

February's Perfect Party: No-Thanks-We’re-Good Edition

Our perfect party would still not include Rick Perry or Rex Tillerson.

01/23/2017 By Catherine Matusow

Ice House

In Houston, Immigrants and Immigration Attorneys Alike Brace for Change Under Trump

“I’m telling people that they need to have their affairs in order. Prepare for the worst, and expect the best.”

01/23/2017 By Adam Doster

Ice House

What Does the Future Hold for Houston's Pension Plans?

We break down the issues impacting our city’s public-employee retirement system.

01/23/2017 By Adam Doster

Ice House

A Ghost (Heart) of a Chance

The Texas Heart Institute's new research into a "ghost heart" — an organ scrubbed clean of all cells — could build a human heart nearly from scratch.

01/23/2017 By Alice Levitt

Bayougraphy

The Boss: Myrtis Dightman, Jr. on Preserving the Tradition of Black Cowboys in Texas

At the stables with the man behind the oldest African American trail ride in Texas

01/23/2017 By Jeff Balke

Style & Shopping

Ice House

Looking for Love in All the Right Places

Forget Tinder and OkCupid. These niche dating sites are where you need to be.

01/23/2017 By Marianella Orlando

Ice House

Fashion Figures

Houston does a little turn on the catwalk.

01/23/2017 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen

Travel & Outdoors

Family Guide to Florida

Living History: Spending a Day in St. Augustine

The oldest continually inhabited city in the U.S. isn't just interesting for the adults.

01/23/2017 By Jamie Portwood

Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Bayou Park

Buffalo Bayou Park: An Aerial Tour

We take a drone tour of Houston's front porch and latest civic treasure, the newly completed Buffalo Bayou Park.

01/23/2017 Videography by Blueprint Film Co.

Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Bayou Park

Buffalo Bayou Park: An Aerial Tour

We take a drone tour of Houston's front porch and latest civic treasure, the newly completed Buffalo Bayou Park.

01/23/2017 Videography by Blueprint Film Co.

Family Guide to Florida

7 National Parks in Florida Your Kids Will Love

Heaven on earth awaits in the most unexpected of places.

01/23/2017 By Craig Pittman

Family Guide to Florida

The 5 Best Florida Beaches for Families

"There are no bad beaches in Florida," says Dr. Beach ... but these are his favorites.

01/23/2017 By Craig Pittman

Family Guide to Florida

5 Cool New Theme Park Rides in Orlando

Baby, we were born to ride.

01/23/2017 By Bill Wiatrak

Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Bayou Park

Tune In to Buffalo Bayou Park

Houston Public Media collaborated with Buffalo Bayou Park to bring Houstonians an audio walking tour of the park.

01/23/2017 By Katharine Shilcutt

Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Bayou Park

Have You Found All the Hidden Art in Buffalo Bayou Park?

You may need to pause for a moment.

01/23/2017 By Katharine Shilcutt

Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Bayou Park

What's Up Next For Buffalo Bayou?

The Buffalo Bayou Partnership is already hard at work on the next leg of redevelopment east of Allen's Landing.

01/23/2017 By Roxanna Asgarian

Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Bayou Park

Buffalo Bayou Wasn't Always a Walk in the Park

Four folks who made Buffalo Bayou Park happen, on their biggest challenges—and how they overcame them

01/23/2017 By Roxanna Asgarian

Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Bayou Park

The City's Greatest Landmark Is Right Under Your Nose

Houston's recently revitalized underground "ruin," the Cistern, has become one of its most popular new tourist attractions.

01/23/2017 By Jeanne Lyons Davis

Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Bayou Park

Where the Wild Things Are in Buffalo Bayou Park

There’s more to Buffalo Bayou than bats. Alisa Kline, the park’s Texas Master Naturalist, clues us in on some surprising species to watch for.

01/23/2017 By Jeff Balke

Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Bayou Park

The "World's Smelliest Canoe Race" Celebrates Its 45th Anniversary

The Buffalo Bayou Regatta is now largest canoe race in Texas and the fifth largest in the country. (And it's not that stinky.)

01/23/2017 By Adam Doster

Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Bayou Park

Tracking the 3 Most Popular Places in Buffalo Bayou Park

Plus: a note on etiquette when it comes to the No. 2 spot.

01/23/2017 By Katharine Shilcutt

Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Bayou Park

5 Instagram-Worthy Spots Along Buffalo Bayou

Because if you don’t filter, share and hashtag your day in the park—#parkitlikeitshot, people—you might as well stay home.

01/23/2017 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen

Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Bayou Park

How Do You Plan a Park That’s Meant to Flood?

Because, this being Houston, things are going to get really, really wet.

01/23/2017 By Roxanna Asgarian

Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Bayou Park

Here's Where You Should Begin to Explore Buffalo Bayou Park

The Dunlavy and Lost Lake are good places to start.

01/23/2017 By Katharine Shilcutt and Adam Doster

The Drawl

The "Ultimate" Houston Airbnb "Experience"

Take note, AirBnB folks.

01/23/2017 By Katharine Shilcutt

Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Bayou Park

Here's Houstonia's Handy Annotated Map of Buffalo Bayou Park

We've got the inside track on where to find the top picnic spot, best wildlife-viewing area, most dramatic skyline views and more.

01/23/2017 Illustrations by Tanyia Johnson and Monica Fuentes