Houstonopoly Bringing Classic Board Game to Life in Fun-Filled Pop-Up

You can pass go. You can collect $200 … okay, it’s actually $1,000 in cold, hard, and completely fake cash. (Say it with us, folks, everything’s bigger in Texas). 

Your favorite lifelong-rift-creating board game has come to life in Rice Village as Houstonopoly, a family-friendly, Instagram-worthy immersive experience.

“We’ve been cooped up in the house for over a year of Covid,” says Sherrie Handrinos, organizer of new pop-up inside the former Pier 1, which opens this weekend and runs through July. “This is just a little bit of an escape to have fun.”

As the name suggests, Houstonopoly pays homage to the classic Hasbro game Monopoly. But everything you know and love about it’s been Houston-ified, from the landmarks on the board to the top-hatted, mustachioed mascot himself—seriously, the Houstonopoly Man sports grills, an Astros T-shirt, and a gold H-Town chain. Clutch, indeed.

After nabbing your money, you’ll roll large dice to see where on this life-size board you’ll start your adventure. From there, you’re free to work your way along the colorful squares, most of which are filled with some kind of interactive activity, at your leisure.

 

 

 

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“You’re the game piece,” explains Handrinos, who previously added to the holiday spirit downtown with last December’s Hou-ville popup. “You’re walking through it.”

Those various Instagrammable moments include sitting in a real stadium seat along Stadium Row, which features NRG, Toyota Center, and Minute Maid squares; planting a flag on the moon in the NASA square; or posing for a souvenir mugshot at the Harris County Jail. There’s even a “chance” space with three-foot-long cards that send you to random spots on the board, like Turkey Leg Hut or JimmyBoi’s tent at the Luxury Tax.

In addition to large props, the space also features sprawling murals from local artist Franky Cardona, including a lifelike, Astroworld-inspired mural of Travis Scott.

Before you drive over in your sleek, silver convertible (everyone knows the car token is king), remember, the experience is meant to bring good, ol’ family fun, Handrinos emphasizes, meaning there’ll be no angry table flipping at this game night.

June 4–July 31. From $15. 2501 Rice Blvd. More info and tickets at houstonopoly.com.