There are lots of places to have fun in Houston this summer for little or no money, to fight off the blues, boredom, or the blahs. Most events are easily accessible by bus which not only reduces your carbon footprint but can be entertaining.
The best part of traveling on public transportation is the people you will see, meet and discover along the way. Old classmates, friends, and former co-workers whose faces and conversations will flood your brain with sweet memories.
Free Things To Do In Houston
All year long you can find tons of free things to do in Houston. Many of the places offer more of them during the summer than other times of the year. This is an abbreviated list of some of the favorites.
Free films screening
Free concerts
Houston art exhibits
Parks in Houston
Theater performances
Gratis museum admission
No-cost classes
Port of Houston tour
Civic events- Jones plaza
Get popular CD/DVDs
Free Film Screenings
Some of the films that are shown are oldies but goodies, Texas-made short films, and foreign productions with subtitles. It’s worth your time to check them out, just visit any of the venues below.
Domy Books
Dean’s Credit Clothing
Rice Media Center
Project Row House
Museum Of Fine Arts
Aurora Picture Show
Houston Public Library
Discovery Green
Free Concerts
These are the best place to catch some of the top music acts in the country, that come to Houston to perform at shows where that don’t charge an admission fee.
Miller Outdoor Theater
Discovery Green
Jones Plaza
Tom Bass Park
Free Art Exhibits In Houston
Art is all around you in Houston. You’ll see it along bike and hike trails on Buffalo Bayou, inside of Hobby airport, and on the walls of hospitals. It’s a community resource that you can see and appreciate at no cost to you in a variety of settings.
Municipal Art Collection
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Project Row House
Parks in Houston
Houston has tons of green spaces and parks. If you want to use a covered pavilion or make sure you can get a spot on holidays, make sure you call and reserve it in advance.
City of Houston Parks and Recreation
Harris County Parks
State Parks
Skate Parks
Metropolitan Multi-Service Center ( handicap accessible pools and gym )-West Gray
Where To Catch Free Theater Performances
Houston is a city where people love their basketball team as much as they do their ballet troupe. The Arts Alliance has done a great job of making sure that symphony, ballet, and opera performances can be viewed by as many people as possible, by hosting free performances on public stages and throwing open the doors to the Theater District for an open house each year.
Miller Outdoor Theater
Annual Theater District Open House
Free Museums In Houston
If you’re seeking refugees from the heat on a hot summer day with a rowdy group, you should take them to a museum. There is no charge to check out some of the fabulous works in the avant-garde collections, on display, at unique museums in Houston that will pique the interest of even the youngest members in the bunch.
Contemporary Arts Museum
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Children’s Museums-(free on Thursdays)
Heritage Society Museum
The Weather Museum
Free classes in Houston
Learning can be both entertaining and recreational depending on the subject matter. Try any of these no-cost classes in Houston they can either enrich your mind, body, or pocketbook.
Pilate’s exercise group
Zumba class
Internet marketing class
Dance classes
African Drumming class
Tour Houston Ship Channel
With the Gulf of Mexico so close, tankers and marine vessels of all sizes can pull into the deep waters at the port of Houston. You can see them up close on a free pleasure boat tour of the port, reservations are required.
Attend Gratis Civic Events
Jones Plaza, the area near Houston’s city hall, is a favorite gathering place and ideal backdrop for concerts, exhibits, and small street festivals. There are several annual events held in the downtown plaza and other places around the city that won’t cost you a cent.
Jones Plaza
Freedom over Texas
Via Colori
How To Watch CD/DVD At No Charge In Houston
The entire video, audio, and games collection of the library is available to checkout freely, by going to any of the dozens of local branches.
Houston Public Library
No-cost Activities In Houston
These 10 aren’t the only things to do in Houston for free this summer, just some of the fun stuff you can do. It would take all summer long, just to tell you about each of these splendid places. However, you can check the archive on Midtownlive and find plenty of details on any of these.
If you plan to attend any of these “gratis events in Houston” and you’re unsure about directions, parking, or whether you can bring your recliner with you? You’ll find the answer to lots of your questions at Midtownlive.
Live! At Bayou Place:
If you’re tired of the same old nightlife scenes and you have never been to Live! At Bayou Place then this is definitely where you should go on your next outing. Live! At Bayou Place is like going to four bars at once. I say this because once you go in you have an option of going to four different bars. Each bar has its own unique vibrant atmosphere.
The Shark Bar offers its own unique drinks while flooding your ears with retro music. PBR Houston is a cowboy bar that has beautiful décor, live music, and a mechanical bull to ride. Chapel Spirits is a great place for any corporate happy hour event or party. Lucie’s Liquors has an excellent beer and liquor selection great for partying or just relaxing with a cold drink. There is also an excellent selection of food and dining offered.
The ever-famous Hard Rock Café, which needs no introduction, there is the Sambuca Grill which offers South American food and an extensive wine selection or the Blue Fish which is one of the best sushi places offered in Houston.
Houston Symphony
The Houston Symphony is offering the Free Neighborhood Series, a collection of concerts they are offering throughout the summer at numerous locations throughout the city. This even includes a concert for the commemoration of the 4th of July. This means that no matter where you are, you will be able to take in some serious culture with one of the country’s best symphonies. If your kids are interested in getting an up-close look at the musician’s instruments, an “instrument petting zoo” starts about an hour prior to each concert.
Discovery Green
Discovery Green is filled with activities all year long. There is an ice skating rink in the winter and remote-controlled sailboats during the summer months. Tons of live outdoor music is hosted throughout the year by some of the most notable local and regional performers.
Outdoor movies are regularly offered featuring popular family-friendly and date-worthy films. Other sections of the park include gateway fountains and mist trees for the children, playgrounds, dog runs, lakes, and jogging trails.
Renaissance Festival
The Texas Renaissance Festival is one of the largest, most acclaimed Renaissance fairs in Texas and offers themed festival events for 8 weekends in the Fall. It’s fun for both kids and adults alike. Enjoy festival performances from jousting to gypsy dances, comedy shows, mud wrestling, and glass blowing.
There is so much to do here it will take you two trips just to see it all. If you are looking for vacation homes you can search websites that provide direct and indirect home exchange services.
Be prepared to bring a good attitude and a sense of humor because you may be roped into an impromptu performance out of nowhere. In addition to the shows, you may visit Sherwood Forest and practice your ax/knife-throwing skills, archery, or drench the wench activities. For those who have not ever been to the festival, it will be an experience like nothing else!
