Houston, Texas is a wildly fun city that is also steeped in history and culture. When you visit Houston, chances are you will feel a bit overwhelmed by the number of things to do here.
This 2 day Houston itinerary can help narrow down your choices! From museums to outdoor fun, entertainment to tasty food, we’ve got a little bit of everything to make your trip a great one!
Day 1 Morning: Downtown, Street Art, and Tacos
Downtown Houston
Start your day off with breakfast in Downtown Houston. Do as the locals do and get a breakfast taco!
Lone Star Taco at 1001 Texas Avenue serves both simple and delicious breakfast tacos and also some more elaborate breakfast tacos. Order egg, bacon, and cheese, or for a more filling breakfast get the Royal Flush, scrambled eggs, potato, beef brisket, and shredded jack cheese with tomatillo sauce.
Want something less complicated? The Corner Bakery Cafe at 1000 Main St. has egg sandwiches, scrambled eggs, pancakes, and of course, delicious pastries.
Houston’s Street Art
Your introduction to Downtown Houston begins at the Houston Graffiti Building. Located at 1503 Chartres Street, this building is a hub for local artists to show off their creativity through large murals. In EaDo (East of Downtown Houston), discover even more street art and murals using this Houston Mural Map.
Market Square Historic District
If history is your thing, take a stroll around the Market Square Historic District. This charming neighborhood dates back to the 19th century. You can shop, dine, and relax in Market Square Park. There are monuments and landmark buildings as well as public art installations and murals that can be seen on Main Street and Milam Street.
Day 1 Afternoon: Outdoor Fun, Indoor Fun
Hermann Park
For some outside time, Hermann Park cannot be beat! This 450-acre urban green space has plenty of things to do and see. Visit the Houston Zoo and the McGovern Centennial Gardens. Wander and see sculptures, monuments, playgrounds, and even an 18-hole golf course! Look to see if the Miller Outdoor Theatre has a daytime performance to see. It’s free to attend.
For lunch, try Bodegas Taco Shop at 1200 Binz Street for tasty Tex-Mex. It’s conveniently located a few streets away from both the park and the museum district.
Houston Museum District
The Museum of Fine Art has nearly 70,000 works of art from over 6,000 years of human creativity. The French Impressionist collection is outstanding as is its modern art collection of over 1,200 works.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science is an excellent place to learn about life from the Paleolithic era to the Space Age. Be sure to check out the dinosaur fossils, the Egyptian Hall, and the Cockrell Butterfly Center.
One of the best family-friendly things to do in Houston is visit the Children's Museum Houston, suited to children ages 10 and younger. Interactive exhibits and hands-on activities spark curiosity and imagination.
Day 1 Evening: Dinner, Games, and a Waterfall
For your first night in Houston, you can do these fun activities in any order.
The Escape Game Houston
From Hermann Park, make your way in just 20 minutes to The Galleria Mall at 5085 Westheimer Road to play an escape room for the ultimate thrill in Houston! Escape rooms are increasingly popular in the U.S. and if you haven't played one, now is the time! Even if you’ve played an escape room, you’ve never experienced any as meticulously designed as those at The Escape Game.
You’ll be ‘locked’ in a room with just 60 minutes to escape! There’s only one way out and it requires you to be creative, crafty, and fast if you want to find the way out in time. Every game has multiple rooms to explore to solve, unique themes, and lots of challenging clues to solve. Feel the exhilaration as you unravel each puzzle and come closer to escaping the room.
Choose your adventure and level of difficulty. Prison Break is the hardest room to escape, followed by Art Heist, and The Depths. The Galleria location has five exciting rooms, and a second Houston location at CityCentre has seven rooms. Whatever location you go to, you’ll have a blast!
Dinner at JOEY Uptown
For dinner, try JOEY Uptown at the Galleria mall for contemporary international and regional cuisine in a spacious modern dining room. Dessert awaits you at Le Macaron or Creamistry. You may be able to squeeze in some shopping at the Galleria’s more than 400 retail stores!
Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park
Stop by this public park open until 9 pm daily for an Instagrammable moment posing in front of the Waterwall, a 64-foot-high semi-circular wall that gushes 11,000 gallons of water per minute!
Day 2 Morning: Sunrise and Astronauts
Twilight Epiphany Skyspace
Early risers are in for a treat! Grab your breakfast to-go and head to the Twilight Epiphany Skyspace on the Rice University campus. Skyspace is a public event venue that, at sunrise and sunset, showcases a beautiful LED light sequence projected onto the ceiling. It’s free to enter, and you can also attend free musical performances there in the evenings.
NASA Space Center Houston
Hit the road and drive half an hour to NASA’s Johnson Space Center Houston, one of Houston's most popular attractions. In addition to seeing a huge array of artifacts from space exploration like the Apollo 17 Command Module, a full-size Skylab Training module, a Moon rock, and more! Choose from three tours to go deeper into the space experience.
On the Astronaut Training Facility Tour, you get the amazing opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at what astronauts do. On the Historic Mission Control Tram Tour, you’ll see where NASA led the Gemini and Apollo missions. At the George W.S. Abbey Rocket Park, you’ll see only three of the remaining Saturn V rockets.
If you are feeling peckish, you can get food at The Food Lab at the Space Center. If you can wait a little while, dine in Galveston at one of the many restaurants along Seawall Boulevard.
Day 2 Afternoon: The Beach or The Bayou
Galveston’s beaches
Take your pick of beaches from 32 miles of gorgeous coastline along the Gulf of Mexico. If you find yourself in Houston on a hot day, an afternoon swimming and enjoying the water’s breeze, can beat the heat!
If you are traveling with kids, Stewart Beach in the heart of Galveston, is a family-friendly destination. There you’ll find lifeguards, restrooms, and concessions. The beach is well-maintained, and its calm waters make it a great spot for swimming. Stewart Beach features a pavilion, playground, and volleyball. If you're in Houston with teens, they can learn to surf!
East Beach is known as the "Party Beach'' because of the beach parties and because alcohol is permitted here. It’s a lively place to spend the afternoon, so if you are looking for a peaceful time, head somewhere else! The western end of Galveston Island is home to numerous beaches that are less crowded and offer a more serene atmosphere.
Beaches like Jamaica Beach, Pirates Beach, and Terramar Beach are popular among locals and vacationers who seek a quieter beach experience. Besides sunbathing and swimming, you can go beachcombing and fishing.
Buffalo Bayou Park
If you prefer to head straight back to Houston after the Space Center, you can still enjoy some outdoor time at Buffalo Bayou Park. This 160-acre green space along the Buffalo Bayou Waterway is a lovely place to take a stroll along the trails with the dramatic downtown skyline in the background. The park is also perfect for bike riding, kayaking, and paddle boarding on the Buffalo Bayou Waterway!
Day 2 Evening: A Night of Baseball or Broadway
Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park
For baseball fans, the best time to visit Houston is between April and October when you can get tickets to see the Houston Astros play baseball at Minute Maid Park.
No need to grab dinner, since the concession stands at the stadium are a notch above your typical sports event fare. You can get Tex-Mex dishes, smoked brisket sandwiches and other deli food, Southern Style BBQ, and everyone’s favorite, Shake Shack’s outstanding burgers and shakes.
Minute Maid Park has a retractable roof so even a rainy day in Houston can't stop you from having fun!
Football fans should visit Houston from September through January when you can see Texans play football at NRG Stadium. For some good ol’ Texas fun, you can go to NRG Stadium for the Houston Rodeo and Livestock Show between late February and the third week in March. Mid-October to mid-April the Houston Rockets shoot hoops at the Toyota Center.
Houston’s Theater District
Prefer theater to sports? Houston has got you covered. Houston’s Theater District spans 17 city blocks and is second in size only to New York City’s theater district. There's always something great playing at the many theaters and performing arts centers. The lush Hobby Center for the Performing Arts hosts Broadway shows and the Wortham Theater Center is home to the Houston Grand Opera and the Houston Ballet. At the Bayou Music Center, you can catch a comedy act or musical performance.
Drinks at a Rooftop Bar
Finish up your busy two days gazing at the remarkable Houston skyline and sipping on a hand-crafted cocktail or local brewery beer. This is a perfect thing to do if you are in Houston for a romantic weekend or if you are looking for something fun to do for a Girls’ Night Out!
For even more ideas for your evening out, read our article, 23 Things To Do At Night in Houston.
Explore more of Houston with our article, 30 Fun and Interesting Things To Do In Houston.
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