NASA's Christopher Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center is where highly trained personnel monitor flight control for America's human space program, including coordinating with astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Beginning in 1965, the Center controlled missions such as Gemini and Apollo. Prior to liftoff, missions are controlled from the Launch Control Center located at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, then control is transferred to Mission Control after the ship has cleared the launch tower. Given its importance to past and current America's space operations, the Center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark.
While most major cities have razed the beautiful Art Deco airport terminals of the 1930s and 1940s to make way for modern buildings, jet traffic or the closing of airports, the Houston Municipal Airport Terminal stands on the William P. Hobby Airport as a quiet monument to the rich and varied history of aviation in the region. The building holds the 1940 Air Terminal Museum which is dedicated to promoting the city's significant civil aviation history. The Houston Municipal Airport Terminal is a beautiful and rare example of classic Art Deco airport architecture from the golden age of flight. The Terminal served Houston during the years when air travelers dressed in their finest and embarked for exotic destinations aboard roaring propliners like the Douglas DC-3 and the Lockheed Constellation. Designed by noted architect Joseph Finger (who also designed Houston's City Hall), the Terminal was built to meet Houston's growing role as a major center for air commerce in the 1930s. The terminal was completed in 1940 and served as the primary commercial air terminal for Houston until 1954.
The American Cowboy Museum serves the community by preserving and interpreting the art, history, and culture of the contributions of African Americans, Hispanic, Native Americans, and Women to the development of the American West through engaging exhibitions, educational programs, and public events reflective of the Texas region’s rich traditions and shared heritage. The founder, Mollie Taylor-Stevenson, Jr. and her mother were the first living African Americans inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Ft. Worth, Texas. In 1988, Mollie Stevenson, Sr., and Mollie Stevenson, Jr. founded and continue to operate the museum in the effort to preserve the multicultural history of the West. The museum, which is housed in an area of the Taylor-Stevenson Ranch, offers tours, exhibits, oral historians who offer stories and lectures dressed in native attire and hands-on activities. (Please note the at the museum's website as of July 2016 is not working)
Since its inception in 1995, the ACC has been committed to fulfilling its mission of serving the Arab American community through cultural programs, outreach and social services; promoting Arab culture and heritage and fostering a greater understanding of Arab Culture amongst the Houston community at large by serving as a liaison and resource center. The Center operates a small museum and library.
Founded in 2000 by naval engineer James Manzolillo, the Houston Maritime Museum celebrates and preserves maritime history from around the world, dating from the Middle Ages to today. The museum features ten galleries of model ships based on the following themes: Modern Warships, the Modern Merchant Marine, Sailing Ships and Steam Power, Ships in Bottles, Great Lakes Vessels, Convict Models, Ancient Chinese and Middle East, History of Navigation, Voyages of Discovery, Ocean Liners, Port of Houston, Sailing Warships, and the Offshore Energy Industry. In addition, the museum is home to a world class collection of historical navigation tools, including astrolabes, quadrants, sextants, and maritime compasses.
Founded in 1958, The C G Jung Educational Center is a more than a museum or art gallery-this nonprofit educational institution is dedicated to offering diverse educational opportunities in the arts and humanities. The galleries and programs are always open to the public, and there are multiple educational and outreach programs for young people and adults alike. The gallery of the Center showcases rotating exhibits of works by established and emerging artists. Along with the traveling exhibits, the galleries present exhibitions drawn from the Center's permanent collection, including works by Peter Birkhauser.
Founded in 1948, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston is situated in the heart of the Houston Museum District. It is unique in that for the last 40 years it has been a non-collecting institution dedicated to simply offering contemporary international, national, and regional art exhibitions. The Museum's aim is to document how art impacts modern life through. In addition to the art exhibitions the museum also offers lectures, original publications and a variety of educational programs and events. The current facility, which opened its doors in 1972, was designed specifically by Gunnar Birkerts for the museum's use.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, houses more than 65,000 works of art created by cultures across the globe, from ancient times to today. Exploring art through careful observation and personal—as well as communal - meaning-making supports the personal growth of each student and reinforces important cognitive skills that are necessary for 21st- century success. The Museum offers different visit topics and formats to meet the needs of the visitors. Most tours last between 60 and 90 minutes. Programs are targeted for groups from Pre-K through 12th grade, for college and university students, as well as audio and self-guided tours. Be sure to check the Museum’s Website for details.
One of the most heavily attended museums in the country, the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) houses the Burke Baker Planetarium, the Wortham GIANT Screen Theatre, and the Cockrell Butterfly center, and a host of fascinating and intriguing permanent exhibits that focus on astronomy, space science, Native American culture, paleontology, energy, chemistry, gems and minerals and much more. Further, the facility accommodates a wide array of traveling exhibits covering even more categories. The Museum is a major science learning center, with over a half million school children visiting annually, including every fourth and seventh grade class in the Houston Independent School District. In addition to the main building, the museum operates two satellite location: the George Observatory in Fort Bend County, which features one of the largest telescopes in the country available for public viewing, and the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land which features exhibits on dinosaurs, mineralogy, and exotic live frogs.
The Children's Museum of Houston (CMH) is located in the city's museum district, near Hermann Park. Its mission is to encourage a lifelong interest in learning through innovative, interactive exhibits and bilingual programs for kids up to age 12. It is housed in a building designed by internationally acclaimed architect Robert Venturi. Founded in 1980 by concerned parents, the museum focuses on workshops in literacy, math, health engineering, civic engagement and cultural and social studies.
The permanent exhibit at the Museum is Bearing Witness: A Community Remembers, which focuses on the stories of Holocaust survivors living in the Houston metropolitan area. A tour begins with a look at life before the Holocaust. Visitors then see the beginnings of Nazism and Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. The displays progress through the disruption of normal life, to segregation, to imprisonment in concentration camps and, finally, to extermination. The roles of collaborators, by-standers, rescuers, and liberators are portrayed through artifacts, film reels, photographs, and text panels. The main exhibit ends with the moving short films, Voices and Voices II, which alternate daily in the 100-seat theater. These films are compilations of verbal testimony from area survivors.
The Houston Museum District welcomed a new cultural institution in 2012 with the opening of Asia Society Texas Center's 40,000-square-foot headquarters. The Yoshio Taniguchi-designed center features a flexible classroom and conference space, an art gallery, and a 273-seat theater. Three lifted gardens and a cafe add to Asia Society’s amenities. Just as inspiring as the building is the programming, which includes innovative artists and speakers from Asia and beyond. Visitors will experience the diversity of Asian art, film and performance.
The Czech Cultural Center and museum, founded in 1995, and celebrates the culture of Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia and Silesia with events and exhibitions. The center features language classes, a museum, archives, genealogy resources, event facilities, library and an ecumenical chapel. Artwork displayed in the museum's exhibits include paintings, photographs, porcelain, various artifacts, and crystal.
Founded in 2012, the Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) is dedicated to preserving, collecting and interpreting African American material and intellectual culture of Houston, Texas, the southwest, and the African Diaspora. Its ultimate aim is to educate and engage people of all ages and races and ethnicities. To this end, it offers a wide array of programming, including film showings, lectures, exhibitions, classes and even worship services.
Lawndale Art Center is centered around four museum-quality galleries, three artist studios, and an outdoor sculpture garden that facilitate its role as a vital cultural resource for Houston. Lawndale also provides educational opportunities to area elementary, middle and high school children, and to local college and university students through its teacher orientation program, internship program, and guided tours and activities. Lectures and Workshops are held throughout the year. Topics and themes for these events vary, though some are scheduled annually. Guided tours are available to small groups, including school tours Mon-Fri 10 AM to 5 PM, and generally last 45 minutes. Contact the museum for more details.
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) was founded to advance education about the process, product, and history of craft. HCCC provides exhibition, retail, and studio spaces to support the work of local and national artists and serves as a working resource for artists, educators, and the community at large. The facility reaches thousands of children each year through educational and outreach programming. Exhibitions feature sophisticated creations; some practical, and some that aren’t. The Asher Gallery is a place to shop gifts that are made by a variety of local and national artists. Behind the building is a Craft Garden, demonstrating the living connection between the materials that constitute crafting supplies and the plants from whence they come. The Artist Hall allows visitors to explore the crafter’s studios, and to share in the love of craft that the artists hold dear. Visitors enjoy the innovative exhibits, talking with the artists-in-residence, and shopping. Tours are available for groups with advance notice. (Call for details)
The Houston Center for Photography is an organization dedicated to the art of photography. Starting in 1981 as a small visual artists' organization, HCP has grown to become an exemplary fine art organization. The Center's exhibition gallery bears some of the finest works of contemporary photography. HCP also offers over 300 photography classes and workshops year-round. Varying in competency levels, these classes are all taught by a variety of noted and notable photographers and lecturers. The facility has earned an international reputation of hosting exhibits for current and relevant work that has helped define the state of photography today. Guided tours of HCP's exhibitions are available for schools and large groups during Gallery Hours.
The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum houses the largest repository of African-American military history in the world. In fall 2012, the museum moved into its new 23,000-square-foot home at the Houston Light Guard Armory in Midtown. The historic armory space is seven-times the museum’s previous space, giving the national museum significantly more room for reenactments, exhibits and lectures. The museum houses the largest repository of African-American military history in the world. Visitors can see artifacts stretching from the Revolutionary War through both World wars to present day conflicts.
Since its opening in 1973, the museum has presented over 250 exhibitions focusing on art of the past 100 years and its artistic, cultural, and intellectual antecedents. The annual schedule may also include major traveling exhibitions that have a particular relevance to Houston audiences, mid-sized retrospectives of national and international artists, exhibitions of regional artists, thematic surveys which place artists' work into new contexts, and special projects by local artists.
The Fire Museum of Houston is located in the former Station #7, the city's oldest station and one that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The museum offers static displays of fire apparatus such as a 1912 engine and horse-drawn equipment. There are also historic displays and articles that offer a short history of each fire station from the Greater Houston area and exhibits dedicated to the history of firefighting and fire safety.
Founded in 1996, this museum is the former home of Rutherford B. H. Yates, Sr. (1878–1944) who was an African American teacher and owner of his own printing business, Yates Printing Company. The house is located in the Fourth Ward of Houston, which is also known as Freedmen's Town. It was in this neighborhood that newly emancipated African American slaves established a thriving community of doctors, lawyers, dentists, teachers, and those with other vocations. The museum preserves this history (and Yates' legacy) through historic preservation of homes, education, and archaeological research. The museum and its supporters also work to aid historic preservation efforts and promote the study of the art and history of the African Diaspora. Given its important history, Freedmen's Town was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Architecture Center Houston (ArCH) is the home of the Houston Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the Architecture Center Houston Foundation. The 5,000-square-foot space among others includes a gallery for rotating architecture-related exhibits. ArCH also leads weekend walking tours of some of Houston's most interesting neighborhoods.
Originally established as home and garden estate for Ima Hogg (1882–1975) and her two brothers in the late 1920s, the Bayou Bend Art Museum and Garden—which is a part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston—features American paintings and decorative arts that date between 1620-1870. These works of art, which include furniture, silver pieces and ceramics, comprise one of the best collections of its kind in the world. The museum is located on Memorial Drive just east of Memorial Park. It offers many programs for people of all ages including a summer camp, art classes, workshops and lectures.
The National United States Armed Forces Museum is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday. It is recommended by the museum that two hours are allotted to view all areas of the museum. The majority of exhibits in this museum are vehicles used during different wars. The museum strives to keep alive the memory of the sacrifices of Texas military men and women. It does not, however, focus solely on one branch of the military.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This extended tour includes two dozen museums that reveal the rich history of Houston and the diversity of her people. Users can edit the tour to better fit their interests-this tour includes everything from military history to architecture, science, culture, works of art, and museums dedicated to the experiences of diverse groups.
