11 scenic parks in Houston perfect for picnics and relaxing

POST Houston Skylawn

To reach this 5-acre rooftop park in downtown Houston, enter the POST Houston food hall and wind up the gleaming spiral staircase, climb the grand double-helix staircase or take the wheelchair-accessible elevator. Then enter a wonderland of skyline views, gardens, playspaces and picnic spots.

The gigantic warehouse structure, previously a central post office, rocks with POST Market, where you can create a picnic from Filipino, Thai, Mediterranean and other cuisines, as well as Italian ice, coffee, juices, beer, wine and spirits.

Cool fact: The roof’s composed of transparent, air-filled pillows made of polymer material developed in the 1950s by NASA engineers working on space suits.

Sam Houston Park

This 20-acre urban park is just blocks from City Hall and surrounded by sleek modern skyscrapers and interstate highways. Sam Houston Park is home to 10 historic buildings, including the Kellum-Noble House, the oldest surviving building constructed in Houston. An 1823 cabin, a church built in 1891 by German and Swiss immigrants and a 1905 mansion are a few of the other nine buildings that were moved to the park by The Heritage Society, which was founded in 1954. The park is also home to a 12-foot-tall 1891 Scanlan Fountain, a U.S.S. Houston Monument and a series of eight historical markers.

Cool fact: The buildings, which each tell a diverse story of daily life in Houston’s early years, are open for tours. 

Buffalo Bayou Park

Buffalo Bayou is a 52-mile, slow-moving river that flows through Houston. (The bayou’s banks were the site of the final battle for Texas Independence and the founding of Houston.) While the river is dotted with 11 parks, the 160-acre section that stretches across 2.3 miles of shoreline from Shepherd Drive to Sabine Street acts as the boundary for Buffalo Bayou Park. The amenities are endless—hiking and biking trails, paddle craft and bike rentals, two visitors centers, a dog park and a 30,000 square-foot, in-ground skatepark. However, the most popular area in the park is the Barbara Fish Daniel Nature Play Area that includes a rolling lawn, boulder rock scramble, climbing logs and stones and a 33-foot slide.

Cool fact: At sunset on warm evenings, head over to Waugh Drive Bridge to watch the stunning spectacle of 250,000 Mexican free-tailed bats emerging from underneath the bridge.

The Water Works Terrace

Did you know there’s an urban park hidden on top of Buffalo Bayou Park’s visitor center? Ascend the steps and grab a seat on the terrace, or lay out your picnic blanket by the huge tree-lined grassy field. You can also relax along the overlook that lets you see for miles across Houston.

The Water Works is a reclaimed four-acre site atop the city’s first underground drinking water reservoir called the Cistern. Built in 1927, it was decommissioned in 2007. However, the cavernous space now hosts art and music performances below ground. While picnicking, sunning and savoring stellar views up above, wander into the jasmine-covered, criss-crossed arbor—a fanciful spot to get some shade.

Cool fact: “Down Periscope,” a hands-on piece of artwork providing views down into the Cistern, was removed from the arbor during the pandemic, but will be reinstalled.

Sesquicentennial Plaza Park

Created to honor Texas’s 150th birthday in 1986, this urban park flanks Buffalo Bayou where it flows past the Wortham Theater Center. Stretch out on Baker Common, a sloping lawn semi-circled by a walkway and leafy trees or stroll the grand promenade, shaded by cypress trees and edged by an elegant balustrade-overlook wall. Or wander Preston Avenue Bridge between the river banks.

Eye candy at Sesquicentennial Plaza Park includes native plant gardens, intricate stonework, natural pools, cascading fountains and dramatic downtown views. Behold the Seven Wonders: seven 70-foot-tall stainless steel pillars along the promenade and bridge. Paying tribute to key parts of  Houston’s heritage—agriculture, energy, manufacturing, medicine, philanthropy, technology and transportation—artist Mel Chin constructed each column with beautiful cutouts adapted from 150 children’s drawings.

Cool fact: At night, the steel pillars double as lanterns, illuminating the waterway and promenade.

Emancipation Park

The oldest park in Houston reopened on Juneteenth in 2017 after a four-year, $33 million renovation. The 10-acre park is located on a plot of land that was purchased for $1,000 by a group of former slaves to host Juneteenth Celebrations in 1872, nine years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Located in the Third Ward, the green space became an important hub in the historically African-American neighborhood. The renovation was spearheaded by the Emancipation Park Conservancy, who partnered with a variety of groups, leaders and foundations to complete the project. The park now boasts a glass-fronted recreation center, lighted basketball, tennis and softball courts and an outdoor swimming pool with dual twisting slides that is free to the public.

Cool fact: The park has three separate sprayground areas open year-round including one pool deck splash pad.

PNC Roof Garden at the Glassell School of Art

Bring a book and enjoy the vast view from this terrace garden topping the Glassell School of Art’s visionary building. To reach this tranquil hideaway, stroll up the slope of the building’s green roof or take the Glassell elevator. The shaded terrace features a glass-and-steel skylight, native grasses, flowers and 360-degree city views. Down below, grab nibbles and sips at Cafe Leonelli.

Cool fact: The roof garden is part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Sarofim Campus. Scenic, serene picnic spots at ground level edge the Cullen Sculpture Garden, designed by Isamu Noguchi.

Menil Park

The Menil buildings and green spaces offer an artful oasis in a neighborhood graced with early 20th-century bungalows. The 30-acre campus features big lawns, trails, shady oak trees and incredible sculptures like Jim Love’s giant playing jack and Mark di Suvero’s Bygones. Play on the bright red swing that hangs from a mighty oak and walk to the Menil Collection, Cy Twombly Gallery, Rothko Chapel and other art spaces; all offer free admission.

Cool fact: The red swing is among 200 installed around the globe as part of the Red Swing Project created by University of Texas architecture students. The goal of these urban interventions? To inspire playfulness.

Hermann Park

Located near the Museum District, Rice University and Texas Medical Center, this 445-acre green space is one of the city’s leading cultural and recreational hubs. Founded in 1914, Hermann Park includes a series of free attractions like the picturesque Japanese Gardens and McGovern Centennial Gardens. The eight-acre McGovern Lake is an excellent spot to feed the ducks or take a pedal boat out for a spin. And kids will love the two-mile train journey on the Hermann Park Railroad, which departs from Kinder Station. Don’t miss the art in the park—there are two permanent installations. These include Houston artist Trenton Doyle Hancock’s colorful mural inside the Hermann Park Railroad tunnel and Canadian artist Sharon Englestein’s Dillidiidae’s large colorful sculptures of rounded foam shapes. 

Cool fact: The oak-tree shaded, two-mile Marvin Taylor Trail is perfect for both runners and walkers.  

McGovern Centennial Gardens

You could picnic every day here for a week and not have the same view. To reach the McGovern Centennial Gardens, enter through the Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion and sit facing the refreshing grand fountains. Meander the pathways past various themed gardens to areas featuring statues, sculptures and bird-attracting foliage. Beyond the central lawn rises the Mount, a 30-foot hill down which cascades a dramatic watercourse. Circle up the Mount to pair lunch with 360-degree views.

Cool fact: The pagoda-style Friendship Pavilion was a gift to the city of Houston from its sister city, Taipei, Taiwan.

Memorial Park

Houston’s Memorial Park—a landmark urban park that’s been open since 1924—is a pure parks and recreation success story. The park is currently undergoing enhancements as part of a master plan launched in 2018. But in 2020, Clay Family Eastern Glades reclaimed 100 acres of parkland with new picnic areas, trails, boardwalks, parking, restrooms and the beautiful 5 1/2-acre Hines Lake and wetlands.

Now that food trucks park there every day, you don’t even need to pack lunch. The nearby playground and tennis center are also perfect for playdates. In 2022, the Memorial Drive Land Bridge, Prairie and tunnels will open, connecting the park’s north and south sides and adding new space in which to relax.

Cool fact: Memorial Park is 1,500 acres, nearly double the size of New York City’s Central Park.