Houston Tranquil Gardens Nature Tour

The ideal time of the year for comfort and flowers for such a tour is in the last half of February, March, April, and October. The environments are tranquil, relaxing, full of flowers and you will see ducks, koi fish, squirrels, and more and sit in one or more of the pagodas. These are good sites to take photos. Be prepared to sweat in May, June, July, August, and September and dress warmly from November through the first half of February.

Meeting Point

Houston City Hall

901 Bagby St, Houston, TX 77002, USA

We meet inside the rotunda of the Houston City Hall at 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002 on Monday through Friday. City Hall is closed on weekends. On weekends, we meet at a park bench on the east side of City Hall.

What's included:

• Guided Services

What to expect:

Duration: 4 hours

1406 Kirby Dr

1406 Kirby Dr, Houston, TX 77019, USA

Allow 25 to 30 minutes. Rienzi was built in 1952; however, we do not enter the house. Landscape architect Ralph Ellis Gunn designed the gardens in the 1950s. It has 4.4 acres. Two steep ravines that lead to Buffalo Bayou slice through the area that has a variety of native plants as well as a reflecting pool. A bayou is a slow moving river whose movement is so slow that it may be imperceptible to the eye. Closed on Monday and Tuesday.

30 minutes

1500 Hermann Dr

1500 Hermann Dr, Houston, TX 77004, USA

Allow 30 to 45 minutes. The site is The John P. McGovern Centennial Gardens in Hermann Park. This redesigned area opened in December 2014. It has 8 acres. This includes seeing the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr, Confucius, approximately one-dozen busts of Latin American revolutionary leaders, rock formations, fountains, a waterfall, a Chinese pagoda, and more. You can climb a ramp that wraps around a hill with the waterfall that you will cross 3 times to the top which serves as an observation deck.

30 minutes

6000 Fannin St

6000 Fannin St, Houston, TX 77030, USA

Allow 25 to 30 minutes. This is the Japanese Gardens. This was dedicated on May 4, 1992. It is on 5 acres. World recognized landscape architect Ken Nakajima designed the gardens. It is built in the Daimyo style. It has a small pond and waterfall, stone lantern, winding stone paths, crepe myrtles, Japanese maples, irises, a grove of pine trees, peach trees, and more. Twenty cherry trees were planted in 2012. A rarely used tea house is in the center.

30 minutes

Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

4501 Woodway Dr, Houston, TX 77024, USA

Allow 45 minutes. This covers 155 acres. It is home to over 75 varieties of native trees and shrubs, 160 species of birds, and 5 miles of walking trails. It has a pond, overlook, children’s playground, and a small museum and gift shop. Guided.

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

6003 Memorial Dr, Houston, TX 77007, USA

Wednesday through Sunday. Allow 30 to 45 minutes. The house was erected in 1928; however, we do not enter it. The gardens began in the 1920s, were largely designed between 1934 and 1942, but are an ongoing project. The gardens are nestles on 14 acres. The organically maintained gardens have azaleas, camellias, magnolias, and dogwoods. Separate gardens exist with statues of classic Greek mythical characters and muses (Diana, Clio, and Euterpe) and themes and shapes (fountains, woodlands with trails, a white flower garden, and the butterfly shape garden). To approach and depart from the property, one walks on the suspension bridge that crosses over Buffalo Bayou. The property is called Bayou Bend as it is on a bend in Buffalo Bayou.

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included