Houston's Quirky Charm Unconventional Tour

Houston's Quirky Charm: A Tour of the Unconventional
Houston offers more than just skyscrapers; it boasts a unique artistic and architectural landscape. Our tour highlights the city's quirky side:

Statues of David Adickes: Larger-than-life president busts and Beatles statues offer unforgettable photo ops.

Beer Can House: A testament to recycling ingenuity, shimmering with thousands of flattened beer cans.

Gerald D. Hines Water Wall: A mesmerizing architectural wonder, cascading water creates a stunning visual and auditory experience.

We cover over 40 miles/64 kilometers in several areas with the most comprehensive tours of Houston

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:

• Expert Guide

What to expect:

Duration: 5 hours

Theater District

Houston, Texas

Did you know that only New York City has more downtown theaters than Houston? We will drive by the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts for musicals, Jones Hall for symphonies, the Margaret Alkek Center for Dance for the ballet, the Wortham Theater Center for the Houston Grand Opera, the Alley Theatre for regional repertoire plays, and the House of Blues for musical concerts.

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Daikin Park

501 Crawford St, Houston, 77002-2113, Texas

See the home of the 2017 and 2022 World Series champion Houston Astros baseball team.

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Toyota Center

1510 Polk St, , Houston, 77002-7130, Texas

See the home of the Houston Rockets basketball team. This is also the site for concerts and high school graduations.

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Shell Energy Stadium

2200 Texas St, Houston, 77003-3132, Texas

This is the home of the Houston Dash women's soccer team, the Houston Dynamo men's soccer team, and the Texas Southern University (TSU)'s football team.

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Graffiti Park

2102 Leeland St, Houston, 77003-5135, Texas

See colorful murals on the sides of buildings in the East Downtown (EADO) area.

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Downtown Tunnels

1221 McKinney Street, , Houston, 77010, Texas

On Monday through Friday, if you like, we will take about a 3 block walk into the underground tunnels of downtown Houston. We have over 7.5 miles/12.1 kilometers of underground tunnels that house over 500 businesses and thousands of employees. The tunnels are air conditioned and heated as needed. It is a city under the city. The tunnels are closed on Sunday, Saturday, and holidays.

20 minutes

Downtown Houston

Downtown Houston, Houston, TX, USA

See parks and plazas, statues and monuments, historic sites and markers, skyscrapers, governmental buildings, and houses of worship.

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River Oaks

River Oaks, Texas

Drive through the wealthiest neighborhood in Houston with mansions that date to the 1924. This is one of the largest subdivisions of millionaire homes in the nation. It is over 2 square miles.

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Rice Village Shops

2365 Rice Boulevard, , Houston, 77005-3141, Texas

Drive through one of the three best walking areas in Houston. It is next to Rice University and is full of mom and pop boutiques, cafes, and restaurants. It is a very popular area to shop.

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Rice University

6100 Main St, Houston, 77005-1827, Texas

The Rice Institute, later Rice University was found in 1912. It is the most respected and highest ranked university in the Deep South. On September 12, 1962, President Kennedy gave his famous speech explaining why we were planning to go to the moon at the Rice football stadium. That same stadium was home of Super Bowl VIII on January 13, 1974. I still have my ticket from that game. How much do you think it cost to attend?

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Houston Museum District

4912 Main Street, , Houston, Texas

Houston has over 35 museums in multiple areas of the city. We will pass through the major Museum District to see:
1. The Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH).
2. Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden.
3. The Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston (CAMH).
4. The Holocaust Museum Houston (HMH).
5. The Asia Society Texas Center.
6. The Children's Museum.
7. The John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science.
8. The Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS).
The Children's Museum is the #1 children's museum in the US according to Parents Magazine. The HMNS is the 4th most visited museum in the US. The MFAH is the 4th largest art museum in the US. The CAMH and Sculpture Garden are free at all times.
You could spend days visiting these magnificent museums.

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Hermann Park

6001 Fannin St, , Houston, 77030-1709, Texas

Hermann Park is the most popular park in Houston and a major attraction. Inside it are:
1. The John P. McGovern Centennial Gardens.
2. The Japanese Gardens.
3. The HMNS.
4. The most famous statue in Houston, that of General Sam Houston.
5. A replica of the Washington Monument and reflecting pool.
6. Miller Outdoor Theatre (MOT). We have FREE performances here almost every weekend from March to November.
7. Jogging/walking trails.
8. A children's train.
9. The Houston Zoo.
10. Peddle boat rides for up to 4 people.
11. Cafes.
12. More.
A tourist can easily find enough activities to keep herself/himself busy for days.

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Medical Center Area

Medical Center Area, Houston, TX, USA

Houston has the largest medical center in the world with over 20 different hospitals, research institutions, and colleges of medicine. Some of the sites we will see include:
1. Ben Taub Hospital.
2. Memorial Hermann Hospital.
3. Houston Methodist Hospital (HMH).
4. Baylor College of Medicine (BCM).
5. Prairie View A&M College of Nursing.
6. Kindred Hospital.
7. Texas Children's Hospital (TCH).
8. Texas Women's University (TWU) College of Nursing.
9. The University of Texas (UT) MD Anderson Cancer Center.
10. The Women's Hospital of Texas.
11. More.

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NRG Stadium

NRG Pkwy, , Houston, 77054-1574, Texas

See the home of the Houston Texans's football team and the site of the Houston Rodeo as well as concerts.

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Astrodome Area

Astrodome Area, Houston, TX, USA

This opened in 1965 as the first domed stadium in the world. It was the home of the former Houston football team, the Oilers, the Houston Astros, the rodeo, concerts, conventions, and much more.

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Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park

2800 Post Oak Boulevard, Houston, 77056-6100, Texas

This is the most photographed area in Houston. Lots of young ladies like to have quinceanera and bridal photos taken here. The water wall is a 64 foot/21 meter high semi-circle with 11,000 gallons of water pouring off the top every minute. It is very refreshing to cool down and feel the mist during hot and humid days.

15 minutes

Lakewood Church

3700 Southwest Fwy, 9 Greenway Plaza, Houston, 77027-7514, Texas

Lakewood Church is one of the largest churches in the US. It has a seating capacity of 16,800 people. Its pastor is the world famous televangelist Joel Osteen. It has multiple services per week with 10s of thousands of people attending.

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The Galleria

5085 Westheimer Rd, , Houston, 77056-5673, Texas

This is the 5th largest shopping mall in North American and the 4th largest shopping mall in the US. Before Covid in 2020, it had 375 stores. It has a full-size ice skating rink, food court, assorted high end restaurants and some of the most high fashion and expensive stores in the US.

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Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens

6003 Memorial Drive, , Houston, 77007-7009, Texas

This mansion was built in 1928 for a woman with a most unique name: Ima Hogg. Miss Ima amassed one of the biggest collections of American art and furnishings dating to the colonial period in the 1600s. We often stop here to give you an opportunity to walk on the suspension bridge that is over Buffalo Bayou. You can take photos of this scenic area, but you will need to return to tour the house and gardens.

10 minutes

Beer Can House

222 Malone St, , Houston, 77007-8117, Texas

This novel house is the second most famous house in Houston. It is lined in over 50,000 beer cans. The owner was a dedicated alcoholic. He died of liver cancer. The garage, fences and gate are also lined in beer cans. Many people break out laughing as they take photos here. You can return on your own to pay to tour the house at a later date.

5 minutes

Memorial City

303 Memorial City Way, Houston, 77024-2677, Texas

Memorial Park is the largest park that is wholly in Houston and Harris County. It has 1,466 acres/5.9 kilometers squared. It has a Nature Center and Arboretum, Olympic size swimming pool, an 18-hole golf course, a jogging path, Eastern Glades over swamps, and more. We will drive 3 miles/4.8 kilometers through it.

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Giant Beatles Statues

2202 East Dallas St., Houston, 77003-3519, Texas

See 36 foot/11 meter tall statues of the 4 lads from Liverpool, circa 1967 in a beer garden. We sometimes stop for about 5 minutes to take photos.

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