A quick drive from San Jacinto park, the 1914 battleship USS Texas served in WWI and WWII. Now moored next to the busy Buffalo Bayou ship channel, the ship is open for tours which let you see how seamen lived and fought 100 years ago. For warship buffs, it's a fascinating journey back in time. Note that the ship's hull is in dire need of structural repair and it may close at any time if funds can be found to save it.
Battleship Texas State Historic Park
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
18.52 MILES
Commissioned by Dominique and John de Menil (also founders of the Menil Collection) in 1964 to create a nondenominational chapel, American abstract…
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This 445-acre park is home to playgrounds, a lake with paddleboats, a picturesque Japanese Garden, the Hermann Park Miniature Train and the Houston Zoo…
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The Menil Collection is considered one of the most important privately assembled art collections of the twentieth century and is a Houston highlight…
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This sinuous 160-acre city park follows Buffalo Bayou west from downtown, with easy pedestrian access and plentiful parking en route. Sweeping views…
Houston Museum of Natural Science
18.2 MILES
Don’t even dream you’ll see the whole of this colossal and absolutely stellar museum – the most popular in Texas – in a single visit. The permanent…
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Dream of landing on the moon? You can’t get closer than the visitor center/museum alongside NASA's Johnson Space Center, where interactive displays…
San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site
0.67 MILES
A hallowed site for some Texans, this 1100-acre park is where Texas fought for – and won – its independence in 1836. You can learn about the battle by…
18.24 MILES
This nationally renowned palace of art starts its displays with ‘Splendors of the Ancient World’, and has a fine collection of pre-Columbian golden…
Nearby attractions
1. San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site
0.67 MILES
A hallowed site for some Texans, this 1100-acre park is where Texas fought for – and won – its independence in 1836. You can learn about the battle by…
11.68 MILES
Rehoused in a superb new facility 17 miles southeast of Houston, after its previous Galveston home was battered by Hurricane Ike in 2008, the Lone Star…
13.89 MILES
It's as impressive as it is sad: this never-used Saturn V rocket, a specimen of the most powerful rocket ever used by the US, which took astronauts to the…
14.06 MILES
Dream of landing on the moon? You can’t get closer than the visitor center/museum alongside NASA's Johnson Space Center, where interactive displays…
5. Orange Show Center for Visionary Art
14.4 MILES
Originally a mazelike junk-art tribute to one man's favorite citrus fruit, this wonderfully cluttered site is now home to all manner of folk art…
15.45 MILES
The beer hall at Houston's most famous craft brewery overlooks the production area and is freely open for drinking and eating. Tours are usually offered…
16.25 MILES
Named after Houston's founders, Allen's Landing marks the spot on Buffalo Bayou where Houston's settlement began. So far the original wharf has been…
16.27 MILES
Your place to frolic downtown. This 12-acre park has a lake, playground, fountains to splash in, outdoor art, restaurants and a performance space. The…