The Architecture Center Houston (ArCH) occupies approximately 5,000 SF carved from the old Albert…read moreThomas Convention Center in Phase II of the Bayou Place renovation developed by The Cordish Company. ArCH houses offices of the American Institute of Architecture, Houston Chapter, the Houston Architecture Foundation, a gallery for rotating architecture-related exhibitions, meeting rooms, and a terrace overlooking Buffalo Bayou. Its mission is to promote awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the ways in which architecture and urban design influence and enhance the quality of life in our community. ArCH is intended to be a place for the public, both Houston residents and tourists, to learn about architecture in general and the built environment of greater Houston. Exhibitions will change approximately every two months and will focus on architecture of national interest as well as that of Houston. The Architecture Center can be rented for evening and weekend events.

This is an informative and fun tour and what's more it won't cost you anything which is pretty…read moreamazing since the city of Houston is involved! I went with 7 friends, you enter at Gate 8 off of Clinton Drive, just tell the security guard you are there for the tour. There is a nice plaza to wait at right next to the boats. The parking lot is safe; let's face it, the only folks getting in have to pass security! Oh and by the way, you must make a reservation through their online link. They can take up to 100 people but limit each reservation to 10 so if you have more make more reservations. The boat is hardly ever full. A bit before 10 am one of the employees came out to check everyone in and handed out bottles of cold water which was great as it was almost 90 degrees outside in full sunlight. We boarded and were asked to sit inside while they got underway. One of the shipmates gave a safety talk and then we were free to go outside. The boat moves along at a pretty good pace, every now and then it slows for tug boat traffic. You get to see the industries that are along the ship channel. There are lots of big ships and also small ones. Some are loading or unloading, others are being repaired or a clean coat of paint. The shipmates serve coffee for the adults on the way and after turning around after about 45 minutes they offer cold water and soft drinks. There are so many photo opportunities so take lots of pictures. You are asked to go inside while they secure to the dock, the air conditioning feels great. Then you are on your way. The entire crew was so nice, they were helpful and friendly and could answer questions. Please, if you plan to take children, keep them under control. While not dangerous, there are things to watch for so you don't trip and the doors for the cabin are very heavy and hard to open and shut quickly so a child could easily get hurt. I took a mix of infrared and visible spectrums photographs

One weekend I was bored, and I thought it would be interesting to go to the Port of Houston…read moreAuthority and see where all the action happens considering it is one of the nation's busiest industrial seaports. This is great for a family outing or educational outing with students. This is a 90 minute free tour that requires a reservation. That also provide water and coffee on the tour. The tour guides are very informative So getting their was a challenge, I followed my GPS and still wasn't able to go straight there. I would say look at the direction on the site and follow those. I completely missed the turn and had to circle around a bit to find.

I loved this experience. Wow. Just a different art…read moreexperience that is interactive. Go, enjoy. No kids. Worth it!

Overall: 4.5/5 We…read morecame to see The Undercurrents, an immersive installation by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. Each time slot is 30 minutes and they start on time so come early to find parking. If you have to wait, the park right outside is a nice spot to walk around. The ticket price was reasonable too. They also have a tour guide with you from start to finish who is available to answer any questions about the installation, which was really helpful. It was a very unique experience and one of the coolest parts was that you can record messages and they become part of the actual art installation.

1) Free 2) Free Parking…read more 3) Free sodas and water and coffee The cruise was easy to get to and excellent. I have never had an opportunity to go on the waterway and found out about it on Reddit. I happened to get the last two spots for one of the last tours of the year and it was easy. My kid had a great time and I did too. Learned a lot and the sailing was smooth!

This is an informative and fun tour and what's more it won't cost you anything which is pretty…read moreamazing since the city of Houston is involved! I went with 7 friends, you enter at Gate 8 off of Clinton Drive, just tell the security guard you are there for the tour. There is a nice plaza to wait at right next to the boats. The parking lot is safe; let's face it, the only folks getting in have to pass security! A bit before 10 am one of the employees came out to check everyone in and handed out bottles of cold water which was great as it was almost 90 degrees outside in full sunlight. We boarded and were asked to sit inside while they got underway. One of the shipmates gave a safety talk and then we were free to go outside. The boat moves along at a pretty good pace, every now and then it slows for tug boat traffic. You get to see the industries that are along the ship channel. There are lots of big ships and also small ones. Some are loading or unloading, others are being repaired or a clean coat of paint. The shipmates serve coffee for the adults on the way and after turning around after about 45 minutes they offer cold water and soft drinks. There are so many photo opportunities so take lots of pictures. You are asked to go inside while they secure to the dock, the air conditioning feels great. Then you are on your way. The entire crew was so nice, they were helpful and friendly and could answer questions. Please, if you plan to take children, keep them under control. While not dangerous, there are things to watch for so you don't trip and the doors for the cabin are very heavy and hard to open and shut quickly so a child could easily get hurt. I took a mix of infrared and visible spectrums photographs

This is sort of an open public art space where they have events from now and then and it's…read moregenerally made to look nice. I was there for their opening and along with hundreds of other people a few months before that helped paint a few of the strips of wood that went on the Trumpet Flower sculpture so there is really a sense of community about it. Having said that, I was a bit disappointed when I went there recently because while I was there, I kept getting approached by panhandlers asking for money or yelling at each other which kind of makes the area not feel that nice. I mean this is downtown in a major city so like every city it's expected but given that not that it's not that busy of an area, it kind of feels isolated so just be aware of your surroundings and especially watch out for the trains.

Interesting and nice walk. Not a lot of art works but there are some pretty interesting things to…read moresee. Best part is that it's free entertainment

Fun Fun Fun!!! You think you know Houston but there is so…read moremuch to learn on these tours. The tours last 3 hours and the whole time is so fun. The starting point is the Spring Street Studios over by the Target on Taylor. From there you have the option of the Downtown tour or the Historic Heights tour. The downtown tour goes through iconic places in Houston to include Old Quality Hill, Minute Maid, Discovery Green, Market Square, and other spots along the Bayou. The Historic Heights tour is all about the eclectic style of the Heights and the history dating back to the early 1900's. I learned so much on both tours and I am a Houston resident. The bikes are comfortable, the tour guides are knowledgable and friendly, and the tours themselves are entertainment at its best. I would definitely recommend this to everyone. P.S. Bring some cash as there are places to stop for food or a beer along the way.

To the owner I hope you consider having souvenirs for customers to buy…read more Other than that loved my tour of the city.

fun and learned a lot from Lionel..this was my first time on a Segway and now I want to ride one…read moreeverywhere I go

Patty was such an amazing, kind, and patient teacher as I tried to learned and find comfort with…read morebeing on a Segway for the first time. Our tour guide kept a wonderful pace, did frequent checks, and overall made it a wonderful experience. I would highly recommend you go, it good for different age ranges too. My niece 12 and my brother 44 also enjoyed themselves as more experienced riders.

This visitor center and old school, (school remodeled and now museum) was interesting. It was nice…read moreto learn about the row houses and the Wards where the row houses were and how the City of Houston treated the people in 3rd and 5th Ward, etc. Gentrified the area and built the City of Houston once the people in certain Wards were made to move out of the area so the City of downtown Houston could be built. The black baseball history was displayed in two of the remodeled row houses. My daughter felt the row houses should have displayed some of the furniture and antiques during that era of living in the row houses to get a jest of what life was back then. (1900). The old school remodeled and now museum was interesting with photos of prior community people, the history of one with the woman who was 150 years old! There were wall photos of churches, a Bible with names and birthdates used as proof of birth due to non records recordings used at that time. The back deck of the community center was very nice and the curator explained about the 19th Bell Cistern usage. RECOMMENDATION: No parking is allowed in the parking lot across from the museum and the streets used for parking are very narrow. Upon our departure, we noticed parking behind the museum. A sigh stating NO PARKING HERE in the vacant lot across from the museum should be displayed with an additional line stating PARKING IN REAR OF MUSEUM. RECOMMENDATION: Overall the visit was nice and I would visit the museum again.

I've visited Houston plenty of times but never knew about this very significant town and space,…read morestill in existence! One that has shaped not only Texas history but American history. I came with a student group as a part of a college tour visit to university's in Houston, but I will be encouraging all my friends and family to come visit this museum. The mayor of Freedmen's town shares a compelling story, narrating the origins and journey of the town and preserving it with the visitor center. The guided and self guided exhibit provided wonderful information. The variety of programming and topics on display are definitely worth the visit. The staff is very accommodating to groups and incredibly knowledgeable of relevant subject matter.