Houston on the Cheap

Houston on the cheap: Visit city's magnificent museums for free with this handy guide

Houston is widely regarded for its diverse array of incredible museums, and thankfully for Houstonians, many of them are either always free to the public or feature times when admission is free of charge. We've assembled a list of some of the best museums in the city that you can enjoy visiting without spending a dime.

THE MENIL COLLECTION

1533 Sul Ross St.
713-525-9400

Every day is free day at The Menil Collection, one of the reasons why it's so beloved in Houston. The other reasons? The serene Renzo Piano design, challenging exhibitions, oodles of artist and curator talks and subsidiary spaces like the Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum and the Dan Flavin art installation. And a favorite among the stars – the Cy Twombly Gallery.

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON

1001 Bissonnet St.
713-639-7300

Every Thursday, admission to the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is 100 percent gratis. Of particular note are the MFAH's collections of Asian art (Korea, India, China, Japan and Indonesia each have their own domain); The Beck Collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masters; and contemporary Texas artists.

CONTEMPORARY ARTS MUSEUM HOUSTON

5216 Montrose Blvd.
713-284-8250

The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston — free every day — is known for keeping its edge with a mix of fresh young artists and regular events like parties, interactive exhibits and art reading groups.

HOUSTON MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE

1 Hermann Circle Dr.
713-639-4629

There's something about dinosaurs that's always fascinating, so though most attractions at the Houston Museum of Natural Science have a separate admission fee, the free access to the permanent collection on Tuesdays from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. is always has something that's fun to see.

CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF HOUSTON

1500 Binz St.
713-522-1138

After work on Thursdays, skip the park and head to the Children's Museum of Houston where entrance after 5 p.m. is complimentary, as are the interactive storytelling sessions and educational activities.

LAWNDALE ART CENTER

4912 Main Street
713-528-5858

Always free to the public, Lawndale Art Center is one of the only institutions in Houston that is dedicated to the presentation of contemporary art with an emphasis on work by local and regional artists.

HOUSTON CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY CRAFT

4848 Main Street
713-529-4848

The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, which features free admission every day, focuses on advancing education about the process and history of craft and is one of few institutions in the country exclusively dedicated to craft at the highest level.

HOUSTON CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY

1441 West Alabama
713-529-4755

Always free to the public, the Museum District's only institution dedicated to photography features an exhibition gallery that showcases some of the finest works of contemporary photography.

HOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTON

5401 Caroline St.
713-942-8000

Every Thursday from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m., Holocaust Museum Houston is free to visitors. Permanent exhibitions and two art galleries are enhanced with special exhibitions scheduled throughout the year to further the museum's mission of educating students and the general public about the dangers of prejudice and hatred.

ROTHKO CHAPEL

1409 Sul Ross St.
713-524-9839

The Rothko Chapel, always free to the public, is a meditative environment inspired by the dark mural canvasses of American abstract expressionist Mark Rothko which cover the walls. Not only is the chapel stunning, but Barnett Newman's majestic sculpture, Broken Obelisk, located on the plaza is a sight to behold.

THE HEALTH MUSEUM

1515 Hermann Drive
713-521-1515

With free admission each Thursday from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m., visitors can take a larger-than-life walking tour of the Amazing Body Pavilion and get a first-hand look at the human body and how it works at the Health Museum, an interactive science center and a member-institution of the Texas Medical Center.

BLAFFER ART MUSEUM

120 Fine Arts Building
713-743-2255

Don't forget the Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston, which is always free and wonderfully curated. Be sure to take one of the brown bag gallery tours or explore the contemporary salons.

Houston Center for Photography.

Houston Center for Photography exterior place

Photo by Kristy Peet

Houston Center for Photography.

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sit and relax

Rothko Chapel dedicates a peaceful new garden for quiet contemplation

Rothko Chapel Mullenweg Peace Garden

Photo by Brian Austin, courtesy of Rothko Chapel.

The Rothko Chapel will dedicate its new Peace Garden on Friday, November 14.

Generations of Houstonians have experienced moments of quiet contemplation inside the Rothko Chapel. Now, they can do so just outside its walls as well.

On Friday, November 14, the chapel will dedicate the the Kathleen and Chuck Mullenweg Peace and Reflection Garden. Described in press materials as “a contemplative outdoor space designed to foster stillness, renewal, and connection,” it’s the latest addition to the Rothko campus as part of its Opening Spaces expansion project.

Similar to the chapel’s minimal interior of black panels, the new Peace Garden offers a relatively austere environment of benches surrounded by low plants and shaded by young trees. It allows visitors to sit quietly and relax while experiencing sunlight, the sky, and the day’s weather. The chapel cites research by Harvard University that found time spent outdoors has a number of health benefits, including reducing stress, lowering blood pleasure, and improving mental well-being.

“Few places in the world embody the marriage of the sacred and the civic as profoundly as the Rothko Chapel,” Rothko Chapel president Abdullah Antepli said in a statement. “This new peace and reflection garden extends that invitation outward — a place where silence becomes a shared language, and where reflection can blossom into hope.”

Rothko Chapel Mullenweg Peace Garden Another view of the garden. Photo by Brian Austin, courtesy of Rothko Chapel.

The Peace Garden will be open daily during the same hours as the Rothko Chapel.

Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects worked with the Rothko Chapel to design the garden. The firm has been involved in a number of projects in Houston, including ongoing work at Memorial Park and the recently-dedicated Ismaili Center.

First announced last year, the Opening Spaces campaign is a $51 million project to expand the Rothko Chapel campus with additional buildings. Led by Architecture Research Office (ARO),

it includes the new Administrative and Archives Building and the Welcome House. Still to come are a new Program Center, building a guest bungalow for speakers and fellows, and creating a tree-shaded plaza that will serve as a venue for events. So far, the chapel has raised $38 million towards that final goal.

The dedication ceremony will feature remarks by Christopher Rothko, chair of the Rothko Chapel Capital Campaign; Matt Mullenweg, Houston native and co-founder of WordPress; Lanie McKinnon, principal at Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBWLA); Adam Yarinsky, principal of Architecture Research Office (ARO); Troy Porter, Rothko Chapel board chair; Council Member Abbie Kamin; and Abdullah Antepli, president of the Rothko Chapel.

parks museums rothko chapel openings

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