5 Best Summer Museums

Houston's 5 best summer museum experiences: Kids and fun grownups both love these eye-opening exhibits

Summer travel season is in full swing, but there's no need to hit the road for a long trip. Houston offers a world of fun — and educational — activities at some of the best museums in the nation. Here are five sure-fire choices that are just around the corner:

1. The Children’s Museum of Houston

Exhibit: Summer of Epic Adventure - The Sequel! is a fun-filled interactive activity that allows kids to become a superhero by completing a variety of science experiments to earn badges of honor. The educational adventure will continue through Sept. 3 at 12, 1 and 2 p.m. and is included in the general admission fee.

Specials: Admission is free for everyone on Thursday evenings from 5 to 8.

2. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Exhibit: Pretend like you're a resident at Downton Abbey with a visit to this renowned collection of paintings, sculptures and decorative arts from Houghton Hall in England. Traveling to the United States for the first time, Houghton Hall: Portrait of an English Country House will be on display from June 22 to Sept. 21.

Specials: Admission is free for children 12 and under every day. The cost for the Houghton Hall exhibition is $15 for visitors 13 and up. General MFAH admission is free on Thursdays, but a $15 ticket will still be required to see the exhibition.

3. Houston Museum of Natural Science

Exhibit: Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters explores the science behind the power of natural events and the impact on human lives through interactive experiences and videos. The exhibit, which is up through Sept. 14, also explains the stories behind natural disasters.

Specials: In The Friday Feeding Frenzy, staffers feed the museum's live animal collection, including snakes, centipedes and praying mantises, at 9:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. every Friday throughout the summer. Or explore the world without leaving Houston in the World Trekkers program, a series of cultural festivals for the whole family, featuring crafts, native cuisine and entertainment inspired by each featured country. The first stop is Brazil. This cultural adventure will take place on June 27 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. General admission is $10.

4. Holocaust Museum

Exhibit: The Rescuers: Picturing Moral Courage highlights those brave men and women who participated in rescues during the Holocaust and the genocides in Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda. The exhibition, on display through August 31, is based on the work of Leora Kahn.

Specials: Admission is free for children 18 and under and for college students with a valid ID. On Thursdays from 2 to 5 p.m., admission is free for everyone.

5. Menil Collection

Exhibit: Interested in fashion? A Thin Wall of Air: Charles James presents a selection of classic evening gowns, suits, coats and daywear from Dominique de Menil’s personal collection — all designed by James, along with furniture he created for the de Menil’s River Oaks home. This unique collection is on display through Sept. 7.

Specials: The Menil charges no entrance or exhibition fees. The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Charles James exhibit at the Menil.

Photo by Adam Baker

Charles James exhibit at the Menil.

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Thanks, Tommy

Houston-born Broadway legend donates 50,000 item personal collection to UH

Courtesy of University of Houston

Tommy Tune has received 10 Tony Awards.

Broadway legend Tommy Tune and his sister Gracey have made a major gift to the University of Houston, ensuring that the star's larger-than-life legacy will be available for scholars and students for generations to come. The Tony Award-winning actor, choreographer, and director has given a collection of costumes, scripts, design sketches, choreography notes, photos and personal letters to the university.

More than 50,000 items in all, the collection captures the creative spirit of Broadway in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s and provides a window into how iconic productions were conceived, staged, and experienced. Tune, a native Houstonian who earned his master's degree in directing from UH in 1964, has been one of Broadway's luminaries for decades, helming the original production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Nine, and more. He is the first person to win Tony Awards in four different categories, and the only person in Tony Awards history to win the same categories in consecutive years, taking home best choreography and best directing in 1990 and 1991. He is also the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award.

He starred opposite Barbra Streisand in the 1969 film Hello, Dolly!

“The University of Houston felt like the natural home for it because it’s where my story truly began,” Tune said. “This collection represents my life in musical theater, and I want it to inspire the next generation of artists in the city that first inspired me.”

The collection is housed in the UH Archives in the MD Anderson Library. Tune's sister Gracey noted that her brother's extraordinary career is part of theater history.

“You don’t win nine Tony Awards in so many facets of the craft — and a 10th for Lifetime Achievement — without shaping the era itself,” she said. “This collection covers every corner of his Broadway life, and many of his creations still live on stages around the world.”

The gift means that current and future generations of students and researchers will have access to remarkable items and letters.

“This collection is a significant contribution to the study of theater history, particularly musical theater,” said University of Houston Archivist Mary Manning. “It will be invaluable to students, performers, filmmakers and researchers who want to explore Tune’s creative process, reconstruct productions or gain cultural context for the works he directed and performed in.”

Tune's connections to Houston run deep. TUTS' annual Tommy Tune Awards are named for the star, and recognize excellence in high school musical theater.

Tune expressed gratitude for the university and acknowledged that donating these pieces of his life and work represent a full-circle moment.

“The University of Houston has an energy and creative spirit that matches everything this collection represents,” Tune said. “If my life’s journey can help even one young artist see a bigger future for themselves, it will be the perfect encore.”

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