immersed in history

Cool new cultural series showcases Houston's Black history with feasts, tours — and wine

For any Houstonians who would like to know how deep the African-American history and culture is in this town, Houston First has set up a collection of tours for those ready to be enlightened.

Houston Signature Experiences is the newly launched, immersive-experience collection designed to honor and showcase the city's Black-owned businesses and its pivotal role in Black history.

“We have long talked about how we could create authentic experiences that tell Houston’s story,” Houston First CEO Michael Heckman noted during a media preview that was recently held at The Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park. “And there’s no better time than during Black History Month to create and kickoff these types of authentic experiences that we have.”

The Heritage Society is where people can take the “From Plantation to Emancipation” tour, held on the second and fourth Saturday of the month, where your tour guide and actor breathe breath life into the struggles and triumphs of those who lived through the times of slavery and the jubilation of freedom.

On select Saturday mornings, head over to the Antioch Missionary Baptist Churchfor “From Chains to the Church.” In the 90-minute experience, guests can traverse the church grounds (established in 1866) and become part of a story that celebrates the determination of a people who fiercely held onto the land their ancestors secured with newfound freedom.

In a true H-Town food experience, Houston This Is It Soul Food will cook up “40 Weight Gravy: A Soulful History of Houston Soul Food” every other Saturday. This tour is really just a feast provided by the restaurant (opened in 1959) where you celebrate the history of soul food and the bonds it strengthens with every shared meal.

If you’d like to follow that with dessert, Black-owned Lucy Pearl’sover at POST Houston will have “Southern Sweets & Soulful Stories” Thursdays through Sundays. This experience blends the flavors of history, life lessons, and the profound journey of becoming with the captivating stories behind some of our favorite desserts.

Finally, for the day-drinkers, Pur Noire Urban Wineries (another Black-owned spot) will have “Pur Pairings That Speak to the Soul” on second and fourth Tuesdays. It’s an experience that is both a lesson in the art of winemaking and a celebration of culinary artistry.

The partners are psyched to be part of this endeavor, where they get to tell stories not only about Houston, but their stories. Lucy Pearl’s CEO/co-owner Nicole Morris has already done two tours at her establishment. “My experience is curated around pivotal decisions through my years, and it was always centered around the kitchen table and the dessert on the table,” Morris said. “And these desserts remind me of comfort and love. So, that’s what I want my customers to tap into – the times they were loved through the desserts.”

Since The Heritage Society and Antioch have had a good working relationship throughout the years, pastor Lou McElroy believes it’s the duty of both the society and the church to school locals and visitors about the city’s Black-and-proud forefathers. Said McElroy, “Through that relationship and loving our city, working with our city in other capacities, this opportunity presented itself, which allows us, along with others, to tell our stories and the impact that our ancestors had in creating this town.”

For more information and to book a tour, visit the Houston Signature Experiences website.

5 experiences plantation to emancipation seasoned w/ soul food, stories, and wine

A Roman Holiday (Season)

All roads lead to Houston museum's blockbuster exhibit of Imperial Rome

Photo courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents "Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times" ("Statue of Trajan" Minturno, Italy, 2nd century, marble, National Archaeological Museum, Naples)

Houston's holiday season will have a distinctly Roman feeling this year, as the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is bringing the glory of the Gladiator era to Texas. On November 2, 2025 through January 25, 2026 the MFAH presents the monumental new exhibition “Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times.”

Featuring 160 objects of antiquity, including marble sculptures, frescoes, mosaics, delicate glass vessels, and exquisite bronze artifacts, the exhibition will transport visitors back in time to the Roman Empire during a flowering of art and architecture. The MFAH partnered with the Saint Louis Art Museum to organize the exhibition, which will showcase many pieces that have never been on view in the U.S.

While Emperor Trajan might not be the most famous — or in some cases, most infamous — of the Roman emperors, he ruled between 98 and 117 C.E. during the empire’s height and was the second of the so-called “Five Good Emperors” of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. He was also the first emperor born outside of present-day Italy, in what is now Andalusia, Spain. During his reign, he granted citizenship and rights to some peoples from conquered lands. The exhibition will explore how this time period expanded what it meant to be a Roman and how art reflected Rome’s power and promoted the empire’s values and ideals.

$\u200bThe Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents "Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times"$

Photo courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents "Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times" ("Statue of Trajan" Minturno, Italy, 2nd century, marble, National Archaeological Museum, Naples)

From statues of prominent men and women of the era, including Trajan, to vivid frescoes and furnishing from the villas of Pompeii, the objects in the exhibition will tell fascinating cultural and political stories of life in imperial Rome. To add context to the artworks and objects of antiquity, the MFAH will recreate a section of Trajan’s Column, which was a towering pillar with a spiraling narrative frieze, one of the few monumental sculptures to have survived the fall of Rome.

“Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times” brings such a wealth of objects to Houston thanks to unprecedented loans from the renowned antiquities collections of Italian museums including Museo Nazionale Romano, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, the Parco Archeologico di Ostia, and the Musei Vaticani. It would would likely take months of travel across Italy to see this much art.

“This is truly a rare opportunity for U.S. audiences to experience spectacular objects from this glorious era of the Roman Empire,” said Gary Tinterow, director and Margaret Alkek Williams chair of the MFAH, in a statement. “We are enormously grateful to our colleagues in Rome, Naples, and Vatican City for lending these treasures to us and broadening the appreciation of Italy’s cultural heritage.”