Weird and wonderful

The weirdest homes in Houston open their doors for one day only

Wild. Whimsical. Wacky. Those are just some of the adjectives that describe the homes on this year's Houston Weird Homes Tour. The self-guided excursion takes the curious on an adventure showcasing Houston homes, with their own distinct, personality.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, September 28, 10 am to 5 pm. While the tour will eventually include between eight and 10 homes, as of this writing, only five were confirmed.

Consider the Hippolotofus Home, where owner Sue Shefman has amassed more than 2,000 hippos. Where does she put them all? Where did they come from? Why are they there? So many questions — all of which tour participants can find answers to in Shefman's charmingly eclectic home.

Spring Branch is where Weird Homes Tour-goers will find Selia Qyinn's Secret Garden, a green, serene oasis in a city that seldom sleeps.

Art lovers won't want to miss Collection, where owner Lester Marks created an amazing home gallery of contemporary arts, filled with some wild, whimsical, and weird secrets. And his gallery is no joke. Marks is known as one of the country's most-renowned contemporary art collectors.

Glass artist Kim Clark Renteria opens her House of Luminosity, where participants can see her studio and watch how she works.

Meanwhile, the Montrose Studios is a home set up as a professional photography studio with each room dedicated to unique décor and creative backdrop.

The Weird Homes Tour began its life in Austin (of course it did) in 2014, as a way to not only showcase the goofy, eccentric, fun, and flat-out nifty homes dotted throughout a city that embraces its weirdness, but also to be an event that fostered community pride and gave assistance to nonprofits and social-impact businesses. The tour came to Houston in 2016, and is now offered in five additional cities nationwide.

Tickets for the home tour are $45 each, including a VIP home yet to be announced. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to New Hope Housing, an organization that provides life-stabilizing, affordable, permanent housing and support services for people who live on very limited incomes.

Gaze into Lester Marks' trippy Collection.

Photo by Thanin Viriyaki Photography

Gaze into Lester Marks' trippy Collection.

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Editor's note: It's time to catch up on the top Houston news of the week, from a ritzy new steakhouse to a Santa Fe-inspired hotspot. Plus, seven Houston suburbs rank as the best places to live. Read on for our most popular stories, then check out the best things to do Memorial Day weekend.

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2. How a Houston couple's Santa Fe ranch inspired their family-friendly hotspot. Long Weekend — the new family-friendly, breakfast-to-dinner hotspot — has quickly settled in to its home in Lazybrook/Timbergrove.

3. Lively Houston neighborhood bar will shutter after only 1 year. A Houston bar is closing its doors after only a year. Good God, Nadine’s will close on May 31 due to its property being sold.

Good God Nadine's bar interior Gin Design Group designed the interior of Good God, Nadine's. Photo by Becca Wright

4. 4 Houston spots make Texas Monthly's 25 best new taquerias list. Texas Monthly taco editor José Ralat has released his list of The 25 Best New(ish) Texas Taquerias in 2026. Houston and San Antonio take the lead, each with four spots.

5. 7 Houston neighbors make U.S. News list of best places to live in 2026. Several Houston suburbs have been crowned the best places to live in the U.S. for 2026, according to U.S. News & World Report. Sugar Land was the highest-ranked city in the Houston metro, and it ranked as the 10th best place to live in the country.