The Great Outdoors
Get out: How Houston's great green spaces grew
A cyclist rounds a bridge path above Buffalo Bayou near downtown Houston.
Congressman Bill Archer Dog ParkPhoto Tiffany Moore/Houston Dog Park Association
A view of Hermann Park and Lake PlazaPhoto courtesy of Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau
Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark
Discovery GreenPhoto by James LaCombe/Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau
Houston has come a long way in the last decade. It welcomed nearly 700,000 new residents to Harris County, as well as the corresponding growth of the jobs and cultural institutions that cater to them. Outside the new office towers and thriving arts institutions, Houstonians also used their city’s success to make steady improvements in trails and green spaces throughout the city.
Riding a bicycle here is still exciting, to say the least. (As a relative newcomer, I managed to find myself sucked into the downtown freeway loop the first time I tried to cut across to the city center from Washington Avenue.) That said, the city, its benefactors and residents made impressive strides to improve the public spaces around them and elevate Houston’s reputation as a fun place to get outside. Here, in no particular order, are 10 of the decade’s best improvements to Houston’s great outdoors:
The SPARK Park program
This simple idea—work with a school to turn its playground into an improved public park after hours—has created a resource for countless neighborhoods where new parks can’t be developed for a lack of space. While the program started in the 1980s, it continued to thrive in the last decade, and there are now more than 200 SPARK parks around the city filled with play equipment, jogging trails and public art.
Dog Parks
Since the completion of Millie Bush Dog Park in 2002 to the delight of pet owners across the city, nearly 30 pooch-friendly play areas opened their gates all across the Houston metro area.
Emancipation Park Renovations
Purchased in 1872 by freed slaves, this was the first park in the city open to them. In 2007, a group of residents rallied around this Third Ward landmark, not only improving its ailing facilities but earning it a protected historic landmark designation from the city that will preserve the land for generations to come.
Buffalo Bayou Downtown
Ten years ago, the river snaking through the heart of the city was a far cry from the attraction it is today. But by 2006, the Buffalo Bayou partnership completed projects like the $15 million dollar Sabine to Bagby Promenade that helped link improvements downtown with grassy spaces and trails to the west.
Hermann Lake Plaza
This year saw the completion of another $15 million parks project that doubled the size of the amenities between the zoo and Hermann Lake. Kids will get a kick out of the new mini-train station and paddle boat docks, while adults will enjoy the frozen white Russians at the new Little Bigs.
Bush and Terry Hershey Park Trails
In 2006, a four-mile path along Barker Dam opened to cyclists and pedestrians, giving them and the surrounding neighborhoods a direct link to Terry Hershey Park and more than 50 miles of trails.
Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark
Houston didn’t just make some half-assed attempt to keep its four-wheeled ruffians occupied when it built a new skate park near downtown in 2008. It hired a top-notch design firm to craft a 30,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art venue that’s not only free but caters to skaters of all skill levels.
Rails to Trails
In places like the East End or the Heights, cyclists have enjoyed a growing network of bike trails built on the spine of defunct railroads. Safe and smooth, they’re becoming some of the best ways to bypass city traffic.
Brays Bayou
Sure, it’s concrete, but the trails beside Brays feel surprisingly isolated from the bustling city around it. In the last decade, residents and the city have worked to extend paved trails along this heron-graced waterway from Hermann Park to Bellaire and beyond.
Discovery Green
There’s little I can tell you about this not-quite-two-year-old downtown park that you won’t see in the happy throngs partaking in this special spot’s diverse activities each day.
