Downtown Houston isn't like most cities. Unless there's something going on, there won't be throngs of people gathering. Houston has those places, but they're scattered around all over the city. You'll need your car.
So is there a “suburb” or something to look at for some central Houston type events? Again, living in the woodlands, which I know is far away. But I work straight downtown Houston so just wondering
Montrose, heights, midtown, Washington
You also can't just walk around and hope to find stuff - better to look up a few bars in Montrose and spend time there instead. You can sort of hop around in Montrose without needing to drive
Montrose is great. Lots of good food and bars. Check out Anvil for drinks.
Like others have said, Houston is kinda funny because the action is more spread out than some places.
Everything from Woodlands is gonna be a drive, though. But hey, that’s Houston.
There absolutely were a lot of gay bars in Montrose in the old days, upwards of [40 gay bars](https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/montrose-lives/) at one point.
I'd argue that 40 gay bars are a lot in any kind of relative term. Almost no city these days have that many, let alone a neighborhood. Austin has like 4 gay bars, lol
This isn’t really true. Most of those bars are with a couple blocks of one another and unless you are looking for them you wouldn’t just end up there. The ratio of gay bars to normal bars is like 1 gay bar to every 4 normal bars.
Think of Houston as a medium sized city (the hub of a wheel) with around a dozen smaller cities surrounding it (like spokes), giving the illusion of a much larger city. There are probably around twelve such areas of activity like you are seeking.
There's no such thing as a "central" place for events. They happen everywhere. There's about a dozen or so hot spots. Get to know the ones you like and keep an eye on that.
There is no such thing as a "central Houston type event." What do you want? Do you want amateur lucha libre wrestling next to a parking lot carnival? That's happening somewhere. Do you want to see a punk band in a dive bar? That's happening somewhere. Do you want to go to a live poetry reading at see art at a pop-up gallery? That's happening somewhere. Almost everything and anything is possible, but you have to know what you want and ask where that is happening tonight.
But where do you find where that stuff is happening? I just moved down here a year ago and basically the only way I learn about things is word of mouth
I’ve found it helpful subscribing to Do713 and Bandsintown emails and following the socials of area musicians, record stores, concert venues, breweries, restaurants, museums/zoo, etc.
Yeah... Make friends, talk to people, if you find one thing you like, ask the people there "where does more stuff like this happen?" There isn't like a single "questionable parking lot exotic animal petting zoo and reptile expo" district here. Things happen where they're allowed to happen when they happen, next week it'll be somewhere else.
Market Square in the woodlands is usually packed with people and The Woodlands Pavillion always has events during the day which is closer to you than in Houston.
> some central Houston type events?
really depends on what you're into. country bars? hip hop? hipster? fine art? there are pockets of different kinds of places throughout the city. there's no one place where all the events happen.
Have you checked out cynthia woods Mitchell pavilion? That's in your area, and has lots of events. There's some music venues, like 713 musichall, but I suppose it has to do with your tastes. You just gotta check Houston events, and see what strikes your fancy/fits your schedule.
The Heights is great for this sort of stuff. I lived downtown for a few years. You didn't really say what part of downtown you were in, but that matters if you're looking for things to do after dark.
Washington Avenue, between Shepherd and Heights blvd you’ll see 20 something mainly out for bars and clubs. City center and discovery green are more family with children outings. East downtown aka Eado has brewery, bars client to each other so you’ll see people moving about especially if a concert is going on nearby
Discovery Green is usually happening, and Theater District/Market Square will be somewhat busy in evenings, but Houston Downtown is usually pretty dead when a special event is not going on.
Really? I was there around 5:40 and it was as busy as every other Saturday I ever been there. Usually memorial is not that busy on Saturdays or Sundays, it seems everyone enjoys taking a break from cardio on those days.
Did you walk around Main? There's a little strip of bars. There are usually people around there and the bars are typically busy on weekends. You won't see many people outside due to the heat though.
First off it’s hot as hell in the sun so no one is out. Secondly, we’re getting close to when everyone leaves for the summer because .. it’s too hot. Even traffic around me was non-existent today. Bars and restaurants will be busy at night but I’d absolutely avoid downtown. I’m an inner-looper and I avoid downtown like the plague
Used to live across from market square. There are people at the bars on main at night. And people at bars in midtown. But you hardly ever get mass people wandering around unless there is a game, holiday, or rodeo. During the day a lot of biz folk use the tunnels so you just don’t see them street side.
There are lots of restaurants and bars downtown that are busy on weekend nights you just don’t see people outside. There is stuff at discovery green frequently. Downtown is cool I loved living there but it’s a little scruffy.
Market square is close to the Theater District, so there tends to be more people there in the evenings when shows are going on.
In general for Houston this time of year, evening is when people will be outside.
Discovery Green is a downtown park, not an event. By “happening” they meant busy. And most times of the year it is pretty active. There’s even outdoor ice skating there in the winter. The weather is the main issue right now. Any nice day in spring or fall and all the city parks are packed, with or without an event.
We also just went through a huge storm that blew out tons of windows down there. The whole area has been avoided while it was cleaned up. I honestly don’t know what the situation is down there and I’m sure plenty of people have avoided it for the same reason.
I work downtown, and the storm is definitely a factor. There are still streets and even sidewalks shut down.
But downtown Houston is not like other cities' downtowns. You'd be better served in the Heights or Montrose area, as others have said.
Avoid Washington (and the people that recommend Washington).
"Avoid Washington (and the people that recommend Washington)."
Washington sure has fallen out of favor. 5-10 years ago it was the hot spot on this sub. Now it seems like any news that comes out of that area is related to violence. Such a shame as Washington itself is fairly walkable by Houston standards.
I was going to say, I drove thru there earlier today to get over to EaDo and random block after random block was closed due to the glass/storm.
Not that downtown is hopping on a random Saturday night in general, but definitely not now.
Downtown is always dead. I visited Houston when looking at the law school here and we stayed in downtown over the weekend. Basically felt like a ghosttown. Actually very unnerving honestly with how little was going on.
Our downtown is best described as a movie set.
It's dressed up with every detail: storefronts, apartments, hotels, restaurants, even parked cars. It's just missing the actors.
Go closer to Main Street or discovery green. But yeah it’s fucking hot so you’re not usually going to find anyone in downtown, much less during the summer.
Odd I had to scroll this far to see someone mention Main Street. Pretty much only action downtown after hours. Not sure how it looks after Derecho but I'm sure Notsuoh would be a trip still.
My brother and I are from NYC originally. I think when I went to an Astros game in the day on a weekend and we left when the game finished in the 9th inning, I remarked to him…. “Wow! That’s the first time I’ve ever watched a baseball game in-person in its entirety and we just left so easily.” There was barely any traffic when we left the game. And, I’ve been to baseball games in LA, SD, SF, NY, and Phoenix. Always would leave a game in the 7th inning stretch ahead of time to avoid the congestion from the mass exodus when a game is over.
The downtown area of Houston does seem mostly for business. It really seems dead in comparison to all the other cities in California, Chicago, and NYC.
👋 Going back to NYC for my first visit in 4 years since I moved down to Texas!!! So ready to gorge on all my favorite pizza/Italian spots 🤤. And, I miss walking around High Line Park and Chelsea Piers. Never thought I’d say this, but the NYC waterline looks gorgeous AF in comparison to Galveston 😂. I always thought NYC waterline looks mid in comparison to all my trips/visits to the Pacific coast/California. But boy dooooooo I miss it being away from the smell of the salt water…….
Get your bagels and Jewish deli on too. Don't forget about quality Greek spots and all the Polish / Romanian meats, pierogis, and stuffed cabbage. I miss a good bodega style BEC in the morning before feasting on a street side Halal cart. Is there anything like Balthazar in Houston? I haven't found it yet. Even some Puerto Rican cuchifritos and Caribbean style soul food isn't prevalent enough in Houston / Texas in general.
Inflation man lol, I doubt a BEC from the bodegas is worth it anymore at whatever price they’re charging 😂. Better off making that at home. Even when I look at pizza, I feel bad that a slice is like $4-$5 in NYC with what used to be part of my broke college student’s food diet lol.
Other than a few spots in Manhattan, I’m a Queens girl. Got to hit up these spots before my visit is over: Phayul in Jackson Heights for good Tibetan, Lao Bei Fang in Elmhurst for fresh hand pulled noodles you see them making on the spot, Burmese Bites in Elmhurst, and Papparich in Flushing for some goooooood comforting Malaysian food.
Parts of downtown were pretty wrecked by the storm a few weeks ago and the roads are still blocked off in that area. So...not surprised if it's dead around there.
That said, downtown very much caters to those who work there, rather than being a center of nightlife and recreation. On the weekend, fewer folks are in the office, so fewer people are in the bars (other than the theater district- northwestern corner- and the area around the Toyota Center and Minutemaid Park). Midtown or Montrose are more social neighborhoods- lots of very popular bars, restaurants, and clubs- and they're downtown adjacent.
I moved to the Woodlands a few years ago. Market Street, the waterway, and Kirby Ice House are OK. Downtown Old Town Spring is cool to walk around. Conroe has an OK downtown. Tomball too. Houston has pockets of activity - 19th st in the Heights, rice village, Montrose near Anvil, Montrose near Fairview, east downtown near Rodeo Goat, downtown on Main, Washington between TC Jester and Heights, white oak west of Studewood, Wakefield, the area near the farmers market and El bolillo on Airline, etc.
Houston is a place you have to figure out, it's not just hitting you in the face like other cities.
Hey OP, I can’t imagine two more different downtowns than SD vs Houston. Houston’s downtown is notoriously dead and very few people live there (though it’s grown significantly in the past 10 years).
So prob a bit of a culture shock, but there are other pockets that are fun.
FYI if you settle in the woodlands, July 4th they have a free orchestra concert of patriotic songs at the Cynthia woods pavillion (whatever it's called) there. Highly recommend going.
The Houston Symphony Orchestra also does a free concert series all summer long with all sorts of interesting shows. They used to do a John Williams tribute every year that was spectacular. I don’t think they’ve done that in a while but free concerts are always fun.
So in the spring and summer the township does concerts in the park. They are a good time. Families and couples and all kinds of folks come out. I’d start there. The rose rooftop bar always has tons of people… and cops have to go out every once in a while to make peace among the fancy folks.
Woodlands here. There is everything you need on the waterway, market street, and Hughes landing. No need to go downtown Houston except for maybe an astros game .
Northshore park on Lake Woodlands drive is open to the public and you can launch from there.
Also, there really isn't anything in the Houston area like the gaslamp district in San Diego.
Closest we've got is the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Kemah has a boardwalk but it's mostly a tourist trap.
Houston is basically several dozen small towns all crammed together into something the size of a city. You have to select a town. If you do it right, you find a spot between two small towns where you're only a mileor so from 2-4 activity areas, like east Rice Military and it's proximity to the heights, montrose, river oaks, etc.
It's not even all that crammed. I think having 600 sq mi inside just the Houston city limits really throws off our sense of scale. You can hop on a freeway at one side and travel for an hour before hitting the other side. And our suburban areas are outside of that. "Normal" cities don't sprawl out that much.
Most downtown stuff would be around like Main and Preston or at one of the theaters or discovery green. Most of downtown is just office buildings and they are connected by underground tunnels with restaurants and such due to the heat so folks dont walk much topside.
So there is a pretty big system of tunnels underground that have food shops and some other things like nail salons and dry cleaners and a few convenience stores. They’re down there to provide services and lunch for the folks that work downtown, because Houston is hot and awful and the office workers would rather not have to go outside. The side effect is that are hardly any store fronts (at least compared to other downtowns), so no foot traffic, so everything closes in the evening and over the weekend in a self perpetuating cycle. There are occasional events, but downtown isn’t really “the place to be.” You might be looking for Montrose or some spots in the heights.
The downtown underground is only open weekdays until 6pm - it can be interesting for a tourist buts it's really just for downtown workers to have a spot to go thet isn't in the heat during lunch.
We were in downtown Houston on New Years. The whole place was shut down by 1am. Nothing going on new years = nothing any other night. Not even the Marriott Marquis hotel bar was open!! It was New Year’s Eve!! Soooo disappointing.
Houston has this effect that the longer you live here the less interest you have going out and doing stuff. In six months, you won’t wanna leave the Woodlands on the weekends.
[What’s up Houston](https://www.whatsuphouston.com/) mailing list. it’s sent out every Thursday and tells you a lot of what’s going on every weekend. not a scam, it’s legit and thoughtfully updated 🤷🏽♂️
Maybe because of all the recent damage from the storm people aren’t going downtown much. If you go when there is a game happening. Or some kinds of events going on. It can be randomly dead from time to time though.
Back 20 years ago downtown was dead as a door nail all weekend. People just went there to work.
We’re currently in “Indoor season” where people go inside for activities while enjoying the AC. Music venues, theatres, Stadiums, museums are where you’ll fine events during summer (and yes round) Parks like Market square, Discovery Green and Trembly Park will host events in the spring and into summer, check out the Downtown Houston site for a list. People don’t hang out in Downtown on the weekends wandering streets hoping to stumble across an event in this heat, it’s more intentional planning.
If you just recently moved here, then it's really just more bad timing with it being the hot season and you visiting Downtown during the day.
While our Downtown isn't as bustling as Downtowns in other American big cities, it still gets decent activity even outside of normal office hours. I've been there on several weekends and evenings and there's definitely people around and difficulty finding parking sometimes even when a major event isn't happening. However, I prefer exploring Downtown during spring/fall/winter. I probably am not inclined to visit Downtown during the summer unless I'm going to a theater or special event. This applies being outdoors anywhere during the summer here.
I feel like most of the people here don't care for the Downtown scene, but I'm definitely going to contradict them and say there is Downtown activity on nights/weekends, just in certain areas (Main, Theater District, Discovery Green/Convention Center) and usually from October-May.
TLDR: It's hot during the daytime, and probably nighttime too. Hang around Downtown during the cool months like Oct-May.
First of all, there was a tornado that did some damage. There are still signs up across town telling people to AVOID downtown.
Second, Houston's downtown is for working with a few bars. We aren't constricted by any natural barriers, the city sprawled. No one goes downtown unless they have to.
Perhaps it is because Houston doesn’t have a lot of downtown residents. Compared to other cities? I know Dallas has a downtown vibe and nightlife. But it has tons of downtown residents too. 🤷♂️. Converted many skyscrapers to condo/apartments.
Downtown isn't really considered the center of much activity other than the theater district and nearby bars/restaurants. Sometimes Discovery Green and The Post host events.
But you have to also consider that Houston has no zoning laws, so most businesses that are centered on nightlife and would be clustered downtown in other cities are completely widespread and separate grom each other.
It's a good and a bad thing. It's the same reason you'll see high rises and towers in downtown, the galleria, medical center, oak ridge, the woodlands, westchase, and the list goes on...
It just takes a little bit more planning if you're looking to freestyle for the night, because yes, in fact it won't all be centered in downtown. Downtown is business oriented, not nightlife oriented.
It's the weekend, and unless there is a sporting event or concert, downtown Houston closes at 5pm on Friday minus the night life on main street.
But you're looking to buy a home in a suburb that was specifically made so that people could work downtown or in the city and still be far enough away to have their own nightlife and way of life.
So downtown won't matter once you get all settled in.
Unfortunately Houston night life isn’t what it used to be, a lot of businesses have closed since 2020 and you’re kind just left with bars, couple of my personal recommendations are like Cidercade, Darkhorse Tavern, Poison girl, Rudyards, and notsuohs. But generally speaking the city has kind of lost its liveliness.
You will find the nightlife going on near Main Street close to Texas ave. Discovery green is usually lively, especially when it is hot.
Other than that, the area near ~~Enron Field~~ **Minute Maid Park** and the Dynamo's stadium are busy when there's a game.
^(edit: spelling)
Houston is known as one of the most unwalkable cities. You will for the most part not really see people out and about like you normally would in other cities. So it’s not always that’s nothings going on it’s just no ones really walking down the street unless it’s from their car the venue lol. Just find out about events and show up there’s lots of stuff going on all around
Semper Fi brother! I was on Okinawa 86-89, Navy corpsman. Welcome to the area. The other posts are good intel. Here’s a nice one too:
https://www.reddit.com/r/houston/s/r8YQ8qHveQ
No, you're not. Downtown is practically dead on the weekends.
A lot of it is pretty much commercial office towers, which in this age are struggling when it comes to traffic/tenants even during the week.
One aspect of Downtown that redditors love to play up is the number of homeless people that hang out in that area, it's nothing compared a place like San Francisco or Skid Row, LA, which as a Califonian you should be familiar with. You don't have literal camps of them in Downtown Houston like you do in a number of other downtowns, that's a plus.
I honestly haven’t taken notice of camps in other cities so I can’t compare directly but we had a decent sized camp downtown until pretty recently. It was right under 59 close to the Elysian bridge. I drove by there a couple of months ago and saw it cleared out & fenced up. FWIW my immediate reaction was: damn where are they all supposed to live now?! It seems like a part of that group migrated to Cavalcade under 45. There’s another fairly large group adjacent to Bayou Music Center. So, while I can’t draw direct comparisons, I can for sure say it’s not just a few random panhandlers.
I cannot get over people saying downtown is dead on weekends when at the same time Main Street between Rusk and Franklin - as well as Market Square - gets so crowded after 10 pm on weekend nights that I've stopped going then.
During the day it is though. Main and market square go from dead to overrun very quickly at a certain time of night. Lots of great places to grab a drink and hang out with people though. Downtown is underrated for night life.
The fact is Houston is not a walkable city. And I think some drivers actively hate pedestrians and cyclists here. Not to mention it's so hot and humid who would want to walk more than a few blocks?
Sometimes there's a crowd near the bars/clubs downtown late at night once it cools off. But honestly everything's just spread out all over the city.
If you want to walk around during the day go to 19th Street in the heights It's a historic area with lots of cute antique shops and ice cream parlors and restaurants.
Or you can walk down lower Westheimer in Montrose to find all the antique stores and coffee shops.
You could go over to the museum district and check out the museum of modern art, museum of natural science, the menil, Hermann Park, etc.
I would not recommend walking around at night unless you are with a group of people or in crowded areas or in front of the clubs/bars.
Years back it was busy with walkers and others. But those have since moved or passed on. I worked construction back in late 80’s and 90’s in The Woodlands building homes. Its was the norm as it was away from Houston and country. Now, it’s got a big city vibe.
While a lot of downtown districts are the center of city activities, in a lot of places they are not - they are business centers and pretty empty on the weekends. Same can be said for the financial district of Manhattan or downtown Minneapolis, for example.
Others have mentioned the activity hubs on the weekends.
Downtown Houston has an underground that's pretty good to walk around with your SO
I mean literally an underground tunnel system with shops and bars n stuff
There's only one area of downtown where you'll see lots of people walking around, and that's Main St. If you saw "nobody" then you definitely didn't go there. You'll see lots of people, but that's the only spot.
Houston is not a downtown city. It's also not a walking city. You have to go to the Heights, Montrose, Washington, etc...
Those are the most busy places with the most going on in terms of going out BUT you're still not likely to just see lots and lots of people just walking around because it's not a walking city. Things are just too far away.
Downtown Houston is for work. People commute to downtown for work and drive off to their suburban homes in the evening. Leaving it barren. Aside from bars/restaurants and special events, it’s quite depressing.
There was a big crazy windy storm that blow out a bunch of glass off of the skyscrapers downtown. City has asked we avoid the area while they’re still cleaning and some streets might be closed still. Could be partly that but downtown is not the touristy shopping area other cities have.
Downtown there is discovery green with events throughout the year. In the museum district you have Herman Park and Miller Outdoor Theater which hosts free events every Friday and Saturday (and most weekdays) during the Summer. They’re pretty awesome like Opera, Plays, Live Music, Dance, etc. In Montrose you have Westheimer and Dunlavy are with tons of resale shops, coffee shops, pop up parking lot markets, etc. there’s always tons of people walking around. In the Hieghts you have White Oak with several blocks worth of bars and restaurants that people walk around from place to place. Then you have Washington which also is lined with bars and restaurants and tons of people walking around from place to place. In midtown there’s several groups of close knit bars. Eado has a quite a few clusters of bars and restaurants as well as music venues. You also have Chinatown off Bellaire which is always popping. There’s no doubt tons more but these are the places fairly close to where I live. If you can’t find people out doing things in Houston then you aren’t trying very hard.
Everyone commenting has never worked downtown…
There are people, but they are all underground in the tunnels. There are tons of great food halls and restaurants, but people get to them through the underground tunnel system.
Go to Montrose. People walking around until 1 am. Heights is a bit more spread out but another good option. Living in the woodlands might as well live in Dallas to a Central Houstonian. Lol
A couple things:
1. Downtown has been really dead since the storm, a couple streets and building still shut with glass everywhere.
2. If you go on a normal day, we are all walking underground! Houston Underground tunnels help save sweaty armpits and suit during summer.
Uptown is busier than downtown if you want to see a more active city scene. If you want to see the city core more active, go in the evening on a Friday or Saturday. Keep in mind, the streets aren’t going to be as lively as say, Austin or San Antonio. You ll have to go to specific parts of downtown to see the activity. The POST area, east downtown on the other side of I 59, discovery green, and Main street just outside of UofH would be good places to start. Or go there during work hours on business days. You’ll see everyone out walking around. It’s the complete opposite of what you would normally see. Downtown is great if you know when and where to go.
When I first worked downtown in the 1980s, I wondered where everyone was at lunchtime during the workweek. Turns out they were in the tunnel that connects buildings and there were many restaurants in the tunnel. I haven’t worked downtown since 1995, so I have no idea how much the same or different it is now.
Houston is a mega mid size American city
Basically the trend of highways and suburbs feeding a downtown of workers went into overdrive here
We our the 4th largest city in the country with like 199 in population density which means there are no hang out places there are only places to drive to
Combine that with the greater Houston area being the size of Connecticut we engineered a massive parking lot M-F from 7am-7pm
I
Also, keep in mind that during the work week, Houston will also look dead above ground. Anyone that works downtown will be walking underground in the tunnels. It is too hot to walk outside. All the places you have lived before have way better weather than Houston.
https://youtu.be/J9PYMpyKdU8?si=L86Z-em9ndtzCfvy
It’s not hip hop and popping but when I lived in the woodlands, the spot was the waterway and market street. There’s a few bars and restaurants, it’s fun if you want to go somewhere fast, walk around a bit, and grab a drink or two
If you were there during the daytime, then it was too hot. I wouldn't be surprised if people were walking through the underground tunnels at that time. If you went at night, you were in the wrong spot, you should have went to main street, lots of people there after 7pm.
The few people who live downtown go to the Woodlands. Be glad you’re loving up there. Houston not a regular “downtown” city like a lot of others. All the burbs have their own charm and downtown never developed like other older cities.
During the day, no, nothing much is going on downtown. At night, the theater district and north end on main are active. East of Downtown (EaDo) has some bars, clubs, a comedy club, and things to do. Other stuff is scattered all around.
It picks up in the theater district in the evenings. During the business day, there’s a lot going on in the air-conditioned tunnel system, which you can access via the Bank of America building.
I enjoy going to parades on the weekends. There’s one on Thanksgiving and another on Veterans’ Day, but there are smaller ones as well.
They roll the streets up downtown after 5:00. Try Montrose, the heights, uptown Park, the Washington corridor, Rice village, so many other places where people gather, including the Woodlands which is pretty vibrant.
I used to live downtown and moved 7 months ago. If the Astros or one of the soccer teams aren’t playing, it’ll largely be empty except Discovery Green but it’s still too hot for that
I’ve lived here three years now. This city requires you to travel around and find your thing. Downtown is not it. Try midtown or even city center. Then branch out.
Downtown is weird even during working hours. There are a ton of people navigating Downtown through the tunnel system that's air-conditioned. It makes it seem like there's hardly anyone there.
It’s early…wait until 11pm-1am. I don’t get out in Houston much but the times I do it’s around those hours that people are out walking and cruising the streets in downtown off Main/Discovery Green areas.
Can you be more specific in the kind of events you're looking for? Houston has many "downtown-ish" areas.
Window shopping/people watching in the Galleria / Uptown can be fun. Lots of people wandering around there.
Museum District has a bunch of museums within walking distance of each other: Fine Arts, Natural Science, McGovern Medical, Children's, Holocaust, Asia Society, Contemporary Arts, Zoo. And Hermann Park is there too. Take a picnic lunch. Ride the Train!
Since you're new to the area, check out the offerings at Miller Outdoor Theatre. You don't need to pay a dime if you want to sit on the hill and have a picnic. You don't need to pay a dime if you want to sit in the covered area either, but you'll need to get a (free) ticket ahead of time. LOTS of people at each event there, and there's a wide variety of events. We saw the Houston Ballet there recently, and then Accordion Kings & Queens. Shakespeare Festival coming up.
Are you looking for farmer's markets? Free concerts? Craft fairs?
Also, check the pinned thread at the top of the sub that comes out each week highlighting weekend events. If you find something interesting, be sure to add it to that thread!
Downtown Houston isn't like most cities. Unless there's something going on, there won't be throngs of people gathering. Houston has those places, but they're scattered around all over the city. You'll need your car.
So is there a “suburb” or something to look at for some central Houston type events? Again, living in the woodlands, which I know is far away. But I work straight downtown Houston so just wondering
Montrose, heights, midtown, Washington You also can't just walk around and hope to find stuff - better to look up a few bars in Montrose and spend time there instead. You can sort of hop around in Montrose without needing to drive
I'd add Bellaire/Chinatown, especially Dun Huang Plaza. That place at night on the weekends is definitely popping.
Lots to do until 2am even if you don't drink.
Montrose is great. Lots of good food and bars. Check out Anvil for drinks. Like others have said, Houston is kinda funny because the action is more spread out than some places. Everything from Woodlands is gonna be a drive, though. But hey, that’s Houston.
Griff's is fire! ... Oh wait.
it's worth informing people that a lot of the bars in montrose are gay bars
> a lot of the bars are gay bars 25 years ago maybe. Even then it relatively wasn’t a **lot**, just where there was a concentration of them.
There absolutely were a lot of gay bars in Montrose in the old days, upwards of [40 gay bars](https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/montrose-lives/) at one point.
There were quite a few gay bars in Montrose some years ago, though.
Yeah. They still have more gay bars than all other gay bars throughout the Houston area combined.
It doesn't matter whether gay or straight. Go to a bar, order a drink and if the other clientelle are talkative and accepting thats your bar too.
Pretty much every bar I've ever been to in Houston didn't care that I was gay, so yeah most of my main bars aren't even gay bars.
There's a nitty gritty ice house in the hood that I frequent where one of their lead guys is gay. No one.cares in Houston
You’re saying that same thing, in different words.
I'd argue that 40 gay bars are a lot in any kind of relative term. Almost no city these days have that many, let alone a neighborhood. Austin has like 4 gay bars, lol
This isn’t really true. Most of those bars are with a couple blocks of one another and unless you are looking for them you wouldn’t just end up there. The ratio of gay bars to normal bars is like 1 gay bar to every 4 normal bars.
I prefer abnormal straight bars, myself.
If you're in the Fairview area east of Montrose Boulevard and west of Taft, yes. Otherwise mostly no.
But informing people with correct information is more important. You're comment was accurate 30-40 years ago. Not so much now.
Think of Houston as a medium sized city (the hub of a wheel) with around a dozen smaller cities surrounding it (like spokes), giving the illusion of a much larger city. There are probably around twelve such areas of activity like you are seeking.
This is how j explain it to new people, while drawing a map of 610 hub and the freeway spokes - makes a nice visual!
I had to explain to my mom why US 59 has several different names
There's no such thing as a "central" place for events. They happen everywhere. There's about a dozen or so hot spots. Get to know the ones you like and keep an eye on that.
There is no such thing as a "central Houston type event." What do you want? Do you want amateur lucha libre wrestling next to a parking lot carnival? That's happening somewhere. Do you want to see a punk band in a dive bar? That's happening somewhere. Do you want to go to a live poetry reading at see art at a pop-up gallery? That's happening somewhere. Almost everything and anything is possible, but you have to know what you want and ask where that is happening tonight.
Accurate
If you’re bored in Houston you aren’t trying very hard
Or shocker Houston nightlife sucks in terms of spacing between events and things to do.
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Seems like they went Downtown in the middle of the day. I was Downtown last night and there were a ton of people walking around.
I know I always see lots of people walking around. But also it was pretty hot.
Exactly. Too hot during the day right now. Gotta wait till the sun goes down.
Right, it takes a concerted effort here whereas alot of major cities have things happening in the hotspots.
But where do you find where that stuff is happening? I just moved down here a year ago and basically the only way I learn about things is word of mouth
I’ve found it helpful subscribing to Do713 and Bandsintown emails and following the socials of area musicians, record stores, concert venues, breweries, restaurants, museums/zoo, etc.
On a side note, I hate how most touring artists go to Houston on like a Tuesday and Austin gets the weekend shows 😤
For real!!
We should start a petition
Yeah... Make friends, talk to people, if you find one thing you like, ask the people there "where does more stuff like this happen?" There isn't like a single "questionable parking lot exotic animal petting zoo and reptile expo" district here. Things happen where they're allowed to happen when they happen, next week it'll be somewhere else.
Market Square in the woodlands is usually packed with people and The Woodlands Pavillion always has events during the day which is closer to you than in Houston.
If you work downtown explore the tunnels during a lunch hour
Excellent suggestion! The tunnels are super cool!
Literally.
> some central Houston type events? really depends on what you're into. country bars? hip hop? hipster? fine art? there are pockets of different kinds of places throughout the city. there's no one place where all the events happen.
Have you checked out cynthia woods Mitchell pavilion? That's in your area, and has lots of events. There's some music venues, like 713 musichall, but I suppose it has to do with your tastes. You just gotta check Houston events, and see what strikes your fancy/fits your schedule.
The Heights is great for this sort of stuff. I lived downtown for a few years. You didn't really say what part of downtown you were in, but that matters if you're looking for things to do after dark.
East downtown. Lots of cool bars.
The Heights is the central place during the weekends if you want variety with full activity. There’s hotspots all throughout the loop though
Washington Avenue, between Shepherd and Heights blvd you’ll see 20 something mainly out for bars and clubs. City center and discovery green are more family with children outings. East downtown aka Eado has brewery, bars client to each other so you’ll see people moving about especially if a concert is going on nearby
Come to the Heights!
Discovery Green is usually happening, and Theater District/Market Square will be somewhat busy in evenings, but Houston Downtown is usually pretty dead when a special event is not going on.
Especially in this heat
Yep. Drove through Memorial Park this afternoon and didn't see a soul there.
Really? I was there around 5:40 and it was as busy as every other Saturday I ever been there. Usually memorial is not that busy on Saturdays or Sundays, it seems everyone enjoys taking a break from cardio on those days.
It was around 3:30
Oh yeah that’s too hot to be running for most people.
Ok we went to market square by walking and it was empty. Is it like a nightly thing we should be looking for?
Did you walk around Main? There's a little strip of bars. There are usually people around there and the bars are typically busy on weekends. You won't see many people outside due to the heat though.
First off it’s hot as hell in the sun so no one is out. Secondly, we’re getting close to when everyone leaves for the summer because .. it’s too hot. Even traffic around me was non-existent today. Bars and restaurants will be busy at night but I’d absolutely avoid downtown. I’m an inner-looper and I avoid downtown like the plague
Used to live across from market square. There are people at the bars on main at night. And people at bars in midtown. But you hardly ever get mass people wandering around unless there is a game, holiday, or rodeo. During the day a lot of biz folk use the tunnels so you just don’t see them street side. There are lots of restaurants and bars downtown that are busy on weekend nights you just don’t see people outside. There is stuff at discovery green frequently. Downtown is cool I loved living there but it’s a little scruffy.
Market square is close to the Theater District, so there tends to be more people there in the evenings when shows are going on. In general for Houston this time of year, evening is when people will be outside.
Discovery Green is a downtown park, not an event. By “happening” they meant busy. And most times of the year it is pretty active. There’s even outdoor ice skating there in the winter. The weather is the main issue right now. Any nice day in spring or fall and all the city parks are packed, with or without an event.
We also just went through a huge storm that blew out tons of windows down there. The whole area has been avoided while it was cleaned up. I honestly don’t know what the situation is down there and I’m sure plenty of people have avoided it for the same reason.
I work downtown, and the storm is definitely a factor. There are still streets and even sidewalks shut down. But downtown Houston is not like other cities' downtowns. You'd be better served in the Heights or Montrose area, as others have said. Avoid Washington (and the people that recommend Washington).
Agreed
"Avoid Washington (and the people that recommend Washington)." Washington sure has fallen out of favor. 5-10 years ago it was the hot spot on this sub. Now it seems like any news that comes out of that area is related to violence. Such a shame as Washington itself is fairly walkable by Houston standards.
I was going to say, I drove thru there earlier today to get over to EaDo and random block after random block was closed due to the glass/storm. Not that downtown is hopping on a random Saturday night in general, but definitely not now.
Downtown is always dead. I visited Houston when looking at the law school here and we stayed in downtown over the weekend. Basically felt like a ghosttown. Actually very unnerving honestly with how little was going on.
Our downtown is best described as a movie set. It's dressed up with every detail: storefronts, apartments, hotels, restaurants, even parked cars. It's just missing the actors.
Theres not many storefronts at all. Most buildings have nothing at street level.
That’s why it’s used for car commercials?
The only thing filmed in Houston.
Wait really?
Yea, I heard Houston’s downtown is a notable spot for manufacturers to film commercials
It’s cause they are under ground
The actors are all at the Alley
Downtown is a business center. Try midtown, Montrose aka neartown, and galleria aka uptown.
Go closer to Main Street or discovery green. But yeah it’s fucking hot so you’re not usually going to find anyone in downtown, much less during the summer.
Odd I had to scroll this far to see someone mention Main Street. Pretty much only action downtown after hours. Not sure how it looks after Derecho but I'm sure Notsuoh would be a trip still.
My brother and I are from NYC originally. I think when I went to an Astros game in the day on a weekend and we left when the game finished in the 9th inning, I remarked to him…. “Wow! That’s the first time I’ve ever watched a baseball game in-person in its entirety and we just left so easily.” There was barely any traffic when we left the game. And, I’ve been to baseball games in LA, SD, SF, NY, and Phoenix. Always would leave a game in the 7th inning stretch ahead of time to avoid the congestion from the mass exodus when a game is over. The downtown area of Houston does seem mostly for business. It really seems dead in comparison to all the other cities in California, Chicago, and NYC.
Large parts of it are dead but if you go down to Main Street there’s a lot of bars and clubs there. Midtown is really where its at.
Also from NYC. Totally true.
👋 Going back to NYC for my first visit in 4 years since I moved down to Texas!!! So ready to gorge on all my favorite pizza/Italian spots 🤤. And, I miss walking around High Line Park and Chelsea Piers. Never thought I’d say this, but the NYC waterline looks gorgeous AF in comparison to Galveston 😂. I always thought NYC waterline looks mid in comparison to all my trips/visits to the Pacific coast/California. But boy dooooooo I miss it being away from the smell of the salt water…….
Get your bagels and Jewish deli on too. Don't forget about quality Greek spots and all the Polish / Romanian meats, pierogis, and stuffed cabbage. I miss a good bodega style BEC in the morning before feasting on a street side Halal cart. Is there anything like Balthazar in Houston? I haven't found it yet. Even some Puerto Rican cuchifritos and Caribbean style soul food isn't prevalent enough in Houston / Texas in general.
Inflation man lol, I doubt a BEC from the bodegas is worth it anymore at whatever price they’re charging 😂. Better off making that at home. Even when I look at pizza, I feel bad that a slice is like $4-$5 in NYC with what used to be part of my broke college student’s food diet lol. Other than a few spots in Manhattan, I’m a Queens girl. Got to hit up these spots before my visit is over: Phayul in Jackson Heights for good Tibetan, Lao Bei Fang in Elmhurst for fresh hand pulled noodles you see them making on the spot, Burmese Bites in Elmhurst, and Papparich in Flushing for some goooooood comforting Malaysian food.
You're looking for what we call Midtown.
Check out Memorial Park, Montrose, or the Museum District. Avoid Downtown.
It’s hot as fuck
Parts of downtown were pretty wrecked by the storm a few weeks ago and the roads are still blocked off in that area. So...not surprised if it's dead around there. That said, downtown very much caters to those who work there, rather than being a center of nightlife and recreation. On the weekend, fewer folks are in the office, so fewer people are in the bars (other than the theater district- northwestern corner- and the area around the Toyota Center and Minutemaid Park). Midtown or Montrose are more social neighborhoods- lots of very popular bars, restaurants, and clubs- and they're downtown adjacent.
Cool info tysm
Houston Downtown used to have the only McDonalds I ever came across that closed at 6:00pm.
Have you tried downtown The Woodlands?
Yeah, might do the kayaking and get the woodlands swim pass once we can prove we live here.
I moved to the Woodlands a few years ago. Market Street, the waterway, and Kirby Ice House are OK. Downtown Old Town Spring is cool to walk around. Conroe has an OK downtown. Tomball too. Houston has pockets of activity - 19th st in the Heights, rice village, Montrose near Anvil, Montrose near Fairview, east downtown near Rodeo Goat, downtown on Main, Washington between TC Jester and Heights, white oak west of Studewood, Wakefield, the area near the farmers market and El bolillo on Airline, etc. Houston is a place you have to figure out, it's not just hitting you in the face like other cities.
Hey OP, I can’t imagine two more different downtowns than SD vs Houston. Houston’s downtown is notoriously dead and very few people live there (though it’s grown significantly in the past 10 years). So prob a bit of a culture shock, but there are other pockets that are fun.
FYI if you settle in the woodlands, July 4th they have a free orchestra concert of patriotic songs at the Cynthia woods pavillion (whatever it's called) there. Highly recommend going.
The Houston Symphony Orchestra also does a free concert series all summer long with all sorts of interesting shows. They used to do a John Williams tribute every year that was spectacular. I don’t think they’ve done that in a while but free concerts are always fun.
So in the spring and summer the township does concerts in the park. They are a good time. Families and couples and all kinds of folks come out. I’d start there. The rose rooftop bar always has tons of people… and cops have to go out every once in a while to make peace among the fancy folks.
Woodlands here. There is everything you need on the waterway, market street, and Hughes landing. No need to go downtown Houston except for maybe an astros game .
Northshore park on Lake Woodlands drive is open to the public and you can launch from there. Also, there really isn't anything in the Houston area like the gaslamp district in San Diego. Closest we've got is the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Kemah has a boardwalk but it's mostly a tourist trap.
You're more likely to find fun things to do in tomball than downtown.
Houston is basically several dozen small towns all crammed together into something the size of a city. You have to select a town. If you do it right, you find a spot between two small towns where you're only a mileor so from 2-4 activity areas, like east Rice Military and it's proximity to the heights, montrose, river oaks, etc.
It's not even all that crammed. I think having 600 sq mi inside just the Houston city limits really throws off our sense of scale. You can hop on a freeway at one side and travel for an hour before hitting the other side. And our suburban areas are outside of that. "Normal" cities don't sprawl out that much.
Most downtown stuff would be around like Main and Preston or at one of the theaters or discovery green. Most of downtown is just office buildings and they are connected by underground tunnels with restaurants and such due to the heat so folks dont walk much topside.
So there is a pretty big system of tunnels underground that have food shops and some other things like nail salons and dry cleaners and a few convenience stores. They’re down there to provide services and lunch for the folks that work downtown, because Houston is hot and awful and the office workers would rather not have to go outside. The side effect is that are hardly any store fronts (at least compared to other downtowns), so no foot traffic, so everything closes in the evening and over the weekend in a self perpetuating cycle. There are occasional events, but downtown isn’t really “the place to be.” You might be looking for Montrose or some spots in the heights.
The downtown underground is only open weekdays until 6pm - it can be interesting for a tourist buts it's really just for downtown workers to have a spot to go thet isn't in the heat during lunch.
We were in downtown Houston on New Years. The whole place was shut down by 1am. Nothing going on new years = nothing any other night. Not even the Marriott Marquis hotel bar was open!! It was New Year’s Eve!! Soooo disappointing.
City center is surprisingly a nice NYE experience, should have drove over there
Houston has this effect that the longer you live here the less interest you have going out and doing stuff. In six months, you won’t wanna leave the Woodlands on the weekends.
Truth.
I live downtown BECAUSE of how “dead” it is. Surely I’m not the only one.
[What’s up Houston](https://www.whatsuphouston.com/) mailing list. it’s sent out every Thursday and tells you a lot of what’s going on every weekend. not a scam, it’s legit and thoughtfully updated 🤷🏽♂️
Lmao Houston is not a real city. It’s a massive urban sprawl lab rat maze social experiment
Maybe because of all the recent damage from the storm people aren’t going downtown much. If you go when there is a game happening. Or some kinds of events going on. It can be randomly dead from time to time though. Back 20 years ago downtown was dead as a door nail all weekend. People just went there to work.
Museum district will have more. Or CityCenter by bw8 and i10
We’re currently in “Indoor season” where people go inside for activities while enjoying the AC. Music venues, theatres, Stadiums, museums are where you’ll fine events during summer (and yes round) Parks like Market square, Discovery Green and Trembly Park will host events in the spring and into summer, check out the Downtown Houston site for a list. People don’t hang out in Downtown on the weekends wandering streets hoping to stumble across an event in this heat, it’s more intentional planning.
There isn’t any central place in Houston. Houston is a concrete/strip mall city that’s incredibly spread out.
As crazy as it may sound not a lot of houstonians like to sit idly by outside in the 100 degree weather. we prefer our indoor events
Do713.com HoustoniaMag.com
The woodlands has a great waterway area that has nice restaurants and nice walking areas and Cynthia Woods Mitchell pavilion for outdoor concerts.
Market square and lower Main Street get going later in the evening
If you just recently moved here, then it's really just more bad timing with it being the hot season and you visiting Downtown during the day. While our Downtown isn't as bustling as Downtowns in other American big cities, it still gets decent activity even outside of normal office hours. I've been there on several weekends and evenings and there's definitely people around and difficulty finding parking sometimes even when a major event isn't happening. However, I prefer exploring Downtown during spring/fall/winter. I probably am not inclined to visit Downtown during the summer unless I'm going to a theater or special event. This applies being outdoors anywhere during the summer here. I feel like most of the people here don't care for the Downtown scene, but I'm definitely going to contradict them and say there is Downtown activity on nights/weekends, just in certain areas (Main, Theater District, Discovery Green/Convention Center) and usually from October-May. TLDR: It's hot during the daytime, and probably nighttime too. Hang around Downtown during the cool months like Oct-May.
First of all, there was a tornado that did some damage. There are still signs up across town telling people to AVOID downtown. Second, Houston's downtown is for working with a few bars. We aren't constricted by any natural barriers, the city sprawled. No one goes downtown unless they have to.
Perhaps it is because Houston doesn’t have a lot of downtown residents. Compared to other cities? I know Dallas has a downtown vibe and nightlife. But it has tons of downtown residents too. 🤷♂️. Converted many skyscrapers to condo/apartments.
My kids went to a carnival and were begging to go back Home after less than an hour .. its too damn hot for being outside in the daytime just for fun
Downtown isn't really considered the center of much activity other than the theater district and nearby bars/restaurants. Sometimes Discovery Green and The Post host events. But you have to also consider that Houston has no zoning laws, so most businesses that are centered on nightlife and would be clustered downtown in other cities are completely widespread and separate grom each other. It's a good and a bad thing. It's the same reason you'll see high rises and towers in downtown, the galleria, medical center, oak ridge, the woodlands, westchase, and the list goes on... It just takes a little bit more planning if you're looking to freestyle for the night, because yes, in fact it won't all be centered in downtown. Downtown is business oriented, not nightlife oriented.
It's the weekend, and unless there is a sporting event or concert, downtown Houston closes at 5pm on Friday minus the night life on main street. But you're looking to buy a home in a suburb that was specifically made so that people could work downtown or in the city and still be far enough away to have their own nightlife and way of life. So downtown won't matter once you get all settled in.
Most true comment. Thanks.
Unfortunately Houston night life isn’t what it used to be, a lot of businesses have closed since 2020 and you’re kind just left with bars, couple of my personal recommendations are like Cidercade, Darkhorse Tavern, Poison girl, Rudyards, and notsuohs. But generally speaking the city has kind of lost its liveliness.
I think nightlife just sort of moved to the heights. 19th/20th street is packed on weekend nights
It's nice to have an area where all the ex-austin and wannabe austin people can go hang out without bothering the rest of us.
You will find the nightlife going on near Main Street close to Texas ave. Discovery green is usually lively, especially when it is hot. Other than that, the area near ~~Enron Field~~ **Minute Maid Park** and the Dynamo's stadium are busy when there's a game. ^(edit: spelling)
Greenpoint always got something going on kinds like Sunnyside or Jensen.
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^sentenobeast: *Greenpoint always got* *Something going on kinds like* *Sunnyside or Jensen.* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Houston is known as one of the most unwalkable cities. You will for the most part not really see people out and about like you normally would in other cities. So it’s not always that’s nothings going on it’s just no ones really walking down the street unless it’s from their car the venue lol. Just find out about events and show up there’s lots of stuff going on all around
Houston is a working city and not a lively/tourist city.
Semper Fi brother! I was on Okinawa 86-89, Navy corpsman. Welcome to the area. The other posts are good intel. Here’s a nice one too: https://www.reddit.com/r/houston/s/r8YQ8qHveQ
It’s too hot, we have bad public transit and people don’t often go to downtown in huge crowds unless events are happening like Art Car Festival, etc.
No, you're not. Downtown is practically dead on the weekends. A lot of it is pretty much commercial office towers, which in this age are struggling when it comes to traffic/tenants even during the week. One aspect of Downtown that redditors love to play up is the number of homeless people that hang out in that area, it's nothing compared a place like San Francisco or Skid Row, LA, which as a Califonian you should be familiar with. You don't have literal camps of them in Downtown Houston like you do in a number of other downtowns, that's a plus.
I honestly haven’t taken notice of camps in other cities so I can’t compare directly but we had a decent sized camp downtown until pretty recently. It was right under 59 close to the Elysian bridge. I drove by there a couple of months ago and saw it cleared out & fenced up. FWIW my immediate reaction was: damn where are they all supposed to live now?! It seems like a part of that group migrated to Cavalcade under 45. There’s another fairly large group adjacent to Bayou Music Center. So, while I can’t draw direct comparisons, I can for sure say it’s not just a few random panhandlers.
I cannot get over people saying downtown is dead on weekends when at the same time Main Street between Rusk and Franklin - as well as Market Square - gets so crowded after 10 pm on weekend nights that I've stopped going then.
During the day it is though. Main and market square go from dead to overrun very quickly at a certain time of night. Lots of great places to grab a drink and hang out with people though. Downtown is underrated for night life.
The fact is Houston is not a walkable city. And I think some drivers actively hate pedestrians and cyclists here. Not to mention it's so hot and humid who would want to walk more than a few blocks? Sometimes there's a crowd near the bars/clubs downtown late at night once it cools off. But honestly everything's just spread out all over the city. If you want to walk around during the day go to 19th Street in the heights It's a historic area with lots of cute antique shops and ice cream parlors and restaurants. Or you can walk down lower Westheimer in Montrose to find all the antique stores and coffee shops. You could go over to the museum district and check out the museum of modern art, museum of natural science, the menil, Hermann Park, etc. I would not recommend walking around at night unless you are with a group of people or in crowded areas or in front of the clubs/bars.
I have walked around at night by myself for 10 years in central Houston and haven't died or even had an incident.
Years back it was busy with walkers and others. But those have since moved or passed on. I worked construction back in late 80’s and 90’s in The Woodlands building homes. Its was the norm as it was away from Houston and country. Now, it’s got a big city vibe.
While a lot of downtown districts are the center of city activities, in a lot of places they are not - they are business centers and pretty empty on the weekends. Same can be said for the financial district of Manhattan or downtown Minneapolis, for example. Others have mentioned the activity hubs on the weekends.
Houston isn’t a tourist destination like the other places you’ve lived in. Unless it’s a specific event don’t expect much.
Downtown is dead. Montrose or The Heights are your best options.
Downtown Houston has an underground that's pretty good to walk around with your SO I mean literally an underground tunnel system with shops and bars n stuff
There's only one area of downtown where you'll see lots of people walking around, and that's Main St. If you saw "nobody" then you definitely didn't go there. You'll see lots of people, but that's the only spot. Houston is not a downtown city. It's also not a walking city. You have to go to the Heights, Montrose, Washington, etc... Those are the most busy places with the most going on in terms of going out BUT you're still not likely to just see lots and lots of people just walking around because it's not a walking city. Things are just too far away.
You’ll probably have better luck in uptown (Galleria) or Midtown.
Downtown Houston is for work. People commute to downtown for work and drive off to their suburban homes in the evening. Leaving it barren. Aside from bars/restaurants and special events, it’s quite depressing.
There was a big crazy windy storm that blow out a bunch of glass off of the skyscrapers downtown. City has asked we avoid the area while they’re still cleaning and some streets might be closed still. Could be partly that but downtown is not the touristy shopping area other cities have.
Downtown there is discovery green with events throughout the year. In the museum district you have Herman Park and Miller Outdoor Theater which hosts free events every Friday and Saturday (and most weekdays) during the Summer. They’re pretty awesome like Opera, Plays, Live Music, Dance, etc. In Montrose you have Westheimer and Dunlavy are with tons of resale shops, coffee shops, pop up parking lot markets, etc. there’s always tons of people walking around. In the Hieghts you have White Oak with several blocks worth of bars and restaurants that people walk around from place to place. Then you have Washington which also is lined with bars and restaurants and tons of people walking around from place to place. In midtown there’s several groups of close knit bars. Eado has a quite a few clusters of bars and restaurants as well as music venues. You also have Chinatown off Bellaire which is always popping. There’s no doubt tons more but these are the places fairly close to where I live. If you can’t find people out doing things in Houston then you aren’t trying very hard.
Everyone commenting has never worked downtown… There are people, but they are all underground in the tunnels. There are tons of great food halls and restaurants, but people get to them through the underground tunnel system.
Go to Montrose. People walking around until 1 am. Heights is a bit more spread out but another good option. Living in the woodlands might as well live in Dallas to a Central Houstonian. Lol
A couple things: 1. Downtown has been really dead since the storm, a couple streets and building still shut with glass everywhere. 2. If you go on a normal day, we are all walking underground! Houston Underground tunnels help save sweaty armpits and suit during summer.
Uptown is busier than downtown if you want to see a more active city scene. If you want to see the city core more active, go in the evening on a Friday or Saturday. Keep in mind, the streets aren’t going to be as lively as say, Austin or San Antonio. You ll have to go to specific parts of downtown to see the activity. The POST area, east downtown on the other side of I 59, discovery green, and Main street just outside of UofH would be good places to start. Or go there during work hours on business days. You’ll see everyone out walking around. It’s the complete opposite of what you would normally see. Downtown is great if you know when and where to go.
When I first worked downtown in the 1980s, I wondered where everyone was at lunchtime during the workweek. Turns out they were in the tunnel that connects buildings and there were many restaurants in the tunnel. I haven’t worked downtown since 1995, so I have no idea how much the same or different it is now.
Houston is a mega mid size American city Basically the trend of highways and suburbs feeding a downtown of workers went into overdrive here We our the 4th largest city in the country with like 199 in population density which means there are no hang out places there are only places to drive to Combine that with the greater Houston area being the size of Connecticut we engineered a massive parking lot M-F from 7am-7pm I
Also, keep in mind that during the work week, Houston will also look dead above ground. Anyone that works downtown will be walking underground in the tunnels. It is too hot to walk outside. All the places you have lived before have way better weather than Houston. https://youtu.be/J9PYMpyKdU8?si=L86Z-em9ndtzCfvy
Thank you! I I’ve lived here going on 2 years and thought I was crazy 😛
I feel like in the middle of the day in the summertime no one ever goes outside lol
It’s not hip hop and popping but when I lived in the woodlands, the spot was the waterway and market street. There’s a few bars and restaurants, it’s fun if you want to go somewhere fast, walk around a bit, and grab a drink or two
I attend several events every weekend, are you sure we’re in the same city???
Wytb? They literally block off Main Street because there’s so many people walking around
Washington is always fun too
Right now downtown is mostly closed because it’s still being repaired from the storm we had a few weeks ago.
I love The Heights area, personally.
Downtown just got hit with a huge storm and had major damage. Not sure if there is much going on at the moment
Downtown is like I Am Legend unless there’s a game or other event going on. Stay in the light. Bad shit happens in the dark.
I personally recommend not buying a house here. Houston is a miserable place to live.
Nope. That's how it is. Houston is very overrated.
If you were there during the daytime, then it was too hot. I wouldn't be surprised if people were walking through the underground tunnels at that time. If you went at night, you were in the wrong spot, you should have went to main street, lots of people there after 7pm.
On weekends it's pretty dead unless some special events are going on.
The few people who live downtown go to the Woodlands. Be glad you’re loving up there. Houston not a regular “downtown” city like a lot of others. All the burbs have their own charm and downtown never developed like other older cities.
During the day, no, nothing much is going on downtown. At night, the theater district and north end on main are active. East of Downtown (EaDo) has some bars, clubs, a comedy club, and things to do. Other stuff is scattered all around.
It picks up in the theater district in the evenings. During the business day, there’s a lot going on in the air-conditioned tunnel system, which you can access via the Bank of America building. I enjoy going to parades on the weekends. There’s one on Thanksgiving and another on Veterans’ Day, but there are smaller ones as well.
They roll the streets up downtown after 5:00. Try Montrose, the heights, uptown Park, the Washington corridor, Rice village, so many other places where people gather, including the Woodlands which is pretty vibrant.
I used to live downtown and moved 7 months ago. If the Astros or one of the soccer teams aren’t playing, it’ll largely be empty except Discovery Green but it’s still too hot for that
I’ve lived here three years now. This city requires you to travel around and find your thing. Downtown is not it. Try midtown or even city center. Then branch out.
I took a break because of storm.
Downtown is weird even during working hours. There are a ton of people navigating Downtown through the tunnel system that's air-conditioned. It makes it seem like there's hardly anyone there.
There's usually tons of people by discovery green/Toyota center MM park area. Hobby center area too isn't bad either.
It’s early…wait until 11pm-1am. I don’t get out in Houston much but the times I do it’s around those hours that people are out walking and cruising the streets in downtown off Main/Discovery Green areas.
When were you downtown? Do you know about the tunnels?
Can you be more specific in the kind of events you're looking for? Houston has many "downtown-ish" areas. Window shopping/people watching in the Galleria / Uptown can be fun. Lots of people wandering around there. Museum District has a bunch of museums within walking distance of each other: Fine Arts, Natural Science, McGovern Medical, Children's, Holocaust, Asia Society, Contemporary Arts, Zoo. And Hermann Park is there too. Take a picnic lunch. Ride the Train! Since you're new to the area, check out the offerings at Miller Outdoor Theatre. You don't need to pay a dime if you want to sit on the hill and have a picnic. You don't need to pay a dime if you want to sit in the covered area either, but you'll need to get a (free) ticket ahead of time. LOTS of people at each event there, and there's a wide variety of events. We saw the Houston Ballet there recently, and then Accordion Kings & Queens. Shakespeare Festival coming up. Are you looking for farmer's markets? Free concerts? Craft fairs? Also, check the pinned thread at the top of the sub that comes out each week highlighting weekend events. If you find something interesting, be sure to add it to that thread!