Museums Galore

When sprawling Houston comes to mind, you might think first of sporting events or rocket ships — even traffic. But in fact, the culturally-diverse city reigns as one of the world’s top destinations for arts lovers. With seven cultural districts (the largest number of any city in the United States), Houston boasts both a Theater District that spans 17 city blocks and a pedestrian-friendly Museum District that encompasses 19 storied institutions — many of them institutions of art. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston alone houses more than 70,000 pieces. Ready to see just a a few masterworks? Here’s how we like to enjoy a long weekend of artful indulgence in H-town.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

See and Do

Works from six continents in genres that range from antiquities to contemporary art comprise the mind bogglingly vast and dynamic Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Like a small city, the museum occupies 300,000-square feet, split into three main gallery buildings, a sculpture garden, two house museums and more — most connected by inspirational tunnels, each an oeuvre itself (think interior installations by the likes of James Turrell). The new-ish Kinder Building opened in late 2020 to showcase an outstanding Impressionist Collection, replete with works from Monet to Renoir.

Located within steps from one another, the Rothko Chapel and The Menil Collection beckon. The abstract chapel, set amid trees on the verges of the Menil Campus, has been recently restored. A meditative sanctum, it holds 14 paintings by Rothko, each a symphony of darkness, illuminated in dappled light by a Pantheon-like skylight. Steps away, The Menil Collection shelters in a Renzo Piano-designed building commissioned by John and Dominique de Menil to display their celebrated private collection. Contrasting with the classic neighborhood that surrounds the 20-acre museum grounds, the Menil’s interior galleries provide an imaginative world of eclectic masterpieces. A stronghold of  prints, photographs, sculptures, paintings, objet d’art and drawings, the Menil safeguards 17,000 pieces, 10,000 of them collected by the de Menils from 1940-1990. The stand alone, Renzo Piano-designed Cy Twombly Gallery vaunts what critics deem the artist’s finest works.

Promising fun and enlightenment for the whole family the interactive Houston Center for Contemporary Crart is ensconced in a reimagined warehouse, enlivened by a craft garden. An ode to imaginative and conceptual art made from clay, found/repurposed materials, glass, metal, fiber and wood, HCCC brims with art-filled galleries. But, perhaps most importantly, it ensures the making of art becomes real for visitors who can socialize with resident artists —metalsmiths, potters, weavers and more — as they work in their studios. Everything is educational. The garden, for example, has plants that weavers use to make dye. Art classes and workshops abound each season.

Hotel ZaZa Museum District

Stay

Like a metaphor for the glories of the Museum District’s largesse and creative prowess, this seminal boutique hotel lies in the heart of the art-centric action. Decadently splendorous, unabashedly unique,  Hotel ZaZa will feel like the complementary activity to your day in the galleries — the grand finale. Consider one of the Concept Suites, each a lustrous work of art — like sleeping in an installation. Don’t forget your swimsuit. The resort-sized pool delights.

Margarita at Urbe

Dine

Go Uptown to enjoy James Beard award- winning chef Hugo Ortega’s spellbinding Urbe. With a colorful concept first envisioned with Ortega’s cookbook that highlighted  Mexico’s street food, Urbe opened at last in 2021 to the delight of eager eaters everywhere. Appropriate to your arts foray because the culinary arts define a place, this unpretentious exploration of Mexico’s diverse gastronomy encompasses a variety of locales and traditions from Jalisco to Puebla.