Warm weather is on the way, y’all. Embrace the blossoming flowers, sunlit brunches, and open-air happy hours while temperature allows. Read on to discover our top 75 things to do in Houston this April!
1-4. Experience Magical Candlelight Concerts
Experience a magical spring here in Houston thanks to the amazing indoor and outdoor venues the city has to offer. Luckily, Fever Originals has brought its popular Candlelight concert series to beautiful venues for the season with concerts. Highlights include:
- Candlelight: A Tribute To Queen And More
- Candlelight: A Tribute To Coldplay
- Candlelight Jazz: A Tribute To Aretha Franklin And The Divas Of Soul
5. Get Your Tickets to this Blockbuster Van Gogh Exhibition
Artwork from the iconic post-impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh will come to life in a 360-degree digital spectacle that’ll illuminate and transform the physical space into a fully immersive exhibit. You’ll see Van Gogh’s work take over the walls and encompass your surroundings through the lenses of several dozen projectors, hyper-realistic VR headsets, or a mix of both.
6. Dine in the Dark
Ever wondered what it is like to eat in the dark? Eminent psychologists have been advocating dining in the dark as the ultimate taste experience for many years. Studies show that 80 percent of people eat with their eyes; with that sense eliminated, the theory is that the other senses—namely taste and smell—take over to elevate your meal to a whole new level. After donning your blindfold in the darkened, candlelit room, you’ll soon realise that focusing on taste and smell alone can be a truly enlightening experience—provided you’re not afraid of the dark!
7. Visit the Hidden Slice Of Mexico in East End
In this glorious city of ours, we’re proud of our widespread prevalence of Latin culture. The people, the art galleries, the celebrations, and of course, some of our all-time favorite restaurants. Old Town Harrisburg in Houston’s East End offers a Latin oasis featuring vibrant architecture, indoor and outdoor markets, weekend art fairs, and more!
8. Bend Your Mind at the MC Escher Show
Explore infinity, symmetry, and impossibility this spring at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. This March, MFAH will debut the “largest and most comprehensive exhibition of works” ever of renowned mathematical artist, M.C. Escher, for their coming Virtual Realities exposition.
9. Explore Houston’s Best Gardens
While the city is more reminiscent of an urban jungle, there does lay lush pockets of flora manifested in parks, trails, and gardens. Discover Houston’s tiny pockets of Eden this season at these 10 gorgeous Houston gardens.
10. Swoon Over Houston’s Most Romantic Restaurants
Valentine’s Day is around the corner, Houston. While there’s still plenty of time to get your hands on the other essentials, pretty soon the day will come when all restaurants will be booked and you’ll be forced to improvise. If you’re looking for somewhere sultry to dine out or have a drink this season, these local romantic restaurants in Houston set the table as well as the mood.
11. Enjoy Unreal Street Eats, Mexican Crafts, And More At This Authentic Farmers Market
Open 365 days of the year, the Azteca Farmers Market is one of Houston’s premier farmers market. With stellar street eats, fresh produce, and over 50 vendors, Azteca gives visitors 13 acres of vibrant market space.
12. See a Sexy Burlesque Show
Come for a night of spectacular dance performances that you will never forget. With a line-up of amazing performers, sit back and be taken away by their dance moves and amazing costumes. This is the perfect way to start your weekend in style. Share this experience with colleagues, or even on a date that will have you talking about it into the weekend.
13. Rock N Roll At The Foot Of The Houston Skyline
Discovery Green in Downtown, Houston has announced the return of their outdoor rink this spring. From now, until April 11, the organization is hosting public skates in Downtown Houston with tickets now on sale!
14-16. Laugh Your Face Off
If you’re looking for an evening of side-splitting comedy, The Riot Comedy Show is the place to be! Join fellow comedy-hungry fans at Rudyard’s for a hilarious experience.
- The Riot presents “Best of Houston” in a new Sunday showcase that welcome back Houston comedians that have featured or headlined in Rudyard’s legendary comedy room.
- “You Look Like” is a new show featuring comedians going head to head in roast battles while the audience decides who is The Riot’s roast champion. From the roasts told to the comebacks to them, this will no doubt be a hilarious show.
- The Riot Comedy Show welcomes three of the funniest homegrown comedians in Texas all sharing the stage for one unforgettable night.
17-21. Cozy Up at Houston’s Best Coffee Shops
Thankfully, there are plenty of coffee houses scattered about the city for residents to take refuge, re-energize, and maybe eat a scone or two.
- Rev up your mornings at the motorcycle and coffee garage.
- Secret Garden offers various international coffees with options in the form of Vietnamese, Greek Espresso, Greek Freddo Cappuccino, Turkish Coffee, and more.
- Husband-and-wife caffeine team, Manuel and Martha Gil, have recently opened Segundo Lab inside Ironworks near downtown, bringing rich, creative java flavors to the Second Ward.
22. Bask in the Big Flavors of Solecita
The sun is shining on Houston this season. Solecita Churrería y Taqueria, a brand new Mexican street food, churro, and taco truck has opened Downtown and let us tell you: it’s a beauty.
23. Visit This Glamorous Cinema-Themed Speakeasy
Inspired by the likes of Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, and London, Juliet is a black-owned speakeasy and restaurant that aims to provide an experience it describes as modern American vibe dining.
24. Post Up At The Post
Behold, the former USPS warehouse as a new a cutting-edge, multi-purpose, multi-layered facility with a complete technical re-design. Featuring multiple double-helix staircases, a trio of skylit atriums, and a FIVE-ACRE ROOFTOP PARK AND FARM, the complex will go down in history as one of Houston’s most innovative projects to date.
25. Uncork On Thai and Bottomless Wine
Grab your friends or co-workers and come enjoy some mid-week fun at Yi Peng’s Bottomless Wine Experience! Delight your senses with a unique taste of Thailand as you demolish some delicious Thai food made from quality, seasonal ingredients. Choose from a selection of authentic appetizers, entrées and desserts, each washed down by free-flowing wine. Soak up the relaxing and majestic atmosphere as you embrace the culture of Northern Thailand, the land of smiles. Honestly, Wine Not.
26-28. Sweeten Up at a Speakeasy
There’s something special about speakeasies. The secretive, vicarious forbidden feel of transporting back to the prohibition make imbibing cocktails all the more tantalizing. Stow away in wonderful hidden bars that Houston has to offer!
- So Clutch, the owners of the Concrete Cowboy, Clutch Bar, and a host of establishments in other US cities, opened the doors of the Sugar Room on Washington Avenue. The cocktail lounge hidden inside a local bakery features a glamorous selection of drinks as well as tasty treats.
- Tucked away in the corner of Cantina Barba’s back patio is a scanty, nondescript, somewhat rusty container. The door on which advertises “Mijo’s Mezcal Bar” – which, to our knowledge, lays the smallest bar in Houston.
- The latest nondescript local is to open in town is Patton Steakhouse in Savoir at Yale Street and 14th Street.
29. Let It Fly at the Top Golf of Darts
Houstonians can now get a taste of UK pub culture. British-based gaming pub, Flight Club, is throwing itself into the Houston bar scene with its 21st century digitized dart boards, sharing boards, and bespoke cocktails.
30-32. Elevate Your Lifestyle at these Houston Rooftop Bars
Nothing quite says “living the highlife” like clinking glasses on a city rooftop. Touch the sky this season with a brunch, evening, or nightcap on the most jaw-dropping rooftops in Houston.
- Opened this December, Cielo XLIII offers a lavish new hangout in the sky with unparalleled, 360-degree views of the city from the tallest bar in the city Houston.
- The Coffee House at West End is now open at 802 Shepherd Dr., that is, a three-story coffee shop that features top-notch joe, a cozy interior, and a stunning rooftop with sweeping views of the Houston skyline.
33. Roll Your Own Sushi
Don’t let the sushi chef have all the fun! Come and learn how to spread, layer, tuck and roll your way to sushi heaven! In this fun, hands-on social cooking class, you’ll learn all the skills needed to make sushi and spring rolls like a pro, including how to prepare sushi rice, cut your fresh ingredients using proper knife skills, and master the art of rolling using a variety of techniques. It’s the perfect activity for friends, family, colleagues, or even a romantic date!
34. Take a Culinary Trip to Thailand
Experience a traditional Thai cuisine meal with dynamic duo Chef Jett and Chef Jira. This experience is a sensory trip through Thailand thanks to two exclusive tasting menus on offer. These menus offer top grade meat and seafood, making this a dining experience you will never forget! This is the perfect experience for something special, whether it is a romantic date night or celebrating.
35. Rage Out
Blow off some steam at this raging destruction site as you rock out to your favourite tunes. Combining sophistication with obliteration, get ready to relieve stress and all of that pent up energy while sipping on champagne. Within this safe, judgement free environment, you can expect to throw, smash, hit and kick everything in sight. Destructive therapy done right. Set to be an unforgettable experience, where the only thing that won’t be broken is the law!
36. Knock Twice at This Historical Concert Venue and Tex Mex Cafe
Don’t let the locked doors turn you away. Just knock twice to get in to the Mexican restaurant and oldest live music venue in Houston. No, you don’t really have to knock twice – at least, not anymore.
37-39. Hit the Dive Scene
Houston thankfully has plenty of places to take shelter in a flurry of rain: whether to escape the weather, shoot a round of pool, grab a cheap beer, or to play a song on a jukebox, consult this list to discover where to go.
- Those who leave up their festive decorations year round, like the people over at Grand Prize Bar, are complete freaking lunatics – and we love them for it.
- La Carafe Wine Bar is a historic haunt housed in a building that’s stood for over a century and remains to be the oldest in the city of Houston.
40-47. Eat Your Heart Out
Houston’s culinary scene is a vast, rich landscape populated with delicious eateries, scrumptious bakeries, and Tex-Mex as far as the eye can see.
- Whether it’s a classic Neapolitan-style Margherita, a traffic cone-sized slice, or some warped creation piled high with everything and the kitchen sink – we don’t discriminate when it comes to pizza. Any way you slice it, here’s 10 of the best pizza parlors in the Houston area!
- Not all buffets are created equal. When seeking out a local in which to stock up on calories to last you the winter hibernation, we recommend heading to one of our 10 favorite all-you-can-eat buffets in Houston.
- Whataburger, Taco Bell, McDonald’s – the usual suspects when it comes to late-night munchies. Sometimes, though, you got to broaden your horizons, especially when a glorious late-night food scene of delis, pizzerias, taquerias await in the city of Houston.
- Hot, cold, rain, or shine, ice cream is a good call on any day. Here’s the scoop on where to find the best ice cream in Houston
- Like breakfast tacos, kolaches are synonymous with breakfast in Texas. Savory, comfortable, portable – perfect for an on-the-go breakfast, or bought-by-the-dozen hangover cure. Unlike similar handheld breakfast staples such as donuts, bagels, and croissants, it’s not so easy finding kolaches outside of Texas. We’d probably travel more if you could, but for now, we’ll stay here in Houston with our favorite comfort breakfast food on the go.
- In addition to its bistros, cafes, and restaurants, you can find an array of fantastic food trucks rolling through town from sun up to sun down.
48. Float like a Butterfly
Enter a stunning, three-story glass structure built around a 50-foot waterfall. This simulated tropical rain forest is filled with exotic plants and thousands of live butterflies. As you walk through the three-story glass rain forest at your own pace, feast your eyes on a rainbow of color provided by the thousands of live, fluttering butterflies and exotic flowering plant species. Absorb all the beauty of the living rain forest, and then make your way to the Brown Hall of Entomology and witness astounding living insects, spectacular mounted specimens, larger-than-life models, and interactive games!
49-51. Staycation in Texas’s Amazing Airbnbs
It’s with a tinge of guilt that we find ourselves traveling nationally and/or internationally knowing that the state of Texas has so much to offer. Whether it’s to save money on airfare, get closer to local nature, or simply getaway without all the fuss, here are 10 Texas Airbnbs that make for a sublime staycation!
- Basecamp Terlingua is an other-worldly glamping experience that integrates the future with the past, giving its visitors the impression of luxury camping in the cosmos.
- Beyond having second breakfast at the Hobbit Cafe, experiencing the lifestyle of a Hobbit is hard to come by here in Houston. If you want to embrace the lifestyle to its fullest, take your steeds out to McKinney, Texas for a stay at the Hobbit House.
52. Have Second Breakfast at the Hobbit Cafe
You don’t have to journey all the way out to Mordor to enliven your Tolkien-esque fantasies. Here in Houston, just southwest of Montrose is The Hobbit Café. Since 1972, the café has served all the hobbits, elves, wizards, and dwarves the best food Middle Earth, Houston has to offer.
53. Boogie Down at Houston’s New Mega Club
Billed as “the largest indoor/outdoor space of its kind in the city”, Sekai Night and Day is elevating East Downtown’s nightlife with top notch DJs, dancing, lounging, and private events just in time for the festive season.
54. Dance All Night at this Twin Peaks Nightclub
The public can now see what’s behind the red curtains at the new, Lynchian-inspired nightclub, Cherry. The darkly lavish new nightclub is a concept from Hospitable Viking the group behind The Commoner + The boulevardier, Rosemont, and the 006 Bar. It’s set in the two-story space formerly occupied by the Nightingale Room – which is rather appropriate all considering.
55. Visit The Hidden Castle in Texas
A short drive outside of Houston in the small town of Bellville Texas lies a medieval castle equipped with a 3,000-pound drawbridge, moat, and a knightly guest quarters.
56. Unwind Inside This Cozy Beer And Wine Bus
Parked on Montrose Blvd., Bacco Wine Garden is an intimate, fire-lit, two-story bar and patio that serves wine, beer, and an assortment of Italian comfort food. Beyond the wraparound balcony, there lies a dazzling wine and beer bus for patrons to share an even more intimate experience.
57-58. Or, Hit a Patio Bar
One surefire way to capitalize on the weekend, weekday, weeknight – really just any time – is to have a couple drinks amongst friends in the open air of a patio. Get out and about this season at some of our favorite watering holes in town
- Nestled on 1239 W 19th St. among a familiar crowd of patio bars – Preslee’s, McIntyre’s Heights, and Bungalow Heights– is a newcomer known as Moonshine Deck, a throwback Americana-inspired bar and kitchen with moonshine and whiskey to boot.
59-60. Cheer For Sports
Houston is a sports town, plain and simple. Even if you don’t care nor follow any of the teams, you can’t help but get a kick from the energy and passion of Houston’s loyal fans. See for yourself at the many lively sports bars the city has to offer.
- Popular Heights sports and patio bar, McIntyre’s, has opened up a second location with their three-story facility in Downtown, Houston overlooking Buffalo Bayou.
- With a plethora of patio games, a mega pool table, and an indoor soccer field that allows you to go toe-to-toe in a game of bubble soccer, Pitch 25 Beer Park in Houston fits the bill.
61. Saunter Through Railway Heights
Railway Heights is now open on Washington with two stories of vibrant businesses, food stalls, local vendors, and an art gallery on the second floor.
62. Tiki Your Way to the Top
Summer is on its last legs, Houston. As the season turns, that feeling might give some up of you what’s known as summer-separation anxiety. Alas, there’s still plenty you can do to hold on to that feeling of beachside sunshine, fruit-flavored rum, and entirely too colorful libations that come in all shapes and sizes by coasting into one of Houston’s top tiki bars.
63. Get Up Close and Personal With Sharks
Without doubt, the ocean is full of alien life that continues to intrigue our wonder and fascination. Yet, there’s one creature that stands out. One in particular that’s as terrifying as it is beautiful: the shark. Take an underwater train ride at the Downtown Aquarium to get a closer look at this fascinating creature.
64. Drink a Bubblegum Martini
The latest boozy hangout to grace the Houston bar scene is the Trash Panda Drinking Club in Lindale Park. TPDC is a Southern-inspired concept from bartender, Greg Perez, and chef, Lyle Bento, of Night Moves – the self-same group behind the newly opened Space Cowboy poolside bar.
65. Experience This Cocktail Laboratory
Ever wanted to spice up your breakfast? Well they have a bowl of Frosted Flakes topped with bourbon and cognac-infused milk. But that’s just a starter, see what else the chemists of Diversión have brewing in their laboratory of spirits.
66. Skydive Indoors
Feel the thrill of skydiving without jumping out of an airplane. It’s true! Head to iFLY Houston Memorial, a premier indoor skydiving facility powered by a state-of-the-art vertical wind tunnel.
67. Smash It at this Striking Bar
Furnished with shagadelic psychedelia complete with flashy neon signs and a cigarette machine straight out of the 60’s, new downtown hangout, Unicorn Disco, gives Houstonians the chance to blast into the past.
68. Nosh on Some Good Texas BBQ
East Downtown Houston is heating this late winter with the opening of the new craft meat maker, bar, and beer garden, J-Bar-M Barbecue on 2201 Leeland Houston.
69. Live the Lime Life
The weather can’t make up its mind in Houston. Either it rains for two weeks straight, or its lays down triple-digit temperatures, bitter frigidness, or outdoor-cancelling humidity. Be it frozen or on the rocks, salty, bitter, or sweet, when searching for the tequila-infused taste of the season in Houston, here are the 10 spots you have to check out.
70. Expand Your Mind in this Tiny Bookstore
You’ve heard of Half Price Book Store, but have you checked out Quarter Price Books in Montrose. Shelved on the corner of Shepherd Dr. and Lexington St., Quarter Price Books is a cozy little book shop positively overflowing with niche finds, collectibles, rarities, and books of proven merit.
71. Jazz Up your Wardrobe at these Vintage Thrift Stores
Whether you’re clearing out your closet or stocking it up, head the call at Houston’s best thrift stores. Here in Houston there’s plenty of second-hand stores with pre-loved goods to amp up your wardrobe without breaking the bank. Thankfully, most of them are located in walking distance of each other!
72. Combine Pastries with Martinis at This Precious Bar
Normalize pastries and cocktails – that’s what we say. Thankfully, there are multiple places in Houston where you can bring the best of worlds together. Recently, Common Bond Brasserie & Bakery opened another location in the Theater District, fit with an absolutely adorable interior and one, bubble gum-styled back dining room and bar.
73. Go on a Mystery Picnic
This self-guided food adventure by Amazingco is the perfect way to explore Houston’s best neighborhoods and avoid the crowds! Starting with a picnic basket, have fun solving personally-curated clues and riddles sent to your smartphone that’ll take you on a journey to collect your special gourmet picnic food bit by bit.
74-75. Catch the Sunset
Texas Hill Country might get all the love when it comes to sunset-gazing. But here in Houston, the sky is puts on its own stellar show. When the time is just right, there are plenty of places in Space City that provide a perfect vantage point to catch the show.
- Two levels of steel, concrete, and stone beset under a slate-like canvas roof compose the Twilight Epiphany installation. During sunrise and sunset, the installation projects LED lights onto the ceiling that suffuse the portal’s border with a composed sequence of hues. Simplistic in form, the color sequence harmonizes with nature in light, time, and movement in a display of pure beauty.