65 Phenomenal Things To Do In Houston This July

From floating crystal rivers to soaking up the best AC in town: get the most out of this July with these awesome experiences in Houston

Colby Smith • June 27, 2023

65 Phenomenal Things To Do In Houston This July — Photo credit: ©️HMNS/Mike Rathke

Ride the summer wave in Houston this July.

Sun’s out fun’s out. Summer is in full swing and Houston is buzzing. From enchanting candlelight concerts, to expansive patio bars and beer gardens, to a whirlwind of museum exhibits, bars, restaurants, and things to do, here’s a comprehensive list of 65 phenomenal things to do in Houston this July!

1-4. Experience Magical Candlelight Concerts

Whether you’re looking for a beautifully unique classical music performance or a romantic candlelit experience, this performance is for you. You don’t need to know all things Tchaikovsky to enjoy the evening, simply sit back and savor the stunning atmosphere and pieces you’ll hear this July in Houston.

Walk into one of Houston’s most exquisite buildings where the walls will be flickering by candlelight to create a magical atmosphere. Prepare to be taken into the clouds with some of the most treasured wintertime classics from Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi and other master composers!

5. Get Your Tickets for Dinos Alive

Go back millions of years to a land ruled by giants! This immersive experience in Houston brings you face-to-face with the fearsome and spectacular dinosaurs that dominated the animal world for 140 million years. From the turkey-sized Velociraptors to the mighty T-rex, interact with life-sized, moving animatronics of a large variety of species, and see these magnificent creatures in their natural Jurassic habitat. Step into another world and learn something new in an experience that’s fun for the whole family!

6. Get a Front Seat To a Rooftop Concert

As the sun starts to set and the city lights take center stage, a stunning outdoor rooftop is one of the best places to enjoy the warm weather. This year, Houston’s new Concerts Under the Stars are bringing you everything you love about a spacious urban rooftop, plus live music from the past several decades.

7. 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!

8. Phone Home to Roswell’s Saloon

Introducing Roswell’s Saloon – a far-out new space-themed bar in Houston glowing with dazzling neon lights, stellar cocktails, and galactic vibes.

9-10. Sit in for a Tantalizing 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.

The Dollface Dames are so excited to partner with some of Houston’s best burlesque stars, as well as nationally touring performers, plus special guests from Los Angeles’s premier burlesque troupe The Dollface Dames!

11. Check Out The Jaws-Dropping New Sharks Exhibit at HMNS

Can you hear the Jaws theme in your heads, too? The Houston Museum of Natural Science has officially announced the opening date of its great new exhibit: Sharks! The Meg, The Monsters, & The Myths. Now open, Houstonians can come face-to-face with the notorious apex predator at the immersive new exhibition, featuring a 7,000-gallon touch tank, floor-to-ceiling animations, mega models, and more!

12. Go a Round at Tiger Woods’ New Popstroke Concept

Described as an “experiential golf and casual dining concept”, Popstroke is a concept of golfing legend, Tiger Woods, whose technologically-advanced putt putt facility, restaurant, and beer garden is now open at 23110 Grand Circle Boulevard in Katy.

13. Knock It Out of the Park at Home Run Dugout

If baseball weren’t big enough in Houston, the city will get its very own baseball-themed entertainment center this year. Austin-based Home Run Dugout has finally opened in Katy with batting bays, biergarden, dog park, full restaurant, and more.

14. Saunter through A Field of Sunflowers

Planted in Houston’s backyard of Montgomery, P-6 Farms is home to a beloved annual pumpkin patch and fall festival, not to mention blackberries, kettle corn, all sorts of attractions for the kiddos, and skies filled with butterflies. Additionally, the farm features a vast sunflower field that opens to the public on May 27.

15. Revel in the Ecstasy of Drunk Shakespeare

“Drink, sir, is a great provoker…” This magical stage where great things happen is set at the amazing Emerald Theatre in Houston. Five classically-trained actors meet as members of “The Drunk Shakespeare Society”.

After one of them drinks at least 5 shots of whiskey, hilarity ensues as they perform a role from a Shakespearean play. Watch as the four sober actors try to keep the script on track and put on a great performance. Every show is different depending on who is drinking and what they’re drinking!

16. Go for a Round of Cocktail Mini-Golf

The “upscale, tech-infused mini-golf experience” has opened in The Shops at Houston Center. Open now, the venue is decked out with four mini-golf courses, a bar offering food, drinks, and a private event space.

17. Take a Trip Out to Chinatown

Located between Alief and Bellaire, Houston’s Chinatown area is home to some of the must culturally rich scenes, people, and cuisines. From perusing all the goods inside H-Mart to singing your heart out at karaoke, read on to discover 10 incredible things to do in Chinatown, Houston.

18. Eat The Key Food Groups Of Breakfast

Breakfast tacos, donuts, and kolaches – this is the holy trinity of breakfast foods in Texas. Here’s where to find the best of the best.

19. Explore Memorial Park’s New Land Bridge and Prairie

The Land Bridge and Prairie is a 100-acre greenspace that features two distinct 35-foot-high hills that which creates a “natural” bridge over Memorial Drive. Its purpose is to re-unite the north and south sides of the park, promote regional biodiversity, and manage stormwater – all while creating a new community green space and giving visitors scenic views of the area.

20. Saunter through the City’s Gorgeous 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.

21. Drink and Dine Waterside

Hop to it this breezy season by being outside for the best weather we’ll probably get all year. While there are plenty of fine patios in the city, there are just a few with a waterfront view.

22-24. Enjoy Houston’s Top Patio Bars

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.

Bayou Heights Bier Garten is officially open in Houston with four buildings, a courtyard, beer, wine, and plenty more to come
Wakefield Crowbar is Houston’s only sand volleyball and entertainment venue.

25. Check Out the Massive New Murals in Downtown

A new massive series of 19 more captivating murals in support of Street Art for Mankind, has gone up in Houston. Inspired by #ZeroHungerMurals by Dragon76 on the back-facing facade of Hampton Inn in Downtown, Harris County Commissioner, Rodney Ellis would soon conceive of the idea for Big Art. Bigger Change. an art project that seeks to unite communities through “multiple large-scale murals spanning from Hilton Americas Houston Hotel to the Historic District”.

26. Nosh On Houston’s Best Brunch Spots

Spring is in the air. If your allergy medication holds up, you can see how the mimosas fare at the 15 best brunch spots in Houston!

27. Elevate Your Night on Houston’s Top Rooftops

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.

28. Enjoy Aerial Adventures At This Woodlands Action Obstacle Course

Hitch a ride out to The Woodlands for aerial adventures. Texas Treeventures is a challenge-based obstacle course with three-levels of aerial adventures for Houston thrill seekers to enjoy.

29-31. Dip Your Toes in the Water

The heat is here. With temps teetering on triple digits, Houstonians are faced with two choices: escape it, or embrace it. Apply some sun screen, grab your beach towel, and get yourself a cocktail at these five poolside bars in Houston to beat the heat this summer!

32. Handpick Your Favorite Fruits

Pick your heart out this spring at these forever fields in and around Houston! Whether it’s strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries, these fields in and around Houston have what you’re looking for.

33. Take a Hike in Houston

Pack a couple ice cold bottles of water and enjoy the bountiful nature of the city at the best hiking in Houston.

34-35. Go To The Cinema in the Skyline

Located on the top of Whole Foods in BLVD Place in Uptown, Rooftop Cinema Club is an open-air theater that provides an atmosphere of what’s been called “social cinema”. Here viewers can choose to walk around and interact with the environment during the course of the movie.

Over the past couple years, the cinema has provided a one-of-a-kind viewing experience in Houston, screening everything from the latest blockbusters to cult classics, sing-a-longs, and more.

See a movie under the stars at one of the most uniquely Houston movie experiences at Moonstruck Drive-In.

36-42. Eat the Best Food in Houston

The word is out, Houston is one of the best food cities in the entire country. Here’s us doing our part trying to put together our lists of the best of the best in Houston.

43. Enjoy a Crisp Margarita

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 best places to have margaritas in Houston.

44. Visit the Houston Zoo

The Houston Zoo is pulling all the stops for its remarkable upcoming ‘Galápagos Islands’ exhibit. Its cutting-edge immersive experience that which features a colony of Humboldt Penguins is now finally open.

45. Learn How to Make Pasta with your Hands

Discover the authentic flavors of Italian cuisine without ever leaving Houston! Join an expert chef in this hands-on cooking class and learn how to make the perfect pasta dough. You will then use a pasta machine to transform the dough into tagliatelle and fettuccine noodles.

Your instructor will also demonstrate how to make two sauces: a classic and creamy Carbonara sauce made of pancetta, garlic, cream, and parmesan cheese and a sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce. You will assist the chef as he makes the Carbonara. Enjoy your masterpiece at the end of the class with some refreshing drinks available for purchase at the bar.

46. Level Up at This Japanese Arcade

Here in Houston there is many a place to get your game on. Be it a retro speakeasy, or a cider-fueled gamer palace, Houstonians have ample options to bask in the nostalgia of classic arcade gaming systems. One of the more unique venues in the area is Okashi Houston, a Japanese arcade in Pearland.

47. Bowl 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea at this Texas Bowling Alley

In 2009, owner Johnny Morris set out to create Uncle Buck’s Fish Bowl & Grill in honor of his Uncle Buck – an outdoorsman and fisherman. The result, Uncle Buck’s Fish Bowl & Grill, is a spectacular entertainment venue, diner, and quite possibly the coolest bowling alley in the world.

48. Wade through a Lush Lavender Farm

Located on 290, about 45 minutes or so outside of Houston in route to Austin is Chappell Hill in Washington County. The area is knitted with a framework of scenic roads and beset with spring wildflowers in key sightseeing spots in Independence Trail, the Antique Rose Emporium, and Chappell Hill Lavender Farm. The latter is now open to the public.

49-50. Float the Laziest Rivers In Texas

Throughout the Lone Star State wind a variety of meandering lazy rivers, ideal for leisurely floating. Read on to discover the best lazy rivers in the state and where to tube in Texas.

Come summertime, there’s no better way to beat the heat than floating on a body of water with a cold drink in hand. While lazy rivers are not so easy to come by in Houston, you can now swim over to the Marriot Marquis in Downtown, Houston, and float along the legendary Texas border.

51-58. Explore Houston’s Awesome Markets

Markets are surging in Houston these days. Recently, the city has been blessed with not one but two mixed-media markets, that which continue to host headlining musicians, art galleries, expositions, and excellent eateries.

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.
The former USPS warehouse as a new a cutting-edge, multi-purpose, multi-layered facility with a complete technical re-design, multiple double-helix staircases, a trio of skylit atriums, and a FIVE-ACRE ROOFTOP PARK.
Lyric Market, owned and operated by Hospitality HQ, hones predominately on dining and chef-driven experiences.
Ironworks, a 60,000-square-foot industrial building and development in East End has in the past few years transformed into a cultural hub using over 20 re-purposed shipping containers.
Find Tik Tok-famous churros, dinosaurs, and insane street food at Sunny Flea 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.
The Houston Downtown Farmers Market opens this March with more accessible hours for downtown employees, residents, and visitors.

59. Go Chasing Waterfalls

There’s no understating the natural beauty of the Lone Star State. This season, head the call to adventure and venture out to the state’s most gorgeous waterfalls and the hiking trails that take you there.

60. Experience MFAH’s Dreamlike New Exhibit

From March 12 to September 4, Museum of Fine Arts is hosting Pixel Forest and Worry Will Vanish from contemporary Swiss artist, Pipilotti Rist, inside the central gallery of Cullinan Hall. The surreal artist has been renowned since the 1980s for her abstract video art installations, which often employ new technologies to suffuse spaces with vibrant visual imagery.

61. Groove Down at this New Speakeasy

Located at 310 Main St, Behind Closed Doors is an elevated new cocktail concept that comprises of multiple bars, including secret rooms, DJs, and all the vibes.

62. Paintball, Chuck Axes, and Laser Tag

Looking for something new and exciting for date night, team building, friendship? ARG Adventure Park is an adrenaline-fueled hot spot in Houston with locations in the northern Heights and Katy. Here, visitors can participate in axe throwing, paintball, laser tag, and follow up the action with a round of drinks at the bar and restaurant.

63. Rock Out Over Tex Mex

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.

64. Enjoy Homemade Tamales At This Cafeteria-Style Mexican Restaurant In Houston

For some of us, cafeterias are for schools. Memories though they not be fond, are nostalgic none the less. But those of us in the know are well aware of the glorious potential of cafeteria-style food outside the confines of high school walls. Relive the good ol’ days at Alamo Tamales, a Mexican cafeteria filled with terrific tamales, homemade pork, and other traditional dishes.

65. Go Off Road at this ATV Park

Get yourself into gear this season at Xtreme Off Road Park & Beach, Houston’s largest off-road park with 1,600 acres of wooded trails, water slides, a sand racing track and more!