On the western edge of Memorial Park, separate from it in spirit if not on the map, the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center is a 155-acre sanctuary for native Texas plants and the wildlife that follows them. The city set the land aside in 1951 as an arboretum and botanical garden, and ground was broken on the Aline McAshan Botanical Hall in 1967. Today five miles of trails thread through forest, restored savanna, wetland, ponds and meadow. The 1.76-mile Outer Loop is the best single walk; the half-mile Ravine Trail adds stairs, bridges and a real drop in elevation, rare in flat Houston; the short Donor Boardwalk winds past South Woodway Pond, and the Couch Birding Trail ends at a platform over Buffalo Bayou. Inside the Nature Center, the Discovery Room has hands-on exhibits for kids, and there is an outdoor Nature Playscape too.
What to expect
- No jogging, biking or picnicking here; picnic next door in Memorial Park.
- Pay for parking by card at the meters in each lot or with the ParkHouston app.
- About 2 miles of trail are boardwalk, granite or concrete and wheelchair friendly.
- Outdoor restrooms stay open after the Nature Center building closes.
- An all-terrain wheelchair and a scooter are lent free, first come, in center hours.
What to do
- Walk the 1.76-mile Outer Loop through forest, savanna and meadow
- Take the Ravine Trail's stairs and bridges down into the ravine
- Bring kids to the Discovery Room in the Nature Center (daily 9 am-4 pm)
- 155 acresSize
- About 5 milesTrails
- 1951Land set aside
- $6.50, free ThursdaysParking