Most visitors never see the waterway that made Houston a port city: the Houston Ship Channel. Port Houston has run free public cruises on it since the M/V Sam Houston made its first trip on July 30, 1958. The 95-foot boat carries up to 100 passengers, with air-conditioned lounge seating inside and deck space outside, and the round trip takes about 90 minutes. You leave from Sam Houston Landing and cruise past international cargo ships, tugboats and the cranes of the Turning Basin Terminal, while the crew answers questions about what's being loaded and where it's headed. Each passenger gets a free drink on board. For kids who love trucks, trains and anything enormous, watching a ship the length of a city block slide past is hard to beat, and the price is right: nothing at all.
What to expect
- Restrooms are at the landing and below deck on the boat.
- Dress is casual; wear flat, comfortable shoes for the deck.
- Tours run in most weather; staff will call you if conditions change a trip.
- The boat is wheelchair accessible, though some conditions can limit that access.
What to do
- Stand on the outside deck as you pass the cargo ships and cranes at the Turning Basin Terminal
- Ask the crew what the ships are carrying and where they're bound
- Count tugboats on the way out and back
- July 30, 1958First voyage
- 95 feet, up to 100 passengersBoat
- About 90 minutesTour length
- FreeCost