Hello, GISH PICKS reader!

I am Sarah Gish and I adore Houston, the most diverse city in the country. I have been writing this blog, subtitled CURATED CULTURE FOR KIDS & ADULTS, since 2004.

I focus on my passion to amplify unique Houston arts and culture events and organizations by PICK-ing their weekend happenings. I am an artist and writer and teacher and I am very involved with the art car community, having made 5 "daily driver" art cars including my current car, Iggy the Igniter. I also have an art project, Ignite Your Life!, which is at the center of all that I create and all that I do.

I love to ignite lives and create connections and my words and my art are some of the ways I do that.

Thanks for joining me in my

explorations of creative Houston.

This special edition is

MY GUIDE TO BEING

A HOMETOWN TOURIST!

Anytime is a perfect time to explore Houston, which is something I love to do daily. Below are some of my favorite things to do, or places I still want to explore.

If you're new to town, start your adventure at Visit Houston -- you can grab one of their digital Visitors Guides to use or share. And take a moment to listen to my fun chat with my friends at KPFT-FM a few years back (start at 14:04). There's so much to see, so much to do in the country's most diverse city -- and the nation's fourth largest.

Put on your tennies and BE A HOMETOWN TOURIST!

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Before you scroll through this special blog:

please note that there are links connected to

the boldfaced words in blue.

Plus!

Scroll to the bottom for info on how to support this blog and to see my ROUND-UPS of Houston thangs such as

indie bookstores & my fave nature spots.

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If you read this online, or it was forwarded to you --

SUBSCRIBE NOW and you'll never have to miss an edition!

MY TOURIST PICKS

• HANDY DANDY ARTS CALENDARS. Get the skinny on most of Houston's arts events in these 6 robust calendars: MATCH/Midtown Arts & Theatre Center; MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE; HOUSTON CULTURAL EVENTS CALENDAR (HAA); BROADWAY WORLD HOUSTON; HOUSTON MUSEUM DISTRICT; and HOUSTON FIRST CORPORATION. Want to get my tips about saving money on arts events? Click here!

• HEALTHY EATING & NATURE SPACES. I love lists, so I'll start with mine. Each year I update lists I've created for you, my dear readers. Their span is the greater Houston area (sometimes much greater, being farther away). In January, I share my Farmers Markets list. In February, I share my list of Vegan Spots. And in April, in honor of Earth Day, I share my list of Fave Nature Spaces. If you want to traverse Houston's trails, discover them on the Alltrails app -- and if you want to walk around town, check out what Urban Paths has to offer. Enjoy exploring healthy food and nature!

• BOOKWORMS. I also have a list of many local indie bookstores here that I update every April to coincide with Independent Bookstore Day. When our weather is funky outside, snuggle inside with a good book. We've also got 2 excellent library systems that are filled with books and more (check out the Library of Things!): the Houston Public Library and the Harris County Public Library. Get Inprint on your radar for news of excellent literary events and author visits throughout the year.

• GAMES AND BOOKS ABOUT HOUSTON. Get to know our city by playing the Houston-opoly board game or using the Placenotes Houston cards or using the books 111 Places in Houston That You Must Not Miss & 111 Places for Kids in Houston That You Must Not Miss, or playing with the Houston Metro Adventure Bucket List scratch-off cards.

• ARTSY. Explore our museums by starting with the Houston Museum District - their website has info about 19 museums. Visit Houston's website page lists free admission times. Be sure to visit the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, the Children's Museum, the Contemporary Arts Museum, the Holocaust Museum Houston, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, the Houston Museum of African American Culture, and The Menil Collection. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is Houston's largest museum and one of the 10 largest in the U.S. and 12th largest by exhibition space in the world. Their properties include a 14-acre main campus in the Museum District and 2 house museums -- Rienzi and Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens. You can also go beyond the walls and explore Houston's 7 Cultural Districts, which includes the Theatre District and the Museum District. Be sure to explore all that Sawyer Yards has to offer (including monthly art studios' open house) -- it's the nation's largest creative campus and is located in the heart of Houston's historic Fifth Ward and the Arts District. Be sure to check out other warehouses hosting artists' spaces and exhibitions, including Mother Dog Studios (the oldest and largest artists' working warehouse space in Houston) and the Hardy & Nance Studios. And there is a plethora of art shown by the Houston Art Gallery Association; see their list of member galleries here.

• PERFORMING ARTS. Houston is home to a thriving performing arts community which includes theatre companies focused on diverse offerings and of all sizes. It's one of only five cities in the country with permanent professional resident companies in ballet, opera, symphony, and theater productions, representing all major performing arts disciplines. Located in the heart of downtown, Houston’s Theater District is a vibrant hub encompassing 17 blocks. The Alley Theatre was founded in 1947 and has one of the largest resident acting companies in the country. Also onstage is the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Symphony, and the Houston Ballet. Other notable companies include Apollo Chamber Players, the Ensemble Theatre, Houston Chamber Choir, Main Street Theater, Stages Theatre, and the Phillip Hall Singers.

• HISTORY. The Heritage Society and Emancipation Park (Houston's oldest park, born 1872) and Sam Houston Park (Houston's second oldest park, born 1900) are where Houston history comes alive. At the Sam Houston Park, you can take a guided docent tour (in person or by cellphone).

• TOURS. Take private city tours with Astroville Tours, Discover Houston Tours, Houston City Tours (which has a Visitors Center chock full of info), Houston Greeters, Houston Historical Tours, Joyride Houston Tours & Transportation, Tea Around Town Houston, and Mister McKinney's Historic Houston. You can also enjoy cellphone travels with the Tripvia Tours' Sights of Downtown Houston.

• TUNNELING. Explore the city's downtown tunnels -- 20 feet down, 6 miles long, and covering 95 city blocks! The mammoth network started in the 1930s as a tunnel between two movie theaters and now has weekday food, shops, and services. Please note: only Wells Fargo Plaza and McKinney Garage on Main Street offer direct street access and, except for tunnels connecting Theater District venues to parking, tunnels close by 6pm and aren't open weekends or evenings.

• MURALS. Drive around to see murals and art installations with the Houston Mural Map. They are ever shifting pieces of art so keep looking upward to see new ones.

• WATERWAYS. Explore much of the 53-mile long Buffalo Bayou with this handy dandy guide and check out our 22 bayous and waterways here. Hit the beach by driving just one hour to Galveston!

• ORANGE SHOW & SATELLITES. Check out the organization that hosts the annual Houston Art Car Parade & Festival -- the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art -- and their artist-made creations: Beer Can House, Orange Show Monument, Smither Park, and Bob Wade's Smokesax (coming soon!). The Art Car Museum will also be part of the Orange Show campus in the near future.

• MOVIES. I've got a full list of indie movie venues - here - on my Gish at the Movies page. Go see some movies at unique spots -- Alamo Drafthouse, Aurora Picture Show, IPIC, Moonstruck Drive-In, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Rice Cinema (soon to open in a new building!); the River Oaks Theatre, and the Rooftop Cinema Club. Be sure to also get on the e-list for the Arthouse Houston's screenings, they always have something unspooling somewhere.

• RESTAURANTS & GROCERIES. Check out Houston's many food halls! I like Blodgett Food Hall, Bravery Chef Hall, Finn Hall, Lyric Market, Mix at Midtown, Post Market, and Understory. And explore more food at our community-led grocery stores -- there's a great round-up here. Not included is the newly-opened Fresh Houwse Grocery. For gobs and gobs of restaurant ideas, check out the websites for Houston Restaurant Weeks and Black Restaurant Weeks.

• TRAVEL. See more when you hand over the wheel and travel by rail with METROrail or by e-scooter with E-RYD.

• PASSES. Enjoy "daycations" and get pool, spa, and amenity access at sites around town with Resort Pass. And you can see 5 spots in 9 days for almost half the price with Houston CityPASS tickets.

• COFFEE & TEA SHOPS. A lovely way to explore our city and to enjoy our friends and family is to hit Houston's coffee and tea shops. Here is my big ole' list to get you started on your slowing down for a cuppa; if you want to get a document with these spots (and few more), click here. Enjoy the joe! Antidote Coffee, Bagel Shop @The Museum, Black Hole Coffee House, Boomtown Coffee, Brasil, Capital One Café, Catalina Coffee Shop, Common Bond, Melange Creperie, Dandelion Cafe, Della Coffee, Doshi House, El Gato Coffeehouse, Empire Café, EQ Heights, Four Friends Tea Room & Gifts, French Riviera Bakery Cafe, Frullino Home Bakery & Coffee, La La Land Kind Café, Le café JOSÉPHINE, Maven Coffee and Cocktails, McHugh Tea Room & Gifts, Mercantile Montrose, Minuti Coffee, Mo' Brunch + Brews, The Path of Tea, Queen Bee's Tea Room, Rado Cafe & Market, RoyalTEA and Coffee, Slowpokes, The Tea Kettle Cafe, Tenfold Coffee Company, Ten Yen Tea and Herbs, Siphon Coffee, Toros HTX, Tout Suite, Tree House, Wild, The Yellow Cup Coffee & Tea, and Zepellin Coffee.

• BOUTIQUE HOTELS. Enjoy a staycation at one of Houston's groovy boutique hotels: C. Baldwin Hotel, Heights House Hotel, Hotel Saint Augustine, Hotel ZaZa Houston, La Colombe d'Or Hotel, Lancaster Hotel, Thompson Houston, or The Whitehall Houston.

• MEDITATION. Life can be hectic so carve out some quiet time at places like the Rothko Chapel , the Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston (the only one of its kind in our country!), Dawn Mountain Center for Tibetan Buddhism, the Houston Zen Center, or many of the other temples and churches and centers that dot our cityscape. You can also walk some of Houston's labyrinths (there are over 20!). I lead labyrinth walks year-round, so keep an eye out for event dates in my blog and on our Houston Labyrinth Walkers group page. Also, my friend Saumil Manek has many peace-inducing events all over Houston all the time. Check out all of his happenings here.

• OLD IS NEW. Go thrifting! That's a great way to explore a city -- by checking out their cast-off clothes (at least that's what I tell myself to justify my thrifting addiction!). My faves are Goodwill, Out of the Closet, and Value World Thrift Superstore.

Just for funzies, I asked my followers and friends to tell me their top 5 favorite spots in Houston. Excluding repeats, I got 105 spots -- which are listed alphabetically below. I loved the variety of places that people love. And doing this ignited more curiosity in me (and a desire for more time to visit all the spots!).

Have fun reading these and feel free to add your top 5 to

my post!

* 1/4 Price Books * 1940 Air Terminal Museum * 19th Street in the Heights * Alamo Tamales * Allen Parkway * Armand Bayou Nature Center * Asia Society Texas Center * Asiatown * Auntie Chang's Dumpling House * Basket Books * Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens * Beck's Prime on Augusta's 400 year old trees * Black Hole Coffee House * Blue Bar at Brenner's on the Bayou * Body Mind & Soul * Box 13 Artspace * Buffalo Bayou Park * Buffalo Bayou trails * Buffalo Soldiers National Museum * Cactus Music * Children's Museum * Christ Church Cathedral * The Cistern * Cochinita & Co. * Community Artists' Collective * Cuchara Restaurant * Czech Center Museum * Dan Electro's * Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall * Discovery Green * East End * Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary * Eleanor Tinsley Park * Epicure Café * Esplanade at Navigation * Eugene's Gulf Coast * Evelyn's Park * Foelber Pottery * Foltz Fine Art Gallery * French Country Wines * French Riviera Bakery * Glenwood Cemetary * Gypsy Poet * Harwin Drive * Health Museum * Hermann Park * Holocaust Museum Houston * Houston Arboretum and Nature Center * Houston Botanic Garden * Houston Center for Contemporary Craft * Houston Center for Photography * Houston Farmers Market * Houston Heights * Houston Museum and Theatre Districts * Houston Museum of Natural Science * Houston Ship Channel * Houston Zoo * Kinder HSPVA * Hughies Tavern and Vietnamese Grill * Hugo's Restaurant * Huynh Restaurant * James Turrell Twilight Epiphany Skyspace (closed until spring 2025) * Jones Hall * Kaboom Books * La Carafe Bar * La Madeleine * Lake Houston Wilderness Park * Lymbar * Market Square Park * McGonigal's Mucky Duck * Mean Grill * Memorial Park * Menil Collection * Menil Drawing Institute * Mid Main * Midtown Arts & Theatre Center (MATCH) * Miller Outdoor Theatre * Move One Place On statue (Evelyn's Park) * Murder by the Book * The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston * National Museum of Funeral History * notsuoH * Orange Show Monument & Smither Park * Original Ninfa's on Navigation * Pondicheri * Pontoon Boats on Buffalo Bayou * POST Houston * Project Row Houses * Reza Persian Grill * Rice University & Fondren Library * River Oaks homes * River Oaks Theatre * Saint Arnold Brewing Company * Shepherd School of Music * Space Center Houston * Spindletop at Hyatt Regency * Taqueria Del Sol * Terry Hershey Park * Tres Chic on Eastside Street * Unity of Houston * University of St. Thomas * Vibrant * Warren's Inn * Waterwall Park * Waugh Drive Bat Bridge

Click on each image below for my ROUND-UPS!

One more thing before I go:

If you'd like to support my passion to amplify our community of artists, nature spots, farmers markets, vegan eating, indie bookstores, and arts & culture organizations, click here to donate ANY amount of money to my company using your credit card or PayPal account. Please note that your donation is not tax deductible.

You can also pay me via Venmo (@Sarah-Gish) or Zelle (713 492 1173). Or, if you'd prefer to snail mail me a check, that's great! Please make the check payable to Gish Creative and mail it to: Gish Creative, 1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116, Houston, Texas 77057.

Thank you so much!

Alrighty -- time to log off and go enjoy Houston!

Sarah Gish

www.IgniteYourOwnLife.com

713.492.1173