Hermann Park

Inner Loop

December 13, 2020

Hermann Park is our all-time favorite park in Houston! There’s so much to do here! Scroll through our list of attractions below for tips on visit this amazing Houston park.

What to Know Before Getting Here:

This park is entirely FREE, except for two attractions: the railroad train and paddleboating. Even the gorgeous gardens (Japanese and Centennial Gardens) are free!
Parking can get very busy (especially during summer Miller shows). We like parking at the Centennial Gardens. I’ve never seen anyone get towed or ticketed parking there. It’s usually easier to get in and out of compared to the main parking lot by the Houston Zoo, but it is smaller than this parking lot.

GUIDE TO OUR FAVORITE ATTRACTIONS:

Miller Outdoor Theater – The Miller Theater offers FREE shows that occur on weekends usually in the summer. You can come early that same day to get a free ticket to get covered seating or sit on the hill. These shows are top notch! We’ve seen plays, dance performances, and concerts here. Depending on the show, it can get busy even when it’s scorching hot outside. Unfortunately, during the pandemic Miller Outdoor Theater shows have been cancelled until further notice.

The Miller Outdoor Theater hill has been walled off by yellow tape

The Hermann Park Railroad – This is a fun one for the kids! For just $3.75 per person you can take the cute train through the park.

Paddleboating – For $12, you can enjoy 30 minutes paddling the small man-made lake here. It’s fun, but know that the lake is small. This one is a good activities for the kids. Just stay away from the splash zone where the fountain is in the middle of the lake.

Walking trails – The park offers plenty of trails that will take you between the different attractions. It would take a few hours to walk through all of the trails here.

FREE Events – The park hosts a Japanese Festival is every April and Kite Festival every March. The Japanese Festival is small but be sure to check it out if you’re in the area! The Kite Festival is still on our list to see.

Access to Museums – The park is inside the Museum District so there are plenty of museums nearby! This includes the Health Museum (great for kids, right across from Centennial Gardens), Children’s Museum, HMNS, Houston Zoo, and MFAH a couple of blocks away.

Centennial Gardens – This is a really nice spot within the greater Hermann park that includes a manmade spiral hill with a waterfall, sculptures, rose garden, and community gardens. We typically park at the Centennial Garden parking lot whenever we visit Hermann Park. We wish the hours here would be extended. Centennial Gardens is only open till 7p during the summer and 5p throughout the rest of the year.

Japanese Gardens – This is the older garden that’s been around much longer than Centennial Gardens. It’s just as nice as Centennial Garden, but has a different feel. This one is on the other end of the park by the reflecting pool. There are beautiful bridges, a large koi pond, and flowers depending on which month you are here.