Ms. Chauvin's Ultimate Guide to Cool Stuff in Houston!
Montrose/Museum District Area
Museum of Fine Arts
Museums/Galleries
Coffee Shops/Cafes
Shopping
Fun Places to Photograph
- Museum of Fine Arts (free on Thursdays only)- 1001 Bissonnet
- Contemporary Arts Museum (always free, great gift shop)- 5216 Montrose Boulevard
- Lawndale Art Center (contemporary art space- free)- 4912 Main Street
- Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (free)- 4848 Main Street
- Menil Collection/Twombly Gallery/Rothko Chapel (free)- 1533 Sul Ross
- Houston Center for Photography (free)- 1441 West Alabama
Coffee Shops/Cafes
- Brasil (good pizzas)- 2604 Dunlavy
- Ono Poke- 607 Richmond
- Common Bond Café and Bakery- 1706 Westheimer
- Agora (Greek themed coffee shop)- 1712 Westheimer
- Empire Café (massive pieces of CAKE!)- 1732 Westheimer
- Blacksmith (good biscuits)- 1018 Westheimer
- Black Hole (good desserts)- 4504 Graustark
- Siphon- 701 West Alabama
Shopping
- Texas Art Supply- 2001 Montrose Boulevard
- Space (local handmade stuff)- 1706 Westheimer
- Chocolate Bar (chocolate lover’s paradise)- 1835 West Alabama
- Guild Shop (high end thrift store- closes at 3:30 pm)- 2009 Dunlavy Street
- Blue Bird Circle (high end thrift store)- 615 West Alabama
- Kuhl Linscomb (design shop, a little $$$, but so fabulous!)- 2424 West Alabama
Fun Places to Photograph
- Hermann Park- 6001 Fannin Street
- The Menil Park- 1533 Sul Ross Street
Washington Corridor Area
Buffalo Bayou Cistern
Museums/Galleries
Coffee shops/Cafes
Fun Places to Photograph
- Art Car Museum (free)-140 Heights Boulevard
Coffee shops/Cafes
- Catalina Coffee- 2201 Washington
- El Rey Taqueria (Cuban/Mexican food)- 910 Shepherd at Washington
Fun Places to Photograph
- Glenwood Cemetery (Historic cemetery- Howard Hughes is buried here)- 2525 Washington Avenue
- Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern (Amazing underground man-made cavern- you'll need to purchase tickets in advance on their website, but tickets are free on Thursday)
Midtown/Downtown Area
Discovery Green
Museums/Galleries
Coffee Shops/Cafes
Shopping
Fun Places to Photograph
- Diverseworks (free)- 4102 Fannin
- Inman Gallery/Devin Borden/Art Palace (hip galleries, cool contemporary art)- 3719 Main Street
Coffee Shops/Cafes
- The Honeymoon Café - 300 Main Street
- Underground Hall (kind of a food court, but without the fast food)- 1010 Prairie
- Tout Suite (they have macarons!)-2001 Commerce Street
- Bombay Pizza (Indian food! On a pizza!)- 914 Main Street
- Niko Niko's (Greek food)- 301 Milam Street (in Market Square)
- Les Givral’s (awesome/CHEAP Vietnamese food)- 2704 Milam Street
- Tacos A Go Go (tacos, duh!)- 3704 Main Street
Shopping
- Art Supply on Main- 2711 Main Street
- High Fashion Fabrics (incredible selection of fabric)- 3101 Louisiana
- My Flaming Heart (local handmade stuff, vintage stuff, and jewelry making supplies)- 3622 Main Street
- Sig’s Lagoon (record shop)- 3622 Main Street
Fun Places to Photograph
- Discovery Green (always something fun going on there- check their website for the calendar)- 1500 McKinney Street
- Buffalo Bayou Park
East End Area
Harrisburg Arts Museum
Museums/Galleries
Coffee Shops/Cafes/Shopping
- Harrisburg Arts Museum (graffiti park)- 4200 Harrisburg
- BOX13 ArtSpace (contemporary art space with studios)- 6700 Harrisburg
Coffee Shops/Cafes/Shopping
- Bohemeo's (cool, grungy coffee shop) - 708 Telephone Road
- Coral Sword (coffee shop with games!)- 1318 Telephone Road
- Tout Suite (fancy pants dessert and coffee place)- 2001 Commerce Street
- Texas Art Asylum (assortment of cool old stuff for making art)- 1719 Live Oak Street
Heights Area
19th Street
Coffee shops/Cafes
Shopping
(Note: If you didn’t figure it out already, 19th Street is a great place to find a parking spot and wander around for a bit- plenty of shops/cafes in a few short blocks.)
Fun Places to Photograph
- Antidote Coffee - 729 Studewood Street
- Down House- 1801 Yale Street
- Boomtown Coffee- 242 W. 19th Street
- Torchy’s Tacos - 350 West 19th Street
- Jus' Mac - 2617 Yale Street
- Hugs and Donuts- 1901 N. Shepherd
- Fat Cat Creamery- 1901 N. Shepherd
Shopping
- Heights Vinyl (record shop) - 3122 White Oak
- Vinyl Edge (record shop)- 239 West 19th Street
- Manready Mercantile- (hip “lifestyle” shop with a masculine bent)- 321 West 19th Street
(Note: If you didn’t figure it out already, 19th Street is a great place to find a parking spot and wander around for a bit- plenty of shops/cafes in a few short blocks.)
Fun Places to Photograph
- Heights Boulevard has a bunch of fun sculptures on it, like this one!
- Graffiti Wall
Other Notable Sites Around Houston
- The Orange Show/Smither Park (AMAZING example of visionary art- Will.Blow.Your.Mind.)- 2402 Munger Street
- The National Museum of Funeral History- 415 Barren Springs Drive
- The Beer Can House (another great example of visionary art)- 222 Malone Street
- Harrisburg Art Museum (a graffiti gallery)- 4300 Harrisburg