Things to do in Montrose, with kids!

Here are the things to do in Montrose, with kids!

Montrose is my part of town. I live in a tiny little house that is overflowing with kids so I can stay in this great neighborhood. And I'm not the only one... 13 years ago I had the only kids on the block... today the street is full of young families.

Very roughly, I'll define Montrose as being between Buffalo Bayou and I59/69 and Shepherd and Taft. (I know it's rough and a few recommendations are just outside, but let's just go with it!)

Look below for the best things to do in Montrose with kids.

Jump to:

• Menil Collection Campus
• Buffalo Bayou
• Parks
• Murals
• More to do
• Montrose Map

Menil Collection Campus

If you are only going to one place in Montrose, go here.

The Menil Collection is an art museum with free admission. And what makes it even better is the outdoor space.

People are always playing, having picnics, doing yoga or taking pictures on the campus. You can relax on the museum lawn, in the Menil Park and in the big open field by the drawing institute.

Look for the in-ground land art in the lawn of the main building or in the gravel by the Drawing Institute. We call these the zigzags and could spend forever in them.

Right next to the Menil is the Rothko Chapel, the University of St. Thomas and the Houston Center for Photography. You can easily walk to each of these from the Menil.

The Rothko Chapel has free admission and more great outdoor space. The University of St. Thomas also has green lawns, a cool mural and a labyrinth to explore. The Center for Photography is also free and has rotating exhibits.

The Menil campus has free parking on the street and in the lots.

Buffalo Bayou

Along the northern edge of Montrose is beautiful Buffalo Bayou. Go for a walk or watch hundreds of thousands of bats emerge at dusk.

The trails open for walkers, runners and bikers and are very popular outside working hours. You could walk all the way to downtown if you were so inclined.

The Waugh Bridge Bat Colony is a colony of more than 250,000 Mexican free-tailed bats. At dusk you will see people waiting to see them emerge from crevices in the Waugh Drive Bridge and fly towards downtown.

Also at Buffalo Bayou Park is the awesome Fish Family Play Area. It is technically outside of the Montrose boundaries, but if you at the bayou already, you really need to see it. The nature-scape play area is unusual and a lot of fun.

Parks

The Menil campus has room to run, but there are also playgrounds in Montrose.

Ervan Chew Park has a shaded playground and a splashpad. Just find the button to turn it on.

Cherryhurst Park has big trees and a playground as well.

You can find all the parks in the area by going to our city-wide park map, HERE.

And even through it's just outside Montrose, you might want to check out the old school equipment, under giant oak trees, at Fleming Park.

Murals

Looking for murals has become one of our favorite activities because it is easy, free and away from crowds.

Montrose has some great spots, including the Montrose Paint Wall, Central Houston Animal Hospital and more.

You can find all the nearby murals in the area by going to our city-wide mural map, HERE.

More to do

Stop by Honey Art Cafe for snack and an art class.

And stop and wave at the firefighters at Fire Station 16. Bring them some cookies and see if they remember little Fireman Joe from 10 years ago. (We used to go daily. And that is no exaggeration.)

Or make the short drive over to Levy Park. The playground has equipment unlike any other.

Or make the short drive, in the other direction, to the Museum District, Hermann Park and the Houston Zoo. The Houston Museum of Natural Science is my favorite.

Or go to Mia's Table. It's family friendly, has good food and has a great patio.

And finally, here's a little more about Montrose in an old One Square Mile series about Texas:

Montrose Map