Pick Midtown or the Museum District as your base

Hotel Icon on Main Street occupies the former Union National Bank Building, a skyscraper from the early 1910s and one of the country's early concrete and steel towers. It became a hotel in 2004 after a long restoration and keeps period ironwork and columns in the public spaces. It sits next to the light rail line…

Every October, Memorial Park fills with hundreds of artists at the Bayou City Art Festival, an outdoor show that has run for more than 50 years. Booths show original work across many media, with food, entertainment and family activities alongside. It usually falls around mid-October, so confirm the dates on the…

Each October the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Montrose hosts the Original Greek Festival, a three-day event with Greek food and pastries, live music, traditional dancing, a marketplace and church tours. The festival site lists a free-admission window on Friday afternoon. Arrive hungry, join a cathedral…

The Continental Club opened in Houston around the year 2000 in a vintage building on Main Street south of downtown, as a sister of the Austin original. It books roots rock, rockabilly, Gulf Coast soul and Texas bands, and next door Shoeshine Charley's Big Top Lounge is a smaller room with circus-style murals. Check…

Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park stages free concerts, dance, theater and film. The lawn, called The Hill, needs no ticket and holds thousands, while the covered seats are also free but assigned, with tickets released online the day before each show. Bring a blanket and arrive early for a good lawn spot. A…

Urban Harvest's Eastside Farmers Market runs every Saturday morning, all year and rain or shine, in a parking lot at 3000 Richmond. Vendors sell produce, eggs, cheese, bread, honey, coffee, plants and prepared food. Most take cards, though many still prefer cash, so bring a few small bills. Go early for the best…

Traders Village in northwest Houston is a huge weekend flea market with more than 1,500 vendors selling antiques, clothes, plants, records and collectibles. It is open Saturdays and Sundays only, and there is a parking fee on site. Arrive by mid-morning for the best choice and cooler air, wear comfortable shoes, and…

Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park in Uptown wraps a 64-foot curved wall of water in a canopy of live oaks, and the mist is a cool break on a hot day. The park is free and open daily from morning until evening. Go on a weekday morning for fewer people in your frame, or late afternoon when light filters through the trees…