La Galleria Ristorante Italiano
Memorial Park
6501 Memorial Drive
This park includes more than 1400 acres, with lighted tennis courts, golf
course and driving range, miles of walking/running trails, a restaurant and a
juice bar.
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
1 Westcott
713-639-7750 www.mfah.org/bayoubend
Bayou Bend, the magnificent home of Miss Ima Hogg, is the extraordinary
legacy of a remarkable woman. Best known for her superb collection of American
decorative arts, Miss Hogg was also largely responsible for Bayou Bend's
innovative architecture and breathtaking gardens.
The house, designed by prominent architect John F. Staub, was built between
1927 and 1928 for Miss Hogg and her brothers, William C. and Michael Hogg.
Covered in towering trees and thick undergrowth, the site was, in Miss Hogg's
words, "nothing but a dense thicket." Undaunted, she created a series of gracious
and beautiful gardens that were intended as outdoor rooms for living and
entertaining, not just views to be admired from within the house. But Miss Hogg was
also appreciative of the wilder side of nature, and she always intended that
the surrounding woodlands remain more or less natural, as they are today.
In
1957 Miss Hogg donated her home and her collection to the Museum of Fine Arts,
Houston. Bayou Bend opened to the public in 1966 and stands as one of
Houston's cultural treasures. The collection at Bayou Bend presently contains several
thousand objects installed in some 28 period room settings that showcase
American decorative arts from 1620 through 1870.
Japanese Garden in Hermann Park
The entrance to the park is at the intersection of Main St. and Montrose Blvd. www.houstontx.gov/parks/japanesegarden.html
Hours: 10am-6pm Spring/Summer
10am-5pm Fall/Winter
Nestled in a pine grove near the Sam Houston Monument in Hermann Park, an
island of serenity known as the Japanese Garden welcomes visitors. Designed by
world-renowned Japanese landscape architect Ken Nakajima, the garden was built
to symbolize the friendship between Japan and the United States, and to
recognize Houston's thriving Japanese community.
The Japanese Garden in Hermann Park is built in the Daimyo Style, a
traditional design that dates back to the 17th, 18th, and 19th Century stroll
gardens.
Like most stroll gardens, this five-acre oasis is designed around a sequence
of landscape elements, which combine together to create a work of living art. It exemplifies the philosophical and artistic attitude of the designer and
combines elegant simplicity with traditional design to fit in harmony with the
park's topography and Texas roots.
River Oaks www.riveroaks.com
River Oaks, a sprawling elite enclave of grand old homes and newer mansions
developed in the 1920s, is located just a few miles from downtown Houston and
makes a delightful sightseeing drive for visitors. From downtown, take Allen
Parkway west, cross Shepard Drive; as you enter River Oaks, the street name
changes to Kirby Drive.
