Houston - Things to Do - Attractions Overview

There's no shortage of things to do in Houston; just check the listings in the free Houston Press ( www.houstonpress.com ). Cajun and zydeco music have been significant in the city since a wave of migration from rural Louisiana in the early 1960s; and there's a strong blues tradition, while rootsy Texan country is another favorite. The Montrose area supports a very visible gay scene, and most of the clubs tend to be very male-dominated. Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park, at 2020 Hermann Drive (tel 713/284-8354), has free symphony concerts, swing and opera on summer evenings, a "Juneteenth Blues" festival and a Shakespeare Festival in August. Downtown's Theatre District holds considerable options including the nationally renowned Alley Theater at 615 Texas Ave (tel 713/228-8421, www.alleytheatre.org ), which offers last-minute discount seats, and the Wortham Theater Center , on the same street, is home to Houston's opera and ballet companies. Bayou Place at Bagby between Texas and Capitol streets, is a relatively new and ever-expanding entertainment and restaurant complex that used to be a convention hall; one of its more interesting residents is the Angelika Film Center (tel 713/2255232, www.angelika.com ), a multiscreen cinema complex that shows many art movies and has a good late night coffee house.