Houston is not a city people associate with the outdoors, and then they walk Buffalo Bayou Park and change their minds. It is 160 acres of green along the water between downtown and Memorial, with paved and gravel trails on both banks, and the skyline sitting right there behind the trees for the whole length of it.
The full loop from Sabine Street to Shepherd Drive and back is about five miles, mostly flat, and works for running, cycling or a long walk. Bike and kayak rentals are available near the Sabine Street end, and paddling the bayou with skyscrapers on one side and herons on the other is a peculiar and very Houston experience. The Johnny Steele Dog Park is here if you have brought the dog. The Cistern, an underground 1920s water reservoir turned art space, is worth the small ticket price.
Go at dusk if you can. The Waugh Drive bridge is home to a colony of around 250,000 Mexican free-tailed bats which emerge at sunset most nights, and there is a viewing platform.
Early morning and evening are the times, particularly from May to September when the middle of the day is too hot to enjoy. It is a 15-minute drive from our Houston homes; parking at the Lost Lake and Sabine Street lots is free.
