I've run this half marathon just about every year since I moved to Houston, and it's a great race…read more The race occurs every year on the Sunday before Halloween and provides a great warm up option for the Chevron/Aramaco race that occurs in mid-January, known to be the largest sporting event in Houston. The course is pretty flat, making a short loop around downtown before heading out along Allen Parkway and through Memorial Park and back, with only the few rolling hills near Buffalo Bayou park to slow you down. Half marathon runners get the chance to pass through the new Memorial Park tunnels which is a lot of fun. The race also offers a 10K option but these runners turn around at the end of Allen Parkway, missing Memorial Park and the tunnels. This race is also nice as the price is fairly low and includes free race day photos. Score! Having done the race several times, I will say that personally, I feel like I like it a little less since UTHealth has taken over as sponsor. The packet pickup now occurs at their Bellaire clinic and promotes a number of their health screening services. Don't get me wrong, I am all about preventive screening and public health, however I really enjoy packet pick ups as an avenue to check out running vendors to score some fun apparel and accessories. This is no longer offered with UTHealth. It feels very much like an advertising event for their health services. This year too their race day website went down for several hours the night before the race, when everyone wants to review the participant guide. They also promote live tracking, which I signed up to receive notification alerts at significant milestones, however there were no time clocks displayed on the course itself. Most runners have a sports watch or tracking app, however this was a little disappointing. Overall, I'm definitely going to continue to run this race but am a little disappointed with the new race sponsor.

Dang! I wish I knew this place existed a long time ago. Perfect place to play pickle ball in…read moreHouston, especially if outdoor courts don't agree with the weather. Clean interior and friendly service. Plenty of courts to play on and good community of people that range from beginners to advanced. If you are first time, you need to scan a QR code and fill out a bunch of stuff to join. It was $10 for me to join a 3-6 pm slot (as of Jan 2026). Since the slot was in this sort of increment, you get your best value by coming right at 3:00. I pulled my calf muscle in one of the games and they had ice for me. That was nice. Thank you! There is an area for kids, sort of, but not much to do. It's just an open space that's the size of half a court. It has a few crane machines and chairs to lounge on. I recommend them adding a small play set or bounce house for kids. The parents can then set them loose and have fun. Will definitely be coming back!

Diamond Boyz was a nice surprise to know they were very close by. I visited on a Saturday morning,…read morethinking this place would be packed. However when I walked in at 10am, there were only 2 other folks from my group hitting. The whole facility is brand new and took the spot of "Treasurez 4 Less" previously. It has a golf simulator and a fully stocked bar too. I also saw a private room for parties, a backdrop to take pictures at and a few claw machines. Great for kids and crowds and those who aren't there for pickleball. The courts themselves are pretty standard but there aren't any court dividers, easily having your neighbors balls interrupt your game. Still the courts are very nice. I used the Court Reserve app to register for a spot on open courts. I paid and got my receipt via email but to my surprise, when I checked-in in the morning, the dude said I didn't pay yet. I showed him my receipt via email and let me through. Perhaps this is a problem that hasn't been ironed out yet, and non of my friends had the same problem. I'm glad the guy was gracious and polite about it, but it came as a hiccup that shouldn't have been. If you're super serious about pickleball and care about DUPR and ratings, this place isn't for you. However if you're in it for a good time with friends, with easy access to alcohol and other fun things. This is a nice place to spend a few hours. Pricing is $8 at the time we went, lets hope they're able to keep it up.

This park, located at the point where San Felipe splits off from Memorial, features a tree with a…read moreflag on it. From the tree/park's website: "The triangular-shaped fragment of left-over right-of-way was maintained by the community for about thirty years before Harris County Precinct 3 assumed responsibility for it. It is just one and a half acres, a handy rest stop for Piney Point joggers." So...it's a triangular piece of land at an intersection that contains a tree with a flag on it. Not a destination, just a fact.

How this place classifies as a "park" I will never understand. I recently moved and was looking for…read moreparks to walk at and this came up!?! Not sure why exactly as it's definitely not that kind of park.

Pretty spot for disc golf and walking. We did half the 18 holes and then walked the rest. It runs…read morealong Cypress Creek. Pretty scenery.

This place is fine for frisbee golf, but not for anything else. A friend and I took our 2 dogs…read morethere and the terrain was treacherous at times. There's a ravine with water below on the frisbee golf trail. Not safe for animals. I don't plan to return.

Getting back to my Sunday walks...its been a minute so I'm loving the peace and the serenity…read more Saw a deer today but didn't get a picture...so upset sad facin

Solid park in/near Katy where you can get some steps in via a jog/walk along the trail which is…read moremostly shaded by trees. Also has some playgrounds and grass areas to lay out. Most people I saw were walking pets here or taking strolls to clear their minds. Maybe I'll bring my bike here and explore the next time I'm in this area. You'll notice a sign and gate when you turn here. Don't be alarmed, some think you'll be locked in with the gate. I can assure you that won't be the case.

This park is absolutely one of the best parks for walking in peace in an atmosphere that screams…read moresafety and relaxation. You do have very little parking yet there is always some space for you. You can walk the entire course which is about 1.5 miles or make the half way track instead. Both options are great views of the lake and plenty of little ducks in full relaxation mode. You even have a few out there doing some catch and release fishing. One extremely great thing they have here is a full disc golf field located within all this track area. I think very few people know about it as I can count the times with one hand that I've seen people out there taking advantage of this extremely nice park. It also has a play area for the kiddos to climb and run around. It's also great for walking your dog with plenty of bins to pick up your poop and dump it. (Why in my head am I now singing, "back it up and dump it"?) This park is always clean so please if you visit, keep it that way. Stay healthy and Prosper!

Last Saturday, I attended Houston's annual Dragon Boat Festival. It is usually held early May every…read moreyear. The Dragon Boat Festival and Race was away for 3 years while Allen's Landing underwent a major renovation. I was very excited to see the new structures to preserve the historic site and the nature's beauty. The water is never clear in the bayous, but the athletes were very lively paddling each dragon boat. It takes 22 people per dragon boat: 10 sitting on both sides to energize the boat; one drummer in the front provides cadence and one tiller in the back to direct the movement. It takes extreme teamwork to get it moving. The most exciting moment is to race against 2 other boats in a single heat. The festival started at 8:30 and first race at 9 am. In between races, there were entertainments on the stage, food vendors on street level and community booths along park paths. Allen's Landing provided shades under the bridges, mature trees and historic Sunset Coffee Building. A Yelper friend asked where the best place to take better photos is. I found just about everywhere near the race provided great captures. As a spectator, Dragon Boat Festival a great cultural event for the entire family. Prepare to park at a all-day one-fee parking lot, which could cost about $5 to $10 depends on distance to a major venue. I parked at my usual spot by county courthouse and avoid walking on Commerce Street. The park is pretty big. There is a staircase down to the waterside. So you need a pair of good walking shoes and sunblock. ** 7th update of 2017 **

There are so many Festivals in Houston, but I had never so much fun at one…read more Maybe, because this was the first festival that I was actually a participant instead of just an observer. So this festival consists of the actual dragon boat racing, which is done in 3 different rounds, with 3 boats per heat within the round. There are so many varieties of teams from accounting firms, to hospitals, and even churches. It's a good mix of competition but also in good fun. As far as in between the racing there is plenty of entertainment. And what's best is the whole festival is FREE. No cost to enter, nothing extra to watch the festivities, only pay for food. Now on to to the food, there were many different food vendors from banh mi to korean BBQ. As far as the performers, there was cultural dancing along with belly dancing. And to wrap up the day there was an individual along with a team ramen eating contest. Overall, a great way to spend the day.

We have been testing new parks around town and stumbled across this one off of two big roads,…read morenestled behind a high school and in-between different neighborhoods. It is ungated and large, but right on a busy intersection, which is scarier with smaller kids playing everywhere. There are two seating areas, a large one with lots of tables and a smaller one with one table underneath the awnings. There are restroom facilities on location but I did not check to see if they were unlocked (as other reviewer said). There was a small putt-putt area with a flat grassland with lots of holes for playing, but no balls or clubs around. Three large areas of play were set up, each with their own playscapes and smaller amenities. Lots of twirly things for kids to sit, stand, or ride on. Lots of open spaces to run around or fly a kite, maybe?, And sidewalks for kids to ride bikes or scooters. The areas are sort of divided into age groups for recommendations on who should play where to help parents and kids control some of the chaos otherwise. It sort of works but there is still a good smattering of kids of all ages all over. There were only traditional swings with infant seats. They had the giant rope swing thing for older kids, but no regular swings. The parking lot was easy to access and had ample spaces available. They was a lot of people coming and going during spring break. We were here for almost two hours and it didn't get nearly 1/3 as crowded as Exploration Park and was just as fun! The ice cream man with the power ranger sidekick made it to this park, too, and made a killing in sales. Lol. I would recommend this park, but be careful about kids running around because they could wander into the street. The open grassy areas would be great for playing soccer or catch if there was a gate or something to stop kids from bolting after rolling toys, which is the only reason I took one star off of this otherwise beautiful, spacious and fun park.

basketball courts, tennis courts, top notch playground facilities, keycard only bathrooms (boo, bye…read morebye one star), putt putt! sold! parking & multiple covered picnic tables including a mass table array covered. some of the most memorable and amazing equipment i've seen on a playground. too bad it's so far from home.