fun in Houston this summer

There are lots of places to have fun in Houston this summer for little or no money, to fight off the blues, boredom or the blahs. Most Houston events are easily accessible by bus which not only reduces your carbon footprint, but can be entertaining.

The best part of traveling on public transportation is the people you will see, meet and discover along the way. Old classmates, friends and former co-workers whose faces and conversations will flood your brain with sweet memories.

Free Things To Do In Houston

All year long you can find tons of free things to do in Houston. Many of the places offer more of them during the summer than other times of the year. This is an abbreviated list of some of the favorites.

Free films screening
Free concerts
Houston art exhibits
Parks in Houston
Theater performances
Gratis museum admission
No-cost classes
Port of Houston tour
Civic events- Jones plaza
Get popular CD/DVDs
Free Film Screenings

Some of the films that are shown are oldies but goodies, Texas made short films and foreign productions with subtitles. It's worth your time to check them out, just visit any of the venues below.

Domy Books
Dean's Credit Clothing
Rice Media Center
Project Row House
Museum Of Fine Arts
Aurora Picture Show
Houston Public Library
Discovery Green
Free Concerts

These are the best place to catch some of the top music acts in the country, that come to Houston to perform at shows where that don't charge an admission fee.

Miller Outdoor Theater
Discovery Green
Jones Plaza
Tom Bass Park
Free Art Exhibits In Houston

Art is all around you in Houston. You'll see it along bike and hike trails on Buffalo Bayou, inside of Hobby airport and on the walls of hospitals. It's a community resource that you can see and appreciate at no-cost-to-you in a variety of settings.

Municipal Art Collection
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Project Row House
Parks in Houston

Houston has tons of greenspaces and parks. If you want to use a covered pavilion or make sure you can get a spot on holidays, make sure you call and reserve it in advance.

City of Houston Parks and Recreation
Harris County Parks
State Parks
Skate Parks
Metropolitan Multi-Service Center ( handicap accessible pools and gym )-West Gray
Where To Catch Free Theater Performances

Houston is a city where people love their basketball team as much as they do their ballet troupe. The Arts Alliance has done a great job of making sure that symphony, ballet and opera performances can be viewed by as many people as possible, by hosting free performances on public stages and throwing open the doors to the Theater District for a open house each year.

Miller Outdoor Theater

Annual Theater District Open House

Free Museums In Houston

If you're seeking refugee from the heat on a hot summer day with a rowdy group, you should take them to a museum. There is no charge to check out some of the fabulous works in the avant-garde collections, on display, at unique museums in Houston that will pique the interest of even the youngest members in the bunch.

Contemporary Arts Museum
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Children's Museums-(free on Thursdays)
Heritage Society Museum
The Weather Museum
Free classes in Houston

Learning can be both entertaining and recreational depending on the subject matter. Try any of these no cost classes in Houston they can either enrich your mind, body or pocket-book.

Pilate's exercise group
Zumba class
Internet marketing class
Dance classes
African Drumming class
Tour Houston Ship Channel

With the Gulf of Mexico so close, tankers and marine vessels of all sizes can pull into the deep waters at the port of Houston. You can see them up close on a free pleasure boat tour of the port, reservations are required.

Attend Gratis Civic Events

Jones Plaza, the area near Houston's city hall, is a favorite gathering place and ideal backdrop for concerts, exhibits and small street festivals. There are several annual events held in the downtown plaza and other places around the city that won't cost you a cent.

Jones Plaza

Freedom over Texas

Via Colori

How To Watch CD/DVD At No Charge In Houston

The entire video, audio and games collection of the library is available to checkout freely, by going to any of the dozens of local branches.

Houston Public Library

No-cost Activities In Houston

These 10 aren't the only things to do in Houston for free this summer, just some of the fun stuff you can do. It would take all summer long, just to tell you about each of these splendid places. However you can check the archive on Midtownlive and find plenty of details on any of theses.

If you plan to attend any these "gratis events in Houston" and you're unsure about directions, parking, or whether you can bring your recliner with you? You'll find the answer to lots of your questions at Midtownlive.

E J Jolivet writes about free events in Houston and the top entertainment happening in the city. His blog Midtownlive is an online destination for professional looking for exciting, enriching and entertaining things to do and the best of "everything Houston". They get the 411 on everything he's discovered from the best apts and networking mixers to fun Houston tours.