Monthly Specials
All monthly specials are 2.5-hour walking tours. These should be scheduled with a non-refundable deposit of roughly 50% paid to reserve the tour at least one week in advance; however, you can call up to the day of the tour to see if openings still exist.
All daytime tours start at 10:00 AM. The night Haunted and Historic Tour in April begins at 7:30 PM.
Starting addresses and parking information are given in most the tour descriptions below. Write to us for the starting locations for the tours in February, March, and November.
The downtown walking tours in May and June, September, and October all begin in the rotunda, located on the first floor of the City Hall building at 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002. Street parking is available at meters in the 500 block of Walker Street and Rusk Street. Covered parking is available under Tranquility Park; use the fictitious address of 510 Rusk Street in a real GPS to find the entrance on the right side.
The nighttime downtown haunted tours in April begins in front of the abandoned, former Spaghetti Warehouse at 901 Commerce Street, Houston, Texas 77002 at 7:30 PM.
Metered parking is free on Sundays and after 6:00 PM on Monday through Saturday.
Remember that all walking tours only move as fast as the slowest person and if a party arrives late for the start of the tour, sites will have to be deleted.
Prices (along with the totals including sales tax and gratuity for 1 to 5 people):
- 1 person – $40.00. This is between a 43 to 50% discount, depending on the tour.
$40.00 + $3.30 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $43.30 Total. - 2 people – $30.00 each. This is between a 25 to 54% discount depending on the tour.
$30.00 + $2.48 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $32.48 per person x 2 people = $64.96 Total. - 3 or 4 people – $25.00 each. This is between a 17 to 50% discount depending on the tour.
$25.00 + $2.07 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $27.07 per person.
$27.07 per person x 3 people = $81.21 Total.
$27.07 per person x 4 people = $108.28 Total. - 5 to 9 people – $20.00 each. This is a 20 to 43% discount depending on the tour.
$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $21.65 per person. $21.65 x 5 people = $108.25.
$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $3.00 (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $24.65 per
person x 6, 7, 8, or 9 people. - 10 to 19 people – $15.00 each. This is a 25 to 40% discount depending on the tour.
Add 8.25% sales tax and for groups of 6 or more people a 15% gratuity.
These prices cannot be combined with any other offer.
A maximum of 15 people can go on the Texas Medical Center (TMC) walking tours.
Here is a brief identification of each month's special. Click each month for more details.
- January — 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM Tuesday through Saturday only – Montrose Area Museum District Tour.
- February —10:00 AM – 12:30 PM, Monday through Saturday only – The Rice Village and Rice University Tour.
- March —10:00 AM – 12:30 PM, Tuesday through Saturday only – Art Galleries Tour.
- April —7:30 – 10:00 PM, on any night – Downtown Haunted and Historical Tour.
- May —10:00 AM – 12:30 PM, Monday through Friday only – Tunnel Tour A.
- June —10:00 AM – 12:30 PM, Monday through Friday only – Tunnel Tour B.
- July — 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM, on any day – Texas Medical Center Walking Tour B.
- August —10:00 AM – 12:30 PM, on any day – Texas Medical Center Walking Tour C.
- September — 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM, Monday through Friday only – Tunnel Tour C.
- October —10:00 AM – 12:30 PM, on any day – Downtown Walking Tour D.
- November —10:00 AM – 12:30 PM, on any day – Heights Walking Tour.
- December —10:00 AM – 12:30 PM, on any day – Hermann Park Walking Tour.
The starting addresses are given in the descriptions for nine of the twelve tours: #1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12.
January
From 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM on Tuesday through Saturday – Montrose Area Museum District Walking Tour.
You could potentially go inside about one dozen museums, art galleries, and chapels that are all FREE. These include:
- The Dan Flavin Installation.
- The Cy Twombly Gallery.
- The Menil Collection.
- The Watercolor Art Society.
- The Houston Center for Photography.
- The Rothko Chapel.
- The Chapel of Saint Basil.
- The former Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum.
- The Neon Gallery.
- The University of St. Thomas Art Gallery.
- Other art galleries.
If nothing else, this area is a quiet and beautiful neighborhood full of oak trees. If you do not focus on trying to get into every museum, gallery, and chapel, a pleasant and relaxing walk awaits you. The tour starts at the free parking lot pathway that leads to Sul Ross Street. The parking lot has two access points: 1515 West Alabama Street, Houston, Texas 77006 and 3808 Mulberry Street, Houston, Texas 77006.
February
From 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM on Monday through Saturday – Rice Village and Rice University Walking Tour.
This will give you opportunities to go into various boutiques and restaurants in the Village, see the statue of William Marsh Rice that rests over his cremated ashes, various buildings on the Rice campus including the performance arts hall, the movie theater, and the student center.
March
from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM on Tuesday through Saturday – Art Galleries Walking Tour.
You go into numerous art galleries. This tour varies as Houston has collections of art galleries in different neighborhoods.
April
From 7:30 to 10:00 PM on any night – Downtown Haunted and Historic Tour
This tour starts outside the abandoned, former Spaghetti Warehouse at 901 Commerce Street, Houston, Texas 77002. You will see:
- The abandoned Spaghetti Warehouse – built in circa 1903. This had been a warehouse in its early years. This was said to be haunted.
- The abandoned Brewery Tap, AlJ, Magnolia Ballroom, and Kryptonite – built in 1912, the building was a speakeasy during the era of Prohibition when a bootlegger was killed here. It was inundated with water from Hurricane Harvey from August 25 to 29, 2017. This was said to be haunted.
- See the former sidewalk of Houston circa 1903, now in front of the basement of the former Spaghetti Warehouse before the city was raised about 10 feet/3 meters around 1914.
- See the remnants of a historic 1890s bridge before Houston was raised around 1914.
- The Donnellan Crypt – 4 people were buried in this historic vault between 1849 and 1867 some 30 feet/10 meters below where Houston is now located.
- La Carafe – the oldest bar in downtown Houston in the oldest building in downtown Houston dating to 1860. This is said to be haunted.
- Baker Building – the second oldest building in downtown Houston, dating to 1861.
- Market Square Park – it was redesigned in 2007. This was the site of the first four city halls of Houston from 1841 to 1939. It has 9/11 memorials to a local victim who was on UA Flight 93 and to the overall victims. A Greek restaurant, works of art, old photos and more are in the park.
- The last former one screen movie theater in Houston. It was named The Ritz and opened in 1926. It is now a rental facility.
- The original Sweeney’s Jewelry Store – built in 1889, it looks like a cave inside.
- The site of the former White House of Texas where Presidents Sam Houston and Mirabeau Lamar lived in the 1830s. The current building on the site was erected in 1909 and the first Houston building designed by a world-recognized architect, Daniel Burnham.
- The biggest mosque in Houston in what was the old Houston National Bank. It was erected in 1928. Hakeem Olajuwon bought the abandoned bank building in 1994 and it opened as a mosque in 2002.
- The site where the Allen family first landed and settled Houston in August 1836. This is the oldest part of developed Houston.
- And more depending on how fast everyone walks.
May
From 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM on Monday through Friday – Tunnel Tour A.
The focus of this tour is to go into historic buildings of the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, and 1970s and learn about the history, architects, architecture, building use, styles, and more. This tunnel tour has the least amount of walking as we spend more time in historic buildings. This tour starts in the rotunda, located on the first floor of the City Hall building at 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002.
June
From 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM on Monday through Friday – Tunnel Tour B.
The focus on this tour is to see many retail stores and restaurants, to also walk through four skybridges over streets, tunnels, and to go to observation decks on the 59th and 58th floors. This tour starts in the rotunda, located on the first floor of the City Hall building at 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002.
July
From 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM on any day – Texas Medical Center (TMC) Tour B.
This is the most popular of our 3 TMC walking tours. We go through Texas Children’s Hospital, St. Luke’s Hospital, and the Methodist Hospital of Houston. It also goes through a few other facilities. It includes tunnels that were filled with water during Tropical Allison on June 9, 2001 and goes through approximately 7 skybridges. It includes seeing waterfalls, an atrium, a miniature train layout, and much more that you might not expect to see in hospitals. The front of The Methodist Hospital looks like an exquisite hotel with fountains, statutes, a huge ceiling, and a grand piano. It starts in the first floor lobby of the Clinical Care Center (CCC) of Texas Children’s Hospital at 6701 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030. This is off of Bates Street, Entrance #10 and the closet parking is Garage 16. From Fannin Street, one can only enter from the south.
August
From 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM on any day – Texas Medical Center (TMC) Tour C.
This is the second most popular of our 3 TMC walking tours. It has the most walking. However, you will have an option to ride on a golf cart for a small portion of the tour for about 0.33 miles/0.5 kilometers. This is a tour of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. It includes going through the Duncan Building, Mays Clinic, Pickens Tower, Faculty Tower, Jesse H. Jones Rotary House, Main Building, and more. This includes two chapels, six aquariums, a massive atrium known as The Park, a gazebo, a huge tree sculpture, roof-top lounges, one art gallery, a waterfall, and scattered art throughout the halls. Opportunities exist to take photos of the skyline of the Texas Medical Center. The tour begins at the Patient Drop-off area on the third level of the Parking Garage 10 at 6700 MD Anderson Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77030. This is north of Holcombe Boulevard. The alcove area has three benches that can each accommodate about four persons for a total of twelve people.
September
From 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM on Monday through Friday – Tunnel Tour C.
The focus of this tour is to go through many energy related business buildings, 3 hotels, skybridges, tunnels, and an observation deck on the 12th floor. This tour has the most walking of any of our downtown tunnel tours. This tour starts in the rotunda, located on the first floor of the City Hall building at 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002.
October
from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM on any day – Downtown Walking Tour D.
The focus of this tour is Buffalo Bayou, 6 performance halls, statues, parks, and historic sites and buildings. This tour starts in the rotunda, located on the first floor of the City Hall building at 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002. This includes:
- The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
- The Wortham Theatre Center
- Houston Ballet Center for Dance
- Bayou Place with the Bayou Music Center, numerous restaurants, and a memorial to former US Congressman Albert Thomas
- The Alley Theatre
- Jones Hall
- Hogg Palace
- Buffalo Bayou Beast (our own pretend creation of a Loch Ness monster)
- Tranquility Park
- Sesquicentennial Park
- Market Square Park
- Statue of In Minds
- Statue of George H. W. Bush
- Statue of James Baker, III
- Statue of Virtuoso
November
From 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM on any day – Heights Walking Tour.
This can vary from one year to the next. Will we walk through Houston Heights, Independence Heights, Woodland Heights, Memorial Heights, Stone Heights, Sawyer Heights, Washington Heights, or a combination? Tell us what you want.
December
from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM on any day – Hermann Park Walking Tour.
This tour begins in front of the Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion that leads into the McGovern Centennial Gardens. Free parking is available at this site. The address is 1500 Hermann Drive, Houston, Texas 77004. The entrance is across the street from Crawford Street and the John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science, also known as The Health Museum. Some of the highlights are:
- Stroll through the Japanese Gardens.
- Stroll through the Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion and the McGovern Centennial Gardens.
- Climb the helix hill that resembles the Tower of Babel.
- Relax by McGovern Lake and watch the birds.
- Walk by the Houston Zoo.
- Watch parents and children on the Hermann Park Railroad.
- Watch up to 4 riders per boat taking 30-minute pedal boat rides.
- See our smaller version of the Washington Monument.
- Visit Miller Outdoor Theatre (MOT).
- See the statue of General Sam Houston on his horse.
- See statues of three men of peace: Martin Luther King, Jr., Mohandas Gandhi, and Confucius.
- See the statue of Charles Dicken’s character of Oliver Twist.
- See busts of 9 Latin American explorers and liberators from the 1400s to the 1800s: Simon Bolivar, Cabeza de Vaca, Ramon Castilla y Marquesado, Benito Juarez, Jose Marti, Bernardo O’Higgins, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, Vicente Rocafuerte, and Jose de San Martin.
- See a bust of the poet laureate from Scotland: Robert Burns.
- Walk over the Tiffany & Company Foundation Bridge.
- Walk into the Chinese Friendship Pagoda.
- Walk by the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS).
- See the 3 Mecom Fountains.
- See the holiday decorations in the park.