Houston’s arts scene has never been louder, brighter, or more alive—and this week, it takes center stage with the arrival of the first Untitled Art Fair Houston. The international fair, which runs from September 19 to 21 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston, underscores what locals already know: Creativity here runs deep, from world-class museums and celebrated theaters to intimate galleries and experimental stages. But to truly understand the city’s cultural heartbeat, you have to ask the people who shape it. We turned to Houston insiders—creatives, curators, community leaders, and tastemakers—to share their favorite spots and standout cultural moments. Together, their picks trace a map of a Houston that’s dynamic, surprising, and unmistakably its own.
Gin Braverman, Founder and Creative Director, Gin Design Group
I love the energy and people watching at Axelrad, which classifies itself as a beer garden but has evolved into a performance venue, vendor market, artistic enclave, and community hub. The programming is always fresh, thanks to owners Adam Brackman and Monte Large’s impeccable taste. The List in East Downtown Houston has recently moved into an architectural gem: a three-story, limestone-clad, 1940s former office building, where the original wood paneling will knock your socks off. The spaces now hold an art gallery, coffee shop, film lab, and bodega. The bookstore has a well‑curated selection, especially from indie and BIPOC creators. On the second level Room 8o8 is a micro cocktail bar and intimate venue that hosts unique events. My favorite bookstore, Kindred Stories, celebrates Black authors and especially women’s stories. It’s housed in The Eldorado Ballroom’s white stucco Art Moderne building. Originally an elegant nightclub for the local Black community, it was recently restored to hold an event space, rotating art exhibitions, a café, and an indie market run by chef Chris Williams.
Post is a Cold War–era post office that has been transformed into a campus of cultural venues by infinitely imaginative local developer Kirby Liu. Within the structure reimagined by OMA is 713 Music Hall, coworking spaces, a food hall managed by chef Paul Qui, and Art Club, an immersive new-media experience that weaves guests through experiential exhibitions in the building’s former underground bomb shelters and culminates in an intimate music venue. Small in footprint but radical in impact, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft in the Museum District pushes the conversation on what craft and contemporary art can be. I’m drawn to its exhibitions that spotlight textiles and mixed media, often through a distinctly feminist lens. A small boutique showcases the products put forth by their community, and the monthly open studios invite visitors to step inside the making process.
Bao Ong, Restaurant Critic, Houston Chronicle
Houston offers seemingly endless options for Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, but the James Beard– and Michelin-recognized Casaema stands out by sourcing top-quality coffee, cooking with heirloom corn, and baking inventive pastries you won’t find anywhere else in Space City. If I could, I’d start every morning with a cinnamon-scented café de olla alongside a carrot taco and a horchata-filled berlinesa. Then I’d head to Rienzi, a 1950s cotton candy pink mansion tucked away in the upscale River Oaks neighborhood. An extension of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Rienzi offers self-guided tours through rooms filled with European decorative art and manicured gardens stretching nearly four acres. September is still quite warm in Houston, but the evenings often carry the first hints of fall. Miller Outdoor Theatre provides free performances year-round; I recently enjoyed a concert there by award-winning singer Lea Salonga while picnicking with friends. If you’re visiting in the spring, the Art Car Parade is a quintessential Houston experience. The vibrant street festival showcases wildly imaginative vehicles, from a Fruitmobile decked out in plastic produce to a 12-foot skeleton perched atop a sedan.
Ryan N. Dennis, Codirector and Chief Curator, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
Houston is a city alive with cultural richness—home to extraordinary artists, world-class museums, vibrant community organizations, and some of the best food you’ll ever find. A few of my personal favorites include Kindred Stories, a Black-owned community bookstore founded by Terri Hamm in Third Ward, not far from my old stomping grounds at Project Row Houses—another must-see destination. I always encourage visitors to spend time at the Menil Collection campus. One of the spaces that continues to inspire me is the Cy Twombly Gallery, and ever since I worked there nearly 20 years ago, I’ve cherished the quiet intimacy of the Witnesses room tucked within the Surrealism galleries. Another gem is SANMAN Studios (short for “see a need, meet a need”), a hub of creative vibrancy. It not only provides an exhibition space for local and emerging Black artists but also offers residency studios, a new coffee bar, a speakeasy, and The Reading Room, an independent reference library for Black art and culture founded by Amarie Gipson.
Christine Gervais, Director, Rienzi
As someone really interested in the preservation of the built environment, I always recommend a visit to the Cistern. It is exactly what you think it sounds like and yet not. Instead of bulldozing the former drinking-water reservoir built in 1926 for the city of Houston, it was restored. It is majestic and eerie, and its columns make you feel like you are in the Temple of Karnak rather than on the bayou in Houston. You can go for tours, performances, art installations, or one of their weekly sound meditations.
One of the things we do a lot at Rienzi is discover the peculiar histories of food and drink. Every year, we host a historic dinner in partnership with an interesting restaurant, exploring the history of a specific alcohol through four courses. This year we had a fantastic time sipping gin with The Marigold Club, which is part of a Michelin-starred group. Walking into the restaurant is like stepping into London’s Savoy in the 1920s. Go for a chichi cocktail or equally chic afternoon tea.
To gain a deeper understanding of Houston’s roots, I recommend a tour of Freedman’s Town. The district was created just after the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865, the day we now celebrate as Juneteenth.
Omar Samji, Outreach Coordinator, The Ismaili Center
The Hossein Afshar Galleries for Art of the Islamic Worlds at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, are my secret antidote to a hectic week. I linger over intricate tiles, shimmering manuscripts, and centuries-old metalwork; every object feels alive with history. The space itself is calm, almost reverent, and I always leave carrying some of that stillness with me. Contemporary Arts Museum Houston keeps me on my toes. The exhibitions are bold, restless, and often revelatory, bringing voices from around the world into Houston’s orbit. I never know exactly what I’ll encounter, which is precisely why I keep returning.
Whenever I need to reset, I head to the Menil Collection. The soft natural light, the quiet neighborhood setting, and the mix of ancient and modern works create an atmosphere unlike anywhere else in Houston. I often come just to think; it’s art as sanctuary. The Houston Botanic Garden’s Global Collection Garden is pure escape. Walking among figs, palms, and fragrant herbs, you could just as easily be in a faraway landscape as a few miles from downtown. It’s the perfect place to slow down and remember the beauty of connection across worlds. A little west of downtown, the Turquoise Center feels like stepping into a different rhythm. Festivals, art shows, and cooking classes spill over with warmth, and the architecture itself glows at sunset. It’s one of those places where culture isn’t curated; it’s lived.
Lisa Lee, Managing Partner and Co-owner, Agnes and Sherman
Can you get any more Houston than Viet-Tex barbecue? The food at Khói Barbecue is not to be missed. Chomping on wok-fired rau muông (water spinach), direct heat pork ribs, and bò lá lót links in Khói’s yard feels like one big family reunion, especially with the owners, Don and Theo Nguyen, welcoming you with smiles and smoked meats. From the beef-rib curry to the broken-rice pork hash, it’s soul-satisfying food served in a place that feels so uniquely Houston. Blacksmith is a hip, unpretentious coffee spot where I always bump into industry folks. My usual cup of drip and arugula salad hit the spot every time. I never leave without one of pastry chef Christina Au’s individually packed banana breads.
Lonny is one of the most exciting DJs blasting from my TV nowadays. You can catch him live at the music and art experience Nights Like This, which provides dope music and a vibing late-night community. There’s always so much to see and touch at AG Antiques on 19th Street in the Heights. From old periodicals to glamorous platters, it’s the spot to find something unique.
I spend my downtime at Brazos Bookstore. Founded in 1974, Brazos is one of the few independent bookstores now run by a co-op of book lovers. I recently attended a talk with one of my favorite poet-authors, Ocean Vuong, at the beautiful Christ Church Cathedral. I felt eternally grateful for places like Brazos that support writers and readers of color, especially during this fraught time.
Michael Slenske, Director, Untitled Art, Houston
Whenever I’m in Houston, I’m based at La Colombe d’Or, the city’s original family-run art hotel. It’s modeled after the storied inn in Saint Paul de Vence, the one where Matisse and Picasso used to trade art for tabs, though the Texas version has its own eccentric charm. From there, it’s a short walk over to the Rothko Chapel, which I treat like a reset button. It’s the first stop on every trip—a meditative space to clear the mental palette before diving into the work of the day. A few blocks over is the Menil Collection, and this last trip I was especially drawn in by Francesca Fuchs’s new show, The Space Between Looking and Loving. Francesca’s a dear friend, and the way she’s responded to the interiors of the de Menil House in this body of work feels especially tender and poetic. If I’ve got the time (and the steps left in me), I’ll swing over to CAMH, which recently staged Vincent Valdez’s Just A Dream…, one of the most affecting shows I’ve seen in a while. I’ve been working with Vincent on a special fundraising edition—a hybrid newspaper object, part drawing, part sculpture—which is now on view at Mass MoCA, the second stop on the show’s tour. Proceeds will go toward the inaugural CAMH Commission Prize in partnership with Untitled Art, which feels like a full-circle moment. If I’ve got a spare hour and need a little indulgence, I’ll dip into Hamilton Shirts. It’s been in the same family since the 1880s, and they’ve been cutting custom button-downs and chore coats for me for 15 years. They make the kind of garments that just get better the more you live in them. And, of course, no trip is complete without tapping into the city’s outrageously diverse food scene. You can eat your way around the globe without leaving the Loop. Lately I’ve been obsessed with ChòpnBlọk, a West African spot that has locations in Montrose and at Post Houston. I’ve probably worked my way through the entire menu at this point, maybe more than once.
